Volume 11 – #1 – January 2008

Guess what? THE MACHINE’S PUMP is 10 years old this month, January 2008. That’s exciting and depressing news and hard to believe. And in ten years, I was almost speechless only once. September 2001. The other 119 months I managed to write enough to make it feel worthwhile. If you’re interested, all the back issues of THE MACHINE’S PUMP are archived. Go to the bottom of the currently posted issue and click away. Here’s a great solution for how to spend an evening of family fun. Gather everyone around the computer and randomly go through back issues, reliving the past with a bowl of popcorn and some bean dip. Totally groovy.

CREATE A SENSATION!

Brave Combo is a concept that currently exists in the form of a band. It’s an idea that’s consumed with the mystery of music and exists as a vehicle for exploration. It started by wondering why certain labels always applied to certain kinds of music and then wondering if it would be possible for a style of music to transcend its unfair reputation and rise above stereotypes. What if you could strip music of its leaches; the things that attach themselves to it and feed off it? What would be left? How do you break down the walls of prejudice and actually change someone’s mind about anything? Although a willing victim to its wily ways, I am seriously bugged by the overemphasis on everything in pop culture and how music always has to accompany something else. I mean, is it even possible to peel certain styles of music from fashion? Concerning polka specifically, does it still have meaning without beer, hunks of dead animals, ethnic pride or chicken hats? On top of that, how does one convince traditionalists that a musician doesn’t have to be Polish or German or Slovenian or Czech to play polkas and be recognized as a member of a living, breathing polka band? And perhaps even trickier, how do you get people who think they hate polka music to listen to polka music? This is Brave Combo, the concept and the band. We are a “we” and we are an “it.” And in some ways we aren’t here at all. At least no one much thinks we’re just out to take advantage of “the scene” anymore. Since we’re approaching 30 years as an entity, it must be easier to accept us and trust our intentions. But the landscape is constantly changing. The Internet has given us all a very graphic, tangible glimpse at just how many folks live on this planet. And it appears every single person is in a band (or two). But that’s all right. In some ways, Brave Combo no longer seems like a band, more like an institution. We’ve ejected ourselves from so many loops in recent years and also perform at so many annual events (there are only 52 weeks in the year, you know) it’s like we’re becoming glued to the foundation and actually part of the core structure. I’m not complaining. A lot of security and support come from being a part of the establishment and if nothing else, in our little corner of the world, we are quite established and perceived as a legitimate business. On occasion, a Denton policeman will smile and wave at me for no reason. I also think that means I’m not considered much of a threat. Which could mean that Brave Combo has become so established that we’re predictable and that our brand of non-conformity no longer seems “on the edge.” Great! Now I have to grapple with a concept that grew in to a band that has become an institution. Are we finally commonplace? As the world enters 2008, will Brave Combo, the concept, still be part of the avant-garde? Have we proven our point some time ago and now we’re just enjoying a comfortable ride? Well, the bouncy vans and crowded planes we travel in aren’t all that comfortable, first of all. Touring is sooooo uncomfortable. It’s rewarding in many, many ways and playing music for eager ears can’t be beat, but the logistics are an unimaginable drag at times. As you probably know by now, our newest CD, POLKA’S REVENGE has been nominated for a Grammy and we’ll learn the results of the voting in mid-February. This is always difficult to fathom and embarrassing to announce, but there it is. It’s a fact. There were lots of fantastic polka releases this year and so many artists deserve the Grammy, especially the ones that are introducing creative innovations to the genre, keeping it alive and meaningful. Polka should be relevant to the time and some cool stuff is going on proving that it’s possible to combine tradition with current attitudes and trends and come up with a kick-ass polka.

I’m tired of losing my cell phone or leaving important papers on restaurant tables or misplacing my glasses around the house or setting the keys down in weird places when I’m not aware of it. When I buy something at a store, I don’t like leaving it on the counter when it should be in my car riding home with me. Perhaps I’m absent minded a little. I’ve always felt the need to make lists, worried that I would forget something important. But I also think I require myself to do more than I’m capable of doing. Sorta like you, huh? We’re “go-go” people here in the USA. I wonder if anyone else is as “go-go” as we are. I know that the Japanese are really hard working, but they don’t seem as fractured and scattered as us. And I believe they’re more focused in their day-to-day business. Most of the time we’re aware of and attempting several things at once, but not really super focused on any one thing. This denies us a lot of joy in the process. Unfortunately, I learned a long time ago that I work best under pressure. Deadlines don’t bother me. I actually like them. So, for those of you who think I must be as organized as they get, I’m sorry to burst your bubble. “Multi-tasking” is a bad word. A bad, bad word. And we all use it so matter-of-factly, as if that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Jeez! Multi-tasking is the opposite of Zen. It’s a symptom of a disease in over-drive. What a mess. Oh, excuse me a second. I’m at the office and the band phone is ringing, plus I just had an idea for the beginning of the second verse of a new song I’m writing. Plus the police radio on the desk next to mine was just blaring about some trouble at a local motel and I need to listen for a few more important details. You should see the cool new T-shirt design I’m noodling with. I’ve just been bouncing back and forth, between that and the MACHINE’S PUMP. Boy, this salad sure is tasty. Hang on, the phone is ringing again. Oh-oh! I forgot that the first movement of my new symphony was due today. The conductor is waiting at the podium. No problem. Hmmm. What key would sound good?

And speaking of high culture, Brave Combo will perform lots of our songs with the Mesquite, Texas Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, February 2. You really don’t want to miss this! Since our last symphony concert, in 2006, we have added four new ditties to the mix, “The Denton Polka,” “Golden Opportunity,” “A Little Bit Irish” and “For Me.” I don’t know how we will dress, at this point, or exactly where on the stage we will be placing the scarecrows, ice sculptures and tumble weeds. But, I do know that during the saddest song of the night we plan to release 100 of those radio controlled helicopter toys and let them be free. Isn’t it weird how something just pops up out of the blue and then everybody wants one? Did you know that they traced Cabbage Patch Dolls, Beanie Babies, iPhones and X-Boxes back to the Devil’s workshop? This makes the public frenzy seem a little suspicious, but does explain a few things.

We thoroughly dig scoring the music for PBS’ new animated series about the CAR TALK guys, Click and Clack. And we’re having to reach pretty deep into the BC Bag O’ Tricks, too. There’s a lot of music in every episode, but what a blast. We’re working on #5 now. The show premieres in June and we’ll see what happens.

Brave Combo will be rocking the BIG JOE POLKA TV SHOW (RFD Network) when it comes to Texas in February. We’ll be joining about a million other Texas polka bands for the weekend video recording at The Big Red Barn Event Center in Roundtop, Texas. The mysterious and elusive Tim Walsh plans to be there with us, as well. Big Joe is a polka promoter and TV personality from Omaha, Nebraska and his homespun concert series is enjoyed nation-wide. Come on down and get down and fall down in front of the camera. This is a weird time of the year. Unusual opportunities are the norm. But as we all know, variety is the spice of life, like when I order stir-fried tofu instead of deep fried or raw.

Speaking of raw, it’s time to return to the here and now. Thank you for giving me a reason to think of things to say. And be sure to make Brave Combo a big part of your 2008. Check in with us often and expect surprises. Be a good neighbor and spend more time with your pets. Here’s something that was printed on a poster in Berkeley, California in the mid-1960s. I saw it in one of those Bob Dylan biopics currently making the rounds.

PROTEST AGAINST THE RISING TIDE OF CONFORMITY