The Machine’s Pump Volume 18 – #11 – November 2015
In the 1960s, the Finch family, of 2111 Kennedy Lane in Texarkana, had a few classic Christmas albums that made the playlist every December. It included the usual stuff most folks like us might have from hit makers like The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Alvin and The Chipmunks. I was just so-so about all of the seasonal songs; didn’t hate ’em but didn’t crave ’em either. Whatever, none of us have ever had a choice, really, have we? Our ears are on a yearly collision course with holiday melodies, whether we like it or not, so I’ve accepted the inevitability and soldier on. However, there was one song that I actually did look forward to. It was a standard from Mitch Miller’s (sing-along-with-Mitch) Christmas album, called “Must Be Santa.” I don’t know exactly what pushed my buttons so strongly, but I fell in love with it and my feelings have never wavered. Even during the British invasion (Beatles, Stones, Kinks, etc.), which did flatten me like a pancake, I could still find time to hang with “Must Be Santa.” The magic goes beyond the story line and catchy lyrics. It’s in the music, itself. And when the chorus, which is the hook, comes around, it’s like an anthem. Powerful and inviting.
Fast forward a couple of decades. During a Brave Combo tour of Japan in early 1990s we were asked, by a record label out of Tokyo, to record an album of Christmas songs and we accepted the offer. The first song that came to mind, for me, was “Must Be Santa,” of course. Not only did it pleasurably haunt me, I knew it would make a great rowdy polka. So we produced the album, IT’S CHRISTMAS, MAN!, releasing it in Japan, on P-Vine Records, in 1991 and the following year in the USA on Rounder Records. To our surprise, it became one of Brave Combo’s best selling titles. Some of the tracks have been used in popular movies and TV shows and people regularly tell me it’s still one of their favorite things about the holidays. Fast forward a couple more decades. One day someone called and said Bob Dylan was talking about Brave Combo on his radio show on SiriusXM. I didn’t know he had a radio show. Why would I? But it turns out he was discussing our music with Matt Groening (THE SIMPSONS) and, sure enough, played our version of “Must Be Santa,” following the spin with kind words of praise. That was mind-blowing enough, but fast forward a year. I heard that Bob Dylan was recording an album of Christmas music and immediately wondered if he might include his own version of “Must Be Santa.” He was pretty enthusiastic about our recording on his show, so anyone would think the same. Right? Well, indeed, Bob Dylan’s Christmas album did happen and, indeed, “Must Be Santa” was on it, becoming the single AND the primary video. AND it was our exact arrangement, including our original intros and outros, modulations, clever musical additions, vocal stylings. He even used Jeffrey’s clever lyrics at the end, listing and rhyming the last eight presidents. It was so much the same, in fact, various music critics took notice and compared the two in their columns. Since we did not write the song, there was no legal obligation on Bob’s part to give us credit. You can’t register a unique arrangement, even if it contains sections that are original compositions, if you didn’t write the song. However, it’s not uncommon for artists and performers to give a shout out in a case like this, so a mention on the album would have been nice. The story has a lot of twists and turns, but everything turned out fine for everyone. Bob did give us credit eventually in interviews and said some other cool things about us. We got a lot of publicity and our version of the song enjoyed a boost in exposure. So that brings us up to 2015. Many, many musicians around the world have heard Bob Dylan’s recording of our arrangement, so now there are myriad YouTube recordings of people everywhere playing a Brave Combo song without realizing it, thinking it was all Bob’s idea. If I were a little more of a fame whore, this might get to me, but I gotta say the artist side couldn’t be more thrilled. Life needs to be this bizarre or it’s just no fun. Anyway, here’s a band from somewhere doing BC via BD.
Earlier this year we released our most recent album, THE LIMINAL ZONE. One of the most non-typical BC tracks is “The Everything.” It’s a fairly long song (over five minutes), or something like a song, about tension and release. It’s built around a simple horn pattern hook, which plays relentlessly from beginning to end and I thought it would lend itself well to a video. So I called some camera-totin’ friends to help (thanks Bart, Mark and David) and we gathered a bunch of insane BC fans and threw a little dance party. After inserting clips I shot of incongruous objects, a video emerged. Here it is. Please enjoy and share.
Concerning recent tragic events around the world, such as the shootings in Paris and the Planned Parenthood in Colorado, all I have to say is this. As we go into the holiday season, please stop doing things in the name of religion. Interpret that as you wish.
Look! New T-shirts! Choose red, black or white and you’ll really be a sight! Super sharp and tight, every day and every night. Go to the BC store right now.
Speaking of using the season to raise our profile, we also encourage you to check out our itinerary, especially if you live in Denton, Wichita, Lincoln, St. Louis or Chicago. We’ll be playing crazy music in all of these towns very soon. And on Monday, December 21, Brave Combo will be joining the amazing Dallas Winds at the Meyerson Concert Hall in downtown Dallas for the wind symphony’s last show of their season. If you are a fan of our more esoteric performances, this is for you. It will be seriously musical and you’re an idiot if you miss it, though I’m sure you’re a sweet idiot.
Everyone at Brave Combo headquarters would like to wish everyone else in the world a restful, joyful holiday. Be fearless and have fun! Turn on, tune in and drop out, with no apology. And, above all, be a good neighbor AND a good pet owner. Peace, damn it!