“It’s Time” for the 2024 POPS GALA II
October 4, 2024 – 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
at the PARK BALLROOM!
The Praha Outdoor Performance Stage (POPS) Committee celebrated year two of our efforts to build an outdoor performance venue in New Prague with a dance/concert by International Polka Hall of Fame artists
“Mollie B & SqueezeBox with Ted Lange”.
Over $11,000 was raised at this event.
Mollie B & Squeezebox with Ted Lange performed from 6 - 9 pm
The Tim Chlan Band performed from 5 - 6 pm
Mollie B, the multi-instrumentalist, award-winning vocalist, and host of the Mollie B Polka Party TV show, has been performing music all her life. Mollie started her career performing with the Jim Busta Band when she was only a child. Through hard work and dedication, Mollie now performs nationwide to live audiences, as well as TV productions and the movie screen. She has performed for several years with the award-winning Ted Lange and also serves as a guest artist with other bands. Mollie not only has performed on over 40 recordings, but she has also shared her many God-given talents with fans in over 30 states and eleven countries and continues to inspire young musicians with her love for music.
In 2005, Mollie joined Ted Lange’s Bratwurst Boys, based out of Ridgeville Corners, Ohio. In 2007, 2-time Grammy-nominee Ted and Mollie changed the name to SqueezeBox. SqueezeBox showcases Mollie’s versatility on several instruments, as well as her talented vocals.
In July of 2011, the first Mollie B Polka Party aired on RFD-TV. Mollie was a creative director and co-producer of these shows. The Mollie B Polka Party currently airs in over 55 million homes on RFD-TV on Wednesday at 6:30 pm and Saturday at 10:00 pm ET.
In 2018, Mollie B & SqueezeBox appeared as “Mollie B & her band” in a scene of the Warner Brothers movie, “The Mule,” directed and starring Clint Eastwood. Also in 2018, Mollie was the youngest person to be inducted into the International Polka Hall of Fame and she had a US Flag flown in her honor by the US Air Force in a mission in the Middle East.
In 2020, like many, Mollie and Ted had to pivot due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mollie and Ted began their YouTube channel, with weekly Tuesday night performances, and gained over 20,000 subscribers and over six million views.
In the fall of 2021, Mollie received the Sperati Award from Luther College. An award presented to one alumni musician receives this award each year for their excellence in instrumental music. And in 2022, Mollie was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. Mollie has won the title of the “Favorite Female Vocalist” award numerous times, both from the United States Polka Association and the International Polka Association. She has also won multiple awards from the Polka America Corporation for her polka recordings with Ted Lange.
Ted Lange, a two-time GRAMMY nominee, International Polka Association “Hall of Fame” member, and the 2019, 2020, and 2021 IPA Best International Male Vocalist, co-leads and co-manages SqueezeBox with Mollie B. While on stage, he is featured on accordion, midi bass, button box and vocals. In addition to performing with SqueezeBox, he has become a name synonymous with quality polka music as an award winning-musician, DJ, promoter, engineer, songwriter, arranger and producer. He co-produced the “Mollie B Polka Party” on RFD-TV with his wife Mollie B, which broadcasts into over 60 million households.
Ted received his second Grammy nomination also with John Gora for his work on “Bulletproof Polkas” in 2007. In addition to performing with John Gora, Ted also performed with a Toledo-based “Polish Style” band named “Change Of Pace from 2004 through 2006 and recorded 2 CDs with them.
Ted’s reputation for being able to step in as a side musician due to his keen musical ear, in addition to his vast polka music knowledge and ability, has made him one of the “first calls” for any band seeking a quality fill-in on accordion, concertina or drums.
In the late 1990s, Ted formed the band “The Bratwurst Boys” with other members of Toledo Polkamotion, which later became the band now known as “Squeezebox”. Since 2005, the dynamic duo of Ted Lange and Mollie B have taken Squeezebox to over 100 performances a year all over the United States.
