Volume 5 – #10 – October 2002
Well, another Oktoberfest season is coming to a close. Soon we’ll be returning to our usual polka-saturated sets as opposed to the ultra polka-saturated sets we play during most of September and October. It’s weird what an organic and predictable pattern our yearly performance schedule has become. January and February are generally slow months and a good time to get Brave Combo for a bargain. But it’s also a good time for us brave brothers to get away from each other and acknowledge neglected passions whatever they might be. Bubba might zone out and create new personalities. Alan might find something cool on sale and buy it. Danny might invent a yard tool and spend a little time in the emergency room. Jeff might disappear for a while and eventually come up for air. I might think myself into a corner, look at a catalog and go to sleep. We’re an American band. We’ll come into your town and help you party down. But probably not in January or February. They’re also good months to rehearse and/or record and/or stagnate and/or recharge and/or burn out on “normal” life. By the time March rolls around people are ready to start listening to music again. It’s a good month to hit the road for a few days. April is traditionally a very big month. Festivals start popping up. Spring is in the air. A young man’s fancy turns to love. Dancing seems reasonable. May is also a busy month. And when June and July hit it’s travel and festival and party and concert and special event for three months, climaxing with super-hot August, usually our most profitable month (I don’t know why). Then polka-powered September and October zoom by and slide into sleepy November, the third slowest month (I don’t know why). And we close the year with the solid, respectable month known as Christmas Hell, I mean December. So behold the Brave Combo year in a nutshell. It’s a magical time, decade after decade.
Hey! Don’t forget! I’ll be the guest on Glenn Mitchell’s talk show (KERA 90.1 FM – Dallas) on Thursday, October 24, from noon until 2:00 (CST). I believe the show will also be broadcast over the Internet. I will play some of my most-favorite polkas and talk about them and myself and Brave Combo. Please listen and call in, even if you can’t pick up the show. I’ll answer every question and I won’t get mad or hysterical, unless you’d rather I did. I guess I should try to be entertaining. Possible discussion topics include 1) The cosmic nature of polka. 2) Polka’s unique position in pop culture. 3) My personal journey into polka. 4) Brave Combo’s history and current position in the polka world. 5) Polka history in general. 6) Polka stars, past and present. 7) Breaking free from polka stereotypes and attachments. 8) Characteristics of various traditional polka styles, including Polish, Tejano, Slovenian, German/Dutchman, Czech, Chicken Scratch, Italian and more. 9) Alternative polka styles and philosophies. 10) The best time of day to feed the dogs.
Speaking of polka enlightenment, a good friend of Brave Combo and the polka world at large, Julius Tupa, passed away recently. He lived in the Houston area and was a polka musician, DJ and promoter, as well as the editor of THE TEXAS POLKA NEWS, which was filled with information about all the polka happenings around the state. And it also contained hard-hitting editorials about prejudice within the existing polka community, the potential demise of polka and the need for unity in the movement. Julius loved polka music and called it like he saw it. He will be missed as we continue this trek through the wilderness without him.
The Donut (our van/bus thing) is getting old. We’ve accumulated almost 300,000 miles on the original engine and feel it’s time to retire the generic box on wheels. It’s been a good friend, a unique traveling experience and a practical means of getting around. But it’s not as practical as it used to be. Our gas mileage is terrible, it’s noisy and rickety and we have no way of knowing how much longer it will be reliable. It’s still home, it’s spacious; it’s been our ultimate escape for many years. But when we weigh all the variables, it just comes up short. So, we’re now officially taking suggestions about what to do with our ol’ buddy, the Donut. And maybe someone out there could write a special song or poem about what the Donut has meant to everyone. If you never really got to know the Donut or never even heard of the Donut, make up something anyway. And be respectful. We’re serious about this. I mean, I can’t tell you how many babies were born in the Donut. Or how many times we watched JURASSIC PARK in there. Or how much food has been spilled in there. Or how many times we’ve disagreed on where to set the thermostat. Or how many hours we’ve slept or laughed or cried. I feel like crying now.
By the time the next MACHINE’S PUMP appears, our new CD will be finished, I hope. It’s a bunch of familiar and not so familiar classical tunes. If we get all the essential elements to Rounder by mid-November, we’ll be able to release it by between mid-March and early April. The songs have been a lot of fun to learn and rehearse. We’ve been rolling around on the floor of the studio like toddlers, spitting and drooling. I remember playing with blocks when I was little. And I don’t mean simple square blocks with the ABCs on them, but beautiful sleek blocks of myriad shapes and sizes.
On a few occasions we have accidentally booked the band in two different locations on the same night. This hasn’t happened in a very long time and only once could the situation not be easily resolved. I seem to remember that we were supposed to play a reunion party in Denton and a wedding reception in Dallas at the same time. So, Mitch, Bubba, Jeff and I came up with a plan and I can’t believe Jeff agreed to it. Basically, Mitch, Bubba and I would hire a sub saxophonist, rehearse with him and play the reunion party. Jeff would find an ex-Brave Combo member (Lyle) and recruit Brave Combo friends that knew our music (Andy Timmons and Leigh Ann Harris) and call themselves Stupid Combo (which they weren’t, by the way). Both gigs worked and, in fact, Stupid Combo grooved so hard, Jeff decided to book a club gig for them. It was great. Viva Musica!
So, life goes on and music goes on. Find time to enjoy both this month. Turn frustrations into humorous interludes. Lose yourself in something 100%. Be strong and compassionate. I’m out of here.