All that matters is Taylor Swift. Cults rule! Period. Almost no one cares to think for himself/herself. Gotta belong to a tribe. I guess people feel more worthwhile in a tribe. And now, it’s all about us against them, whatever the topic. I’ve been trying to get some of my polka colleagues to imagine a polka world without tradition and heritage; just music, played a lot of different ways. No allegiance to the past, no allegiance to beer and sausage, no allegiance to any particular style of dress. Just music. And this is still the message of Brave Combo, wherever we are. Everything is sacred and nothing is sacred. You must find that balance or you might bend toward tribalism and cultism when you choose to make the music of all cultures your inspiration. More than anything, my journey with Brave Combo has been very, very interesting. I continue to have amazing opportunities to examine human behavior and, in some cases, influence human behavior. And you know what I’ve learned? We’re just critters bumbling around being stupid and it’s best to laugh at the non-stop comedy as much as possible. Jeez, it’s everywhere! Anyway, I’m not sure polka will ever be able to leap away from its roots as other ethnic forms, such as Cajun or bluegrass, or even something like salsa, have and move more into the mainstream fringe. Those who embrace it, from a heritage point-of-view, don’t really want to let it out of their grasp. Too bad. Like I said, things are interesting, even if they’re frustrating.

Speaking of frustrating, it’s been extremely hot in Texas all summer. Ask anyone, anywhere in the whole state. Over-the-top miserable; too hot to truly enjoy anything outdoors. ALL DAMN SUMMER!!! You did hear that July was the hottest month on the planet since God did that whole Heaven and Earth creation thing, right? My cats wouldn’t even go out on the catio until after midnight. And that was with a couple of big fans blowing. And speaking of cats, during all of this climate misery, my wife, Jane, and I have been rescuing a bunch of those pesky felines. In fact, right now, a feral cat is loose in the Brave Combo office/studio. She and her kittens were living in an abandoned, burned-out house, which was about to be leveled. We trapped them all and got the mother spayed and thoroughly checked out. We Facetime with her every night and witness her doing this and that, but never see her while we’re there. She is fastidiously clean and uses her litter box faithfully. Her kittens are being fostered and need homes. Across town, we are doing the same thing and have trapped a lone kitten. We don’t have its mother and sibling yet. All of the work involved sucks and the ants and mosquitoes haven’t made it easier, but, apparently, we’re committed to something here. Every animal is unique and has the ability to feel fear, pain, and loneliness, but, also peace and happiness. Let me know if you want to adopt an official Brave Combo kitten. They come with a certificate of authenticity, and you will be properly vetted. Here’s a video of me alerting any demolition workers of what might be inside the condemned house. This was before we captured everyone.

I recently recorded an album with my friends, Lisa Cameron (BC’s original drummer) and Jad Fair. And we also performed, as The Corn Cob Conspiracy. Our name was supposed to be The Corn Cob Controversy, which was a play on a name Brave Combo called itself in the early days when we would march around and play acoustically. We did that at the State Fair of Texas for many years (marched around and played) and one time we were hanging out in the break room and saw an article in the FAIR BUYERS GUIDE about a man who was upset that he was not the exclusive corndog vendor at some event. The title of the article was CORN DOG CONTROVERSY. That’s where we got that name. For the show with Jad, Lisa wanted to do a throwback to that name, but call ourselves Korn Kob Kontroversy and take the power of the KKK from the KKK, as well. But the club accidentally called us The Corn Cob Conspiracy and went with “C”s instead of “K”s. I don’t care. We had a blast! Here are a couple of videos from our show, just nights ago. Most of our songs were about old movie monsters. Jad and I know a lot about old movie monsters.

MEMORY LANE. Mish-mash! So much has happened since Brave Combo’s first tour in 1979. It was, exclusively, mental hospitals and state schools around Texas. And it was all well-documented, thanks to our good friend, photographer extraordinaire, Bob Lukeman. We just didn’t allow too much “normal approach” to anything. It was our desire to confuse, then delight, whoever might be in the audience. Being nerdy was becoming cool and we were definitely that (nerdy), although we weren’t trying to be. Somehow, we got to play punk bars, rock and new wave clubs, festivals, arty events, theater concerts, business openings, birthday parties, fashion shows and, of course weddings. We have been inexplicably appropriate for a ridiculous number of situations. And I will almost always wear only a black T-shirt and black jeans on stage. I have my reasons.

Okay, my friends, polka season is upon us! Check our itinerary! Our musical vibe is quite intense right now, just so you know. Don’t freak out. Jeffrey is back, joining me on the ride, along with Alan Emert Mansfield, Robert Hokamp, Dave Monsch and, on tuba, Carl Kleinsteuber, with occasional cameos by Danny O’Brien! This is serious stuff, folks. We’re rehearsing like crazy and working on some bitchin’ new sides, too, kiddo! Keep the faith or just go on and give up. Each has its merit! Whatever, come out and experience Brave Combo 2023. The Polka Mystery Revealed: A Message of Hope Awaits You!

