The End Of The Tour

Icons of Rock and Roll must at some point say that the time has come to break down the drum set, put the guitars back in their cases, and turn off the microphones. For some bands it’s the end of an era.

Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner, Twisted Sister, and KISS are all calling it quits at the end of 2023. Their final tours are coming to an end. Aside from these legendary Rock bands there is one that stands out above the rest… The Wisniewska Polka Experience is hanging up their bsolias, their hurdy-gurdies, and their accordions to retire back to their native Sczcecin in Poland. Truly the end of an era.

The trio of Borys, Bazyli, and Wojciech Wisniewska have made the decision that it is time. Their 57 years of dominance as the Kings of Polka-Rock have come to an end. They are calling it quits after their final show at the Holiday Inn in Skokie, Illinois.

Borys, who has always been the sexy frontman of the band, with tears in his eyes, remembers when the band started in 1966 when the trio were in their late teens. He tells MPL, “Our greatest influence was the Schmenge Brothers. Yosh and Stan were ahead of their time. They put Melonville, Poland on the map. They were Gods! The first song we ever played in public was their epic ‘Cabbage Rolls and Coffee’. But by adding the bsolia and the hurdy-gurdy, we gave it an attitude. So when we came out with ‘Compression Socks Are Sexy’ and ‘Your Facial Warts Are Beautiful’, the kids just went crazy.”

Wojciech chimed in, “We toured 320 days a year. We always took October off to celebrate OktoberFest with Yosh and Stan in Germany, where we stayed with their second cousins Aleksandra and Aleksander. They had a beautiful 2-bedroom home that the 5 of us lived in for the entire month playing music into the wee hours every night until we were told by the German authorities to stop at curfew at 8:15. Such wonderful memories.”

With 119 albums in circulation, 2 cracking the Billboard Top 1,000, they are the most prominent Polka band in history. But they are credited with the creation of Polka Rock. Often imitated. Never duplicated. And they are credited with being the absolute inspirations for famous groups such as; Stanislaw and the Kielbasa Posse, The Majas (Maja Majewski & Maja Lewendowski), and of course, Pojay Colony Thunder Devil’s Fiddles.

Maja Majewski told MPL, “Zakochałam się w Borysie odkąd byłam nastolatką” (“I had a crush on Borys ever since I was a teenager”). The Majas even had a song called “Czy mogę być panią Wiśniewską?” (“Can I be Mrs. Wisniewska?”). The song was only released in their native Kazimierz Dolny (population 167), Poland. It was banned in most of Poland due to its strong sexual nature. The lyrics (in English) “Give me a peck on my forehead” and “Hold my hand” were deemed “too vulgar” for mass play by the two radio stations in Kazimierz Dolny, and thus the song was never distributed anywhere else in Poland because of lack of airplay.

The Wisniewska Polka Experience has been touring the US midwest, and it is very likely that you have seen their concert advertisements in your area. They have played everywhere this year from the America’s Best Extended Stay lobby in Stevens Point, Wisconsin to the Comfort Inn ballroom in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. From the Marriott breakfast area in Tawas City, Michigan to the expanded conference center at the Best Western Plus in Ludington, Michigan. And the Holiday Inn circuit in Illinois started in Nauvoo and ending in Skokie on September 27th.

Just in time for the boys to lay down the Polka Rock sound and make it to OktoberFest.