Best Polka Album, 47th Annual Grammy Awards
It’s a bittersweet merry-go-round. People fall off the horses all around and you hang on tight, wondering if you’re next. But it’s a merry-go-round, none-the-less, full of color and excitement and the possibility of joy. What a beautiful mess life is; moments of this and moments of that. A long journey turns out to be surprisingly short. You consider documenting the good times thoroughly enough to feel that the past never goes away. But it does. It goes away and is constantly replaced by a mutation of itself. Before you know it, lots of things have changed and if you sleep too much you won’t recognize anything. This is, of course, the way it’s supposed to be. Evolution happens to everyone and if you try to cling to the past, the present becomes the Twilight Zone. The sign post up ahead warns, “Adaptability required. So, notice the curve in the road. Live for now, but think ahead.” It appears that Brave Combo has somehow been both naïve and wily at the same time. We’ve done some ridiculous things, but I guess it’s all going according to plan. Twenty-five years ago we thought we had a good idea and we were surprised at how many people agreed, but nothing could have prepared us for how this has played out. It blows my mind almost everyday. In the beginning, we hauled our equipment in an open trailer, pulled by a Honda Civic. If it rained, we were screwed.
1. Dutch Hornpipe – full band (schottische) (P.D. arr. by Finch/No Class Music, BMI)
2. Red River Valley (polka) (P.D. arr. by Finch/No Class Music, BMI)
3. Bumble Bee (polka) (Fullylove/Castle Copyrights, Ltd., BMI)
4. Take Me Out To The Ballgame (polka) (P.D. arr. by Brave Combo)
5. Civilized (waltz) (Finch/No Class Music, BMI)
6. Starlight (polka) (Oberaitis)
7. El Golpe Traidor (polka) (Garza/BMG Songs, Inc., ASCAP)
8. Let’s Kiss (czardas) (P.D. arr. by Brave Combo)
9. Willkommen Oktoberfest (polka) (Finch/No Class Music, BMI)
10. Acariciame (polka) (Hernandez/Don Cenobio Music, BMI)
11. Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White (polka) (Mack/ASCAP)
12. Take Me Out To the Ballgame (oberek) (P.D. arr. by Brave Combo)
13. Aja Sam (polka) (Hernandez/Don Cenobio Music, BMI)
14. The Simpsons (polka) (Elfman/BMI)
15. Dutch Hornpipe – dub version (schottische) (P.D. arr. by Finch/No Class Music, BMI)
JEFFREY BARNES played clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, bass sax and tambourine.
ALAN EMERT played drums.
CARL FINCH played accordion, guitar, keyboards and sang.
BUBBA HERNANDEZ played bass, tuba, guitar, and sang.
DANNY O’BRIEN played trumpet.
Jeffrey arranged the horns for “Let’s Kiss” and arranged all parts for “The Simpson’s Theme”. Wesley Kucera played drums on “Take Me Out To The Ballgame (oberek)”. Produced by Carl Finch, except “Acariciame,” “Aya Sam” and “El Golpe Traidor,” which were produced by Bubba Hernandez and “Take Me Out To The Ballgame (tejano)” which was produced by Brave Combo. Engineered by Dave Willingham, Matt Barnhart and Matt Stenson at the Echo Lab in Argyle, Texas and by Eric Delegard at Reeltime Audio in Denton, Texas. Live recording by Gary Rhamy, with assistance from Hank Gucevich. Mastered by Nolan brett at Crystal Clear Studios in Dallas, Texas. Art direction by Robert Greeson, http://www.artformusic.com Photos by Lori Young (group shots), Laura Hanna (little Luke Hanna) and Erik Lillestol (rocking Carl) and candy heart image ©2004 Brave Combo and it’s licensors. All rights reserved. Jacket concept and liner notes by Carl Finch.
Dedicated to the memories of
Cenobio Castillo Hernandez (1913-2004)
and James Oscar Finch (1919-2004)125