The Polkaholics

Emerging from Chicago's 1990s alternative music milieu, the Polkaholics coalesced when varied backgrounds fused into a singular punk polka ensemble. Don Hedeker, who serves as lead singer, guitarist, and biostatistics professor, had previously fronted Bouncing Balls, a group committed to channeling the unfiltered force of 1970s punk, and had also formed one half of the poetry-music duo Algebra Suicide. Bassist George Kraynak arrived from the punk-pop band New Rob Robbies, while drummer and graphic artist Mike Werner had played in the rhythm section of the acclaimed alt-country act Handsome Family. Their convergence produced a defiant hybrid whose foundations trace equally to polka legend Li'l Wally and the Ramones. The band's self-titled debut appeared in 1999 and featured chiefly polka standards. The 2001 successor, Polkas on Guitar, centered on original material delivered in the Polkaholics' distinctive punk polka approach.