I Don't Care What the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Thinks

My buddy Arch directed me to an article at the Milwaukee outpost of The A.V. Club which notes that polka is no longer a Grammy category.

According to The Recording Academy, polka isn’t “representative of the current musical landscape.” (You know, like Herbie Hancock’s Joni Mitchell tribute album, which beat out Kanye West, Foo Fighters, and Amy Winehouse for Album Of The Year in 2008.) It is the only category among 110 to get the boot this year, so it certainly looks like the academy is picking on polka.

Unfortunate, but no big surprise here - this was announced last year. And exactly how did Jimmy Sturr win the award every year except those when Brave Combo (above) had an album out?

Sure, polka is not part of the current mainstream musical landscape but it certainly remains a part of the American musical landscape. This rejection by the music establishment only confirms that polka is the true indie/alternative/underground music. (Along with progressive rock and any other musical genres I like that everyone else hates.) Some examples of traditional and not-so traditional:

The Polkaholics (Chicago)

Brave Combo (Texas)

The Happy Schnapps Combo (Green Bay)

Polkafinger (New York)

Steve Meisner (Whitewater)

Sex With No Hands (San Francisco)

And for progheads who still wanna party down on Pączki Day, there's Polka Floyd from Ohio who do Pink Floyd covers including a mean version of "Fearless".