Volume 2 – #1 – July 1998

Welcome to the new Machine’s pump. You will notice quite a few changes. Our busy schedule was making it almost impossible to get together and put out a monthly report. In an attempt to keep the news letter current, we have scaled down. The Hot Dates section will now be incorporated into the Itinerary page and the Machine’s Pump will now solely reflect the opinion of Brave Combo founder, Carl Finch. In time you may see newsletters from other band members.

Current Events

Brave Combo knows the meaning of travel. We travel by car, bus, plane, boat, train & Donut (our bus/van thing). We also travel by foot. Our hotel in Uppsala, Sweden was only seven or eight blocks from the train station. Ouch! Speaking of Sweden, we went to Scandinavia, played some shows and came home. We made some new friends; people we didn’t know existed a month ago. My knowledge of Denmark and Sweden has grown 1000%. There were good moments and difficult moments, but mostly, amazing and entertaining moments. It appears the trip was very successful. I believe we wedged our version of musical reality into lots of people’s heads and I guess we’re starting to plan a more comprehensive tour of Europe next summer. There’s talk of England, France, Holland, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Czechoslovakia as well as the Scandinavian countries. Polka Rules, and will rule more, even in 1999. by the time 2000 is finally here, lookout. Our show at the Roskilde Festival (outside Copenhagen) was dominated by polkas and the crowd went berserk. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this crusade. It’s not a bad thing to be admired and respected and to have someone struggle with English to let us know how happy Brave Combo made them. I appreciate the support so much.
We didn’t get much sleep. Primarily for two reasons: we were too busy and the midnight sun is a real thing.

So now we’re back in the USA performing around the Northeast. Please check our itinerary for a comprehensive list of upcoming shows. When we return home we’ll be in Oklahoma City on July 31 and Ft. Worth on August 1. You should show up everywhere and bring 100 of your best friends.

Interesting Moments in Brave Combo History

Twice in one year we were hired (for a lot of money, actually) to stroll behind fashion models down the runway, playing “Material Girl” acoustically, and follow them into the dressing room, where they would immediately disrobe. The entire stroll lasted less than a minute and we hung out in the dressing room as long as we could. People shook our hands and thanked us. Ooh la la.

Another time we were on a musical quiz show in Japan wearing Santa Claus costumes. Double ooh la la.

Ramblings

I’m a vegetarian. I don’t eat anything that has a face, a brain or a heart. I do eat some dairy products and realize that everyone’s moral boundaries are different, so I try not to judge a person who chooses to eat meat. Anyway, some of my favorite people eat meat. I know my journey is my journey alone. I don’t wear leather, fur, silk, pearls, bone, etc. and accept the inconvenience of finding shoes, belts and ties that are “acceptable.” I go to great lengths not to kill bug & spiders. Close friends have been quite amused by some of my bug-saving antics. Over the years I’ve paid close attention to animal rights organizations like PETA and IFAW and avoid buying from companies that test on animals for frivolous reasons. But, like I said, this is my thing, just for me. I’m not here to preach to others about how they should live. Basically I want to limit my involvement in animal suffering and will contribute to improving the situation when I can. I often pick up strays or abandoned pets. This is almost the only thing I soapbox about; pet abuse and neglect. I wish people were more responsible. I’m also very concerned about the living (and dying) condition of cows, pigs, chickens and other domesticated creatures raised for food. Seeing an animal in distress that I can’t help will haunt me for days. I believe a cat or dog or lobster can feel fear and sadness as well as joy.
So why am I sharing all of this with you? I don’t know.