Volume 13 – #5 – May 2010
SPEW, BABY, SPEW. I fear the BP oil explosion and gushing leak in the Gulf of Mexico will be America’s Chernobyl. At the time of this writing, the earth’s lubricant was not yet contained and it’s now a fact that this dwarfs the Exxon Valdez disaster. Like Chernobyl, this could be a boo-boo that is too big for humans to correct. I don’t need to say anymore.
BIG NEWS THAT ISN’T BAD. Well, we suddenly decided we needed a new CD for summer touring and the myriad polka events in our near future. So, we booked studio time, picked several songs, honed them to razor sharp perfection, took a deep breath and before we knew it, twelve new songs were mixed, mastered and ready to manufacture. The music part happened so quickly, we’ve had no time to think about the artwork, although we do have a title. Should I reveal that now or wait? Oh, what the heck. It’s called KIKIRIKI. Tracks include, “Kikiriki,” “Road to Praha,” “Kiev Waltz,” “Prairie Dogs Polka,” “Big Head,” “Beethoven Song,” “Just Because” and four more potential hits. We hope to have actual copies in our hands (in one form or another) by mid-June.
Speaking of polka events, starting with the fabulous Ennis National Polka Fest on Memorial Day weekend, imminent 2/4 dancing is upon us and can also be enjoyed at the Sugarcreek Slavik Festival in Kansas City June 11 and 12, Our Lady of the Lake Street Dance on June 26 in Chicago and the always amazing Polka Fireworks Festival at Seven Springs Resort right outside Champion, Pennsylvania on July 2. A second, much larger wave of polka insanity hits with Westfest on Labor Day Weekend and followed by two months of non-stop action. So make your plans to come out and dance, buy our new CD and have fun. All three will enrich your life.
The band is currently being stalked by a video producer and camera crew for an upcoming documentary. The prestigious team of Bart Weiss and Mark Birnbaum are popping up in the strangest places, I guess because we’re playing in those places. But they’re also at the office, at rehearsals, at recording sessions. How could this possibly be of interest to anyone? Once Brave Combo turned 30 weird things started to happen. I discovered gold in my backyard while digging up grub worms, trying to save them from suffocating. Jeff now regularly walks in on strangers that have already checked into his motel room and stays. Danny noticed mysterious things about his pet chicken. Little Jack learned a different way to say a word in German and Alan finally found the perfect small sensory-deprivation environment. As well, people wonder what it’s been like doing this for 30 years, but not many wondered what 28 or 29 were like.
So, in this issue of the Machine’s Pump I will do an overview of the first half of the second decade of Brave Combo, which I see as our big travel decade, including many trips to Europe and Japan. Since I’ve made myself give this a lot of thought, I decided t call the first decade (which I previously covered), “The Wild and Wooly Years.” I call the second decade, “The International Years” and the third decade, “The Down to Business Years” or “The Established Years.” The first decade was marked by great discovery and constant risk-taking with astounding support form the media. During the second decade our traveling increased, performing out of the country, on the average once a year. And the third decade started with our first Grammy win, followed by another win five years later. And, of course, we also got to do that cool gig on THE SIMPSONS, playing polkas for Homer and Marge at the Springfield Oktoberfest, just a few years ago. Whatever, here is 1990-1995
1990
Release album, A NIGHT ON EARTH, on Rounder Records (CD and cassette)
Tour France and the Netherlands, including Printemps de Bourge Festival.
Play original Knitting Factory and Lone Star Café in NYC. Take audience outside.
1991
Release album of old Japanese songs, called EEJHANAIKA, on P-Vine Records.
Tour Japan in March. P-Vine Records asks us to record Christmas album for Japan.
Release ALLUMETTES (KISS OF FIRE), album with Lauren Agnelli in Japan only.
The song, “A Way to Say Goodbye” from KISS OF FIRE charts (#86) on Tokyo FM.
Release IT’S CHRISTMAS, MAN in Japan only.
Big Christmas tour of Japan in December.
1992
Appear on GARRISON KEILLOR’S AMERICAN RADIO COMPANY.
Phil Hernandez replaces Mitch Marine on drums.
Joe Cripps joins Brave Combo as full-time percussionist.
Continue to record with Tiny Tim.
Perform at Steirisher Herbst Festival in Graz, Austria.
Release IT’S CHRISTMAS, MAN in USA on Rounder Records.
1993
Appear on PBS program, MOUNTAIN STAGE in Charleston, WV.
Release NO, NO, NO, CHA CHA CHA.
Perform at CBGB and Lincoln Center, back-to-back, in NYC.
Release album, ONDO SAVES THE WORLD, in Japan with singer, Kikusuimaru.
Perform at opening of Japanese club in Paris, right by the Bastille, on Bastille Day.
Robert Crumb attends show in Davis, California and really likes Brave Combo.
BC song, “Busy Office Rhumba” used as theme for Fox TV’s BAKERSFIELD, PD.
Continue to record with Tiny Tim.
