The Machine’s Pump Volume 18 – #8 – August 2015

IT’S POLKA TIME! Summer winding down means lots of different things to different people. In this part of the world (North Texas) for most folks, this time of the year is all about school and sports. It’s probably the same across 90% of the the entire country. But, for me, the last gasp of hot weather means Westfest, which means the beginning of polka season. Every year of our existence, Brave Combo has performed at Westfest and its generally a sizzling and dusty affair. I sneeze a lot, but they’re sneezes of joy. For those of you who don’t know, West, Texas is a small central Texas town, full of descendants of the Czech Republic. European immigrants flocked to the Lone Star State by the droves in the 1800s, settling all over, bringing their traditions and adapting them to cowboy country. Some of our polka-loving fans in Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Chicago might find it strange to see hefty two-stepping good ol’ boys doing the polka and waltz like pros, but not us. We see it all the time. And when I think about how important the European migration was to the creation of Conjunto and Tejano music, it blows my mind. Newcomers settled in northern Mexico, too. Damn, with all the French Canadians moving down to southern Louisiana, this part of the gulf coast was awash with squeeze boxes. It seems the mixing and mingling of cultures often produces something fresh, especially with music. I owe a debt of gratitude to an army of brave musicians who struggled to haul their traditional baggage to this side of the world and across Texas’ southern border to share their knowledge and passion with new neighbors. And it really is as simple as that. When people get exposed to something new or out of their immediate world, their perspective is altered a little. Being open-minded is not that difficult, but, sadly, being pissed off about change is sometimes easier. Lots of folks love being angry. It feels good to point to something and blame your misery on it. Jeez, Facebook, Twitter and whatever must be a dream come true for the disgruntled masses. Most Americans are seriously insecure and scared of everything, yet also have unrealistic expectations and notions of entitlement. U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! I don’t like to use animal analogies to describe people, because that’s demeaning to animals, but Trump’s followers can only be compared to sheep, unaware of where they are being led. They need to be shown the way and as long as their leader is rich, mad and mentions the Bible on occasion, they’re cool. Substance doesn’t matter, intelligence doesn’t matter and, obviously, looks don’t matter either. Okay, enough about that. You can open your eyes and ears and think for yourself. Which gets us back to the original topic. Polka! You owe it to yourself to look over our itinerary. Right after Westfest, Oktoberfests dominate our schedule until early November. You have plenty of opportunity to make the scene, so do it.

Speaking of musical happenings, Brave Combo has been rehearsing like crazy, getting ready for the remainder of 2015. So much is going on it feels like the early days. The band’s new line-up, which includes guitarist/trumpeter, Robert Hokamp and our original bass player, Lyle Atkinson, is sounding amazing. Lyle’s working on his tuba. Robert’s singing in German. Danny has two trombones now, in addition to his trumpet, flugelhorn, mouth harp and pocket trumpet (everyone’s fave). Alan still digs the groove. Whatever, we’re having a blast and hope you’ll come out and experience Brave Combo 2015, the sound of the future, today!

Breaking news! Climate change is real.

THE EVERYTHING. I’ve been working on a music video for our song, “The Everything,” from our most recent album, THE LIMINAL ZONE, for a few months and am happy to report that the sucker is pretty much finished. We need to do some last-minute tweaking, maybe adjust a clip, or two and add credits and text, but the other 99% is ready to view. “The Everything” is all about tension and release. The video supports that premise. You must be just going nuts to see this now, huh? It is a commitment to view. The songs lasts well over five minutes, but you know that already, right? You have the album, right? We plan to debut the video at Dan’s on September 11, so be there and enjoy!

Speaking of Denton shows, we are headlining a Denton Oktoberfest at the Harvest House (new venue, outdoor stage, great environment) on Saturday, October 10. We’ll cap off a day of fun and more fun.

I think about music quite a bit. I think about the effect it has on people; how it enhances or even creates a moment. It’s employed to accompany other things, like a meal or fashion show or political campaign or waiting for an oil change. It makes musicians feel important and special. It even makes a few of them famous. And, an elite few, rich. Music can be the most amazing thing you’ve ever experienced or as cliche and uneventful as the worst TV show ever.

Breaking news! From all accounts, ISIS continues to be a big drag!

Even more breaking news! A brand new stray cat has been hanging out at our house. We thought it belonged to some college girls down the street. No such luck. The cat, a slinky soft gray tabby, seems to spend most of his time in the wooded area right behind our property, but has been sleeping under our shrubs more and more. He will let me pick him up, so next stop is the nearby spay/neuter clinic. Did I mention that we already have several cats AND dogs? Several!

I’m going to stop now. Here are a couple of polkas by the late, great accordionist, Esteban (Steve) Jordan, from South Texas. His music helped Brave Combo be brave. It’s a fact. As I mentioned earlier, think for yourself. You can do it. Sleep well and wake well. Then shake well!