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STEVE MEISNER
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STEVE MEISNER
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Watch Steve Meisner's Recent Performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC
http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/videos/?id=M4367
From: Walworth County Today
Polka is alive and well at Whitewater's Family FestivalWithout the accordion, polka just wouldn’t happen, and without accordionist Steve Meisner of Whitewater, there would be a whole lot less polka going on in the Midwest.
But there will be plenty of polka Sunday when Meisner performs at Whitewater’s Family Festival at the Cravath Lakefront Park.
Meisner will perform from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday after the parade.
Earlier this year, Meisner, 50, and his squeeze box were honored at the 30th Annual Wisconsin Area Music Awards show, better known as WAMI, as best artist in the newly created polka category. Read More...
The Wisconsin Arts Board is proud to announce that polka musician Steve Meisner of Whitewater, Wisconsin has been selected to represent the State of Wisconsin in the Library of Congress’ Homegrown Concert Series.
Since 2002, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress has hosted a regular series of concerts that run each year from April through November. "The Homegrown concerts began with the idea of documenting the very best of traditional music and dance from a variety of folk cultures thriving in the United States," explained Peggy Bulger, the AFC's director. "In order to do that effectively, we collaborate with state folklorists in each state, and take their recommendations on the best folk performers to represent the cultural heritage of that state. We make sure to document each concert thoroughly, so that it can be added to the permanent collections of the American Folklife Center. We are well on our way to having all 50 states represented in this multicultural musical collection. This collection will live on as a snapshot of the diversity of American folk music thriving at the turn of the twenty-first century."
Meisner was selected from a roster of nominees supplied to the AFC by the state folklorist on staff at the Wisconsin Arts Board, Anne Pryor. “We nominated Steve for several reasons: his outstanding musical skills on the accordion, creativity with the Slovenian style of polka, engaging showmanship, and also, for him, polka is not only a regional and ethnic tradition. It’s also a family tradition.”
Steve’s father, Verne Meisner (1938-2005) of Waukesha, Wisconsin, was a lifelong polka musician who gained international fame. Among other accomplishments, Verne was honored in 1989 with induction into the International Polka Hall of Fame. Both father and son represented Wisconsin in 1998 in Washington D.C. As a major event in the celebration of Wisconsin’s Sesquicentennial, the Wisconsin Arts Board partnered with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage to bring 120 traditional artists to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Steve and Verne played for two weeks on the National Mall in a grand celebration of Wisconsin’s 150th birthday.
“My Dad’s melding of the Yankovic Slovenian style, Cleveland Slovenian styles, Louis Bashel’s Milwaukee Slovenian style along with local bands from his childhood and other regional groups solidified his style within a style,” Steve reflected. “I, however, was literally only exposed to Verne Meisner (who was always my mentor) as a child and it wasn’t until my early adolescence and my teenage years that I expanded my own influences to include bands from the Cleveland and Milwaukee Slovenian styles along with other polka, pop, country and rock genre influences. The intricacy of what has brought me into my own style within a style is pretty deep.”
The AFC agreed, and selected Steve to represent the state with his own “Meisner Magic” style of Slovenian Wisconsin style polka. The performance will be on August 25, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Library's Coolidge Auditorium and again from 6 - 7 p.m. on the Kennedy’s Center Millennium Stage. The evening performance will be webcast live at 6 p.m. Eastern time and is viewable at http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium. Both concerts are free of charge.
Steve Meisner was the winner of the 2010 WAMI (Wisconsin Area Music Industry) award in the category "Polka Artist of the Year" and also was nominated as a Peoples' Choice Top Finalist in the Southwest WI category. www.wamimusic.com
Milwaukee Journal article about WAMI adding the Polka Artist Category
“Verne Meisner’s Lost Gold”
Discovered in the vault of Meisner history
featuring a decade of unreleased selections
from several famed studio sessions.
1. PT Polka * 2. You Call Everybody Darling * 3. Slovenian P-Altz * 4. In the Meisner Mood Medley * 5. Corn Palace Polka * 6. Jim Kirchstein– talks * 7. Be Honest With Me – take 1 *
8. Universal Studio Engineer – talks * 9. I’ve Been Everywhere * 10. Sempico Polka * 11. Verne Meisner – talks * 12. Quando Quando Quando * 13. Duluth Polka * 14. Muskrat Ramble * 15. Blonde Sailor * 16. Lady Be Good * 17. Just Because Polka * 18. Sweet Georgia Brown * 19. Oh Boy * 20. Universal Studio Engineer – talks * 21. On the Mountain * 22. River Boat Rag * 23. Spanish Eyes * 24. Rain Rain Polka * 25. Detour * 26. Verne Meisner – talks * 27. Half As Much * 28. Stop & Go Polka * 29. Skirts * 30. Be Honest With Me – take 2 * 31. Lake City Polka * 32. Verne Meisner – talks * 33. Gay Mexicano – take 1Orders can be placed through Steve Meisner by Sending a check or money order for $17.50
or visit the merchandise page for credit card orders.
