Cynthia Rose meets Texan ethno-musician Carl Finch, a man who leads "nuclear polka" group Brave Combo.

When David Byrne's Texas-based True Stories makes its cinematic debut in September, the eclectic mix of its score is sure to pique critical interest. And it's to be hoped Byrne gives full credit to Carl Finch, the tactful Texan who guided him through the state's maze of native musics. If he does, Finch will become the object of much curiosity. But, as founder/frontman of seven-year-old "nuclear polka band" Brave Combo, Carl is used to that.

Brave Combo, who have just released a British debut on Rogue Records and will tour the UK this spring, are one of the nation's most singular -- and beloved -- musical aggregates. They're a quartet equally well-known for "new folk" material (like the "People Are Strange Polka," the "O Holy Night Cha-Cha," "Sugar, Sugar" rendered as reggae, and the "Theme From Rosemary's Baby Waltz") and for a fearsome expertise with traditional ethnic sounds.

Brave Combo's playlist embraces (and often weaves together) norteño, reggae, jazz, cha-chas, rhumbas, merengue, two-steps, waltzes, movie themes, acid rock and bubblegum pop. And, as Finch is always careful to note, it has "genuine honest-to-God roots."

"We don't take advantage of these musics," he emphasizes. "We're serious about them. I personally believe that the only hope for the world today is for us to respect and understand each other's cultures -- and, in our own tiny way, we want to contribute. To do that, Americans have to extend themselves. We have to make the effort."

The effort Finch and his compatriots make is based in impeccable musicianship.

"A lot of our fans," says Finch, "assume we did this just to look weird but really we did it just to play the music. We grew up listening to the same stuff as they did; the difference is just that we applied the rock and roll aesthetic to forms most rock bands ignore."

Of course Finch is understating his case; whether entertaining Prince at 1st Avenue and 7th Street in Minneapolis or playing yet another Bohemian wedding party deep in the heart of their home state, Brave Combo is much more than a cult item. America's best rock writer, the late Lester Bangs, called them "the only truly original band in the USA."

Aware that tackling chestnuts like "Over the Rainbow" or "Fly Me To The Moon" would be perceived by many as less than hip, the band dubbed its first LP Music For Squares. It's follow-up, however, fully earned the title World Dance Music ("Essentially," says Finch, "these forms are not mutually exclusive; they all share an emphasis on the upbeat"). Now, there's a third Brave Combo polka platter (No Sad Faces), yet the band continue to eschew major label offers "because they always approach us as a novelty act." Instead, Finch produces other local eccentrics for the band's own Four Dots Label.