The Machine’s Pump Volume 28 – #4 – April 2025

It’s April 29th, 2025. A few days ago, April 27th, marked the 46th anniversary of Brave Combo’s first gig. Our tuba player extraordinaire, Carl Kleinsteuber, pointed that out to me. I guess 46 years isn’t really all that long, because I can remember way too many things about too many events in the BC historical universe. Plus, almost nothing has ever been normal here, or what most people consider normal. Some of our band members try to be normal on occasion, or act like what they do is normal, but no, we are, generally, not normal. And we are highly motivated by esoteric challenges (stuff most folks would probably have no interest in at all) and we’re pretty good at coming up with decent bizarre ideas. Creating music relentlessly, while constantly trying to keep your eye on that ball which is art, can be taxing, especially when one of the rules is to avoid being pretentious; to be wide-eyed and humble as much as possible. “Don’t believe your own hype,” as they used to say! Some people with big egos do have good ideas, but that obsession with ME, ME, ME usually trips them up. I know how it feels to perform in front of lots of people who are singing along and cheering on our efforts. It’s a rush. For a moment, you might even feel invincible, but that’s nothing unique or special. Who wouldn’t? People enjoy acknowledgment and acceptance and it’s great when an audience is paying attention and appreciates what you’re doing enough to give you a standing ovation. That’s pretty easy to like. But it can’t be Brave Combo’s primary reason for existence. And, speaking for myself, it’s been, and continues to be, an elaborate learning experience and a chance to gather up more pieces of the puzzle. I feel the same way about rescuing and tending to animals in need. Both Brave Combo and rescuing animals involve a lot of work, patience, long hours, frustrating hurdles, daily sacrifice AND creative strategy but, so what? What else would I be doing? I really do want to know what’s going on. The big picture, you know. Don’t you? Jeez, I talk about this all the time. Jane’s eyes frequently glaze over.

Here’s a rough mix of a new Brave Combo song. It’s a tarantella (traditional Italian dance). It’s called “Mussolini,” and it’s relevant and self-explanatory. Everybody groove to the jaunty protest music! As I mentioned earlier, you should write and record your own protest music! It’s fun!

Speaking of songwriting, here are some potential modern country protest song titles:
“Measles and Texas and RFK, Jr.!”
“Grandpa Bought an Edsel, Then I Bought a Tesla!”
“Tornadoes Ate Arkansas, but the Revenuers Don’t Care!”
“The Country Got Gutted, While Nero Just Putted!”
“I Got a Dog, Who Needs Doge!”
Let me know if you decide to try to write lyrics for any of these bits of inspiration.

Speaking of music, you know how most of the country is freaking out about the future? Those who love live music should probably be freaking out, too.

Feel free to speak out if you have a chance. Make big signs and walk around the square, like that witty guy in Denton does. Put on your thinking cap and keep it on because lot more stupid mind-blowing stuff is gonna happen. We’re all trapped in a shitty cartoon! Good luck Earth people!