The Machine’s Pump Volume 18 – #2 – February 2015

One of our cats, JJ lives mainly outside, on a little deck attached to the back porch. That’s her domain, which she protects and defends with an iron paw. Well, it’s currently covered in about five or six inches of snow and the wind chill out there is a pleasant 10 degrees. So she’s having to spend all of the time in the house; either in the main living area or the office at the back. She and I are both in the office right now and she’s climbing all over me and the keyboard, making this much tougher than it should be. We’ll all be happy when JJ can go back outside. Even the catio (cat patio) is no cat’s land. It’s covered in ice.

We never worried about earthquakes in North Texas before; barely thought about them. But the Dallas suburb of Irving, which doesn’t seem like a suburb (you can’t tell where Dallas starts and Irving begins), has had dozens of them recently. They’ve been small, most of them in the 2 to 3 magnitude range, but this is still creepy. If nothing else, it’s another sign that things are changing; what once was will probably never be the same again. There’s not much we, as individuals, can do to keep change from happening. And why would we want to? Change is not good or bad. It just is. And sameness is not necessarily better than change, right? But it can be a drag, and, frankly, fatiguing, trying to navigate through new, alien environments. At the same time, adapting is one thing humans do very well. If the ocean levels rise as much as science is predicting, we might have to accept a new shape for North America than we have come to know. It amazes me how often we think we have it figured out, just to find out we don’t and either have to try a new approach or give up. Because nothing is settled, ever. Everything needs constant adjusting. And fears never go away, either. They just take different forms. It seems that no generation is without the feeling that survival is being threatened by some big boogie man, whether it’s a war or Communism or AIDS or Hitler or tsunamis or tornadoes or random murder or the Ebola virus or ISIS or anthrax or job loss or street gangs or Saddam Hussein or stock market crashes or atomic bombs or 2012 or 2000 or 1984 or Red China or the Soviet Union or North Korea or the police or the KKK or the measles. I could, literally, go on and on. And I apologize for using the word “literally,” even if it was used correctly. The list is, indeed, endless. There really are that many boogie men; an endless supply of them. Even inside you, myriad things could go wrong at any moment. Hence, we accept, adapt and trudge through another day, aware that every cloud has, well, actually, another damn cloud right behind it. Sorry, but you know it’s true. The Buddha taught his followers that life is suffering and my mother spent a lot of time trying to convince me that every hour isn’t supposed to be fun. It took decades to convince me, but I finally got on board. What I’m trying to say with all of this is that the true nature of things is a shifting landscape, new wrinkles, new worries, new challenges. You take care of stuff and rest when you can, so you can take care of more stuff. In the world of music and bands, things change, too. Sometimes it’s small and sometimes it’s a big deal, but it’s never settled. And, although a band is a thing that’s supposed to work as a single-minded unit, it’s also a group of individuals, each with his own needs and desires. And, on occasion, the two have to part ways. Long-time Brave Combo tower of strength and fellow definer of the concept, Jeffrey Barnes, has decided to “do something different,” get away from the never-ending grind, relax a little and discover new things. Although Jeffrey officially left the business partnership in 2010, he has continued to record and tour with Brave Combo and contribute his specialness to the bizarre mix of talent. His last gig as a “member” was in December, but he continues to perform here and there as a special guest of the band in the North Texas area, with several “Jeff-included” blowouts scheduled through the spring. So, don’t despair. Come out a let him know how much you dig his crazy bag of tricks. Of course, we hope Jeffrey finds his new adventures fun, functional and funny. It’s an understatement to say he’ll be missed. But, where does this leave Brave Combo? What should we do? Even if we entice Jeff to join us for a few special shows or festivals a year, like Westfest or Denton’s Arts and Jazz, what do we do about the other 80 to 90 shows? Well, here’s what we do. We play Brave Combo music! That’s where we take the maligned, the forgotten, the commercially uncool and combine that with our own brand of groovy grooves and, hopefully, create something new; a sound no one’s quite heard before. Then we think about what can be accomplished with an outfit that does such a thing. We compose, arrange, record, make videos, play concerts, tour, do live-streaming events and, if we’re lucky, invent something unique. There was a time when I couldn’t imagine Brave Combo surviving past the original four members, before Mitch or Bubba even came and went. So, here it is. The year is 2015 and, once again, Brave Combo is learning new music, rehearsing with new people, bringing back some past members and booking gigs. We’re still thinking about ways to surprise and delight you with melody, harmony and rhythm. And texture, too. Why not?

Speaking of departures and additions, Steve Carter, aka, Little Jack Melody, after six years of enjoying and enduring our strange little world, has decided to rededicate himself to his first priority, writing for and performing as LJM and His Young Turks, perhaps returning to his original tuba/harmonium/Salvation Army Band vibe and we wish him outrageous success. In the meantime, Lyle Atkinson, BC’s original bass and tuba player, bought a bunch of new gear and is rocking Brave Combo’s low end, once again. Damn, it’s weird how things shift and pull and wrangle around. Also, Denton guitar legend and mystery trumpet player, Robert Hokamp, has climbed on board to contribute his genius to whatever it is Danny, Alan, Lyle and I are doing.

Speaking of the original line-up, Brave Combo’s 35th year Anniversary Celebration concludes with two shows, featuring Tim, Lisa (formerly Dave), Lyle and me. We’ll be at The Live Oak Music Hall, in Ft. Worth, on Thursday, March 5 and in Denton, at Dan’s Silverleaf, on Friday, March 6, playing all of the songs we used to play, probably about as well as we did then. Tim will also read passages from his diary. And we plan to show some video that will freak out the attendees. If needed, 3-D glasses will be provided…..for the band. We’re not afraid. We’re Brave Combo.

One more thing. Since we’re shaking things up, we decided to spiff up the web site. So, check out “brave.com” regularly and see what’s new! It won’t be a waste of time. I promise. Now I must clear away some snow and ponder my fate. Perhaps you should do the same. No worries, though!