Levee Entertainers

Brian Sklar and the Western Senators

This Regina based polka band was born in Calgary. In 1976, a group of musicians gathered in Calgary at the home of former Happy Roamin' Ranger Mike Kushneryk to watch a football game. After the game (the Saskatchewan Roughriders won) the accordions came out and the whiskey started to flow. The party ended about four the next morning. Two weeks later, at Brian Sklar's urging, the group traveled to Edmonton's Damon Recording Studio and recorded an album under the name The Western Senators. The group pressed 500 albums, which all sold at a performance at Edmonton's Red Barn later that year. The album also got a nomination for instrumental album of the year from the Canadian trade magazine RPM.

The name Western Senators was suggested by Les Pavelick (aka "Metro"), who fronted a band by that name in Yorkton, Saskatchewan in the 60s. His brother, Lorne (aka "Nick Rozmenko") was the Western Senators' first drummer. Also in the group were Johnny Kushneryk, brother of Mike, and a champion old-time fiddler, Ron Jeffery of the Prairie Fire Band on bass, Keith Day on piano, Joe Schultz on fill accordion, and of course, Sklar and Mike Kushneryk. A second album followed in 1978, called "New and Improved". By this time, John Kushneryk had left the band and Milt Tyke had joined, taking over the banjo playing duties.

Shortly after recording the first album, Sklar organized a four-city tour with America's Polka King, Frankie Yankovic. Joe Schultz had played with Yankovic in Western Canada in the 50s and early 60s, and this represented a reunion for Schultz and Yankovic, and a friendship between the band and the legendary polka king which would last until the polka king's passing in 1998.

In 1979, Jean Leskiw, owner of  Edmonton's Maple Haze Records, took both Senators projects to the Midem convention in France and made a deal with a record label from New Zealand, who released both albums as a compilation under the title "The Sensational Senators." The album went gold, Maple Haze went broke, Jean disappeared and is rumored to be living in Nashville. Go figure!

After the Maple Haze debacle, the Senators were re-released by Ross Sound, a regional label based in Regina, which specialized in television promotions...kind of a K-Tel light. A two-year syndicated television series, produced by Calgary Television followed in 1980-81.

In 1995, the Senators released their 20th anniversary album, Sweet Marie and Other Treats. Also that year they starred, along with Yankovic and Canada's Polka King, Walter Ostanek in a made-for-television movie "Frankie and Walter - One More Time", produced by Camera West Film Associates for CBC and A&E. In 1999, Ostanek and the Senators released the landmark tribute album Forever Frankie - a tribute to the late polka king.

In 2002, Sklar negotiated a deal with Access Television to produce a 13-show series, featuring Ostanek, the Western Senators, former Yank Ron Sluga and tenor sax legend Norm Kobal. The series is now available through this site on VHS and DVD, as are the three PolkRama CDs, recorded between 2002 and 2006. A second season, shot in May of 2007 is now playing across the Access network and will soon be playing in Cleveland and Buffalo, New York.

In November 2005, the Western Senators were featured on the Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame Awards Show in Cleveland, Ohio...a rare honor for a band from Western Canada. On that same weekend, the Senators, along with Walter Ostanek, Norm Kobal and Ronnie Sluga preformed for two packed houses at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Cleveland...part of WELW's Tony Petkovek's annual Thanksgiving Polka Extravaganza. The group also attended the big show in 2006. In October of 2007, the Western Senators appeared the Oslo Theatre at Norsk Hostfest in Minot, North Dakota, and became the largest draw in the 30-year history of the show.

Since 1995, The Western Senators have included bassist Jay Michaels, recently replaced by Wayne Kuntz, drummer Aaron Sklar (son of Brian), and most recently, in 2003, accordion phenom Mark Leik, of Yorkton, Saskatchewan.

On September 1st, 2007, the Senators released their latest project, Dueling Polkas, a collaboration with Walter Ostanek and his band. The Album is nominated for a Grammy at the 50th annual awards ceremony to be held at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on February 10th, 2008. And the polka beat goes on...

For more information, check out Brian Sklar's Website.

The Randy Epp Trio

Randy Epp (piano) started out in music spending 18 years playing gospel piano in a small Baptist church in Regina and continues to play gospel as part of Tom Magnuson's Swing and Soul choir. The common elements in gospel, blues, and jazz led Randy to take up jazz as a hobby. Randy is retired and performs with jazz musicians around Regina at every opportunity.

Bassist Carlo Petrovitch holds a BMUS in Classical Bass Performance from the University of Regina. Extended musical education continued in Montreal in the Jazz Program of McGill University under the tutelage of bassists Eric Lagace (Oliver Jones) and Michael Leiter (Principle Bassist, OSM). Carlo has received private studies with Jazz bassist as: Jon Clayton (Count Basie, Diana Krall), Rufus Reid (Joe Henderson, JJ Johnson). and most recently Michel Donato (Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson). Born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan it is here that Carlo calls home and is in the never ending quest for that thing called ‘Swing’.

Al McWilliams holds a bachelor of Music Education from the University of Regina. He performs on both bass and trumpet. Having experience in many styles of music has kept him busy playing with a variety of musical groups. Al spent a brief time employed by Carnival Cruise lines as a trumpet player. He is currently employed by the Prairie Valley School Division as a music educator
in the Lumsden area. Currently, he is the bass player for the Alex Runions band, an up and coming country/rock band.

Ken Jefferson

Ken has been involved in music for over 45 years. He has worked with entertainers such as Al Cherney, Bobby Curtola, Wilf Carter, Ronnie Profit, George Tapp, and most recently, Jean Shepard, Stonewall Jackson, Jeannie Seely, and Jim Ed Brown. He has also worked with Pemmican Pearl during the Regina Buffalo Days Exhibition for over 30 years.

Ken has written theme music for television and film. His trio continues to perform a variety of functions throughout Regina. He also enjoys teaching piano to people of all ages in Blues, Jazz, Country, and Pop styles.

Ken's new cd "Piano Favorites" will be available for sale during the Levee. You can also purchase his CD by visiting www.kenjefferson.ca.

Frequently Asked Questions

Shuttle Service

Home