Voices from the Bandstand
The Music Was Only the Beginning
The stories behind Michigan’s polka music, shared by the musicians and families who lived them.
More Than the Music
For generations, polka music brought people together at weddings, dances, festivals, halls and neighborhood bars throughout Michigan.
Voices from the Bandstand: The Music Was Only the Beginning preserves the memories of the musicians who were there. In their own stories, they share how they got started, the bands they played with, the places they performed, and the moments they still remember years later.
Some played for only a few years. Others spent decades on the bandstand. Together, their stories offer a glimpse into a part of Michigan’s musical history that might otherwise be forgotten.
Inside Voices from the Bandstand
Stories and memories from Michigan polka musicians
Photographs and band pictures.
Memories of weddings, dances, festivals, and the places they played
Stories of how musicians got started and the bands they played with
A look at how the music and traditions were passed from one generation to the next
The music may have brought them to the bandstand, but the stories are what happened along the way.
Who Is This Book For?
Voices from the Bandstand is for anyone who remembers the sound of polka music filling Michigan’s dance halls, weddings, festivals, and neighborhood bars, and for those who want to discover that history for the first time.
But you don’t have to be a polka musician to enjoy these stories. If you’ve ever played in a band, performed at weddings, bars, festivals, or other gigs, you’ll probably recognize a lot of the experiences, friendships, mishaps, and memories shared in these pages.
It also makes a meaningful gift for music fans, musicians and their families, and anyone connected to Michigan’s musical past.
What Readers Are Saying
A reader picked up a copy at Summer Music Fest on Wednesday and came back the very next day to tell us about it. She had started reading when she couldn’t sleep, and before she knew it, she had nearly finished the whole book!
She told us the stories were so relatable that she couldn’t wait to read it again.
— Summer Music Fest reader
“The pages dedicated to my dad, Andy Nester, truly brought me to tears. What a wonderful legacy you’ve created for many musicians, families, and polka lovers.”
— Family of Andy Nester
Get Your Copy of Voices from the Bandstand
Order directly from Three Finger Press and choose the edition that’s right for you.
Free U.S. shipping • Signed & personalized copies available
Choose paperback or hardcover below. You can request an author-signed copy and add a personalized name during checkout.
PAPERBACK - $24.99
HARDCOVER - $34.99
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