Volume 17 – #6 – June 2014

We have a lot to think about, don’t we? Perhaps too much. ISIS, a fraternal organization we never even heard of a couple of months ago just called al-Qaeda a bunch of wimps and has declared war on the world. The ghosts of Presidents past (and Vice-Presidents) continue to haunt the present as we find ourselves, once again, between Iraq and a hard place. I wonder how many times that pun has been used in the last decade? Sorry. Couldn’t resist. Puns are generally not my thing, but I don’t care anymore, because I have to start thinking about Iraq again. I just watched a video of a man turning a carrot into a clarinet. The end result sounded fine to me. It’s sad for our dogs that they only get healthy, grain-free food and it’s sad for us that the healthy grain-free food costs four times what plain ol’ Purina Dog Chow costs. Do I book motel rooms on this side of St. Louis or the other side? Cats are everywhere, but don’t get me started on cats or I’ll start showing you way more adorable pictures (and cute little videos) than you want to see and, at the same time, tell you how much they suck, and, in fact, suck the life out of us. Don’t get me wrong. They crack me up, constantly, but they’re a lot of work, especially if you don’t want to feel like you’re living in a litter box. Anyway, that’s too broad a topic. But, speaking of living in litter boxes, it is good to have porta-potties behind the stage at festivals and outdoor concerts. It’s time to clean the oven and change the central air filter. Are all of the press releases and posters out for gigs through July? Have all of the new dates been posted? What song did that guy, who wrote us two weeks ago, want to hear when we play Eureka Springs in two weeks? A restaurant we frequent should have better iced tea. This is a problem. On the other hand, Boca Burgers seem to be a little tastier than they used to be. Look out, Morning Star! Tomato and peach season rocks. Bryce’s cafeteria in Texarkana has the best peach pie this side of the asteroid belt. Everyone knows this, by the way, even astronauts from other countries. If you are driving from, let’s say, Dallas to Little Rock (“between Little Rock and a hard place” was a popular “punny” statement in Arkansas at one time), stop in T-Town and visit Bryce’s. Richard or Bryce, Jr. will treat you right. Tell either of them Carl sent you. Now I’ll see if I can get a couple of free pies out of the plug. We recently discovered that a young, average-looking woman has been living in a little wooded area behind our neighbor’s house. Another neighbor had the plumber over today. And yet another neighbor was going to the hardware store to buy clothes-line wire this morning. I understand that string didn’t work.

See what I mean? And this is just the tip of my iceburg, or, perhaps hoarding pile, of random thoughts and concerns. I’ll prove it. Mosquitos are groove killers. So are the construction zones between my house and anywhere, any direction. Chem-trails are still, literally, hanging around. Gotta make a video for a friend tonight! The Ma Roller (massage tool) still amazes me. I’ve been using it as long as there has been a Brave Combo. Never leave home without it! Smart phones are just chocked-full of information. It’s an unlimited brain of stuff. Wanna know where the best peach pie is? Just ask me or check with your phone. I know it has an opinion, at least. Interested in movies, music, video games, television, radio, ham radio, CB radio, model railroad clubs, yoga vapor emporiums and food truck wash stations? Uh-oh, here come the tornadoes, twin tornadoes, basketball-sized hail, ten inches of rain in ten minutes and 200-mile-an hour, straight-line winds. And happy men, enjoying casual strolls into restaurants with assault rifles strapped to their backs. So I query, does everyone have to become extremist to counter-act extremism? If I had the power to shut down everything I didn’t agree with 100% or didn’t see the need for, the world would be a pretty frustrating place for about 99% percent of everyone. My radical agenda includes taking care of those who can’t speak for themselves, like animals (children and oppressed people fall into that category, as well, fyi). But, since I can’t stop everyone from eating innocent creatures, which have been bred, tortured and ultimately killed, for nothing more than brief human pleasure, some of my lines are pretty firmly-drawn when it comes to how farm animals should be treated. And, needless to say, when it comes to someone like the de-evolving Ted Nugent, I would rather not be in the same town, as I just happened to be when he called President Obama a mongrel. He was campaigning with the Republican candidate for Texas Governor, Greg Abbot, at a restaurant right here in Denton; a frighteningly insane choice the gun-loving Abbot immediately regretted, the minute Nugent opened his mouth. And, while we’re on the subject, sort of, factory farms are depleting our fresh water faster than anything else, natural or man-made, so it’s hard to not see meat-eaters as the smokers of the day, or worse. With every violently procured bite, the heartless, and apparently brainless flesh eaters, steal fresh water from ME! What if I could never shake that fact from my head and decided to start taking this “disappearing water thing” very personally and began to spend my time forcing the situation to change to my way of thinking? For one thing, even fewer people would want to be around me and I would be constantly bitter. That’s no fun. And I often put fun first on my list. And I organize my business to allow for an enjoyable experience at the end, too, which is often, playing music.

Any more topics?

Speaking of playing music and having fun, this whole 35th Anniversary deal is revved up and rolling. Special guests and former members have been appearing with and without notice. This means you probably don’t want to miss any of our shows this summer. Check the itinerary now and go beyond making a mental note.

Shhh. Don’t tell anyone yet, but there’s a very good chance the original Brave Combo line-up (Tim, Lyle, Lisa, formerly Dave, and myself) will be performing at a DFW-area gig in the near future. That’s all I can say about it right now. If this interests you, pay attention, maybe even check your frequent-flier miles. This will happen in the next couple of months, if it happens.

Mike Dillon and I rehearsed recently, preparing for our official album release and tour, and it sounded pretty darn okay; tighter than I expected. I mean, we’ve only been listening to these songs for about eight years. Danny O’Brien stopped by the studio and gave us a thumbs up. I think I noticed him dancing a little. I predict a streaming event in the near future. In the meantime, go to our store and buy the new Carl and Mike album, UP THE WILD SIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN.

Speaking of special guests, the above-mentioned Mike will be joining Brave Combo at our Beachland Ballroom show in Cleveland on July 4, at the annual Polka Pandemonium, honoring our late friend and mentor, Steve Popovich!

Okay, as much as I would like to keep wasting your time, I really must tend to several cat and dog issues and some non-cat and dog issues. Seriously. Gotta stop writing now. Too much to do and think about. You’re on your own again.