TIMELY, BUT RANDOM THOUGHTS
Where we are is where we are. And it’s mid-summer, 2023. But the game is now ONLY open to the wily one, the free-thinker, the nonconformist and Brave Combo isn’t allowed to look back, anyway. It’s pointless. So, why not imagine the yet unknown? The old school is all about hanging on to the final threads of a great, but bygone era. Consequently, tribute bands, doing their best to imitate the heroes of the past, are getting most of the decent sorta mainstream gigs now, especially if the audience is over 45/50 (the people with the most disposable money). Beyond that, good luck! It’s a very crowded world of fame-seekers. Starting a band these days, without thinking way outside the box, is probably a losing situation, aside from friends getting together and jamming because playing music together is fun. And, indeed, it is fun, but probably limited, if one has greater ambitions. I figure, in 2023, it’s either about creating art or it’s about following the whims of the masses, which are easily manipulated into the madness, as they jump from fad to fad. That’s what kids are all about during their years of discovery. It’s part of growing up. This is always fine-line stuff, but there is room for art in our maniacal world of predictable, self-promotion. The problem is there’s no absolute determiner of what has value and what doesn’t, so our slavery to technology always provides every answer. Plus, listening has simply become harder to do, in general; the constant short attention-span noise won’t let us stop and take a moment to really focus on the beauty of something abstract, like music. You know, music for music’s sake, right here, right now. In the moment. It just is. No attachments.

HILARIOUS AND RELEVANT JOKE
Musician A: Man, you know, if you’re not careful, it all becomes about making IT, rather than making ART!
Musician B: Do what?

HMMM, WELL….
If you’re depressed, maybe you’re living too much in the past. If you’re anxious, maybe you’re living too much in the future. The present it where it’s at, Baby. The one true place. Think for yourself!

EVIL INVENTIONS, EVIL INTENTIONS
And speaking of the present, the Earth is baking. Sidewalk pancakes, anyone? July 2023 is the hottest month EVER recorded! It appears even some long-time hard-core skeptics and deniers are finally starting to acknowledge something is not quite right and are climbing on the “global warming” bandwagon. I guess increasingly severe weather patterns are sorta impossible to ignore. So, surely there is some big polluter we can just do away with right now; one whose disappearance would be unnoticed by 99.9999% of the world’s population. Yep, there is!! Private jets! Unless you are on an urgent flight because you are the only one, like Jesus or Spiderman or Dr. Who, who can fix an immediate problem somewhere, no one should be even getting near these disgusting things. They’re just a convenience for the super-wealthy and their use is exploding. Nothing says bloated ego, lack of caring, and “I’m a jerk” like regularly flying on a private jet. And if you own one or two solely for your convenience because you’re so rich and important, you are probably coming back to Earth to learn a few more things after your private jet crashes into your private mountain on your private island. Congratulations and good luck with that! I love a good comedy!

Brave Combo is a collection of people who sing and play instruments, all at the same time, to create a sense of musical cohesion. A byproduct of this exercise in ensemble creation might be a sense of well-being and/or excitement experienced by those who hear the results. The quest for a certain kind of perfection is an essential element in Brave Combo’s efforts. Defining how that perfection is manifested is not always easy, however. But building new structures with nothing but sound is always fun and/or rewarding, on some level. Plus, I enjoy messing with people and a band is an excellent vehicle, by which to mess with people. For Brave Combo, the stage is a loud playground, where we, hopefully, feel free to express any concept we can imagine and not worry about being exposed as dorks. We were always in the punk rock sphere of influence, to some degree. And that attitude is often critical to how we get our point across. And, for what it’s worth, the only people willing to go way out a limb are either the super cool or the exact opposite. Perhaps one never knows where one fits. That’s cool. Or not.

Speaking of not knowing, we are working like crazy on three tracks we recorded with Tiny Tim about a quarter century ago. They were not released on the original album, for a few reasons. But they will be soon! Look out, everyone! Get ready to smile and shed a tear at the same time. I’m sure we’ll keep you informed on our progress.

BREAKING NEWS! Beatle Bob, the dancing pop/rock icon and live music super fan from St. Louis, has passed away after a somewhat lengthy illness. I’m sure I’ll have much more to say about this unique guy. His death will affect a lot of people. He was the grooviest of the groovy and a faithful supporter of Brave Combo and a million other bands. Damn! RIPBB!

MAKE YOUR PLANS! Our calendar is filling up for the fall and winter. And we’re working on a new sound, more thrilling than ever! I know I like it a lot and I think you will, too. There is no reason to hold back now. So, check out our itinerary and show up somewhere, but not in a private jet!

Now we’re gonna close the show with a song by our friends from Vancouver, BC, The Dreadnoughts. It’s called “Vicki’s Polka.” My accordion buddy, Alex Meixner, and I were invited to play on it and we quickly accepted. Here it is! Alex played all the fancy Slovenian-style stuff, but I’m in there, noodling and bellows shaking! It’s a great song, by the way. Until next month, stay cool in every way possible!