Grammy nominee performs

LynnMarie excites fest-goers

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- This could be the wildest thing in town since Polka Days decades ago.

Nashville recording artist and Grammy nominee LynnMarie brought a new dimension to Heritagefest Friday night with her high-energy accordion music with a little folk, country, rock, cajun, tex-mex, rock and roll and polka thrown in.

Even Heritagefest Board President Hugh Nierengarten was excited.

"I've never had the opportunity to introduce a Grammy nominee before," Nierengarten said prior to her gig.

She dug into her golden oldie repertoire early with "Never Ending Love For You" and her own song about meeting a man, being Ohio-bound, settling down in Cleveland, a polka town.

"The Pennsylvania Polka" came up next, done for the drummer of her band -- the Boxhounds -- that hails from Latrobe, Pa., a place well-known for pale beer.

Inspired by her father to play a button box at a young age, LynnMarie said her father would turn any occasion into a party by making music. She's following suit.

She excited the crowd again by turning "I Don't Want Her, You Can Have Her, She's Too Fat For Me," into a song about portly men. She coaxed three large men on stage and sat on their laps and took a few sips of their beer while making music. She kissed them afterwards.

One of the men wanted more kisses but she explained to him that she was a married woman. She posed for photos between songs.

LynnMarie talked frankly about life as an entertainer between songs.

"It's a hard, grueling process being an entertainer," LynnMarie said. "We drove 17 hours in the van yesterday (from Nashville to New Ulm)."

She intended to end with "Roll Out The Barrel" but the audience asked for more. She obliged by performing "Squeeze Box" and a few other 70s tunes before Nierengarten got ready to introduce the next act, the popular, eight-man and two-woman variety group "Powerhouse" from Mankato.

After her performance was over, LynnMarie rushed over to a stand that sold her CDs and t-shirts, signed them for customers and posed for more photographs.

Duke Cook of rural Comfrey got a charge out of her performance.

"She sure can play," Cook said. "She's the best entertainer here."

Harriet Einerson of Olivia was enjoying the festival while Lynn Marie was on stage.

"I love it here," Einerson said. "I like all things German. We've been here and at Polka Days in Gibbon many times."