Music & Dance Music-Dance News July-Aug '19 | Page 15

Music & Dance News July/August 2019 Page 15 Mike Wendolek continued After getting out from behind the drums to raise his children for 17 years, Mike was called, in 2016, to perform with Wally Pikal in the Hutchinson Mall for KDUZ radio. Pictured are: Wally Pikal, Mike Wendolek, Jerry Kahle, Jerome Kadlec, and Harvey Becker. could play their style. Joe played a modified “Little Wally” stand up drumming style. Joe agreed, and I sat in for a polka set. That “sit in” attracted the at- tention of two people as- sociated with the Jolly Brothers band at that time, Jerry Zelazny and Tom Mrozinski. After that experience, I started to get calls from Polish polka bands in Northeast Minneapolis. I played with Jerry’s brothers, Hank and Tony, and with Dick Powell and his brothers’ band, along with a couple other groups from the North- MUSICAL VARIETY FOR THE BUTTON BOX ACCORDION Oldtime Music Co. Send for free flyer POLKAS • WALTZES SCHOTTISCH TWO-STEP LATIN • SWING • Chord stamp method: books and cassettes • Easy to read • For 3- and 4-row accordion • For beginning through advanced students Oldtime Music Company Marge Ford, P.O. Box 92294, Anchorage, AK 99509 [phone] • [email protected] east Minneapolis area. Shortly after I turned 18 years of age, and while studying in tech- nical college, I received a telephone call from Gene Thomas of the revised Jolly Brothers band. Some of the origi- nal players moved on to other groups, and he was looking for a drummer who could perform not only the Polish style of music, but modern rock music, as well. It was then I upgrad- ed my trap set from the Montgomery Wards catalog set to a new maple shell Ludwig set of Champagne Sparkle, new Zildjian cymbals, hardware, and hard-shell cases to protect the drum shells and hardware. That Jolly Brothers band consisted of Gene Thomas (clarinet, saxo- phone, vocals), Tom Mrozinzki (trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, vo- cals), Jerry Zelazny (ac- cordion, piano, vocals), John Keene (bass, lead guitar, vocals), and me (drums and vocals). I worked with this group for a little over a year and a half. This was a full-time occupation, where we played six days a week and sometimes twice on Sunday. The off-days were re- served for rehearsal of new music or recording. We played all over the Midwest, with tour dates in New Jersey, New Continued on page 16