Volume 2 – #12 – July 1999

Is it my imagination, or is everyone going a little bit nuts? Are we reaching our limit? I’m just curious. When you look inside are you more confused than you thought you were a few years ago? If all of you say yes, then it’s no big deal. We’ll ride this roller coaster together and realize that what’s happening around us is normal and predictable. Let me know what you think.

Once upon a time, in Brave Combo Land, we played a gig outside the Senior Center in Denton, TX. I don’t remember the reason for the event, but there were people sitting on blankets all over the back lawn. It was a pleasant afternoon and there was lots of shade. At one point I glanced to my left and standing between a couple of trees was a guy with a green accordion on his chest. He was just kinda standing there watching us with his hands in position, but not playing. At the time, this was an unusual sight in Denton. I know the accordion is all the rage now, but back in my day …… Anyway, he stayed for the entire set and I approached him at the end of the show to check out his accordion. I haven’t seen too many green ones. As it turns out, he couldn’t play. But he messed around with the chord and bass buttons a little and really liked the way it felt, hanging on him. It was more a good luck thing or security blanket maybe. Whatever, the accordion is no longer important to the story, but the gentleman’s presence in our life became quite important to Brave Combo’s growth. His name was Elliot. He was from New Jersey and was studying to be a nose doctor at The University of North Texas. He was also way, way, way into polka music, specifically Polish-American push-style polka music. We were sorta familiar with the sound of this style, but hadn’t listened to much of it. Other than from the most eclectic cutout bin imaginable, this music was impossible to find in or around Texas. But, now Elliot lived in Texas. He came to our concert that day because he had heard of us and knew we played polkas. And he seemed to dig what we were doing, but it wasn’t like the stuff he was into. He was so exuberant about polkas that his words would start to tumble over each other and he would get very fidgety and animated when he would describe what polkas had done for him. He discovered them in his early twenties. I don’t know how exactly. You can hear push-style and it’s predecessor, honky style, on the radio in parts of New Jersey and bands of the genre play regularly all over the upper Midwest and Northeast. So he started going to polka dances every week, just to listen to the music. He became so obsessed that he was truly concerned about moving to Texas and being away from the “scene.” I think he was hoping that Brave Combo would provide his polka fix. But Brave Combo’s influence on his life is not important to the story anymore. Elliot brought three or four big grocery sacks full of push and honky style cassettes. Jeff and I would go over to Elliot’s apartment and listen and go nuts with him. This was our first hard-core introduction to Scrubby, Eddie Blazonczyk, Little Wally, Happy Louie, Joe Oberaitis, Marion Lush, Lenny Gomulka, Polka Shamrocks, Bay State Four, Polka Family, Brass Connection, Connecticut Twins and many more. Our eyes and ears opened so much wider. After about a year Elliot decided he couldn’t stay away from his polka world any longer and he moved back to New Jersey and continued to study elsewhere. We talked to him a few times, but lost contact eventually. The tapes that Jeff ran off Elliot’s cassettes became like gold to us and we used them to guide us through the maze. Now Brave Combo knows and performs with many of the artists that we discovered through Elliot. I wonder about people that dip into our lives for just long enough to give us really important information. I’m sure Elliot has no idea of the impact he had on us, though we told him a few times. He was an unusual person. I wish him well.

Last issue I mentioned my new catfood processing machine. His name is Biscuit, because he does that biscuit-making movement with his paws constantly while you hold him. And that’s also when he drools. He is the least aggressive cat I have ever known. I don’t think he has a scratch or a bite in him. I’ll update you if my opinion changes. Otherwise you can assume he has totally melded with the family. Cats aren’t really much like dogs. Cats are more like birds, like pigeons. Imagine a pigeon-headed cat living next door. People would want to see something like that.

Well, it’s July. That means the first reunion show is upon us. Come out to the Czech Club in Dallas on Saturday, July 24. We’ll celebrate twenty years of doing whatever it is we do and hear how the original band sounds without rehearsing for sixteen years. How can you miss this? Actually, you shouldn’t miss any of our shows, even the private parties. You should figure out discreet ways to attend parties you’re not officially invited to. Just don’t say that we suggested this, okay.

Our new polka album, POLKASONIC, will be released in August, on Cleveland International Records. At the last minute we added a live version of “Purple Haze.” Steve Popovich, the label’s owner, says there are five potential hits on the album. Maybe someday a polka will be a chartbuster again. Until then, check this space. We’ll be reporting progress as it happens.

Here’s some big closing news. Our percussionist, Joe Cripps, has decided to leave the band and pursue many other things. Brave Combo has enjoyed the relationship with Joe and we wish him all the best. I guess that makes us more of a combo and less of an orchestra. See you next month with more excitement.