The Machine’s Pump Volume 18 – #3 – March 2015

Carl during recent video shoot for “The Everything” from the Brave Combo CD, The Liminal Zone – Photo by Ed Steele

A long-time music club in Denton closed recently and I went to hear some friends play for the venue’s last night of business. The place was pretty full and everyone seemed to be having a pleasant time. The band wasn’t very loud, but a few people, mainly women, were dancing in front of the stage and in the aisles, unencumbered by those who weren’t. In fact, no one seemed to be paying much attention to the dancers and their self-expressive moves; as normal in Denton as chips and salsa. It was just a “feel good” scene. I chatted with lots of folks about many things, including this and that. I was talking to a guy who lives in my neighborhood about his roof, while a smiling woman gyrated fluidly about three feet from us. The band was playing the song, “Caravan,” which lends itself to sultry movements and all of the dancers seemed excited about it, digging the vibe and sense of community. This town is seriously busy keeping the town busy. Stuff is going on everywhere. And music is always in the middle of it, which includes the music makers, also known as musicians, manipulating elements such as melody, harmony, rhythm and tactile sound. And, on occasion, the music makers exhibit interesting personalities that add to the entertainment. Movers and shakers are running rampant in this town. A couple of guys in one of Denton’s most popular bands also own a bar, a silk screen business, a brew pub, a recording studio and, soon, a vegan/vegetarian restaurant, which is opening in the space now vacated by the music club mentioned above. Bicyclists are taking over the streets, slowing down traffic already crippled by insane road construction everywhere. Don’t get me wrong. I love riding my own bike. It’s a great alternative to cars and, obviously way better for the environment. Happy pedal-ers just need to move out of the way if they’re moseying along at 5 miles an hour. And you should see all of the beards on men in their 20s and 30s. We’re a fun loving/serious minded bunch, it appears. We banned fracking, by the way, which freaked out gas and oil producers in the entire state and, to a degree, the entire country. Most important to me, though, is that Denton finally has a state-of-the-art animal shelter and the people in charge are really on top of finding homes for every animal. Our transformation, from embarrassed to proud, has been astounding. And it looks like we’re getting our own tent city. It’s right across the street from a huge retail development, next to a Frisbee golf course, near a duck pond. Plus, and this is a big one, it’s now legal to sell hard liquor, retail, in the city limits. There must be a red light district somewhere in town, too, wouldn’t you think? One more thing, our town square is so full of life you can barely

Alan and dancers at the recent video shoot for “The Everything” from the Brave Combo CD, The Liminal Zone

move around and the non-stop activity on the courthouse lawn looks like a Norman Rockwell painting on steroids. Folks are picnicking, singing folk songs, jammin’ with fiddles and oboes, walking tight ropes (I’m not kidding), assuming yoga positions, lying on blankets with babies, etc. all over the lawn, all day long, well into the night. Where am I going with this, you ask? I have no idea, but, just so you know, I can tell you some not so cool things about Denton, too; just like anywhere. First of all, we didn’t get a newspaper delivered to our house twice in one month. And I had to go get my teeth cleaned recently, just because it was time and I had an appointment! That was not a total blast! Shopping at the grocery store nearest my house sucks. Shoppers go there because their prices are low. Can you believe it! And, one more thing about Denton, I stay up so late every night, usually for no good reason, that by the time I’m going to bed, most of our animals are waking up ready to eat and go out. That’s not much fun!

We recently had a blast shooting the video for our song, “The Everything,” from our new album, which you should buy right now, THE LIMINAL ZONE. We invited about 50 of our favorite Denton friends and fans to attend, crammed them into a room, threw confetti, turned on colored lights, strobes, a fog machine and loud music and captured the results. “The Everything” is only about tension and release, alternating with each other; heavy on the groove, light on melody and lyrics. Here are a couple of pictures from the shoot. We hope to wrap this up in a couple of weeks and will then begin work on the next one.

Did you notice I suggested you should buy our new album, THE LIMINAL ZONE? It’s in the BC store, waiting for you. Downloading it is fast and cheap!

Okay, now, what you need to do is check our itinerary. Lots of shows are coming up in the North Texas area. Several of them will feature our new member, Robert Hokamp, as well as Jeffrey Barnes, returning for the excitement. And, if you’re lucky enough to catch one of our shows from April 23 to 26, you’ll see our good friend from Oshkosh, Danny Jerabek, making beautiful noise with his button box and trombone. For the Arts and Jazz Festival we’ll be a mini-orchestra. Plus, accordion superstar, Alex Meixner will be joining us for Ennis’ The National Polka Festival in May. That’s a lot to think about! Make your plans now.