The Machine’s Pump Volume 26 – #7 – July 2023

TIMELY, BUT RANDOM THOUGHTS
Where we are is where we are. And it’s mid-summer, 2023. But the game is now ONLY open to the wily one, the free-thinker, the nonconformist and Brave Combo isn’t allowed to look back, anyway. It’s pointless. So, why not imagine the yet unknown? The old school is all about hanging on to the final threads of a great, but bygone era. Consequently, tribute bands, doing their best to imitate the heroes of the past, are getting most of the decent sorta mainstream gigs now, especially if the audience is over 45/50 (the people with the most disposable money). Beyond that, good luck! It’s a very crowded world of fame-seekers. Starting a band these days, without thinking way outside the box, is probably a losing situation, aside from friends getting together and jamming because playing music together is fun. And, indeed, it is fun, but probably limited, if one has greater ambitions. I figure, in 2023, it’s either about creating art or it’s about following the whims of the masses, which are easily manipulated into the madness, as they jump from fad to fad. That’s what kids are all about during their years of discovery. It’s part of growing up. This is always fine-line stuff, but there is room for art in our maniacal world of predictable, self-promotion. The problem is there’s no absolute determiner of what has value and what doesn’t, so our slavery to technology always provides every answer. Plus, listening has simply become harder to do, in general; the constant short attention-span noise won’t let us stop and take a moment to really focus on the beauty of something abstract, like music. You know, music for music’s sake, right here, right now. In the moment. It just is. No attachments.

HILARIOUS AND RELEVANT JOKE
Musician A: Man, you know, if you’re not careful, it all becomes about making IT, rather than making ART!
Musician B: Do what?

HMMM, WELL….
If you’re depressed, maybe you’re living too much in the past. If you’re anxious, maybe you’re living too much in the future. The present it where it’s at, Baby. The one true place. Think for yourself!

EVIL INVENTIONS, EVIL INTENTIONS
And speaking of the present, the Earth is baking. Sidewalk pancakes, anyone? July 2023 is the hottest month EVER recorded! It appears even some long-time hard-core skeptics and deniers are finally starting to acknowledge something is not quite right and are climbing on the “global warming” bandwagon. I guess increasingly severe weather patterns are sorta impossible to ignore. So, surely there is some big polluter we can just do away with right now; one whose disappearance would be unnoticed by 99.9999% of the world’s population. Yep, there is!! Private jets! Unless you are on an urgent flight because you are the only one, like Jesus or Spiderman or Dr. Who, who can fix an immediate problem somewhere, no one should be even getting near these disgusting things. They’re just a convenience for the super-wealthy and their use is exploding. Nothing says bloated ego, lack of caring, and “I’m a jerk” like regularly flying on a private jet. And if you own one or two solely for your convenience because you’re so rich and important, you are probably coming back to Earth to learn a few more things after your private jet crashes into your private mountain on your private island. Congratulations and good luck with that! I love a good comedy!

Brave Combo is a collection of people who sing and play instruments, all at the same time, to create a sense of musical cohesion. A byproduct of this exercise in ensemble creation might be a sense of well-being and/or excitement experienced by those who hear the results. The quest for a certain kind of perfection is an essential element in Brave Combo’s efforts. Defining how that perfection is manifested is not always easy, however. But building new structures with nothing but sound is always fun and/or rewarding, on some level. Plus, I enjoy messing with people and a band is an excellent vehicle, by which to mess with people. For Brave Combo, the stage is a loud playground, where we, hopefully, feel free to express any concept we can imagine and not worry about being exposed as dorks. We were always in the punk rock sphere of influence, to some degree. And that attitude is often critical to how we get our point across. And, for what it’s worth, the only people willing to go way out a limb are either the super cool or the exact opposite. Perhaps one never knows where one fits. That’s cool. Or not.

Speaking of not knowing, we are working like crazy on three tracks we recorded with Tiny Tim about a quarter century ago. They were not released on the original album, for a few reasons. But they will be soon! Look out, everyone! Get ready to smile and shed a tear at the same time. I’m sure we’ll keep you informed on our progress.

BREAKING NEWS! Beatle Bob, the dancing pop/rock icon and live music super fan from St. Louis, has passed away after a somewhat lengthy illness. I’m sure I’ll have much more to say about this unique guy. His death will affect a lot of people. He was the grooviest of the groovy and a faithful supporter of Brave Combo and a million other bands. Damn! RIPBB!

MAKE YOUR PLANS! Our calendar is filling up for the fall and winter. And we’re working on a new sound, more thrilling than ever! I know I like it a lot and I think you will, too. There is no reason to hold back now. So, check out our itinerary and show up somewhere, but not in a private jet!

Now we’re gonna close the show with a song by our friends from Vancouver, BC, The Dreadnoughts. It’s called “Vicki’s Polka.” My accordion buddy, Alex Meixner, and I were invited to play on it and we quickly accepted. Here it is! Alex played all the fancy Slovenian-style stuff, but I’m in there, noodling and bellows shaking! It’s a great song, by the way. Until next month, stay cool in every way possible!