Everything is so complicated.  Everything.  Denton is non-stop-jam-packed with cars and trucks and bicycles and people on foot, everywhere you go.  We are bulging at the seams about to burst.  Pretty soon we will all be flung into space like human cannonballs, from the over-crowding.  And, of course, road construction could pop up, and it does, anywhere, at any time.  I am not exaggerating.  Denton’s official mascot is an orange and white traffic cone (rimshot, please).  And this is just ONE example of how complicated things have become.  The act of thinking is a lot more involved than it used to be.  There are too many topics to ponder and angles to consider.  And where music and art fit in today’s world is not easy to figure out.  Most of the models of the past, based on simple ideas, don’t apply anymore.  Almost no one has the time to stop doing long enough to really listen, anyway.  I know I don’t.  Besides, I have to keep inventing ways to contain, entertain and train animals.  This is a self-inflicted responsibility, for sure, but I still have to do it and be innovative in the process.  That takes energy.  Even just relaxing and watching a movie is not easy.  So many decisions!  Do I go to a theater (regular or restaurant/theater)?  Watch something on regular TV?  Check out all of the options in the Netflix-style universe?  Curl up in a corner and stare at YouTube on my phone all alone in the dark?  All are viable options.  And this doesn’t take into account all of the screen-time each of us puts in on a regular day, looking at whatever, including social media and video games.  I’ve been hearing the term “information overload” for, like, 30 years.  Jeez, where are we now?  There’s no slowing down the train, apparently.  Of course not.  What would make people NOT want more and more and faster and faster?  And most of us, including myself, just keep buying into this as how it is supposed to be.  It’s like a dump truck drops a big load of trash onto my front yard every day and, rather than try to eliminate as much as possible from my life, I try to just keep organizing it all.  So, where does original music fit into this mess?  Should it even try to fit in right now?  If you make original music, how does anyone know?  And a whole lot of folks are coming up with “new” stuff every day.  Every minute!  In Denton alone, 100 new songs are probably born in the same amount of time it takes to walk around the teaming downtown square.  All one needs is a guitar and a mouth.  So many new word combinations are being written.  So many new melody lines are being sung.  So many thoughts are being thought.  I often find myself not wanting to add to the clutter anymore.  Perhaps enough is enough.  It’s not for lack of ideas or opportunities.  We have plenty of material and invitations to perform are still coming our way, but sometimes it seems like the whole world of music is just desperately trying to revive a dying loved one.  The old template is all worn out and used up and the new one is like mush.  It can’t be defined because it can’t slow down long enough.  Plus, nothing is tangible.  And, just so you know, this is not about right and wrong.  It’s about what we want, as a culture and a society, and where we put our priorities.  On the other hand, when no one can figure out the rules, then anything goes.  And that’s a potential plus.  Maybe it’s not just about music anymore, because it just isn’t and can never be the same as it was.  Or, then again, if we devolve into spending our days simply trying to survive, the basic joys of music could return.  For a long time, musicians based the present on knowing how the future would be.  Well, guess what?

Speaking of complicated and WTF?  More and more, if a band performs for a city function, wherever it is in Texas, the band has to register with the city as a vendor; an entity which is selling goods or a service to the city.  This involves filling out lots of forms, some of which may have to be notarized.  It’s a hassle, but, until recently, that’s all it was.  Now, however, if you want to be a part of a city-sponsored concert series, you also have to sign a form stating you don’t boycott Israel and have no plans to boycott Israel before the completion of the contract with the city.  If you don’t sign it, you can’t do the gig.  At this particular time in my life I, personally, am not boycotting Israel or South Africa or Bolivia or Iceland and have no immediate plans to do so.  But, you know, I might disagree with some policy, maybe about the treatment of animals, and decide to not support a person or an entity, in some, most likely, symbolic way.  So, being forced to sign such a form, in order to work, feels a little creepy, at least.  However, it’s the law in twenty-seven states, including, obviously, Texas.  This is weird and unsettling, for sure, but it also forces one to think about how to respond.  After doing some research I understand what’s going on and I invite you to check it out.  I am not making a judgment call on the rightness or wrongness of the law, but it sucks that it affects musicians who are simply trying to play music for people who want to listen.  See?  Complicated!  Who could have seen that coming?  I will say, almost everyone apologizes when they send the form to us.  Of course, I respond by demanding that no meat be served while we are performing, which never works.

Now for some good news!  Cleveland International Records, which sorta ceased to exist after its founder, and our very good friend, Steve Popovich, Sr., passed away almost ten years ago, is back in business.  We released two albums with the label, receiving a Grammy for one and a nomination for both.  Steve was a one-of-a-kind guy.  He was ruled by his passions, which were music and his family.  He came out to hear us one night at the legendary Bluebird in Nashville, beginning a long personal friendship and professional relationship.  I encourage you to Google “Steve Popovich” and see what “pops” up.  You will be astounded at his achievements.  Anyway, his son, Steve, Jr., is reviving the record company and rereleasing some of the titles, including POLKASONIC, our 1999 Grammy winner.  We are super-excited about this, not just because our album will get a new, fresh push, but also because relaunching the label is a tribute to Steve.  Here’s to the Popovich family legacy!  Let’s see what happens!

IT’S POLKA TIME!  On Saturday, April 6, you should come out to beautiful Scholz Garten, in Austin, Texas, for a night of revelry and polka!  The Texas Shrine Brewer’s Association is throwing down a wing-ding, featuring beer and Brave Combo.  Also, it’s a donation event.  The cover is whatever you want it to be.  Pick an amount between, let’s say, $5 and $500.  We play 7 to 10pm on the big outdoor stage.  This is a great place to dance, too, as you probably already know.  Also in April, Brave Combo is performing at the Ft. Worth Main Street Festival and the mighty Denton Arts and Jazz Festival, which feels like it’s coming around about once a month these days.  And, Brave Combo alumni, Bubba Hernandez and Jeffrey Barnes will be joining us for all of our shows in April.  How can you NOT come out?