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Steve Meisner
N7547 W Lakeshore Dr
Whitewater, WI 53190-4385ALSO AVAILABLE
Verne Meisner's 50th Birthday Music Anthology Vol. 1 & 2 DVD Set
Volume 1 - 1. Sneaky Pete Polka 2. Pretty Polly Polka 3. Memories of Vienna 4. Saturday Night Waltz 5. Starlight Waltz 6. 400 Polka 7. Lake City Polka 8. Snowflake Waltz 9. Gronick's Polka 10. Old Accordion Waltz 11. Snow Deer Polka 12. Doreen Waltz 13. The Straus Medley 14. Mimi Polka 15. Five Points Waltz 16. Lullaby Waltz 17. The Auctioneer 18. Skirts 19. Broken Wineglass Polka 20. Somebody Loves You
Volume 2 - 1. Augie's Polka 2. Ma She's Making Eyes At Me 3.Michelle Waltz 4.Let A Smile Be Your Umbrella 5. Sugar Bush 6. Chili Pepper 7. Pigpen Polka 8. Sleepy Head Waltz 9. On the Wings of a Dove 10. Alpine Village Polka (Button Box) 11. Jump River Polka 12. Meisner Magic 13. Somebody Else is Taking My Place 14. European Waltz 15. Bohemian Leandler 16. El Rio Drive 17. Let's Have A Party
Orders can be placed through Steve Meisner by sending a check or money order for $23.50 or visit the merchandise page for credit card orders.
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Steve Meisner
N7547 W Lakeshore Dr
Whitewater, WI 53190-4385
I’m proud to also announce the release of some
classic Verne Meisner recordings on CD.
These are now available via the printable order form or
through my web site via credit card.1. A Polka & Waltz Holiday
2. Old Country Melodies
3. Waltzing With You
4. The Little Shoemaker
5. The Verne Meisner Dance Album
6. Martinis, Manhattans & Meisner
7. Verne Meisner Plays A Song For You
If these links do not open, try right-clicking and then choose 'open in new window'.
This should take care of the problem. Thanks.
MEISNER NEWS
SHOW ME THE CHUMP CHANGE!
Miramax releases Milwaukee native’s award-winning film on DVD AND VHS!!!
www.miramax.com/chumpchange/
Fresh off a successful showing at the inaugural Milwaukee International Film Festival, where it earned rave reviews and sold out the historic Oriental Theater for the first time since 1987, “Chump Change” is hitting DVD AND VHS shelves around the country.Starring Milwaukee native Stephen Burrows, who also wrote and directed the film, “Chump Change” is a fast-paced comedy based on Burrows’ real-life experiences in Hollywood and Wisconsin. In addition to the film, which stars Tim Matheson, Traci Lords, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, Abe Vigoda and Fred Willard, the “Chump Change” DVD features a director’s commentary, a director’s commentary on the director’s commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, outtakes, deleted scenes and an interview with Traci Lords, to mention a few.
“Miramax put together an entertaining DVD that builds on the humor of the film and gives viewers about four-and-a-half hours of laughs for chump change,” Said Burrows. “I’m excited that the hundreds of people who put their heart and soul into this project can now pay from $15 to $30 for a movie they didn’t get paid to work on.”
“Chump Change” is now available on BN.com, Amazon.com, Video.com, Blockbuster.com, Buy.com, deepdiscount.com, Borders.com, etc. and in Barnes & Noble stores, SunCoast Video, Best Buy, etc.
Pick Up Your Copy NOW and share in the laughs!
Please note - Chump Change is rated “R”.
Click here to order your copy of Chump Change now!!
Contact Information
For band schedules, ordering music, booking information or
other information, please contact Steve Meisner directly at:
Steve Meisner
N7547 W Lakeshore Dr
Whitewater, WI 53190-4385
Phone: 262-473-7184.
You may also contact Steve via e-mail at Steve Meisner
"Meisner Magic"
Verne & Steve Meisner
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All rights reserved.Guests since July 1, 1999
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Last revised: August 31, 2010
