Volume 11 – #12 – December 2008

Oh Denton, our poor little crowded town. So many people are moving here. It’s one of the fastest growing cities in the country, consequently, it takes forever to drive across town to shop at Super Target, Hobby Lobby and Big Lots. And now, of all things, PASTE magazine, which appears to have the authority to make such claims, has dubbed the Denton music scene the BEST in the United States of America in 2008! Oh great! Now what will happen? The NEW YORK TIMES recently published a similar article, as did THE GUARDIAN out of London. Denton clubs often win local best-place-for-live-music polls over venues in Dallas or Fort Worth. The University of North Texas continues to have one of the most highly revered music schools in the world. So, what’s going on here? I know that have always felt comfortable being myself in Denton. Everyone smiles and waves. And now that Brave Combo is more of a local institution than a band, part of the fabric, so to speak, I probably don’t know what a protective bubble Brave combo gets to exist under. And, in return, when we’re on the road, BC members are practically ambassadors for the town, spreading the news that Austin is not Texas’ only “happening” burgh. And, although a lot of what’s going on here is not very obvious, the underground is so bubbly that the sidewalks tingle. You can find lots of mind-blowing sounds brewing on a daily basis within a mile of the downtown square, if you just look for it. It should also be noted, that this is so, more because of the spirit of the musicians, than rabid community support. Audiences numbering only 25-50 at various hot spots are commonplace, especially during the week. Yet, the scene is exploding with creativity. Not since Denton opened the first head shop in Texas in the late 1960s, have we been considered cool. Perhaps our town is, in fact, the pinnacle of cool right now. And by that, I really do mean this very second. We have to jump on this kind of praise and take advantage of it, cause a new year is about to start and the attention Denton is getting will inevitably shift to another surprising location before we know it; like Oshkosh or Boise or Oxford, Mississippi. For now, though, as 2008 morphs into 2009, eyes and ears seem pointed this way. Please stop by on your way to wherever and check out the scene, just don’t move here. A week before the annual international pilgrimage to Austin for SXSW in mid-March, Denton will be hosting its first music conference, called NX35 www.nx35.com. Dozens of bands from all over the globe will be converging on fourteen different venues around downtown (walking distance to everything). Perhaps this would be a good time to visit. Maybe Brave Combo will host a mixer at our office/studio one of the afternoons. A new rescued cat, named Eddy, is living there now and likes to meet and bite people. He has requested that we have something other than Science Diet to munch on at the mixer.

Did I ever mention that there are traces of Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore’s blood on one of my Telecasters? It’s only rock and roll, and, apparently, he likes it.

Sometimes I think about how I used to listen to music when I was young, like grade school young. I would buy 45s and watch them go around on the stereo turntable then flip them over and do the same with a whole different song. They called the “A” side the plug side, which was the song radio stations were supposed to push. The “B” side was usually just filler, at least until the Beatles came along. Some earlier artists, like Elvis had a few hits on both sides, but it wasn’t until the British invasion hit in the mid-60s that most people began to pay attention. I used to really like Neil Sedaka’s early stuff and always knew both sides of his releases. The same with James Darren and Bobby Vee. The same with everybody, really, but a few artists stood out. This was a time of great pop song writing, full of addictive melodies and hooks and equally impressive vocalists with unique voices. Lou Christie still blows my mind, as does Bobby Vinton. But not Fabian, who proved that being a teen idol didn’t make someone a good singer. I started collecting records obsessively around the 3rd or 4th grade. Seven-inch, 45-rpm singles, as I’ve said before, were the most perfect things ever invented. But if you accidentally left them on the dashboard of a car in the hot sun they would warp beyond repair. Most of my clueless friends had no idea about the value of these things or how to take care of them. I would go to people’s houses and their sleeve-less records would be strewn all over, getting shamefully scratched up. They probably didn’t take care of their SPIDERMAN comics, either. Foolish!

On occasion, Brave Combo enjoys presents. At a recent show in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Thanksgiving night, one couple brought us a complete Thanksgiving dinner and another kind fan gave us a big ol’ jar of homemade moonshine with a lightning bolt drawn on the side of it. A trip to the remote Alpine, Texas wouldn’t be complete without a visit by Mr. Absinthe. Sometimes we get tickets to things like The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and invitations to restaurants (free food) and clubs (free drinks) aren’t uncommon. My CD collection grows significantly with each tour, mostly by musicians we meet on the road that have new recordings to share. We’re always rich in shirts and hats and sometimes flowers and candy, not to mention photos and paintings. And one time we walked into our dressing room at a festival in California and there were little figurines of Brave Combo members waiting for us. They really looked like us. Flattering and creepy. Anyway, what I’m saying is that we’re lucky to have Christmas all year long and we appreciate the thoughtfulness of our friends and fans that make it happen. Hope we’re worth it.

BIG NEWS TO ME. Forest J. Ackerman, founder and editor of the magazines, FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND and MONSTERWORLD, has died, at the age of 92. The impact his publications had on me was huge. I loved monster movies, built models of monsters (my favorite was The Wolfman), cut out monster movie ads and often stayed up really late to watch the monster double feature on Channel 12 out of Shreveport. I put a lot of serious energy into this for many years and, through FAMOUS MONSTERS, secured my knowledge of horror filmdom. You should Google this guy and check out his contribution to pop culture. RIP, Forrie. Thanks for exposing me to all the disturbing images.

The Christmas music performances with the Las Colinas Symphony were more fun than we should ever be allowed to have. We only had to play 14 songs each night and six of them were accompanied by the orchestra, which was beyond thrilling for me. I dig singing with a whole bunch of great violinists behind me. Who wouldn’t? “Hey Little Dreidel” was a massive monster and the pizzicato-driven “It’s Christmas (Cha Cha)” percolated like peppy snow flakes. Every time we do one of these shows we’re amazed that we’ve been invited to participate.

And speaking of something very similar, our new tracks with the Mesquite, Texas Symphony have been mixed and mastered and are ready to be manufactured. The CD will be called, appropriately enough, SYMPHONIC POLKAS. More on this in early 2009.

We also had too much fun at our sold-out Holiday Show at Fitzgerald’s in Chicago on Saturday, November 29. This is one of the coolest gigs of the year for us. A special tradition for our show is the appearance of Frosty, the Snowman, deftly maneuvered by his handler, Bill Fitzgerald. Arjuna’s uncle shot a video of the event and you must check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMqEcgW-8yg. Try to make this one-of-a-kind party in 2009, if you can. What a groovy scene!

So, now it’s time for me to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Cheery Kwanzaa and Prosperous New Year. And let’s all remember that happiness comes from experiencing life deeply and that, in reflection, it’s easy to see that some of the best times occur during great struggle. Don’t be afraid. Live your life and make your happiness. And, just so you know, humor = pain + time. Come on! Let’s climb the mountain and see what’s on the other side. It might just be polite tarantulas, wearing denim shorts, making onion rings for us. I expect to see you in 2009 with a smile on your face!