Tom Brusky Band
 
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POLKA-VARIETY DUO

In the wake of the devastating loss to the polka world of Steve Meisner, many area bandleaders, myself included, are stepping up to help fulfill his contracts to the best of our ability. There is not a musician on earth who could fill Steve's shoes, but for the time being, I am re-offering the services of a full-size band and prioritizing events and venues affected by Steve's passing to ensure his music and his musicians play on.
 

I am an authentic, third-generation polka musician from Milwaukee who is dedicated to carrying on the music of the city's great polka bands from the past, like Louis Bashell, Tony Rademacher, and Al Roberts.

Since the 1990s, I've performed with my two- to five-piece band, but beginning in 2023, we've scaled down to a two-piece band for many of our public performances.

My two-piece band consists of myself on accordion and a drummer. My accordion has integrated electronics providing bass and other sounds, enabling my two-piece band to literally produce the same, full, lively, danceable sound of a three-piece band, but at a more affordable price.

As a polka band, we can entertain crowds with all the beer hall favorites like
Roll Out the Barrel and Who Stole the Kishka, and strike sentimental chords with classic waltzes such as Waltz Across Texas and The Blue Skirt Waltz, but we actually boast a repertoire of over 200 polkas and waltzes. We are firmly established in Wisconsin's polka music circuit, and are regularly hired to provide polka music for Oktoberfests, festivals, fairs, and all other events wanting an authentic polka experience.
 
Outside the polka genre, our repertoire consists of over 200 standards, foxtrots, two-steps, rhumbas, cha-chas, swing, classic country, and Christmas songs. We are often hired by dance clubs for our variety music alone, but it is our combined repertoire of polkas, waltzes, and variety music that makes us the premier band in town for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and so much more.
 
We perform regularly throughout our home territory of Southern Wisconsin and travel to wherever our music is desired, providing music for all occasions:
 
  • Anniversaries
  • Parish Festivals
  • Trade Shows
  • Retirement Dinners
  • State/County Fairs
  • Birthdays
  • Fish Frys
  • Conventions
  • Reunions
  • Benefits
  • Corporate Events
  • Christmas Parties
  • Senior Picnics
  • Block Parties
  • Grand Openings
  • Weddings
  • Banquets
  • Oktoberfests
  • Graduations
  • Celebrations of Life
 
 
Upcoming Public Performances
 




JUNE

Fri. 9
American Legion, Fox Lake, WI
7:30-10:30
Sat. 10
Spring into Summer Festival - St. Monica Parish, Whitefish Bay, WI
6:00-8:00





Sample Our Live Sound
 
To present to you the breadth of our band's sound, my drummer and I went into the recording studio and cut some live music tracks. What you hear in these demos is a small sample of the polka and variety repertoire we bring to our live performances. We recorded these tracks using the same instrumentation and gear we use on stage.


 
 
Contact me for a quote

If you are interested in hiring my two-piece band for your event, I'd love to hear from you!
I'll check our availability and provide you with a price quote. Please include these three details about your event in your email: date, location, and approximate performance time.
 
E-mail:
Send Email

Mail:
Tom Brusky Band
4055 S. 103rd Street
Milwaukee, WI  53228-2005

Phone:
(414) 546-3650. Due to my schedule as a musician, it may take me up to two weeks to retrieve and return a phone call during normal hours. For a prompt response, please contact me via email. Thank you.
 

 
Common questions answered

Is your band Polish or German?
A very common misconception about polka music is that it's either Polish or German, but it's actually neither. Its roots are in 19th century Bohemia. Over the years, various styles of polka music developed and flourished in the United States, which include Polish and German styles among others. Our style of polka music is the Slovenian style, also known as the Cleveland style, which is the most popular style of polka music in Southern Wisconsin and across the Penn-Ohio "polka belt".

For how many hours should we hire you?
Live music for most private parties typically runs anywhere from about 90 minutes up to four hours, with the majority of performances being either two or three hours in length. We will perform for as long or short of a performance as you need and adjust our rate quotes accordingly whether you need us to play for three minutes, three hours, or three days.

How far in advance should we book you?
Although last minute inquires are always welcome, like most bands, we book on a "first come—first serve" basis. For events during the peak Oktoberfest season (early September to early October) booking a full year in advance is always recommended.

Do you play any contemporary, mainstream music?
No, that's simply not the kind of band we are. The bulk of our variety music is comprised of standards, light pop, classic country, and ballroom favorites from the 1930s through the 1970s — songs that your parents and grandparents remember fondly. This is what has made us a popular band not just for polka dances and festivals, but for events like 50th anniversaries and senior citizens' birthday parties. If you would like newer music played at your party, we'll be glad to patch your phone or MP3 player into our sound system to play during our breaks.

Can we hire you to perform prior to the DJ at our wedding?
Absolutely! This is actually very common for us nowadays. If you'd like to bring some traditional, live music into your wedding, consider hiring us to kick out a set of polka music prior to the DJ taking over. We can also provide lighter cocktail music before or during dinner.

How long does it take you to set up?

It takes us about 20 minutes to set up and roughy the same amount of time to tear down.

Why don't you advertise your awards?
Although my band members and I are grateful to be recipients of multiple music awards, award programs with large voting memberships tend to recognize popularity over talent [see my News section's "Nominations" article]. Any polka band, regardless of their level of talent, can win music awards if they make it their mission to win them. That's simply not our goal. We do not ask for votes nor do we vote for ourselves. We prefer that you hire us strictly based on the quality of our music — not the quantity of bullets on our résumé.
 
How loud is the band?
Volume is a known problem with many bands, but not with us. At private parties, our job is to provide music for dancing and listening enjoyment – not to cause ear pain. We can literally play as quietly as a small jazz combo when desired, which is what we are often called upon to do for cocktail receptions and dinners. We can also pump up the volume when needed. When you hire us, YOU have the final say over our volume, not us. If our volume seems too high or too low, please let us know and we'll adjust it until you're satisfied.

Do you require a deposit?
For some private parties, especially those on Saturday nights and on weekends during peak festival seasons, a band may require a deposit. A deposit is a portion of the band's fee paid in advance, which is a standard practice in the entertainment industry. The purpose of a deposit is to ensure a last-minute cancellation does not deprive a band of promised income. We may request a deposit for some events, and the deposit will be fully, partially, or non-refundable depending on the circumstances surrounding the cancellation.

Where is your Facebook page? Twitter? Instagram?
Although social media is woven into the fabric of modern society, most everyone who uses it is blissfully ignorant of, or willingly indifferent to, just how much information about them is being continually harvested, aggregated, and sold to data brokers. My privacy is more important to me than every benefit social media has to offer.
 
 
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