Is There a Pattern Here? Polka Dots KCSN Radio Landscape Once Again

Just when you thought it was safe to turn on the radio, polka music has returned.

Those toe-tapping beats and frolicking accordion melodies are now dancing across the airwaves on KCSN-FM (88.5) from 9:30 to 11 every Sunday evening.

As the driving force behind “The United Federation of Polka” show, host John Steed hopes his program will fulfill the polka needs of fans across the San Fernando Valley and, at the same time, introduce new friends to this festive European music.

“A lot of young people are picking up on it,” Steed said. “You can adapt your own kind of dance to the music.”

Get ready for slam-dance polka. Polka fusion. Polka rap.

“It is happy music for happy people,” said the polka host.

Steed is a Tujunga resident who owns more than 800 polka albums. His show will feature such varied styles as traditional European, American and Zydeco-Cajun polkas.

The hits never stop.

Polka emerged in the early 19th Century, shortly after the introduction of the accordion to the Western world. A social dance of whirling steps, it was performed by Bohemian peasants at weddings, birthdays and other celebrations.

Polka-rage spread to Europe’s high society and eventually to the United States in the mid-1800s. The passionate dance music in 2/4 time fueled many a composer to write in this style, each one adding a distinctive regional flavor.

Steed, a former rock ‘n’ roll buff now in his late 40s, purchased his first polka album in 1962. He was so smitten by the music that he listened to the record seven times in a row.

Later that fateful day, Steed returned to the store and bought all 26 of their polka albums.

Since then, his collection has multiplied, including records, cassettes and even compact discs. Steed spent the past three years trying unsuccessfully to persuade radio stations to put a polka show on the air.

KCSN had long ago given up on the freewheeling form of music, canceling its last polka program eight years ago. But this August, the public radio station agreed to give it another try. During a recent two-week fund-raiser, listeners pledged $850 to support the show and KCSN agreed to keep polka alive for at least the next six months.

On the show, Steed talks as little as possible. He prefers to lets the music speak for itself.

Once every two months, Steed plans to have guests, such as members of local polka bands and the editor of a national polka magazine, speaking about different aspects of the music. At the conclusion of each program, he presents a calendar of upcoming polka events in the area. He said he believes that polka will become a major influence on the modern music industry.