The Machine’s Pump Volume 20 – #1 – January 2017

Well, here we are, almost finished with the first month of the new year and I just don’t know what to say. . ..other than RESIST! RESIST!! RESIST!!!

I have a band named Brave Combo. We started almost four decades ago; a clueless quartet, with no polka background, devoted to playing polkas for non-polka people. Before long we found ourselves defending polkas against a tyrannical, non-inclusive, money-hungry musical mainstream. And right after that, defending polka musicians around the USA who were marginalized because they came from recent immigrants (in most cases, their parents or grandparents) and were considered either too stupid to acknowledge, too uncool to acknowledge or a threat. There was, and still is today, in 2017, a prejudice against the music. Generally, polka is only allowed access to the public, at large, if there’s a festival with beer and sausage attached to it. Polka bands have not been able to break into the “normal” music world, like Bluegrass, Zydeco or Cajun, for instance, for lots of reasons, but, primarily, it’s because the majority of promoters are prejudiced against the style of music and the folks who play it and prefer to stay ignorant and uninformed and keep polka music “in its place,” like the good ol’ days, when America was great. A return to those good ol’ days may mean a return to less public awareness of the music. If the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) is scratched, a myriad of programs which provided fringe musicians much-needed promotion and exposure will likely go with it. In the little picture, where does that leave me? To be true to who I have been for most of my life, the leader of Brave Combo, I must stand up for the underdogs, the oppressed, the down-trodden, because I want to hear what kind of crazy music happens, once they assimilate into our culture, as we have seen, in the polka world, across the spectrum of the genre, whether it’s Polish, Slovenian, Czech, Tejano/Conjunto, Dutchman or whatever. Happy Louie, one of the all-time leaders of the modern Polish-American polka scene, once wrote and recorded a song which has become a classic, called “Peace and Love Polka.” It addresses, quite directly and frankly, the problem, at the time, with people making fun of American citizens of Polish descent. Polish jokes were a staple of mainstream comedy, at one time. I remember hearing them when I was a kid. Obviously, the jokes portrayed Polish-Americans as dumb, unworthy, Eastern Europeans; the typical butts of the joke. Well, Louie had had enough and wrote this amazing, stirring anthem, containing the legendary lines, “Stop those Polish jokes. Love those Polish folks. Polish blood is flowing through my veins.” The song was released decades ago but it still resonates strongly with a bunch of my musician friends of Polish heritage. I do hope all of my polka brothers and sisters will consider their families’ plights, as new immigrants from other special, unique parts of the world seek a new life in the USA, as their own parents and grandparents did. At least that’s a place to start feeling empathy and sympathy for those seeking freedom and opportunity, wherever they’re from. And I also hope my polka community, which I love and owe a career to, will always work to squelch fear, misunderstanding, and hate, and not encourage it. As a recent International Polka Hall of Fame inductee, I feel it’s my duty to keep my eyes and ears open and address those situations which I think harm, belittle or undermine the integrity of the music and to protect its reputation and not let the naysayers make the claim that polkas promote racism, when, actually, the opposite is true; polka has been a victim of racism since it first hit our shores or crossed our borders!

One more thing. I’m hearing a buzz about a new “Don’t Mess With Texas” movement, centered around “The Wall” cutting through Big Bend and, basically, cutting off the Rio Grande River from Texans. It certainly won’t be built on the Mexico side. This will cause serious harm to Big Bend’s tourism industry, especially unique spots, like Terlingua. Bad move for the region’s ecology AND the view would suck!!!! This concern has potential big bipartisan appeal. Our governor has even hinted that he might not be keen with a wall ruining one of Texas’ most treasured environs. “No Wall in Big Bend.” I’m sure we’ll hear more about this. I bet even the Keeners and Greeners (fans of Robert Earl Keen and Pat Green, the leaders of the massive Republican-leaning, singer/songwriter movement, based out of College Station, home to Texas A&M) might put up a fuss once they realize their days of drinking and tubing the mighty Rio Grande may be about to end. “We don’t need no education. We don’t need no thought control.”

Speaking of walls, it would be cool if Canada built one to keep us out.

Funny joke:
NYC Tourist A: It’s kinda weird that the notorious Mexican drug lord, El Chapo, was just transferred to a prison in New York City, only a short distance from Trump Tower.
NYC Tourist B: Indeed! Is that just a coincidence?
NYC Tourist A: What do you think?
NYC Tourist B: Hmm. Don’t know. Seems suspicious to me.
NYC Tourist A: Yeah. Hey, let’s go to Time Square and take selfies with Disney characters.

BREAKING NEWS. Brave Combo is still on vacation, but new dates are being added to the calendar weekly. Check it often. Things return to our normal busy-as-hell schedule in March and that trend continues for awhile.

Time Machine message: Don’t be scared and passive, as the Eloi will someday be. The Morlocks are weaker and dumber than you think. But you gotta think! Don’t forget to think!

DEVELOPING STORY. Although my will is being challenged by the slimy mudslides through which we’re all attempting to maneuver AND feeling like the cosmos has really let me down recently, I know I still have to find my groove. As we all tread carefully into the foggy unknown, remember those inspiring lyrics from that great new band from Iowa, Blood Coming From Wherever.“Two Corinthians grabbed my pussy. Two Corinthians grabbed my pussy. Two Corinthians grabbed my pussy. Those were sure some Bad Hombres!” Says it all, doesn’t it? Okay, dear friends. Pleasant dreams. Allow yourself to drift off to this pretty little lullaby by The Dead Kennedys from 1982. Warning: Adults only. Lots of spicy language. This song is saying basically the same thing as Happy Louie’s “Love and Peace Polka.” Racism Not Allowed!