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The Warsaw Village Band Inspires Fans, But Some Polish Immigrants Turn a Deaf Ear
By Feet in Two Worlds • 2/15/10 • Categorized as Immigration News, New York, Podcast, Polish, Radio 
The Warsaw Village Band. (Photo: Kayax)
Can traditional Polish music sound funky? Or Asian? Or bluesy? The members of the Warsaw Village Band think it can. When the six-piece band was founded 12 years ago, its young members visited Polish villages to gather vanishing songs from elderly musicians. Later these melodies became the inspiration for a new modern and eclectic style of music.
Today the Warsaw Village Band has fans all over the world. They call themselves barbarians playing hardcore folk. Recently the American magazine PopMatters named the band’s latest CD “Infinity” the top World Music album for 2009.
But while American audiences welcome the band’s innovative ideas, New York’s Polish immigrant community has had a mixed reaction.
Young Poles are enthusiastic, but older immigrants are skeptical, seeing the Warsaw Village Band’s innovative mix of styles as a blow to traditional Polish folk music.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
The Warsaw Village Band Inspires Fans, But Some Polish Immigrants Turn a Deaf Ear
By Feet in Two Worlds • 2/15/10 • Categorized as Immigration News, New York, Podcast, Polish, Radio
The Warsaw Village Band. (Photo: Kayax)
Can traditional Polish music sound funky? Or Asian? Or bluesy? The members of the Warsaw Village Band think it can. When the six-piece band was founded 12 years ago, its young members visited Polish villages to gather vanishing songs from elderly musicians. Later these melodies became the inspiration for a new modern and eclectic style of music.
Today the Warsaw Village Band has fans all over the world. They call themselves barbarians playing hardcore folk. Recently the American magazine PopMatters named the band’s latest CD “Infinity” the top World Music album for 2009.
But while American audiences welcome the band’s innovative ideas, New York’s Polish immigrant community has had a mixed reaction.
Young Poles are enthusiastic, but older immigrants are skeptical, seeing the Warsaw Village Band’s innovative mix of styles as a blow to traditional Polish folk music.
Intro and Outro
INTRO: OUTRO:Please outro with this text: This story was produced by Feet In Two Worlds, a project of the Center for New York City Affairs at the New School.
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skip Funk, Little Baby Blues, Is Anybody In There, Circle No. 1, | Warsaw Village Band | Infinity. | JARO | 2008 | 00:00 |
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