Hello, everybody. It’s October, 1999. Oktoberfest month. The biggest Oktoberfest is in and around Munich, Germany. I have never attended, but I’ve heard about it from many people and this is generally how it’s summed up. It actually starts in September and it’s primarily for men (maybe even a rite of passage for some boys). The emphasis is on beer. Food probably comes in second and the music is something of a low priority. I imagine that the tourist angle is really obvious. The style of polka music is not so much oompah anymore. It’s more polka pop. There’s a German musician/band leader named James Last who, many years ago, combined traditional Bohemian melodies with a kind of disco groove. It works okay, though it can come off rather wimpy, and certainly, at this point, dated and not very progressive. Once again, all this says to me, is that the future of polka music as a viable modern form continues to fall on the shoulders of descendants of European immigrants in North America. That’s cool and it’s actually an extension to an existing tradition. Even the Tejano/Conjunto music of South Texas and Northern Mexico can be traced to German, Czech and Polish immigrants that settled around Monterey, Mexico in the early part of the 20th century. That’s when the accordion was introduced to this area as well. Whatever the means, it’s important to breathe new life into musical styles occasionally. And, although the idea of a wonderfully pure polka mecca somewhere on this planet turns me on, it’s okay to be realistic about life and human nature. In a way, the whole world is just a big tourist trap. On any given day, you’ll wait in a very long line to just catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris, before you dart over to the Eiffel Tower to wait in another long line. It’s easy to wonder what the point of anything is. Everything can seem superficial at times. You know, style over substance, etc. I’m just so glad that I can still find polkas played with passion and serious commitment to the preservation of the music, even if it’s probably not in Bavaria during Oktoberfest. On the flipside, there’s a great polka thrash band from Germany called The Shanes that play what they call “hard polka.” I’ve heard rumors that they will be coming back to the USA very soon. Watch for them in your area.

Speaking of European matters, Brave Combo will be traveling to Holland next month to perform six shows around the country. The venues are confirmed. Check our itinerary for details. We love to tour Holland. It’s a very civilized, sensible place. This will be our third trip there and we’re playing some cities we’ve never seen before (a couple I’ve never heard of). The performance in Amsterdam will be at the premier nightclub, Paradiso. We’ve been contacted by a Dutch band named Strange Combo that plays many of our songs. They plan to attend all of our shows.

Brave Combo is still working on that infamous pop album. We keep changing things and adding things and taking things away. So, I guess we’re looking at a March, 2000 release. I hope Rounder hasn’t given up on us. It’s probably fine. They know we can be a little particular at times.

In somewhat related news, work has begun on the children’s album I mentioned in an earlier newsletter. We’re collaborating with Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, veterans of the children’s music business. They’ve recorded many great albums for Rounder and have been nominated for a Grammy twice for best children’s album. Of course, we hope this will be something adults will enjoy as well. We’re looking at a Summer 2000 release and promise to keep the back masking at a minimum. Aklop.

Did I mention that I don’t really dig the emphasis on meat at the various Oktoberfests? I predict that vegetarian bratwurst is just around the corner, maybe by next year’s Oktoberfest season. The vegetarian quick food industry has come a long way recently. I can eat corny dogs and cold cuts again. This is exciting. Variety is the spice of life. And anyone can do as he or she wishes. Some of my friends eat meat and many people I enjoy are smokers. I mingle with all kinds of people. I often like to hang out where I don’t seem to fit. I went to a CB radio fish fry once. I went to a Hooter’s restaurant because it was the only place to eat near our hotel. The waitresses ignored me. Almost any ethnic music festival is going to be a cool place to hang out. But, did I mention that I don’t really dig the emphasis on meat at some of these festivals?

There was a very nice article about our new album, POLKASONIC, in Billboard recently.

Don’t give up.