Aly Krajewski is a fledgling but fervent frequent flyer in the world of modern polka music. Her father, Randy Krajewski — prolific accordionist, former IJ on the Polka Jammer Network, and winner of the Best Dad Award twenty-nine years running — gave Aly front-row seats to the world of polka long before she could do a Little Wally Twirl or spell “Chemnitzer”. She’s a former Polka Queen, spent over fifteen years folk dancing, and has a special folder on her desktop labeled “REALLY GOOD CLARINET TUNES”. Draw your own conclusions.
By day, Aly is an art director and designer, building visual stories and crafting with culture always top-of-mind. She’s also an artist in her own right, frequently exploring heritage, identity, and intersections where tradition meets the new and offbeat. In her ever-ongoing efforts to connect to her Polish-American heritage, Aly is thrilled to join PJN with her new weekly show, Off The Record.
With Off The Record, Aly invites listeners to wander with her through old polka pressings and new releases, exploring all corners of the scene: the familiar and the fringe, the oft-bumped classics and the long forgotten tracks. Off the Record aims to dive into bands, eras, instruments, themes, or any other interesting mine Aly wants to tap, and hopefully will do so in some cool ways. Whether you’ve been dancing polka for decades or just somehow found PJN by happenstance (how did you get here?), she hopes there’s always something to discover with Off The Record.
When she’s not planning her next segment or digging through crates of records in Toledo, you’ll likely find Aly visiting museums, sketching ideas for her next art projects, or driving with her sister to the nearest polka dance (say hi if you see her out and about!). In short: she’s ready to run the tape, flip the record, and invite you along for the ride.
