It’s been almost a year since polka legend Li’l Wally Jagiello passed away, but he certainly hasn’t been forgotten. Chicago punk/polka band The Polkaholics are hosting a free tribute concert this Friday, and they’ll be playing a slew of Li’l Wally classics. There’ll also be some Li’l Wally memorabilia on display and raffled off to lucky attendees. (Note: the Polkaholics don’t have an accordion player, but I don’t hold that against them.)
Li’l Wally and the Polkaholics may seem like an odd match, given the generational gap and the latter’s leanings toward punk-ed up, guitar-driven polka, but they actually performed together at Chicago’s Zakopane Lounge back in 2002. Filmmaker Wes Hranchak chronicled their epic meeting in the appropriately-titled documentary, Polkaholics.