Polka Madre

Polka Madre is a musical group which has surprised its audiences with the originality of its compositions and the energy, sarcasm and humor of its live shows. After two and a half years since its conception in Mexico City, Polka Madres principle influences lie in Jewish music and the old sounds of Gypsy and Eastern European cultures. Each piece, however, varies in style, rhythm and time signature. Their repertoire ranges from euphoric polkas, melancholic waltzes to punk, rock and passages of classical music.

The vibrancy of the band is also drawn from the origin of its members: Mexico City, Portland, Oregon and Helsinki, Finland. Each member brings his or her cultural influences into the compositions.

Mexico Citys raw, concrete landscape is what binds the band together. The citys ruckus, violence and camaraderie make music and emotions more intense. Sadness is sadder, faster and harder becomes reckless; beauty is rare and hence more treasured. The grittiness of the city leaks into even the finest klezmer clarinet piece and the fast dance songs are all the more rowdy.

The band mostly lives together in an ex-warehouse and spends most of its time creating music.

We finished our Europe Tour 2007 with a resounding success, feeling we'd finally understood the physics of performing live. We played for three and a half months from the arctic circle in Finland to the southern Mediterranean coast of Spain and many places in between. In February we will return to Mexico City for a month to release our first album and then tour the United States from the middle of March to the beginning of May. Dates will be up as we confirm them!