Volume 16 – #4 – April 2013

I was about to start writing this newsletter when a friend called and said she was at another friend’s house out in the country, on the edge of Denton, feeding that person’s cat, dog and donkey when an obviously stray dog wandered up. It was friendly, hungry and thirsty. We decided the dog needed help so she and her new buddy came over to the BC office. I ran home to get a collar, leash, food, treats and Jane (my wife) and the three of us figured out how to handle the next 2-3 days, which would include a trip to the vet the next morning. The dog, a beautiful young adult male shepherd, pit bull and lab mix with striking black fur, already knew some simple commands and seemed quite thankful that someone cared enough to pay attention to him. After a while we helped load my friend and the lucky pup back into her car and they drove to her house, with plans to set up a corner of her garage with a blanket and snacks for the night and drop the dog off at the vet first thing in the morning, on her way to work. I know this is a rather unremarkable story, but helping animals is mainly about the day-to-day stuff, like not assuming that the dog will find its own way just fine. This dog had been dumped and did not appear well-equipped for a difficult life. He was too skinny (ribs quite prominent) and seemed to have a little fever. The poor little guy, well, not exactly little, was not rough and tumble enough to be all on his own in coyote land. On a similar topic, Denton Animal Control reported that 25 animals had been brought in just today, to an already crowded shelter.

By the time you read this, wherever you live, you have probably heard about the fertilizer plant explosion in the little Czech-American town of West, Texas. Fifteen residents were killed and over 200 injured. A large part of the town was destroyed, including dozens of homes. Brave Combo has been closely associated with this special Central Texas village from the very beginning of the band. In 1979, the year of BC’s birth, our original woodwind player, Tim Walsh, was checking out Texas polka festivals and read about Westfest. He contacted the guy who booked the bands, the late C.W. Cernocek (pronounced sir-na-sek,with the accent on the second syllable), and talked our way into us setting up at the edge of one of the beer tents, to play for tips. I remember that C.W. found us some sheets of plywood to set up on. We were a hit, big time, and have played Westfest every year since.  We jammed with Myron Floren a couple of times at Westfest. The West Czech Dancers have choreographed one of our songs, “Down At The Friendly Tavern.” Needless to say, we’ll be back at Westfest this Labor Day weekend. The town of 2800 is full of devoted Brave Combo friends, fans and supporters. I’ve always said if I get in trouble, I hope it’s in West. We’ve stopped at the 24-hour Czech Stop myriad times in the middle of the night (like 4:00 am) and have been greeted with smiles and handshakes from the local police hanging out in the parking lot. The mutual respect between Brave Combo and West has grown so over the years, or rather decades, that the news of this explosion hit us very hard. We have our first West benefit, in Denton, on May 8 at Dan’s Silverleaf. More benefits are being scheduled for Dallas, Houston and, of course, West, itself; maybe a couple in that area. Please keep an eye on our itinerary and do what you can (perhaps attend one of the fund-raisers) to help the West relief effort.

Well, I heard that Les Blank, one of the most influential documentary filmmakers ever, passed away recently. This guy was creating great little movies about the music and culture of ethnic communities around the United States long before anyone else was even thinking about it, at least on the level he was working. One night in the early 1980s, Brave Combo was playing our favorite room in Chicago, Fitzgerald’s, when two unusual looking fellows (brainy but funky) walked in and sat at the big bar to the right of the stage. At the break they barged into our backstage area and introduced themselves as Chris Strachwitz (owner of Arhoolie records) and Les Blank. They were in town working on a film about the Yugoslavian neighborhoods around Chicago and also wanted to get our permission to use a Brave Combo song in another film Les was doing…..about polka. It was called IN HEAVEN THERE IS NO BEER and Les wanted to use our version of “Who Stole The Kishka” in a scene that showed a polka band playing, precariously, right at the edge of a swimming pool. We said it was okay. The next day we went around Chicago with Les and Chris while they filmed Yugoslavian musicians playing in a variety of locations. I remember one guy playing a nose flute at a restaurant. A couple of years later we were playing at the original Lone Star Cafe in New York City and Les and I hung out on the roof of the club under Bob Wade’s giant iguana sculpture and talked music, of course. I think we ran into each other one or two more times after that. Needless to say, I highly recommend any and all of Les Blank’s movies. If you are not aware of his films, Google him.

Okay, everything is starting to rev up to high gear for me and Brave Combo. New performance dates are popping up all over the calendar. Danny Jerabek and I, also known as THE NICE MUSICS, have finally released our debut CD and it will soon be available to order on-line from either the Brave Combo site or Danny’s Copper Box site. If you are a polka DJ, IJ or promoter, please contact us to receive a complimentary copy. And, of course, check that BC site for news about our many upcoming shows. We hope to see all of you somewhere in the near future. Until then, don’t forget about polkas or the true meaning of life!