Twelve new studio tracks are almost finished.  You will LOVE them all.  Start thinking about how you won’t be able to live without them.  You are getting sleepy….

Please check out our itinerary often.  Dates are being added weekly.  The world is getting funkier all the time, so we might as well get funky with it.  So, come out to our shows and get funky with us.  Just like always!

I was having lunch with a friend recently and he mentioned how he tries to go out to hear and support regional live music but feels there is an overabundance of “new country” singer/songwriters in Texas right now and it’s making him weary of the scene. You know, a solo performer with a guitar is like a boy and his dog. It’s just something we all seem to accept as a special, revered thing. It’s cozy and down-homey, but it can also be boring as hell. If the lyrics aren’t engaging and the singer has no charisma and can’t sing that well and the music isn’t interesting, there’s not much to fall back on. When you’re in a band, someone can take a solo on an instrument other than an acoustic guitar or perhaps a listener can get lost in a groove. At least there are more people to look at in a band. And bands can make more sounds and textures. And the more people on stage means more friends show up. Of course, there are exceptions. One time we were in New York and a friend who worked at a record label in the city suggested that we rush over to a small club in the Village to check out an audition he was attending. He said it was a singer/songwriter, so I hesitated, but decided he wouldn’t be pushing me to show up unless it was something cool. We got there and immediately saw Clive Davis sitting in the back of what was, indeed, a quite small pace. And on stage, or rather, standing against the opposite wall, all by himself, was Jeff Buckley, playing and singing. And it was okay, pretty good, actually. Whatever, I believe he was signed by Clive Davis that night. My point, other than just to impress you by casually dropping a couple of famous names, was to say there is a time and place. And quality matters. But I do miss the variety of the past. Where are all the psychedelic freak-out funk bands? Or the experimental punk jazz bands, like The Mike Dillon Band? He comes through town on occasion. And Denton’s very own Snarky Puppy got all big-time and moved away. In general, where’s the really edgy stuff, not the predictable edgy stuff? Also, there’s no place to buy oddball cut-out albums anymore. You can go to thrift stores and Goodwill stores and buy old used ones, but that’s not the same thing. The best time in the world was coming home with 10 to 15 unopened records of music you’d never heard or, possibly, even heard of. Am I right, or what? Sit back and drop the needle on track one, side one and let your imagination run wild! Why not cover Perez Prado’s twist version of his mambo classic, “Patricia?” A bunch of Brave Combo’s repertoire has come from funky albums no one wanted. Anyway, back to that whole “new country” singer/songwriter deal which is hugely popular, especially in Texas and Oklahoma, yep, there are a lot of ‘em. My friend was right.

Speaking of bands, I’ve had a lot of time to think about making them work. And a lot of hands-on experience. It is damn tricky. Most good musicians know they’re good and along with that confidence there’s usually a big ego hanging around. In a way, you have to have a big ego to survive as a performing musician. You certainly have to be tough to break through any significant levels in the music biz and your ego gives you the strength to plow ahead when the number of people in the audience doesn’t always match your impression of yourself. Your ego takes over and reminds you that your music is fantastic and the reason no one showed up is that only stupid people live in that town. And then you just pack up the gear and drive to the next potentially stupid town with your head held high. Brave Combo turns 40 this year. We still exist and perform as a band, full of egos, and by this time, quite set in our ways. But we all know the score and dig playing notes and chords and rhythms and singing lyrics, often in harmony with each other, and talking non-sense on stage. Bubba and Jeff danced the cha cha cha with each other at a show recently. Hadn’t seen that in a while. We know people want to be entertained and experience something unlike their day-to-day routine; perhaps something which gives them a sense of comfort that there is an invisible structure which is always present, available to anyone who bothers to investigate. I don’t want to inflate the “special” importance of music and art. An inflated ego for no reason can be a dangerous thing and this is a world where more cringe-worthy moments happen on stage, than transcendent ones. But, in the big picture, there’s definitely something going on when music works. I mean, you don’t have to be a great technician on an instrument or even have a good voice, but something has to be in place. There has to be a hook and that hook is a stepping stone. I often wonder if my reaction to music is just for me, but I have found that I can share that feeling or reaction with an audience, if I present the music a certain way. And that’s Brave Combo’s job and high calling. We simply interpret and present; point at something and frame it so the audience can see/hear it better.

Speaking of stroking our egos, Brave Combo has been invited to be part of an exhibit of the history of Denton music at UNT on the Square (University of North Texas exhibition space in downtown Denton). More info to follow. So, when you take that trip to Denton you’ve been putting off for a few years, you can make this part of your itinerary. And, don’t worry, we have many fine establishments selling beer. Many, many, many, many. There is a whole lot of beer drinking in Denton, I think. And coffee drinking, too, just like where you are reading this from. Same thing, exactly, most likely. So, Denton will feel just like home. And if you decide to stay for years, our trumpet player, Danny O’Brien (applause) also has an up-and-coming real estate business, dannyobrien.com and can find you a forever home, so you can start making new memories, which you will probably forget someday, if you live long enough.

Okay, that’s it. Brave Combo is still on sorta vacation, but do check our itinerary often. We will be adding several 40th Anniversary events and club dates as the next few weeks unfold.

And don’t forget to send a picture of yourself wearing a Brave Combo T-shirt to info@bravecombo.com. Here’s a video to help you sleep.