The Cleveland Oktoberfest is thrilled to present, all the way from Germany: Dorfrocker! We’re also excited to announce that for the second time in a row, Dorfrocker has hit the TOP10 of the German album charts with their latest album “Heimat.Land.Liebe.” (Home.Country.Love.)!

Remaining loyal to their rural roots, while at once charting a course for stardom, Dorfrocker’s highly acclaimed predecessor “Wood” (#4) garnered the party rock stars a career boost and plenty of notoriety. With over 1,000 shows in Germany and abroad, more than 100 TV appearances and more than 30 fan clubs, Dorfrocker has cemented themselves as one of the top party bands in the world, and are regulars at the Munich Oktoberfest.

Having made music together since childhood, the three brothers Markus, Tobias and Philipp Thomann hail from Kirchaich, a small village (population 900) near Bamberg, where they still live today. While this small town band may have made it big, the name of their new album still fits their rural roots like a glove: “Heimat.Land.Liebe.” (Home.Country.Love.) Through the success of prior albums, Dorfrocker has proven that their crossover rocky/party sound, mixed with traditional elements and catchy tunes strikes a chord with the masses – whether on national hit TV shows or at major rock festivals. Their sing-along hymn “Dorfkind” is an infectious national party anthem, because as everyone who’s experienced a live Dorfrocker show knows: these guys love nothing more than to make music and have fun with their fans.

Regardless, their primary motive was never fame: “Music is always the focus,” says singer Tobias Klar, “we do not care about being famous. But to stand on stage and play for people who have a great time at our concerts, that’s what we enjoy.” Fortunately for the trio, Dorfrocker’s fan-first focus on entertaining has paid huge dividends. Now in their tenth year, ticket sales are through the roof, most of their gigs are sold out, and their self-organized hometown festival “Village Air” attracts thousands of fans annually. And on social media, their presence is no less impressive. Songs such as “Dorfkind” and “Rowan” have generated well over 5.5 million clicks on their YouTube channel, and their Facebook fanbase is now 130,000 strong—not bad for three brothers from a village of 900.

On “Heimat.Land.Liebe.,” Tobias, Markus and Philipp keep the party going, by continuing to churn out hit after hit. Take a listen and you’ll know why, as it’s hard not to tap your feet when you hear good-mood crackers like, “Until the Baker Opens,” “I Think My Glass Has a Hole” or the funny-crazy, “Not Completely Normal.” Even fans with more modern rock sensibilities will love numbers like, “Let it Stay that Way” and “Silent Heroes.”

What happens when teenage accordion players aren’t allowed in marching band? They start a polka band. That’s the story of teens Dan O’brien, Dan Sutts, Paul Coates, Mike Lewis, Cody Garret, and Jake Kouwe, who nine years ago launched "The Chardon High School Polka Band." Long hair, torn jeans, chuck taylors, and a blue mohawk may not be what you’d expect from your average polka band, but there was nothing average about these outcasts from Chardon. With their relentless energy, musical skill and off-the-wall sense of humor, they were destined to reinvigorate the genre.

Starting humbly, they at first played solely for peers and local nursing home residents. It didn’t take long though for the outcasts to become the in thing, as they were soon playing notable venues and events across northeast Ohio. While there’s been a lot of change in the nine years since their inception, the band’s chief goal remains constant—rocking your socks off with polka music!

From their humble beginnings as high schoolers going against the grain, playing polkas instead of punk, the Chardon Polka Band has evolved into one of Northeast Ohio’s most beloved and recognizable acts. And as they continue to redefine and breathe new life into the genre, their popularity just keeps growing. No longer just a local act, they can now be found playing gigs throughout the midwest and up and down the east coast. What’s more, they are now the stars of a new reality series titled, The Polka Kings, which premiered April 11, 2015 on REELZ TV. Click here for more information on the show!

Well grounded musically, Fred has earned a Bachelor of Music Education (BME) degree from Indiana University. His own award-winning band–the International Sound Machine–has produced numerous recordings since its inception in 1977.

The National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame has honored Ziwich on multiple occassions with Musician of the Year, Button Box Musician of the Year, and Recording of the Year honors.

In addition to receiving numerous awards, Fred has worked as a studio musician and has shared the stage with such well-known musicians as Hank Haller, Don Lipovac, and Adam Barthalt.

The Brian Papesh band has performed at many private parties, weddings, dances, and community events throughout greater Cleveland and surrounding areas since the 80’s. This seasoned group of professional musicians play a great mix of party music that people love to sing along and dance to. The band can easily switch from playing authentic sounding Rock n Roll, Country, Motown to dynamic sounding Polkas as well as other genres.

The Maennerchor is a testament to the large influx of German immigrants to this area which, in turn, served to enrich our culture and diversity. The German people have always loved to sing. The Cleveland Maennerchor strives to promote this German tradition of song in the hope that it will continue to flourish as it has for over a century, here, in Cleveland.

The Cleveland Maennerchor meets for rehearsals every Thursday at 8:00 P.M. in its hall. The male singers perform at local events, host numerous ethnic  gatherings, perform at regional and national conventions, and also perform at local events throughout the year.

The warm atmosphere and authentic German décor of the Maennerchor Hall has attracted several other organizations that hold meetings throughout the year. While the Maennerchor is made up of mostly ethnic Germans, being German or  German ancestry is certainly not a criterion for membership in the choir.  All that is required is an interest in singing in German. We invite all those who would like to join us in raising our voices in beautiful, joyous German song to come during any rehearsal. Call 216-741-7728 for further information.

In 1945 the chorus met at a new location, the Heights-Maennerchor Halle, and have remained at this location (Cleveland Maennerchor, 4515 State Road). The Heights Damenchor have been active members of the Central Ohio Bezirk and North American Saengerbund by participating in their Saengerfests every 3 years. They are also members of the Deutsches Saengerbund in Germany and received the many awards regarding participation in German Song and Traditions. Many of the members’ families and friends have come from the same area of Germany keeping the traditions and music alive. We celebrated our 125th Anniversary in 2001 with a gala evening of song which included the other German Singer Clubs. New members are welcome and do not have to be German. Our members will teach you the German.