Fritz's Polka Band song on 'Breaking Bad' Sunday

Fritz's Polka Band

This weekend, Verona-based Fritz's Polka Band can add having a song as part of a television soundtrack to its already impressive resume. Sunday night, one of the band's original songs, "Grandparent's Polka," will be featured in the AMC breakout hit, Breaking Bad. The episode, "Hermanos," airs at 10 p.m.

Fritz Scherz, the band's leader and spokesperson, said he was contacted by Joseph “Big Joe” Siedlick, who operates a polka satellite TV show in Buffalo. Siedlick told him that producers for Breaking Bad were looking for a polka song for the show and had submitted "Grandparent's Polka," a song written by Fred Scherz, Sr., who passed away in 2009.

“The guys in FPB were really excited when we found out that representatives of a top rated TV show were interested in our music,” Scherz said.

"Grandparent's Polka" is dedicated to other grandparents, and its lyrics tell a story about the the love of family and the stories grandparents tell. Scherz said the song is one of his favorites and knows his father would be thrilled to have one of his tunes in the show.

“On the personal side, I’m so happy that a tune my Dad wrote and which I helped out a bit with got selected,” Scherz said. “I can’t disclose specifics of the scene, but I was told the song should definitely be audible.”

Fritz’s Polka Band  includes Scherz, on accordion and vocals, Gabe Vaccaro on bass guitar and vocals, Tom Campbell on guitar and vocals, Frank Nelson on guitar and vocals, and Mike Faraino on drums.

In 1999, FPB made history in 1999 when they became the first polka band to play at a Woodstock Festival. One of their songs is included in the DVD version of the movie The Manchurian Candidate. The band is the recipient of numerous awards and is an inductee in the Syracuse Area Musical Hall of Fame.