Photo: Tom Brusky - tombrusky.com
Tom Brusky
Tom Brusky
“I’m kind of an anomaly in the polka business,” Milwaukee old time music polymath Tom Brusky observes of his unique status in the music scene.
“Because I’ve made a living at it by tapping it from so many angles: as an accordion player, a drummer, a bass player, a tuba player, a keyboard player, a bandleader, a sideman, a studio session musician, a promoter, a graphic designer, and as a recording engineer and producer. I was lucky enough to get in at the right time, make my fortune, and retire to my beach house in Malibu. All of that is true except for the parts about making a fortune, retiring, and owning a beach house in Malibu,” he quips with the kind of humor often exhibited in the music and graphics of the 20 albums and EPs he has issued since starting his recording career in the late 1980s, the latest of which is July 2022’s Escape to Polka Paradise.
'Escape to Polka Paradise' by Tom Brusky
His latest release is Brusky’s first collection of original material since 2018’s Positively Polka; between those long-players, he has issued a country music Christmas release and a brace of digital singles in various styles including forays into Reagan-era synth pop, contemporary Christian balladry and even a spoof of a song by classic rock band Boston about life in a polka band. Mechanical licensing issues in the current era of music streaming, alongside his current dissatisfaction with his earliest material and the technological advances he has made in recording have Brusky preferring that his first several albums “were laid to rest somewhere in an unmarked grave.” Though polka remains Brusky’s first musical love, the sort of diversity he has displayed in recent years may be a reflection of one of his earliest musical heroes.
“When I was around 13 or 14 years old, the musician who had the biggest influence on me was Yankovic ... not Frank, but ‘Weird’ Al,” confesses Brusky, whose first-and likely never to be issued-album consists of parodies. Though the Yankovic of comedy pop fame is known for wielding an accordion like late polka mainstay Frankie, the young Brusky’s introduction to the instrument, and polka generally, came via more traditional channels.
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“Like most people who appreciate polka music, I grew up with it. Both my father and oldest brother played in polka bands. When I was young, my dad would take me to some of his gigs with Louis Bashell at the Blue Canary and other places around town. As I grew older, I never lost my appreciation for the music,” Brusky recollects of how he has become one of the Midwest’s leading exponents of Slovenian polka style.
“I learned how to play a few instruments, and by my late teens, I was gigging around town with various bands. I always had the most fun playing accordion, so I started picking up jobs as a bandleader. Within 10 years my band was running strong, and I eventually made the switch to becoming a full-time, self-employed musician,” he says of how old-time sounds have paved the way for his busy, productive present.
In so far as fledgling musicians having similar success in the European-derived music of his youth, however, Brusky offers cautions to consider. “I would tell them the honest truth. It’s a wonderful thing to enjoy polka music, and there will always be places where live polka music will be appreciated, but the odds of making a living with it, in 2022, are stacked against you. Compared to just 20 years ago, you'll have to work 10 times harder to find enough work to sustain your business, and you'll be very lucky to find competent musicians who are willing to travel.” And though he continues to record original polka music for commercial consumption, Brusky acknowledges the market for that isn’t what it once was either.
“When the music industry swung from cassettes over to CDs in the 1980s and ‘90s, polka music lagged behind by 10 years, but eventually the genre caught up, embraced the new format, and was able to thrive. When the music industry introduced downloads in the 2000s and then swung over to digital streaming in the 2010s, polka music once again lagged behind, but this time, there won’t be any catching up," he explains. Furthermore, “Polka music’s fan base and band base are now so comparatively small, there’s not enough of an industry remaining to swing entirely over to digital streaming. So, going into the future, we'll continue seeing music released on all different formats, with obsolete compact discs likely remaining the front runner.”
Regardless the changes in the business of polka (a good place to keep up with them being the blog on Brusky’s website, TomBrusky.com), he is it for as long a haul as the music can offer, it appears. “I really enjoy what I do helping to keep polkas alive and kicking around the Milwaukee area. I have to expand my repertoire now and then to satisfy the younger retirees coming to my gigs, but polka music is still appreciated all over, so I think my band will do well for several years to come," Brusky reflects, and shows eve more enthusiasm for playing out live when he shares, “There’s an interplay that happens between the musicians and the dancers which sets the tone for the entire performance. It’s not about perfection, but rather cutting loose, improvising, and having fun in the moment. That attitude contrasts with his approach to recording albums such as Escape to Polka Paradise.
“In the studio, the focus is 100% on the end product. Hearing something in my head and successfully being able to create it in the studio is very rewarding," says a man who admits to often spending 100+ hours recording a single song. Whether in the spontaneity of a bar or ballroom dance or the meticulousness of operating behind a studio board, Brusky sees a future for polka in his city.
“Polka music is still an integral part of Milwaukee’s heritage,” Brusky contends. “The general public enjoys it, so it remains a desired form of entertainment at breweries and special events throughout the year, especially during Oktoberfest.”
Tom Brusky performs 5-9 p.m. Aug. 25 at Rivers Crossing Park, Waukesha and 2:30-5:30 p.m. Aug. 30 at Pat’s Old Manor, South Milwaukee.
