“We were paid in Coors Brewery branded clothes.”

By James Rose
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

In the fall of 1987, brothers Franz and Tony Grasegger departed from their hometown of Garmisch-Partenkirchen to New York City. They arrived at the new world on a mission to play old world music. Traditional Bavarian mountain polka, to be specific.

And these two brothers, Franz on accordion, Tony on guitar, weren’t just your average polka band. No, they were already regional polka stars. Growing up in the German Alp town of Garmisch, famous for its alpine lifestyle (of which Franz of course indulged), the Grasegger’s were immersed in all things polka from an early age.

  • Hometown: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
  • Age: 57
  • Occupation: Musician, electrician
  • Columbia Valley Arrival: 1988

“My mother was very musical,” Franz said. At an early age, she had Franz taking accordion lessons from a professional. “I was trained classically. It was a serious undertaking.” Franz learned to play in 2/2-time, waltz’ in 3/4-time and all while yodelling in harmony with his brother.

To play the accordion well is far from easy. “It’s a versatile instrument, but you have to know how to transpose to different keys,” Franz said. “Whereas with a guitar, musicians can use a capo to switch keys.” By the time they hit their late teens, the brothers were good enough to start winning awards. In 1980 when Franz was 17, he and Tony won the grand prix for polka music at a regional music festival. The first place prize included free advertising in Munich’s most widely circulated newspaper.

To pay the bills, at age 15, Franz started apprenticing as an electrician. By 19, he had his ticket, and all that remained between him and his adult freedom was fifteen months of compulsory military service.

The first years of Franz’ twenties had shades of Van Morrison cleaning Belfast windows. “I was blown’ saxophone on the weekend, in that down joint,” Van once sang. For Franz, it was a wiring houses all week before weekends spent playing accordion in those down Garmisch joints. A working man in his prime.

On one particular night, October 1986, an American tourist approached Franz and Tony after their gig. “He said to us: if you ever come to America, come to Albuquerque.” A gig for the polka brothers awaited.

One year later, Tony and Franz found themselves in New York City with nothing but guitars, accordions and their hats for tips. They had very little money. After a week in the big city, they headed west toward the New Mexican desert. The plan? Tour America, play music for cash.

When the brothers arrived in Albuquerque, the American guy they met the year before couldn’t believe the polka brothers actually showed up. But he kept his word. The billing: Bavarian Music by Franz and Tony. “It was a wonderful gig,” Franz said. “We played for two nights, and it was during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.” They were paid in boxes of Coors Brewery clothes. As they travelled, the brothers sold off the clothing to pay for continuing their adventure.

Their next stop was Chicago. In Chicago, there was a big German club for them to play, hopefully. The owner, however, initially wasn’t interested in hiring Bavarian Music by Franz and Tony. “So we just started playing on his patio,” Franz said. “And when he heard us play, he said to us: okay, you can play Thursday.”

Word of mouth spread fast. Next up was Cincinnati. In Cincinnati, they were told to go to Milwaukee to play the breweries. In Milwaukee, they stayed in college dorms. Science majors with access to university labs concocted without Tony knowing something closely resembling fecal matter. “When Tony woke up and found that on his bed, he freaked,” Franz said laughing.

From Milwaukee, the brothers travelled west to Seattle, where another German club awaited their playing. It was while they were in Seattle that the idea to travel north to Canada was birthed. “There was a German club we heard about in downtown Vancouver, and we thought, why not? Let’s go to Canada.”

On the corner of Hornby and Davies, the German restaurant was called The Black Forest. Jack Neiman, the owner, had just opened the establishment after moving from the interior. Before moving to Vancouver to start his restaurant, he sold his previous establishment, also called The Black Forest, in a small town called Invermere.

“When we played at Jack’s, the new owner [Thomas Kogler] of the Invermere Black Forest happened to come in,” Franz said. After Kogler experienced Bavarian Music By Franz and Tony, he told the brothers he would hire them to play for an entire summer in Invermere. “So that’s what we did,” Franz said. “We went to Invermere to play at the Black Forest in the summer of 1988.”

It took some time before Franz fell in love with the valley. “Coming here, it was so similar to our hometown,” he said. “We didn’t really want mountains. We wanted beaches and California girls.” But when the Columbia Valley summer season kicked in, “the town came to life. We started water skiing. It was amazing,” Franz said.

Only after coming to North America did Franz really listen to the blues and rock n’ roll for the first time. “I thought I knew a lot about music, but it dawned on me then how little I actually knew,” he said.

Franz started listening to Flaco Jimenez records. Flaco, the prolific Mexican-American accordionist from San Antonio. In case you’re wondering – when a bunch of Germans immigrated to Texas in the mid-19th century, they brought along their accordions.

“Flaco opened my eyes to what an accordion player could do with other styles of music,” Franz said. “He’s been a major influence of mine.” Franz also received a helping hand from local valley musicians John Cronin and Gordon Askey in expanding his musical palette.

For the first couple of years, Franz worked for cash as a musician. Tony meanwhile returned home to Germany. “But then I started calling my hobby work, and I didn’t like that,” Franz said. With his electrician’s ticket, soon he found work for Deck Electric and a path to legitimate permanent residency.