Texas Polka Explosion at SugarHill

(HOUSTON, TEXAS) – November 12, 2005– Polka has made quite an entrance at SugarHill with Brian Marshall and His Tex-Slavic Playboys.
Brian Marshall was busy at SugarHill Recording Studios during the month of August, recording his new album with Tracking Engineer Leigh Crain in Studio B and Mixing Engineer Andy Bradley in Studio C.
 
The new album, called Texas Lowlands is a follow up to his hugely acclaimed Texas Polish Roots album, produced by long-time collaborator Mark Rubin.  “Polish bands used fiddles to create a distinctly Texan sound. The rural sound died out decades ago, but Brian Marshall and His Tex-Slavic Playboys bring it back with grace and verve…These guys are to Texas polka what Beausoleil is to Cajun music," was Texas Monthly magazine’s review of the band.
 
A blend of southern Polish fiddle tunes and Texas western swing, Texas Lowlands is a 12-song venture carrying on the family tradition of Texas Polonia music.
Polish settlers came to San Antonio, Texas in the mid-1800s bringing their Catholic faith, culture and music and Marshall has become one of the few musicians able to successfully capture the essence of the music. Brian Marshall expressed the direction he takes with his music:
 
“I wanted a sound that offered respect to the tradition. We used a "maly bas" which is a bowed cello for the bass; a tradition that has been lost for some time here in Texas”

Tracking the album was completed in record time with Engineer Leigh Crain at the controls. “It was crazy recording 12 songs in two days and playing songs that no one had ever played before in addition to using musicians who had never played together!” Marshall commented. “With 2 bottles of Polish Vodka and a dozen kolaches anything can happen!” Marshall continued.