The Machine’s Pump Volume 27 – #11 – November 2024
As November winds down, everyone automatically looks toward the inevitability of Christmas, when the Prince of Peace and savior of the Christian faithful pairs beautifully with the biggest buying orgy/money-grabbing time of the year. It’s all about sell, sell, sell and sale, sale, sale! You see, Jesus, who claimed to be God in human form, had a humble beginning on Earth and throughout his short life, and, according to his followers, preached humility and sacrifice, and love and kindness and equality. So what better way to celebrate his birth than to go berserk over either making a buck or getting a good deal. Praise the Lord of Money! Of course, my examination of this phenomenon is nothing new, but perhaps it’s worth revisiting in crazy, perilous times. With that in mind, I’m writing a new heart-warming song called, “Let’s Make Some Money Off Christmas” and we’ll be debuting it at a couple of upcoming Brave Combo holiday shows, where we will, as well, be opportunistically cashing in. Jesus has been duking it out with Santa and his secular buddies for top billing for a long time, anyway. THE MESSIAH or THE NUTCRACKER? Religion or fantasy. Take your pick. Whatever, I’m not sure I ever need to hear either one of those masterpieces again. Chances are you feel the same way. There are several songs by the Beatles I also never need to hear again. I try not to discriminate, and I wish all truth seekers success in their quests for enlightenment, so they can understand the big picture better and go through life without fear, knowing that the universe is a big-ass place.
Speaking of holiday shows, here are the ones you do not want to miss if you are allowing yourself to risk being festive this year. Praise the Lord of Party!
- Dan’s Silverleaf, in Denton, Texas, on Thursday, December 5th. May get a little rowdy if the audience needs a cathartic experience. Hometown loose and potentially bizarre.
- In concert with The Greater North Texas Youth Orchestra in McKinney, Texas on Sunday, December 8th. Super cool. Brave Combo’s unique arrangements of Christmas favorites, scored for symphony orchestra. Always a huge blast for me to sing, accompanied by a big string section.
- The Cicada, in Ft. Worth, Texas on Friday, December 20th. Intimate hipster holiday happening. Thinking about live-streaming this show.So treat yourself to an amazing night of musical magic….and also consider coming to a Brave Combo show!
With the country so sharply divided, I want to, once again, encourage everyone to think for yourself. To quote Big Freedia, “You already know!” Some humans make this a cartoon world full of obvious insanity and it might be best to try to view the shenanigans, as much as possible, floating above, detached and possibly even entertained by it all. With that in mind, I will go now and design a template for the perfect disposable cat diaper for our most recent rescue who has rear-end nerve damage, meaning no bladder or bowel control. He has a great attitude, though, so I will, too. I love a challenge! Let’s close with a Dead Kennedys classic. More relevant than ever! Sleep well.
Thank you for the Kennedy’s. Has BC ever done any Tubes covers? ‘Proud to be an American’ with Vince Welnick’s piano intro, or ‘What do you want from life?’ have always said something about our welt schmerz over the decades. I hope you can livestream some Brave Christmas joy this year, nothing says Christmas to me like the ‘Oh Holy Night ChaCha’, or ‘Feliz Navidad’. Last year gave so much joy in that short christmas jam stream. This year I must hold off on the polka/pogo dancing, as I have a new knee to prepare for the summer polka fests. lucky me, lucky us for the Joy of Brave Combo. Cherry Mixmas, have a new beer.. Be well, give em hell.
I saw the Combo guys at a record release party in Houston Texas at a place I think was called Fitzgerald’s, it was a reconditioned barn. I was visiting from Wisconsin and had a great time soaking the Texas culture. I have a lot of Brave Combo albums in my collection
Carl – aside from all the Joy you and the band bring to the audience, thank you for all you do for animals. Caring for those that are in a situation that they had no part in making is a wonderful thing
Christmas wouldn’t be SO great if we didn’t play It’s Christmas, Man at our house! Thanks for years and years of Christmas fun. Always makes us smile and sing.