The Mike Schneider Polka Band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...

 is a Slovenian-style polka

Slovenian-style polka

Slovenian-style polka is an American style of polka in the Slovenian tradition. It is usually associated with Cleveland and other Midwestern cities. It is also known as "Cleveland Style."...

 group that performs at approximately 100 events annually in Wisconsin and throughout the United States. Founded in 1996 by Mike Schneider

Mike Schneider (polka bandleader)

Mike Schneider is the leader of The Mike Schneider Polka Band. Schneider and his band perform at approximately 100 events annually in Wisconsin and throughout the United States...

, the band is a four-time award winner and 16-time nominee from such organizations as the National Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame, the Wisconsin Polka Boosters, the Wisconsin Polka Hall of Fame, the Wisconsin Polka Music Awards, and the Wisconsin Area Music Industry

Wisconsin Area Music Industry

Wisconsin Area Music Industry is an American volunteer organization founded in 1980, and based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its stated purpose is "to educate and recognize the achievements and accomplishments of individuals in the Wisconsin music industry." The organization is best known for its...

 (WAMI).

The Mike Schneider Polka Band was the featured subject of the September 15, 2005-edition of the show Positively Milwaukee on WTMJ-TV

WTMJ-TV

WTMJ-TV, digital channel 28 ; branded as "Today's TMJ4", is the NBC-affiliated television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the flagship station of the Journal Broadcast Group. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin and parts of northeastern Illinois, including Racine, Kenosha,...

 for its work on the Wisconsin Polka, a benefit project for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. It was also featured on "Food Nation with Bobby Flay

Bobby Flay

Robert William "Bobby" Flay is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur and reality television personality. He is the owner and executive chef of 12 restaurants: Mesa Grill in Las Vegas, New York City, and the Bahamas ; Bar Americain in New York City and Uncasville, Connecticut; Bobby Flay Steak...

" on the Food Network

Food Network

Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....

 in 2002. Bandleader Schneider was the subject of the lead story "Kids Dig Polka" in the October 24, 1997 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is the primary newspaper in Milwaukee, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is distributed widely throughout the state...

.

The Mike Schneider Polka Band was influenced musically by Frankie Yankovic

Frankie Yankovic

Frankie Yankovic was a Grammy Award-winning polka musician. Known as "America's Polka King," Yankovic was the premier artist to play in the Slovenian style during a long and successful career.-Background:Of Slovene descent, he was raised in South Euclid, Ohio...

 and Verne Meisner

Verne Meisner

LaVerne Donald "Verne" Meisner was an American polka musician born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and raised in Whitewater, Wisconsin. He was inducted into five halls of fame, including the International Polka Association Hall of Fame as a "Living Legend" in 1989...

..

Awards and nominations

• Winner, Wisconsin Polka Hall Of Fame First Annual Young Band Of The Year (1997))
• Nominee, Wisconsin Polka Hall Of Fame Band Of The Year Nominee (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
• Nominee, National Cleveland Style Polka Hall Of Fame Best New/Young Band (1999, 2000)
• Nominee, Wisconsin Area Music Industry
  Wisconsin Area Music Industry
  Wisconsin Area Music Industry is an American volunteer organization founded in 1980, and based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its stated purpose is "to educate and recognize the achievements and accomplishments of individuals in the Wisconsin music industry." The organization is best known for its...
  
  Best Polka Band Nominee (1999, 2000, 2001)
• Winner, Wisconsin Polka Boosters Distinguished Service Award Recipient (2006)
• Winner, Wisconsin Polka Music Exceptional Achievement Award (2007)
• Winner, Wisconsin Polka Music Recording of the Year Award (2007)

Full-length recordings

• First Impressions (1995)
• Second Thoughts (1996)
• The Pursuit Of Polka’s Lost Frontier (1998)
• Polka Visions (2002)
• A Stretch of the Imagination (2004)
• The Mike Schneider Band Live! (2006)
• Accordion Artistry (2008)
• Pint Size Polkas Volume One (2008)

Single Recordings

• Star Spangled Banner for WTMJ (AM) (2000)
• Happy Birthday Polka (2001)
• Bill Michaels Polka for WTMJ (AM) (2004)
• Polka Parade Theme Song for WJYI (2004)
• Sabrina's Songs (2005)
• The Wisconsin Polka (2005)

Compilations Featuring The Mike Schneider Polka Band

• Polkasound Potpourri (1997)
• Parade Of Blue Chip Polkas, Volume 5 (1998)
• The Best of Polka Parade (2003, 2005, 2006)

External links

• The Mike Schneider Polka Band website