When it comes to polka music, many bands stick to traditional polka tunes. But there is only one Polky —a band that not only preserves the core elements of Polish folk music in its repertoire but also incorporates a wide range of global influences, Americana, and modern musical forms. This unique fusion will be on display when Polky performs at The Ark on January 7.
“So we are a Polish folk band, but we also play some other Slavic tunes,” Ewelina Ferenc said, the traditional singer and band leader. “We mix Polish traditional music with sounds and rhythms from around the globe. For example, we have some Balkan tunes that we mix with Polish tradition. So, it’s not 100% Polish folk music. It’s more like a fusion.”
Some of their singing is reminiscent of Värttinä (Finnish folk band), and there seem to be Klezmer influences and at times Blues and 20th century.
“I feel like we are the only Polish folk band of this kind in the whole continent,” Ferenc said. “We have some friends in the Polish community, and we see what’s happening. And I don’t see other Polish bands that are fused Polish music with other styles, like other music from other parts of the world. I feel like we are pioneers. So that’s one of the reasons why people should come and see us.”
Not only is their music a cultural and sonic hybrid, but their choice of instruments is equally distinctive.
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“I wanted to add if we’re talking about music, so we’re not only blending genres, but also bringing really rare and forgotten Polish instruments,” Marta Solek said, who is a multi-instrumentalist. “They were just forgotten in Poland for over 200 years. I’m playing on the Polish knee-fiddle that was reconstructed four years ago based on a painting. And the last player we know was living in the 19th century.”
The knee-fiddle is also called “Suka from Bilgoraj” and “Fidel from Plock.”
Solek is unique in resurrecting and bringing attention to this instrument now.
“I am like now the only person on the whole continent trying to bring the awareness about this instrument and trying to bring this instrument back,” Solek said. “There’s maybe around, not more than 50 players in the whole world that know how to play it and it’s a Polish Knee fiddle. So it’s a really rare occasion to see this fiddle.”
She is also using a really rare and which reportedly came to Poland from the East, so further represents a blending of cultures.
Solek has a master’s degree in World Music. She has studied many kinds of instruments. The other instruments that she studied are the pluck fiddle, the Indian Sarangi, the Cretan lyra, the Mongolian Morin Khuur, and the Turkish kemence.
This is Polky’s first time in Michigan, but not in the United States. On their previous tour they went to New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and this time they decided to go to the Midwest on a 10 day tour, starting in Ann Arbor, and goes to Madison and other areas. When they tour they are bringing other cultures around America.
“Because in our band, two of us are Polish, but the rest is from so many different cultures,” Ferenc said.
There are usually six in the band. But this time coming to Ann Arbor, there will be five, two from Poland, the drummer from Peru, and two others, the fiddle and bass player from the U.S. Now they are all Toronto based. The other band members are in the Americana Folk and old time Bluegrass scene, so some of Polky’s music has adopted these flavors also. Band members include Sam Clark on fiddle, Peter Klaassen on upright bass andMatias Recharte on drums
The band started in 2017 when they came from Poland to Canada. During the pandemic in 2020 they released their first album, “Songs from Home” and consequently received praise from Songlines Magazine. In 2022, Polky won the Canadian Folk Music Awards for Traditional Singer of the year.
Toronto is a multicultural city and the current band members all met each other there.
They are working on a new album to be released in the fall of 2025.
“We have a lot of guests that we invited to the project, and there will be a lot of new sounds,” Solek said. “…Traditional Polish music, but with a lot of influence of Americana, there’s a lot of vocal harmonies that we added…We’re going to have the songs in English this time. Usually, we sing in Polish, but this time, we’re going to have one or two songs that are in English as well.”
They will also be featuring Ukrainian music since they want to support that culture as well.
Their new single is called “Rutka,” which is the name of a plant that spread around the world.
“So it really relates to our story that me and Ewelina, that we decided to cross the ocean…we came to Canada, and now we are trying to build the connections between Poland and then between Canada, and then between other countries.”
They also added that the songwriting process is collaborative, with everyone contributing something.
“Some of the ones are coming from us sitting in one room and just playing together and spending time together,” Solek said.
They added that the name of the band “Polky” means Polish women. It would usually be written “Polki” but they said they Anglicized it a bit with the “y.”
“Now it’s just two of us from Poland, but, the name still applies to use because that it is really centered on me and Marta,” said Eweine. “Like we are the main force of why this band exists.”
Audience members report that their concerts are full of energy and even dance .
“The live shows are really always a lot of fun, and that we are bringing people together,” Eweine said. “And then a lot of people are always coming after live show and saying that that was amazing, and they had a lot of fun. They heard the connection.”
Polky’s vibrant fusion of Polish folk roots with global rhythms and rare instruments will leave its Ann Arbor audience with a renewed appreciation for the rich tapestry of music and culture shared across continents.
Donna Marie Iadipaolo is a writer, journalist, and State of Michigan certified teacher, since 1990. She has written for national publications like The Village Voice, Ear Magazine of New Music, Insurance & Technology, and TheStreet.
She is now writing locally for many publications, including Current Magazine, Ann Arbor Family, and the Ann Arbor Independent. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she graduated with an honors bachelor’s degree and three teacher certificate majors: mathematics, social sciences, English. She also earned three graduate degrees in Master of Science, Master of Arts, and Education Specialist Degree.
