That headline may seem a bit tongue-in-cheek. And certainly, while typing the words "Richard LaValliere, role model," I couldn't help but smile and shake my head; this is, after all, the man who wrote and performed both "City of Cleavage" and "Naked-on-the-Internet Polka." Yet for those of us who were privileged to know both Richard and his work, and who found in him a shining example of how to follow one's own path, the "role model" designation is accurate.
A dull beat-up van slowly pulled into the driveway and an interesting looking skinny man wearing a beret and walking with a distinctive bounce in his step approached the front door. Richard politely introduced himself to me and my parents. My mind began to race.
You don't have to remember Milwaukee's legendary punk band The Haskels to head over to Shank Hall to see Polkafinger and The Blackholes Power Polka Machine, at 9 p.m. Friday. Although Polkafinger's Richard LaValliere was the singer and bassist for The Haskells and later the equally fine Oil Tasters, you don't need any of that background to enjoy the Brooklyn trio's punk rock polka.
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