Volume 12 – #1 – January 2009

Hey, fellow Americans! Enjoy the glow. There is a new President of our United States. The embarrassing reign of Bush and Cheney is over. They are limping into the sunset. I may be naïve and a little too influenced by certain things at times, but I choose to imagine a better world now, because it is imaginable once again. Even in the midst of the bad stuff going on at almost every level of existence today, I am optimistic for the first time in a long time. It feels like our country is finally on a path of sanity and fairness and that all of Earth has taken a big sigh of relief. One thing I have noticed, though, is that Presidents, even the “cool” ones, have really commercial tastes in music, which usually means, to me, boring or bland. But I guess the Commander in Chief has to be somewhat middle of the road when it comes to the arts. America feels safe with the predictable, such as Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks and Stevie Wonder. It’s just a fact. I have nothing against any of them. They’re all quite spectacular at what they do, but also sorta predictable. Maybe pre-inauguration music concerts aren’t supposed to be about amazing musical experiences, though. I’m probably just supposed to feel good, hearing Mary J. Blige sing “Lean On Me,” even if I cringe every time I hear the song, simply because I’ve heard it too many times. I have the same feelings about “Amazing Grace,” and “Margaritaville.” I also OD-ed on raw squash slices and onion dip once. No more of that either.

Two really famous interpreters of the player piano were from my hometown, Texarkana: Scott Joplin and Conlon Nancarrow. I remember a Miss Nancarrow that taught sixth grade at Central Elementary School (my brother was in her class) near downtown T-town (that’s what we T-towners called it). She must have been related to Conlon. Maybe she was his sister. Anyway, Conlon composed modern classical music specifically for the player piano. Scott Joplin’s music, as well, is most often associated with the player piano. He may have actually recorded his music straight to a master player piano role. I remember hearing a recording of one of the roles he made after his mind was beginning to deteriorate from the ravages of syphilis. It was his classic “Maple Leaf Rag,” but it was all screwed up. Conlon’s music can sound pretty screwed-up, too, if you’re not prepared or in the mood. I love it and find it exhilarating, but it drives some people up a wall. He disapproved of the political system in the United States and moved to Mexico where he did most of his composing. There’s a mural of Scott Joplin in downtown Texarkana. I don’t know of anything special commemorating Conlon Nancarrow’s life, though. But, you can have someone take a picture of you standing in two states at once right in front of the downtown post office. When I was a little kid I saw Kennedy or Nixon (can’t remember which one) campaign for President in front of that post office. A man that worked for my father also had a janitorial job at that post office. I have lots of post cards of that post office with a cowboy in Texas, pulling on his stubborn donkey, which is sitting defiantly in Arkansas. The caption always says, “I’m in Texas, but my ass is in Arkansas.” That was dirty. You could buy that kind of stuff at a souvenir stand on the Arkansas side, called Pecan Joe’s. The parent’s of a kid I knew in school, Tony Orchard, owned Pecan Joe’s and, in fact, the mother was on the old TV game show, WHAT’S MY LINE. And I just remembered that our next-door neighbors to the east (toward Arkansas, BTW) had a player piano with about 50 roles, all of which sounded like saloon music. But I don’t think there were any drinking or gambling or dancing girl shenanigans at that house.

FAMOUS DENTONITE. Local resident and real estate agent, Clint Ballard, Jr., 77, died in December 2008 of complications from a stroke. Mr. Ballard wrote the pop classics, “You’re No Good” and “The Game of Love” and over 500 other songs, many of which charted for pop/rock starts in the USA and England. The Rolling Stones had a hit in Europe (#1 in England) with “You’re No Good” before Linda Ronstadt made it a smash stateside. He had lived in Denton for 25 years.

Although 2009 will pose unique challenges for everyone, including Brave Combo, we will be out there leap-frogging truck stops to get our sound as close to you as possible. Keep an eye on our itinerary. Performance dates are being added as I write this. As well, corporate sponsorship of various types of live music events is disappearing right and left. Some of the companies that annually paid for festivals and concert series nationwide have disappeared. So, the economic landscape is changing rapidly for musicians, too. On the upside, humans have the power to be intelligent and overcome any obstacle. There are unknown new opportunities lurking right around the corner. So, be prepared to see a change across the board. Live music may become so rare for a while that people will start to miss it again and from the ashes a phoenix will arise. It will have four heads and fiery breath, but a couple of the heads will need glasses and it might be a little clumsy flying, especially at first. But amazing things come from humble beginnings and I do think many of us will have to start all over. I don’t care. When I was a little bitty kid one of the most exciting things anyone could put in front of me was a blank sheet of paper. I always had a pencil ready. I still feel the same way.

There were some interesting comments posted about what I said concerning the profound negative environmental impact of methane gas that comes from farm animals, especially stockyards and dairy farms. Some people were with me and others felt that I should stay away from too much examination of such things. Well, since then I have learned that the problem is even worse than I’d originally thought. So, I repeat, if you consider yourself an environmentalist, you can’t eat meat and complain about “too many cars.” The damage from animal-produced methane gas is greater than that of all the vehicles (cars, buses, planes, trains) in the world combined. Look for the vegan corndogs near the frozen waffles at any mega-grocery store. You’ll be shocked at how great they taste. No methane involved.

FUNNY JOKES:
Sue: Hey, check out my new mink coat.
Lou: (Sigh) Poor little minks.
Sue: Oh, no. Don’t fret. The coat was made out of medium-sized minks.

Bob: Hey try out the new sandwich I invented.
Rob: Sure, what it is? (Takes a bite)
Bob: It’s a dog ham and cheese, made from stray dogs instead of pigs.
Rob: Oh my God!!!! (Vomits all over Bob)
Bob: Jeez! Stop that! What’s the difference?

Our new CD, THE EXOTIC ROCKING LIFE, is getting around and will be available at a popular price (based on the current economic situation) at all of our shows. You can also buy it straight from our web site, of course. I believe that this CD, in particular, shows what the Brave Combo concept is about. Plus, if someone close to you needs a lift, THE EXOTIC ROCKING LIFE is the perfect solution; better than candy OR cocaine. You see, I know all about the real purpose of Muzak. Let it work for you. Get productive and groove in the process. Roll up those shirtsleeves and be brave as you step into the future. It’s not that hard, since time isn’t going to stop anyway. Tomorrow is inevitable. Might as well make the best of it. And Brave Combo music can help make any circumstance seem not so dire, unless you’re trying to get some sleep. Then it can keep you awake because it’s sound-based or you might get an earworm from one of the catchy songs and it might repeat over and over while you’re trying to pass out. So, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend THE EXOTIC ROCKING LIFE as part of your getting-ready-for-sleep ritual. But, the morning is another story. So, until next time, wake up and get busy. Don’t slack or whine in 2009!