1994
Alan Emert replaces Phil Hernandez on drums
Pittsburgh’s modern performance group, Dance Alloy, choreographs BC songs.
Brave Combo performs live for Dance Alloy performance in Pittsburgh.
Release HOKEY POKEY EP CD.
Ice Dancers, Punsalon and Swallow, skate to “Requerdos” at Olympics in Norway.
1995
Continue to record with Tiny Tim
Matt Groening shows up at gig in Santa Monica and draws Homer in our dressing room.
Bubba and I see the mysterious Marfa Lights after BC gig in remote Ft. Davis, TX.
Begin recording music for the Chuck E. Cheese robot band shows, worldwide.
Release POLKAS FOR A GLOOMY WORLD on Rounder Records.
So, there are some important highlights from the first half of BC’s second decade. Perusing the calendars is somewhat overwhelming, but I’m finally getting through it. This is just way harder to pull together than I originally thought. I’m leaving out so much; cool gigs, songs licensed for movies and television, lots of press, awards and just plain ol’ bizarre, but significant, stuff. We were meeting so many people and things were escalating almost faster than we could handle, but I guess we did. Or, at least the best we could. We were still driving long distances in the 90s and trying to cover as much as possible. I’ll cover the second half of the second decade next time.
Speaking of BC history, also check out Tim Walsh’s “Early Years” Diary, now on our site. And if you’re a Tim fan (and you should be) come to our show at the Kerrville Folk Festival. Tim will be joining us for three-horn orgy of polka melodies. Then you can camp out and stay up and sing and drink with your neighbors.
Okay, I can’t talk about myself or Brave Combo anymore. It’s starting to get to me. It wasn’t my intention to make something like Brave Combo that would last so long and, consequently, create so many memories. One day just led to the next and every year showed up with new opportunities. Anyway, let’s talk about you for a while. I’ll ask you a personal question. What do you like the best about Brave Combo?
What do I like best about Brave Combo? It is not enough to say the music even though Brave Combo is very good at playing good music. There are several bands and musicians doing a very good job of playing good music.
To say what I like best about Brave Combo, I will have to start with polka. I like polka and I like to dance the polka. It was polka music that first drew me to Brave Combo. After having found a path to the band I began to form a connection with the band.
First I must say that the fact that Brave Combo plays primarily dance music allows people to connect with them, for dancing leads to a very strong bond and a very intimate relationship with music. Sometimes I get the feeling there are people who see music and dance as two separate and unconnected things. The truth is that music and dance are so close to each other they could be considered the same thing.
Another thing about Brave Combo is they are a very approachable group of people. My general bit of advice for people who go to their shows is ‘do yourself a favor, walk-up to them and introduce yourself’. Of course, I am sure there are many other bands that are just as approachable.
Getting back to the polka, it is music that makes Brave Combo special in two ways. Naturally there are very few bands that are willing to play any polkas, let alone make it a corner stone of their repertoire. But more importantly, polka is music of liberation, musical liberation. Think of it, once a band starts playing polka they have blown the cool thing and thus they are free to play whatever they want regardless of whether or not it is cool.
Brave Combo uses their musical freedom to great advantage by playing music from a wide variety of genres and doing away with these artificial classifications. By doing so, they lay bare an aspect of musical artistry so even I begin to grasp what the term ‘musical artistry means. I now realize, thanks to Brave Combo, that part of the art is exploration and experimentation, exploring and experimenting the different possibilities of a song or a tune.
Lastly I have never been challenged to expand my musical tastes as much as Brave Combo has challenged me.
The answer to Carl’s question may take more than one post. I agree with everything Charles Sislo says, but the thing I just thought of was that Grand Funk Railroad song thet goes, “We’re an American band, we’re comin’ to your town, we’re gonna party down, we’re an American band!” For me, this sentiment fits Brave Combo way more than it does Grand Fund Railroad! The other thing that I always think about Brave Combo is that it’s damn near impossible to leave a Brave Combo show without an exhilarated smile on your face and an accelerated heartbeat!
I first experienced the magic of Brave Combo in the Rock Bottom Lounge beneath the student union at North Texas State University (now UNT) in the mid 80s. It was love at first sight- and first sound. Billed as an “atomic polka” band for that gig, I wasn’t sure what to expect. At the time, I thought of polka as something quaint and definitely corny. But upon hearing Brave Combo, my ears and mind were opened to the coolness of the polka genre. I have even come to appreciate more traditional polka, having had my bias against that form of folk music shattered by hearing Brave Combo’s interpretation. And, as we all know now, Brave Combo is much more than a “polka band” atomic or otherwise. I’m always amazed and pleased by their daring appropriation of other musical forms, from the Latin American to the Japanese. Every listening to Brave Combo becomes a unique adventure in world music- educational as well as way fun!
