Roll Out the Barrel: a Virtual Polka Concert
Event information
October 05, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Presented By: Bicknell Center for the Arts
Location: Online
Event details
The Johnnie Zibert Band didn’t get a chance to perform at their usual Little Balkans Day venue because the festival was canceled due to the pandemic. But thanks to the recording and streaming capabilities of the Bicknell Center, the community and viewers far and wide can plan to enjoy a concert at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 5.
It can be viewed at pittstate.tv, at Facebook.com/bicknellcenter, and on CAPS 13 TV.
Zibert began his accordion playing career performing with a band in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area in 1982. In 2013, he joined with Gerald Azember, a banjo and guitar player from Girard, and George Barberich, a bass, accordion, and guitar player from Pittsburg, to form the Johnnie Zibert Band.
With his new band, he has carried on the legacy of his father, local polka legend accordionist John Zibert, in playing Slovenian/Cleveland style polka music at a variety of dance halls throughout Southeast Kansas as well as numerous outdoor festivals, including the Big Brutus Polka Fest and Little Balkans Days.
Barberich’s music career began in 1966 in Kansas City, Kansas, on Strawberry Hill under the direction of the late accordion master Don Lipovac. He began with the St. John’s Tamburitzans, performing Eastern Balkan music and dance, then, after relocating to Southeast Kansas in the mid 1970s, began performing with accordion band leaders John Zibert, Joe Nepote, Bobby Stewart, John Yoger, and Jimmy Karlinger.
Azember began playing guitar with The Holiday Band in 1996 and continued to play with the group at several locations in the area for 21 years. In 2013, he joined the Johnnie Zibert Band as a guitar and banjo player.