Brave Combo

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Brave Combo
Brave Combo 01.jpg
Brave Combo at the Ballard Seafood Fest
Background information
Origin Denton, Texas
Genres Polka rock, polka fusion, alternative rock, folk rock, Tex-Mex, salsa, Latin rock, ska, dance rock
Years active1979 (1979)–present
LabelsFour Dots, Rounder, 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 rock 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.

Contents

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]

Awards and honors

They won a Grammy Award in 1999 in the Best Polka Album category for their album Polkasonic , and again in 2004 for their album Let's Kiss . [6] [7]

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 BraveComboSimpsons.jpg
Brave Combo on The Simpsons

Discography

US studio and live albums

Date of releaseTitleLabelCatalogTypeNotes
1979PolkamaniaFour DotsFD1003 & FD1004Studioreleased as two 7" discs
1981Music For SquaresFour DotsFD1005Studio
1982Urban Grown-upsFour DotsFD1006Studiofour song EP
1982OriginalsFour DotsStudioreleased as cassette only
1984World Dance MusicFour DotsFD1010Studio
1984No Sad FacesFour DotsFD1012Live
1987Musical VarietiesRounderCD 11546Studiocompilation from Four Dots releases plus two new tracks
1987PolkatharsisRounderCD 9009Studio
1988HumansvilleRounderCD 9019Studio
1990A Night On EarthRounderCD 9029Studio
1992It's Christmas, Man!RounderCD 3099Studiocontents similar to It's X-mas, Man!
1993No, No, No, Cha Cha ChaRounderCD 9035Studiocontent similar to Japanese release
1994The Hokey Pokey: Organized Dancing DenToneDT 1001Studioseven-song EP
1995 Polkas for a Gloomy World RounderCD 9045StudioGrammy nominee
1996GirlRounderCD 9050Studiowith Tiny Tim – his last recording
1996Mood Swing MusicRounderCD 11574Studiorarities and singles
1996Kiss Of Fire Watermelon WM 1058Studiowith Lauren Agnelli, content similar to Allumettes
1997Group Dance EpidemicRounderR9055Studio
1998 Polka Party with Brave Combo: Live and Wild! EasydiscEDIS 7052LiveGrammy nominee
1999 Polkasonic Cleveland InternationalCIR-1023-2StudioGrammy winner
2000The ProcessRounder RecordsROUN9065Studio
2001All Wound Up! – A Family Music PartyRounder RecordsROUN8092Studiowith Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Grammy nominee
2001Kick-Ass PolkasCleveland InternationalB00005O7SELiveGrammy nominee
2003Box of GhostsRounder RecordsROUN9064Studio
2004 Let's Kiss: 25th Anniversary Album Dentone RecordsStudioGrammy winner
2005Holidays!Dentone/RounderStudio
2007Polka's RevengeDentone RecordsStudioGrammy nominee
2008The Exotic Rocking LifeDentone RecordsStudio
2009Symphonic PolkasDentone RecordsDT1006Livewith the Mesquite Symphony Orchestra
2009Christmas PresentDentone RecordsDT1007StudioChristmas music
2010KikirikiDentone RecordsDT1008Studio
2012Sounds Of The HollowDentone RecordsDT1009Studio
2014Live at Blob's ParkDentone RecordsDT1012Live
2015The Liminal ZoneDentone RecordsDT1013Studio

International releases

Date of releaseTitleLabelCatalogTypeNotes
1981Music For SquaresStunnStun507StudioNew Zealand, content identical to US release
1981I Gotta Know/Neo LimboStunnBFA 884StudioNew Zealand, 7" single
1986People Are StrangeRogue RecordsFMST 4007StudioU.K. compilation
1987PolkatharsisDemon RecordsREU 1018StudioU.K., content identical to US release
1989Music CircusP-VinePCD-2513StudioJapan
1990Very Early RecordingsWave RecordsStudioJapan
1991ÉÉjhanaikaP-VinePCD-1800StudioJapan
1991It's X-mas, Man!P-VinePCD-2300StudioJapan
1992No, No, No, Cha Cha ChaP-VinePCD-2400StudioJapan
1993Ondo Saves The WorldTele DiscTLCD-93001StudioJapan, Kikusuimaru Meets Brave Combo
1994AllumettesP-VinePCD-1986StudioJapan, with Lauren Agnelli
1995Polkas For A Gloomy WorldP-VinePCD-3614StudioJapan, content identical to U.S. release

Members

Brave Combo performing at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina Brave Combo at the Cat's Cradle (4961829141).jpg
Brave Combo performing at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina

Former members

References

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Jeffries, Adrienne (December 3, 2019). "Brave Dot Com". Underunderstood (Podcast). Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  5. Brave Software (November 13, 2019). "The road to Brave 1.0". Brave Software. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Breeding, 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 August 28, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  7. "Brave Combo Awards". Grammy.com. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
  8. 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.
  9. Beal, Jim Jr. (November 28, 2003). "Group gets a, uh, gig on 'Simpsons'". San Antonio Express-News . San Antonio, TX. p. 18H. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2012.(subscription required)
  10. "Music for nuclear (polka) families: Grammy-winning Brave Combo has a new CD". Fort Worth Star-Telegram . January 23, 2001. p. L1. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2012.(subscription required)
  11. 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.
  12. "The Machine's Pump Volume 7 – #3 – March 2004". Brave Combo. Archived from the original on June 15, 2004. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  13. 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 July 15, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  14. Connor, Thomas (August 8, 1997). "The Brave Combo Mission: Bringing Polka to a Deprived World". Tulsa World . Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  15. "MDA Labor Day Telethon list of celebrity appearances" (PDF). Muscular Dystrophy Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 13, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  16. "Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns – Show Credits. pbs.org. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  17. Catlin, Roger (July 9, 2008). "Click And Clack Get Their Own Public Television Show". Hartford Courant . Retrieved July 24, 2008.[ dead link ]
  18. Flanagan, Bill (November 23, 2009). "Bob Dylan Discusses Holiday Music, Christmas and Feeding The Hungry". Street News Service. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
  19. 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.
  20. Lewis, B.J. (July 30, 2012). "'Futurama' to feature Brave Combo music". Denton Record-Chronicle . Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
  21. "Introducing Robert Hokamp | Brave Combo". January 11, 2016.