(upbeat polka music) - [Voiceover] Let's Polka!

- Thank you very much, hi everybody.

Once again, welcome to Let's Polka.

Here on WSKG, we enjoy so much being with you, thank you for joining us.

Studio audience is ready to dance, you folks at home are ready to watch, terrific band tonight.

The son, one of the son's of the late Eddie Blazonczyk and The Versatones, we've got with us today, from Chicago, Illinois, Tony Blazonczyk and New Phaze, let's get started.

(audience clapping) (upbeat polka music) ♪ My Joanie from Chicago ♪ She's found another man ♪ I can't even kiss her now ♪ Can't even hold her hand ♪ Every time I see her now ♪ She's with some other guy ♪ I guess I'm just a loser ♪ With teardrops in my eyes ♪ Love 'em and leave 'em ♪ Kiss 'em, deceive 'em ♪ That used to be my motto one time ♪ Till my loving Joanie ♪ Left me so lonely ♪ Now I've got these teardrops in my eye ♪ I used to run around a lot ♪ When Joanie was my girl ♪ I would flirt with with every gal ♪ I'd meet throughout the world ♪ I used to be a killer with those women, me oh my ♪ Now I'm just a loser with teardrops in my eyes ♪ Love 'em and leave 'em ♪ Kiss em, deceive 'em ♪ That used to be my motto one time ♪ Till my loving Joanie ♪ Left me so lonely ♪ Now I've got these teardrops in my eyes ♪ I used to slay the the pretty girls ♪ From Maine to Illinois ♪ Everybody used to call me Polish lover boy ♪ There've been so many pretty eyes ♪ I've filled with bitter tears ♪ When I was known as lover boy ♪ Throughout my swinging years ♪ Love 'em and leave 'em ♪ Kiss 'em, deceive 'em ♪ That used to be my motto one time ♪ Till my loving Joanie ♪ Left me so lonely ♪ Now I've got these teardrops in my eyes ♪ Thank you everybody and welcome here to Let's Polka.

Yours truly, Tony Blazonczyk and the New Phaze all the way from Chicago, Illinois.

And we started off with a tune called Love 'em and Leave 'em written and recorded by my dad back in the 1970s, and we'd like to keep it going with all these great dancers we have out here.

Here's another polka off our latest CD, the CD is called Breakdowns, The Phaze That Never Ends, and our concertina player Tim, he's gonna sing some of his favorites that he likes, some of the old standards, we hope you like them, sing along with us here in the studio, sing along with us at home, here we go, some of the old time favorites.

(energetic polka music) (singing in foreign language) (energetic polka music) (singing in foreign language) (energetic polka music) (singing in foreign language) (energetic polka music) (singing in foreign language) (energetic polka music) Off our latest CD, this one, called TJ's Favorites, with a little bit of Mom Nears Farewell, Bright Star, and Shiva Coin Polka, and folks, if you enjoy what you're hearing and you'd like to check us out in the future, visit our website at www.newphaze.com.

You can purchase CDs and get our entire schedule, see photos on different events that we post up there, and hope you follow us in the near future.

All right we're gonna do another one for ya right now, this is an oberek for you, this is off one of our CDs as well.

Here's one called My Daughter Oberek.

(upbeat polka music) (singing in foreign language) (upbeat polka music) (singing in foreign language) (upbeat polka music) (audience clapping) - We'll be right back with more great polka music in just a moment, but first, let's learn more about this great polka band.

Tony Blazonczyk, New Phaze Band, what a thrill to have them with us on the show today.

Tony, you're such an interesting guy, it's so good to see you.

- [Tony] Thank you Bill.

Thank you for having us.

- Well you're welcome, I have to start at the beginning.

Your dad, God rest his soul, was one of my favorites, and I'm sure the inspiration for you and your brother came through Eddie Blazonczyk and The Versatones.

- Oh absolutely, I mean, growing up as a kid, my father was the Godfather of polka music.

So it's such an honor to be his son, and the way we grew up, we had the recording studio that was below our house and then we had Club Antoinette and Polonia Grove, and as a kid growing up you run around these places and you got to run around when Louie and my dad and Lush were playing and, pictures of us sleeping on the band stands and the music is in our blood, it was just a great thing.

- No doubt you grew up with it.

♪ And we don't even know why we're around ♪ It sure is great it makes us feel just grand ♪ - [Bill] On stage you're smiling and I just saw your dad as I looked up at you, do you hear that from people?

- [Tony] I hear that all the time, but you know what it is is, when you're on that stage and you look out there and you see these people dancing and clapping, you're having fun, so why not have fun with 'em?

It's a happy music.

- One of my favorite polkas by your dad was the Bandleader song, tell me about that.

- That's right, he wrote this song back I believe around 1985, 1986, and what a great tune it was.

So here we go with Melvin, he's gonna sing my dad's version of the Bandleader's Polka.

(playful, upbeat polka music) (singing in foreign language) (playful, upbeat polka music) (singing in foreign language) (upbeat polka music) The Bandleader Polka, thank you very much.

- [Bill] Did you know that many historians credit a Bohemian girl named Anna Slezak for the choreography work in the steps of the first polka dance.

(enchanting polka music) ♪ So walk through this world with me ♪ Come take my hand ♪ No matter what the future might bring ♪ I'll be your man ♪ I'll promise the world to you ♪ But I'll give what I can ♪ So walk through this world with me ♪ Come take my hand ♪ Our love will be strong and grow ♪ As long as we live ♪ So walk through this world with me ♪ And let our lives live ♪ I'll promise the world to you ♪ But I'll give what I can ♪ So walk through this world with me ♪ Come take my hand ♪ So walk through this world with me ♪ Go where I go ♪ You make my life so complete ♪ Oh I need you so ♪ Thank you.

(clapping and cheering) - Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen.

Great Walls, an old staunch calanka number with Tony Blazonczyk's New Phaze, and that's all the time we can spend with you for now, but we'll be back to do this again another time.

Thank you very much, all of you folks here in the studio, and you folks at home watching.

We'll see you back here once again on Let's Polka, this is Bill Flynn, so long, till next time.

- Did you all have a good time, folks, on this show?

How 'bout it for Bill Flynn?

Here we go, one more time, Going to Poland Polka.

(playful polka music) (singing in foreign language) (playful polka music) (singing in foreign language) (playful polka music) (singing in foreign language) (playful polka music) (audience clapping) (upbeat polka music)