Paul Schulfer
Paul Schulfer
Early Days
Paul grew up with music all around him. His father Carl played drums with many of the local Stevens Point polka bands. Paul’s grandparents (Bill & Bernice Schulfer) were also very involved in the glory days of polka music in Stevens Point, frequenting dances three and four nights a week. In Paul’s early years he didn’t hear a whole lot of Polish music. His earliest influence was a very popular local oompah band called the Polka Stars. It was their great concertina player, Don Liss that first inspired Paul to play concertina. But Paul did not play box first, his dad had him sitting in on the drums by the age of five.
School
Paul was very active during his school years. He became a talented baseball player. Playing summer leagues and on traveling All Star teams. His love of the outdoors also exploded during this time. Paul’s dad always said that he never had time to get into trouble, because if he didn’t have a fishing pole, gun, or a bow in his hands, he had a concertina. Paul started playing concertina at the age of eight, and played his first job with his dad’s band (Happy Harmony Stars) at the age of 11. Around this time Paul started getting exposed to Polish music. His parents started taking him to hear local Polish bands like Norm Dombrowski’s Happy Notes, Jolly Harmony Seven, and the Polish Edition. Paul’s polka music taste really changed one historic Friday morning after his parents went to see Eddie Blazonczyk the night before. He woke up that fateful morning to find an eight track of Roaring Polkas on the kitchen table. To make a long story short, he was an hour and a half late for school that morning, and for a long time there was only one kind of music. Paul really admired Scrubby and the Dynatones, TBC, and the Sounds.
The Break Away
At the age of eighteen Paul and his dad’s band broke up and Paul went his way to find a true Polish band to play with. He joined a band called Polka Magic that played a lot of Lil Wally, Marion Lush, and Classic Eddie Blazonczyk tunes. It was a very good learning experience. Paul then joined a band called the Soundsations. This band played a lot of Dynatones, Sounds, Lenny Gomulka, and Eddie B songs. Around this same time Paul had a short stint drumming in a country band with a few buddies from school.
Paul also met the love of his life during this time, his now wife Sheila. They met when Paul played concertina on a hayride for Sheila’s eighteenth birthday. Paul and Sheila did a lot of polka dancing at this time. Their favorite band was the Polka Town Sound from Pulaski, WI. Paul and Sheila crashed a lot of weddings they played at in the Stevens Point area.
Present Day
Paul joined the reformation of Polish Connection Band in the late 90’s. The band has brought many knew experiences to Paul. Traveling throughout the Midwest, Pennsylvania, and even on the Ultimate Polka Cruise in 2006. Paul has also recorded three CD’s with the band, Go Ahead Make Us Play, Happy Life, and Good Clean Fun.
Paul still remains very busy. He has three children (Eliza, Emma, and Evan) who are all very active in school and athletics. Paul and his wife enjoy watching or coaching ball games four nights a week from April through July. Fishing has taken a back seat in life now for Paul, but he still makes time to hunt for deer all fall and turkeys in the spring. Cutting firewood, remodeling his fixer upper house, gardening and canning his produce keep him busy throughout the year. Paul has been employed by Donaldson Company for over fifteen years, making hydraulic filters for the world’s farm and construction equipment. This keeps him busy six and sometimes seven days a week. It’s hard to believe he still has time to play in a polka band, but the love of performing high energy polish music for polka dancing fans drives him to keep on playing the music he loves so much.
A Word of Thanks
First a word of thanks to my parents and grandparents for instilling in me the love of family, God, music, and work. The perfect balance of life. Second to my wife and kids for love, understanding, and support for our hectic lifestyle we live. Third to Mr. Eddie Blazonczyk, Sr. and all the great local central Wisconsin musicians who influenced me in my young years. And last, to Mr. Jeff Mlezcko and Mr. Hank Guzevich. To Jeff for the belief in my ability, and to Hank for the chance to be a part of a real Polka Family.