SHINER HOBO BAND

MUSIC FROM YESTERDAY Shiner Hobo Band

KEEPING THAT OLD-TIME FEELING ALIVE IN SHINER AND BEYOND

by Emily Henderson

I

magine life at the close of 1918. World War I had just ended and soldiers were returning home. Families and communities that had been separated were reuniting, and people felt like everyday life was worth celebrating once again. Local Texans were trying to get back to life before war, which included dances and live performances. The sounds of old-time music hadn’t filled the streets like it had before, with most bands being disbanded as members went off to serve the country. With their return, so did the happy-go-lucky songs and feelings of the past.

The original Hobo Band was comprised of a local group of musicians that banded together shortly after the end of the war to play for civic events, weddings, and church picnics. Proud of their Czech and German heritage, they played oom-pah-pah music and dressed in hodgepodge clothing with patches sewn on. Displaying even louder personalities, they were quite the entertaining bunch! This playful behavior personified the Hobo name, and the men had fun with the label. They quickly became sponsored by the Spoetzl Brewery – who is still their sponsor today – and were provided a keg of beer for each performance. Mr. Spoetzl himself would even join the band for local parades and hop from bar to saloon, giving out free Shiner Beer.

Top photo, to go along with their hodgepodge attire, their band sign is made up of pieced together license plates. Sitting in the background playing accordion is the current oldest Hobo member, Edmund Caka, still playing at the age of 93; middle, David Kocurek, Hobo President and clown, interacting with the crowd and displaying that classic Hobo personality; bottom, “In heaven there is no beer. That’s why we drink it here. And when we’re all gone from here, our friends will be drinkin’ all the beer.”

The Hobos became more well-known in 1936 with Emmett Busch as their Director, wielding a toilet plunger as his baton. “I guess it was just the first thing he could grab that was close by, and it just kind of stuck,” chuckled David Kocurek, current Hobo President. From that point on, the toilet plunger baton became a Hobo symbol, being passed down from director to director. The last Hobo to hold the baton, Rita Janak, became somewhat of a mascot for the motley crew, serving as the Conductor. Passing out miniature plungers and American flag pins to kids in the crowd, she really had a passion for getting the younger generation involved in the Hobo tradition. The Hobos speak very fondly of Rita, who passed away just last year. “On top of being our number one fan, she was our biggest individual supporter – buying us buses and trailers, and providing us practice space in her home, including an area to record our CDs,” recounted Dalton Nollkamper, Hobo Secretary/Treasurer. The loss of their beloved conductor has left some big shoes to fill, and the Hobos have not yet appointed the next plunger-baton holder to lead them into the next generation. However,

they do enjoy hosting informal auditions during their performances, pulling folks in from the crowd. Ultimately, that’s what the Hobos are all about. “We come “ We come together to pass down this together to pass down this tradition from generation to generation, as it has been done up to this point,” said Dalton. “It’s not about money or fame, and this gig doesn’t bring that anyhow. We play together for the love of this type of music, so it isn’t lost.” Attending a Hobo performance is quite tradition from an experience. As most of the musicians play by memory, they effortlessly generation to transition from melody to melody: each generation. member taking turns leading the group in songs of yester-year. It’s easy to be taken back to simpler times, when a pint of beer and well-delivered joke between friends could carry all your troubles away ... floating off into the distance as you hum along. You can find the Shiner Hobo Band schedule by visiting: http://shinerhoboband.com/schedule.html.

Left, Shiner Hobo Band bus featuring their iconic logo, the Shiner Beer label as their official sponsor, and a photo of Rita Janak, thanking her for all her support over the years; right, Dalton’s three daughters conducting the band as one of his granddaughters joins along. The Hobo tradition continues.