Polka, Polka fusion, Latin alternative, worldbeat, Tex-Mex, salsa, Latin jazz, ska, dance
Years active
1979 (1979)–present
Labels
Four Dots, Rounder Records, DenTone, Cleveland International
Members
Carl Finch Carl Kleinsteuber Dave Monsch Alan Emert Robert Hokamp Jeffrey Barnes (occasional)
Past members
Ginny Mac[1] Little Jack Melody Dave Cameron Tim Walsh Bubba Hernandez Joseph Cripps Mitch Marine Paul Stivitts Ann Marie Harrop Arjuna Contreras
Website
bravecombo.com
Brave Combo is a polka fusion band based in Denton, Texas. Founded in 1979 by guitarist/keyboardist/accordionist Carl Finch, they have been a prominent fixture in the Texas music scene for more than thirty-five years.[2] Their music, both originals and covers, incorporates a number of dance styles, mostly polka, but also some Latin American and Caribbean styles like norteño, salsa, rumba, cha-cha-cha, choro, samba, two-step, cumbia, charanga, merengue, ska, etc, all performed with a rock/worldbeat energy.
As part of their perceived artistic mission to expand the musical tastes of their listeners, they have often played and recorded covers of well-known songs in a style radically different from the original versions. Examples include polka versions of Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" and The Doors' "People are Strange", The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" as a cha-cha, and "Sixteen Tons" as a cumbia.
History and influences
In a 1995 feature in The Santa Fe New Mexican, band cofounder Carl Finch described Brave Combo's influence as a polka band with rock styles as an earnest way to escape an increasingly corporate cultural landscape, lamenting-[3]
'Rock had been removed from the common people' he said 'and musically I wanted what I do to have depth, I started listening to polka and ethnic records I'd find at Target six for $5 — nothing could beat that. At first, I’d just buy whatever covers looked strangest but after a while I’d do research and find out what was good.' Among the best, he soon discovered, were names like Larry Chesky and his big band polka sound, Norwegian accordion virtuoso Andrew Walter (“exciting intense” is Finch’s assessment), and Eddie Blazonczyk, the “Godfather” of Chicago’s Polish community. 'All this came out of a sense of desperation'.
Brave Combo had its website at brave.com/bo, a domain hack. The domain name brave.com was purchased in 1995 by a fan of the band, who transferred it to the band in 1997. In mid-2010s, Finch sold the domain to Brave Software, which develops the web browser Brave, in exchange for bravecombo.com, which had been taken by a squatter, and an undisclosed sum of money.[4][5]
In naming Denton, Texas, the "Best Music Scene" for 2008, Paste magazine cited Brave Combo as the "Grand Pooh-Bah of Denton bands" and said that "Brave Combo, is in many ways the template from which all the rest are cut: eclectic and artistically ambitious, with a high degree of musicianship and a strong DIY ethic."[8]
Media appearances
Brave Combo on The Simpsons
Brave Combo performs at Zero's nightclub in Fort Worth, Texas. October, 1980.The band made a short appearance, as animated figures, on the March 21, 2004, episode of The Simpsons ("Co-Dependents' Day").[6] Series creator Matt Groening is a fan of the band and they appeared on the show at his personal request.[9][10][11] In the episode, the band played a new original song called "Fill The Stein" and their version of "The Simpsons Theme" played over the closing credits.[12]
Finch and other band members made cameo appearances in Talking Heads leader David Byrne's 1986 movie True Stories, set in fictional Virgil, Texas. Finch can be spotted in the fashion show sporting a brick-patterned suit and in the parade leading the all-accordion marching band. (In real life, Brave Combo was David Byrne's wedding band.)
They contributed two songs to the Gumby album, released in 1989.
Their song "Busy Office Rhumba" was used as the theme for the 1993 Fox television series Bakersfield P.D.[13]
They appear as a wedding band in the 1995 feature film Late Bloomers.
In 2000, they appeared on the national telecast of the MDA Labor Day Telethon with Jerry Lewis dancing along to the music.[14]
They wrote and performed the theme song for the 2005 series "ESPNBowling Night".
The opening theme and other music for the 2008 PBS animated series Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns were produced by Carl Finch and composed, arranged, and performed by Finch and Brave Combo.[15][16]
Their live music video, "The Denton Polka", appears on the Bohemia Rising DVD Compilation (released in 2009), a collection of documentary shorts directed by Christopher Largen exploring rebellion and resistance to corporate demolition in their hometown of Denton, Texas.