Besides their musical genius, the most endearing feature of Brave Combo is that they love their community, Denton, and they have always given back to the place where it all began. These guys are really cool cats and have enjoyed phenomenal acclaim around the Earth, and yet they aren’t pretentious or arrogant. They’re loyal and friendly and a source of enormous pride to their fellow Dentonians. When bad stuff happens in Denton, like the destruction of Fry Street and loss of the Flying Tomato, we can say “Man, that sucks!- but we’ve still got Brave Combo. So, don’t ever leave us Brave Combo, we will love you forever!
Brave Combo gave me my life back. I don’t know what else to say as an opener, other than that. I came across Brave Combo at Westfest in 2001 when I was forced to stay and listen by a very wise, retired band director. He knew I had been through some difficult, personal times. They caught my ears from the moment they began to “tune” at the beginning of the first set. I remember Carl saying something like “ok everybody, we have to tune” and it was evident from the get-go that they were being very tongue in cheek. Then they began to play a series of songs, and I was a goner as soon as I heard them play “People Are Strange” from the Doors. They, like no other band I have ever heard, compel me to move and dance. I simply cannot sit still. When I listen to them play, my phobic shyness is erased, I find myself wanting to interact with people, and I love to dance to their music. I quickly learned to polka and now it’s in my blood. You simply cannot polka without getting a grin on your face. I most love the fact that they juxtapose different styles of music and present it in different formats. They turn tradition on its head. And they do this while being an extremely tight band with superior musicianship. Brave Combo, thank you for existing.
Brave Combo makes life better. Carl, just accept it. You will not be held responsible for the details. Life experience is enhanced positively, as a result, by aural contact with Brave Combo. I have personally explored the widths and lengths of most possible dimensions, and emerged beyond with knowledge of the truth. It is not a secret, but I tell all, even those who do not listen, as if it is a precious revelation. There are pleasures in the compositions.
I mow the lawn, Brave Combo is there. I dance with my kids, Brave Combo is there. I drive across the country, Brave Combo was there. I make a delicious sandwich, Brave Combo is there. I get older and older and older and Brave Combo is always there. I have grown up with Brave Combo and shared some of the most trivial and some of the most important moments in my life with Brave Combo. Brave Combo always makes me smile. Brave Combo makes me feel good. Brave Combo is the soundtrack to my world. Brave Combo makes me happy. Isn’t that what it’s really all about?
Consistency: Brave Combo can be relied upon to be consistent in their presentation of music that moves the spirit, soul, body. Musicologists of the highest order bringing it home to all. Mille grazie, Vielen Dank, Thanks!
Fred Garza & I like to mingle with the band members, photograph them & they let me sell their products when they come to H-town. Polkas for a Gloomy world & library books , plus PBS ,late @ night-[I visited many art museums around the world w/ Sister Wendy explaining the art work of the Masters] , this helped while I recuperated from my final back operation[the 3rd & final]-the pain meds helped too ! May Carl and all band members continue to let me share their world & music w/the world. I have sent BC music to Australia , South America & a wedding in Punjab , India ! Hugs & blessings to the band & their families , these are my few words , I could go on , but , I urge y’all to see them live ! Fred Garza & 3rd Coast Lupe .xoxo
The way that Carl and the Band genuinely groove to all the different styles that they play. It’s one thing to play a Polka, Charanga, Salsa, Rock, Waltz, etc. tune convincingly , but to fall into it body, mind, and soul; THAT is what comes across to me when listening to Brave Combo. These guys don’t play around with different genres, they make them sing with an infectious groove that picks you up and takes you along for the ride!
You cought me in those international years in Holland, were there at Lowlands, later on in Paradiso, and prolly before. My fav song ‘Do something different’ told me something I wanted anyway, not give a **** about anything, just appreciate what, well, is there to be appreciated because it’s pure. So now I listen to you, appreciate the occasional German schlager, along with pagan metal madness (Finntroll anyone ?) and whatever rocks at the moment. Just not living the mainstream, making different choices, if there ever was and is a real punk band it’s BC.
Ofcourse, music is just one thing (but important). I find it awfully good to read this machine’s pump and find this founder being different about animals and the way we treat our world in general. I bet Carl, if you lived in Holland, you’d vote for the ‘party for animals’ ? Actual political organization, got elected into our parliament, so cool (it actually works, they get things put onto the agenda, get support around, we needed that).
I could go on, but just noting a former alive cat, Billy, used to be a big fan. Some cats like music, some cats ignore, dunno why.
If I remember correctly, the actual descriptive of Brave Combo in the early years was “Nuclear Polka”, which was not only Polka at the heart, but with some heavy “Mexican” influence in many songs, probably due to living in Texas forever.
The history of Brave Combo wouldn’t be complete without some background information that highlights the roots of the band. We can only hope that some of the early band members, as well as the current roster, will join in and help with some of their background. Tim’s Diary is a great start.
Don’t forget to ask Carl about his most important and influential song of the ’80’s, Media Music. …..”And still, they clamor for more….”
Check out Carl’s breakout here….
http://www.myspace.com/thesecrettapes
As I’ve said before, you are the musical score of my life. You got me through divorce, childbirth and chemo. Enough said.