The Machine’s Pump Volume 18 – #4 – April 2015

A company called Music Reports licenses and, supposedly, pays royalties for songs played on Internet radio and other Internet outlets. It appears that from early October until the end of December, 2014, there were 1000-1200 plays of my original music (most of it with Brave Combo), for which I have copyrights as the composer and publisher. The accounting showed that I was owed $1.71. Unfortunately, they don’t write checks unless your royalties total over $50.00. So, at this rate, I should see a $50.00 check by 2024. That might be a little optimistic, but, hey, that’s my style. This is also the rate I get when someone listens to my music on Pandora or Spotify. Hmmm, that seems reasonable.

Three interesting (at least, to me) videos were posted recently, involving the music of Brave Combo. One is yet another dance troupe performing a well-choreographed routine, to Brave Combo’s recording of “Hava Nagila (Twist).” I think this clip is from Argentina. It’s exciting and colorful! I have no idea who went to the trouble to do this whole thing, but there are, apparently, happy dance companies doing this all over the world. Similar videos have been popping up for a couple of years now. There’s never any mention of us. Check it out. Everyone seems to be having a great time.

The next video was posted by an Italian band, Figli De Madre Ignota, on their YouTube channel. It’s dedicated to us. The song was written, as I understand, in our honor because they liked how we went from major to minor in our intro of “Who Stole the Kishka.” This made us feel really good. Every couple of days our music appears somewhere, out of nowhere. I hear reports that “Flying Saucer” was used regularly on local commercials in New Mexico. The popular NPR game show, WHAD’YA KNOW, gave away a copy of our album, LET’S KISS, a couple of weeks ago. Our version of “The Peanut Polka” is used as background music in an often-played radio ad for a national polka publication. I remember seeing a pretty graphic video of some nude Russian girls fondling each other to our sinister-sounding “Jingle Bells.” They looked like they were having fun, though I didn’t see the connection to “Jingle Bells.” Lots of folks use our music for their family videos or for their creative efforts, compiling images and clips to accompany particular BC recordings. The third video is a recent post of our “Potato Chips Polka,” which illustrates my point perfectly. We are, of course, delighted that our fans do these things and if anyone ever asks first, I almost always give them permission, as long as there is no hint of animal cruelty in the video. And, so far, there has been no such thing. Some people set up elaborate Christmas displays outside their homes, synced to “Must Be Santa.” I like that idea; that several times during the night in December Brave Combo is blaring in some neighborhood.

Speaking of videos, we are moving along with one we recently shot for our new song, “The Everything,” from our brand new album, THE LIMINAL ZONE. I hope to have it finished and ready to post and distribute by June 1. That’s my self-imposed deadline. I am going to stick to it and wrap up the sucker! I need deadlines. I wish I had a drill sergeant or a personal trainer following me around all day, pushing me to get things done. No, I don’t. I don’t really want anyone following me around ever, for any reason, but I do like to get things accomplished. Just like you.

And still speaking of videos. Here are four baby barn swallows in a nest that their mother built on our front porch light. How do any of these things live to be even six months old? We’ve taken in baby birds before and have successfully reared a couple, but damn they look vulnerable. Something else to worry about, I guess.

Brave Combo wants to wish our good buddies, The Chardon Polka Band, best of luck with their new reality show on REELZ, called, THE POLKA KINGS. This is a good bunch of folks from the Cleveland, Ohio area, raised on Slovenian-style polkas, with a German twist. The show is about a group of enthusiastic musicians determined to bring polka into the mainstream via any means possible, including playing familiar rock songs as polkas. Hell, I should be writing this show, except that the producers will probably, and predictably, want a lot of meat-eating moment and references. Not my thing.

Accordion super-duper superstar, Alex Meixner, will be joining us at the annual National Polka Festival in Ennis, Texas on May 23 and 24, Memorial Day Weekend. This will be the Brave Combo Big Band, with Jeffrey and Danny rocking the horns and Alex’s fingers flying all over the place. Another don’t-miss event! In fact, you should mosey right on over to our itinerary and see if any of our shows make sense in your life.

HAPPY TOWN? Why would our local state representative vote to not uphold the fracking ban the citizens of Denton, overwhelmingly, want and voted for themselves? This is messed up! It’s all about the money. It’s all about the da-da…da-da-da…da!

And, on that cheery note, I’ll leave you with this thought. Look up and out, occasionally. Don’t forget the sky. And, of course, adopt a homeless animal as soon as possible. You have the room and you have the time. Now let’s close with everybody singing that treasured old standard, “I Dropped Chopsticks On The Floor And The Dogs Thought They Were Crispy Noodles.” All together now…….