The Internationals™ actually started under a different name,

...but that was so long ago that it's hardly worth mentioning. The accordion was practically a new instrument back then, and Stevie played a bass fiddle (because no one but those good-for-nothing long-haired freaks like the Beatles included an electric bass in the band).

Bobby has been the core of the band from the beginning -- beginning his playing career while still in high school -- whereas Stevie came along during Bobby's college years. By comparison, Jan is practically a newcomer. What follows is a (very) brief account of the progression of the band's existence.

Bobby returned from college and almost immediately began to miss his performing days in high school. So of course, he almost immediately put together another band. And this time, Stevie started playing with the group on a regular basis. Bobby and Stevie had met at college and became fast friends. It turns out that Steve, who was known to most of us as a tuba player back then, was a pretty decent bass fiddle player as well. And what do you know... he can sing! So it wasn't long before Stevie was a part of the newly named band, The Internationals™.

From the beginning, the focus was on playing a variety of music genres and styles (hence the name!). Naturally, they played all the European dance favorites -- polkas, waltzes, schottiches, etc. -- and also mixed in traditional favorites from a variety of European countries. In addition, they played a smattering of American jazz, blues, country and even rock-n-roll classics. It wasn't uncommon to hear a polka followed by a country western classic!

Over the years, The Internationals™ have historically played primarily as a quartet. Early on, it was two accordions, bass and drums. Later, it was accordion, trumpet, bass and drums. And then for a spell, it was just a trio... you guessed it: accordion, bass and drums.

The trio configuration actually lasted for a number of years. But after a while, the boys decided it was time to bring a horn player back into the group. Enter Jan.

Jan had been playing for many years in his father's band. But as time went on, he started to venture out to other bands now and then. As it turns out, the experience of playing with a number of different bands helped him to develop into quite the versatile musician.

His travels eventually included an occasional evening with The Internationals™, and it wasn't hard to figure out that this combination sounded pretty good! And not only did this four-piece combo sound good, but the addition of Jan expanded the band's horizons, so to speak. With his ability to speak (and sing) in three languages, and play (at least) 8 different instruments, the band found itself capable of tackling music that would have been much more difficult with only three members.

So when The Internationals™ took a vote on the category, "Most Likely To Become A Regular Member of the Band", Jan won hands down. The rest, as they say, is history.

And there you have it. Three-plus decades condensed into less than a dozen paragraphs. (Hey, when we say "brief", we aren't kidding!)