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-
'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.
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."
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"). Series creator Matt Groening is a fan of the band and they appeared on the show at his personal request. 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.
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.
They appear as a wedding band in the 1995 feature film Late Bloomers.
In 1997, the band performed the theme song for the animated Cyboars pilot from Funimation.
In 2000, they appeared on the national telecast of the MDA Labor Day Telethon with Jerry Lewis dancing along to the music.
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.
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'."
The season ten episode "Bar Wars V: The Final Judgment" of the NBC sitcom comedy Cheers features Sam’s rival Gary pranking the bar on Halloween by rigging Cheers’ jukebox, telephone and even the bar’s soda gun to play the Combo song ‘Vampire Twist’ when being used.
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
Jeffrey Barnes – saxophones, clarinet, flute, harmonica, penny whistles (born July 27, 1951, Fremont, Ohio) (1983–2015)
Ginny Mac – accordion (2011–2013)
Tim Walsh – saxophone, flute, clarinet (born c.1952) (1979–1983)
Dave Cameron – drums (born c.1958) (1979–1983)
Cenobio "Bubba" Hernandez – bass guitar (born November 30, 1958, San Antonio, Texas) (1985–2007)
Phil Hernandez – drums (born February 5, 1971, Buffalo, New York) (1992 –?)
Mitch Marine – drums (born c.1961) (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)
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