As our 30th year of existence comes to a close, I realize, again, that all year, from April 2009 until April 2010, I intended to post a comprehensive history of important Brave Combo dates and facts, carefully seasoned with tangy tidbits. I did try to kick start the thing earlier in the year with a couple of brief postings, but never really found the time or desire to dig through boxes and boxes old posters, mailers, photos and press clippings. However, following, you find some highlights of the first ten years of Brave Combo. I finally had to settle with perusing just the booking calendars carefully. That’s all time would allow, but there’s some good stuff here. I call this segment “The First Decade.” No frills for me. Just the facts. ma’am. That’s the way we run things at BC International. I think I can knock out the next twenty years in the next couple of months. So you have that to look forward to.

THE FIRST DECADE
1979
Lyle Atkinson, Dave Cameron, Carl Finch and Tim Walsh form Brave Combo
Tour of Texas Mental Hospitals and State Schools
Release POLKAMANIA (Double 7-inch vinyl EP on Carl’s label, Four Dots Records)
1980
Rave review of POLKAMANIA appears in TEXAS MONTHLY magazine
Kurt Loder mentions Brave Combo in two issues of ROLLING STONE (one w/photo)
First trip to NYC in July
Rock writer, Lester Bangs sees Brave Combo and writes about the band
Second trip to NYC (and East Coast) in November generates considerable national press
Performed with Taj Mahal in Denton
1981
Release MUSIC FOR SQUARES (12-inch vinyl LP – Four Dots)
Third trip to East Coast, includes NYC
John Flansburg and John Linnel see Brave Combo in NYC and are inspired to form band
David Fricke reviews MUSIC FOR SQUARES for ROLLING STONE (three stars)
First appearance at the State Fair of Texas (we return for ten years straight)
Performed with Edgar Winter, Joe Ely, B.B. King and Arthur Brown
1982
Release ORIGINALS (cassette-only album of all original BC pop songs – Four Dots)
First trip to Chicago and the Midwest in April
First appearance on PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION (Minneapolis)
1983
Recorded with producer Craig Leon
Release URBAN GROWN-UPS (12-inch, four-song, vinyl EP on Four Dots Records)
Mitch Marine replaces Dave Cameron on drums in March
Jeffrey Barnes replaces Tim Walsh on woodwinds in June
Band has serious wreck driving to Jeff’s first gig
1984
Release WORLD DANCE MUSIC (12-inch vinyl LP – Four Dots)
Release NO SAD FACES (12-inch vinyl live LP- Four Dots)
Brave Combo marches in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade while on tour
Second appearance on PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION in November
1985
Bubba Hernandez replaces Lyle Atkinson on bass in January
Brave Combo appears on MTV program THE CUTTING EDGE
Release POLKATHARSIS (cassette-only album – Four Dots)
Work with David Bryne on music for his movie, TRUE STORIES
Appear in TRUE STORIES in accordion marching band and fashion show
1986
First tour of California, including polka wars gig in Los Angeles
USA TODAY previews polka wars show
David Byrne, John Goodman, Bruce Willis and Weird Al Yankovic attend L.A. show
Release POLKATHARSIS on Rounder Records (vinyl LP, cassette, new format, CD)
Chat with Rob Lowe, perform with Winona Ryder and Mike Nesmith at a wrap party.
Open for Red Hot Chili Peppers in Kansas City at Parody Hall
1987
Release MUSICAL VARIETIES on Rounder (vinyl LP, cassette, CD)
NPR interviews/stories with Terri Gross and on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED
Tour Northeast with Rotondi, modern polka band from Los Angeles
Brave Combo plays David Byrne’s wedding in NYC in October
1988
First performance with Tiny Tim at Club Dada in Dallas
Begin recording with Tiny Tim in Denton in May
First performance in Canada in July at the Winnipeg Folk Festival
Appear on NPR’s MOUNTAIN STAGE from Charleston, West Virginia
Release HUMANSVILLE on Rounder (vinyl LP, cassette, CD) in November
1989
Perform with Flaco Jimenez at the wedding of Rounder president in Laredo, Texas
First trip to Europe in March with dates in England, France, Holland and Switzerland
Record two tracks for a tribute to Gumby album on Disney’s Buena Vista label
First trip to Japan in July (four dates in Tokyo)
Appear on Rounder’s 20th Anniversary Tribute on PBS’s LONESOME PINE SPECIAL

Okay, that’s all I can muster right now without moving some heavy boxes and opening them. I remember the first ten years as being very, very busy, cause we followed just about anything that moved. Groovy opportunities seemed to just constantly spring out of nowhere, yet the calendars also revealed how many regular ol’ club shows we were playing for very little money. We were on the road a lot and some of the tours didn’t amount to much financially, but we were compelled to do them. It was the only way to really get our music out there and become as famous as a band like us could hope to be. Whatever, that was the trippiest decade of BC so far. Writers wrote and wrote about us all over the place. One would assume Brave Combo was headed to sure-fire big-time stardom, based on the momentum of the first ten years, culminating in trips to Europe and Japan in 1989. A hit record was just a matter of time, surely. Find out what actually happened the second decade next time.

LET’S GO STREAMING. Something big is brewing. Pay attention. It will be revealed soon.

Fun Fact not about Brave Combo.
According to my new issue of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, the world is somewhat short on fresh water. That’s the stuff we can drink. There may be too many people and possibly not enough water to go around without taking desperate measures. The article also pointed out that it takes about 2000 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. Conversely, it takes about 25 gallons to produce one pound of potatoes. It’s more proof that meat eaters of today are the cigarette smokers of the future. I’ve said it before. You can’t be an environmentalist and eat meat. I know that’s bad news to some of you and the choice is certainly yours, but fun fats are fun facts and you have to base something on something sometime. I’m not even talking about the problems with methane gas and stockyards. I just thought you might want to mull this over before biting into that next burger.

Okay. Now that many of you are upset with me, I’ll close and get the beep-beep out of here. Come out when you can and hear the big sound of Brave Combo. Check the itinerary often. Dates pop up all the time. Sweet dreams, Baby.