Skip Svoboda hosted a group of musicians playing classic and contemporary polkamusic. Check out the in-studio recordings and artist bios below, and tune in to Skip’s show on Saturday mornings from 8-11am for your Polka fix!
Frank Rote is from a small Slovenian community in upstate New York. He currently lives in Alta Loma. He plays both button and piano accordion. He is in charge of many of the activities at the Slovene Hall in Fontana and is the leader of the Fontana Button Box Accordion Club, a local button accordion band. He also has his own Polka band, The Frank Rote Orchestra.
Fred Mlakar is also of Slovenian heritage and came from a Slovenian community in northern Minnesota prior to moving to Southern California. He also plays both button and piano accordion. He is the son of Joe Mlakar who is also a well-known button accordion player. Fred’s band is called The Fred Mlakar Orchestra.
Jon Miller is originally from Michigan and now lives in Anaheim. He plays many instruments, from banjo to bagpipes and is “on call” with several local Polka bands, as a banjo, guitar, and bass player.
James Koci is Fred’s nephew and the grandson of Joe Mlakar. He plays guitar and bass guitar and is in a rock and roll band. Of course, given his heritage, he also plays Polka music, usually accompanying on his bass guitar.
Troy Sampson is Skip’s son, and played rock and roll and blues until one day SKip convinced him to come out to the Slovene Hall in Fontana for one of their Polka music jam sessions. They didn’t have a drummer and Skip knew he could fill in and he has been ever since.
Strawberry Hill (Hoyer Trio)
Patricia’s Waltz (Hoyer Trio)
Castle Rock (Ray Champa)
Sailing Sailing (Ausenik Quintet)
Glacier Polka (Joe Mlakar)
Just Because (arr. Frank Yankovic)