Included in Bob Dylan's 2009 Christmas release, Christmas In The Heart, the song "Must Be Santa", is performed polka-style. Dylan's arrangement is almost identical to the Brave Combo arrangement from their 1991 CD It's Christmas, Man!. In an interview published by Street News Service, Dylan acknowledged the influence of Brave Combo: "This version comes from a band called Brave Combo. Somebody sent their record to us for our radio show. They’re a regional band out of Texas that takes regular songs and changes the way you think about them. You oughta hear their version of 'Hey Jude'."[17]
The season seven episode "Fun on a Bun" of the animated science fiction comedy Futurama includes two original songs by the band plus a cover version of "The Chicken Dance". The episode debuted August 1, 2012, on Comedy Central.[18][19]
Discography
US studio and live albums
Date of release
Title
Label
Catalog
Type
Notes
1979
Polkamania
Four Dots
FD1003 & FD1004
Studio
released as two 7" discs
1981
Music For Squares
Four Dots
FD1005
Studio
1982
Urban Grown-ups
Four Dots
FD1006
Studio
four song EP
1982
Originals
Four Dots
Studio
released as cassette only
1984
World Dance Music
Four Dots
FD1010
Studio
1984
No Sad Faces
Four Dots
FD1012
Live
1987
Musical Varieties
Rounder
CD 11546
Studio
compilation from Four Dots releases plus two new tracks
Phil Hernandez – drums (born February 5, 1971, Buffalo, New York) (1992 – ?)
Mitch Marine – drums (born c.1956) (1983–1992)
Joe Cripps – percussion (born January 5, 1965, Little Rock, Arkansas - missing, last seen October 19, 2016, Little Rock, Arkansas) (1992–1999), some subsequent performances
Greg Beck – drums (1996–1997)
Paul Stivitts – drums (born 1971) NYC
Ann Marie Harrop – bass guitar (2007–2009)
Little Jack Melody – bass guitar (2009–2014)
Arjuna Contreras – drums (born August 11, 1974, Kenosha, Wisconsin) (2008–2010)
Bill Tomlin – drums (born September 28, 1948)
References
^Warren, Jason (July 5, 2013). "Brave Combo takes the accordion rocking across the world and the patio at the Old Rock House". KDHX-FM. Archived from the original on August 21, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
^Philpot, Robert (June 18, 2014). "Brave Combo: Still rockin' the polka after all these years". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on July 23, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
^Prince, David (September 8, 1995). "Brave Combo's polkas are 90 percent serious; It's 'a beat, a dancing drug'". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Santa Fe, N.M. p. 59.
^Brave Software (November 13, 2019). "The road to Brave 1.0". Brave Software. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
^ abBreeding, Lucinda (July 7, 2008). "Click & Clack add oompah; Brave Combo provides musical nuts and bolts for animated TV series". Denton Record-Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2008-08-28. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
^Sims, Dave (November 21, 2008). "Signs of Life 2008: Best Music Scene – Denton, Texas". Paste. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
^Beal, Jim Jr. (November 28, 2003). "Group gets a, uh, gig on 'Simpsons'". San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio, TX. p. 18H. Retrieved November 26, 2012.(subscription required)
^"Music for nuclear (polka) families: Grammy-winning Brave Combo has a new CD". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. January 23, 2001. p. L1. Retrieved November 26, 2012.(subscription required)
^Hepola, Sarah (March 11, 2004). "Brave New Combo D'oh! The Simpsons animate Dallas' favorite polka band". Dallas Observer. Dallas, TX. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
^"The Machine's Pump Volume 7 – #3 – March 2004". Brave Combo. Archived from the original on June 15, 2004. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
^Vreeken, Stacey (August 27, 2009). "Brave Combo runs the gamut of musical styles". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Santa Cruz, CA: MediaNews Group. Archived from the original on 2014-07-15. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
^"MDA Labor Day Telethon list of celebrity appearances" (PDF). Muscular Dystrophy Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-08-13. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
^"Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns – Show Credits. pbs.org. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
^Catlin, Roger (July 9, 2008). "Click And Clack Get Their Own Public Television Show". Hartford Courant. Retrieved July 24, 2008.[dead link]
^Flanagan, Bill (November 23, 2009). "Bob Dylan Discusses Holiday Music, Christmas and Feeding The Hungry". Street News Service. Archived from the original on 2011-07-10. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
^Pinson, Ann (July 16, 2012). "Brave Combo's nuclear polka to explode on the small screen in "Futurama"". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
^Lewis, B.J. (July 30, 2012). "'Futurama' to feature Brave Combo music". Denton Record-Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2012-08-01. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
^"Introducing Robert Hokamp | Brave Combo". 11 January 2016.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brave Combo.