Video: Alex Meixner playing Foghorn Polka in duo with Joshua Kay

The 2020 Virtual Musikfest will be held online from July 31st to August 9th, 2020 and will include 40 all new, exclusive concerts.

Alex Meixner will participate in both the recorded video portion of the 2020 virtual Musikfest and also a full band performance that will be broadcast live on August 8, 2020 on Service Electric TV from 2.30 to 4:PM. Alex will also give a solo video performance which will be shown during the fest at a date still to be announced.

Meixner’s formative musical studies were on piano and piano accordion, but he quickly branched out on drums, diatonic button accordion, bass and trumpet, his college major. This instrumental versatility is combined with a musical background that has included intense studies and performance of jazz, classical, pop, polkas and many ethnic folk music genres with some of the leading artists in the world.

His talents in music and comedy were featured on the Tonight Show on NBC. His “Polka Freak Out” CD with Bubba Hernandez garnered a Grammy nomination in December 2007. Alex has performed as a solo artist and with numerous touring ensembles. In 2016 Alex collaborated with the notable advertising agency, BBDO, to produce the infamous Hormel Pepperoni commercials contributing to a successful sales campaign and contract renewals.

At the end of 2016, he recorded with comedy phenomenon, Jack Black, for the major motion picture, ”The Polka King, ” that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017. Alex’s reputation for professionalism and quality performance attracted additional commercial opportunities including performing on radio commercials for Ford Trucks and the soundtracks for numerous episodes of Moonshiners on the Discovery Network.

Alex has performed on over 50 albums, including 17 as a leader or soloist. His performance with his Father on Canadian Polka King, Walter Ostanek’s, “Music and Friends” won a Grammy Award. His album Polka Freak Out, a collaboration with Bubba Hernandez, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2007. He has also recorded with a vast number of diverse artists as a soloist or sideman including avant-garde accordionist/composer Guy Klucevsek, Grammy winner Brave Combo, TexMex Rock icon The Krayolas and Irish entertainer Seamus Kennedy.

Musikfest 2020, presented by the nonprofit ArtsQuest, will take place July 31-Aug. 9, 2020. This year’s festival will include 40 concerts shown via Musikfest.org as part of Virtual Musikfest, nearly 40 performances by bands live from the Service Electric TV studios and then shared via Musikfest.org; an on-site food and beverage experience at SteelStacks that will include at least 10 Musikfest favorite food vendors. Additional details on the festival, including possible in-person events and concerts at SteelStacks, will be announced throughout the summer.

Launched in 1984, Musikfest has grown into the largest free-admission music festival in the nation, presenting more than 400 artists on 17 stages over 10 days. ArtsQuest is looking to raise the $1 million to not only support Musikfest, but also help ensure it can resume its year-round programming for the community when it’s safe to do so. The nonprofit typically presents approximately 4,000 concerts, classes, events and educational programs throughout the year, with 50 percent of these free for the community.

Photo credit: Michael G. Stewart

For details email: info@alexmeixner.com