Brave Combo

In the late 1970s vocalist and guitarist Carl Finch launched Brave Combo in his modest Texas hometown, where the ensemble began subjecting an improbable roster of titles—"People Are Strange," "Sixteen Tons," "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," and "O Holy Night"—to polka and world-music dance arrangements. Three early albums appeared on the band’s own Four Dots imprint before the group migrated to Rounder. Although personnel rotated continually, the core eventually stabilized around Finch, horn player Jeffrey Barnes, bassist Bubba Hernandez, and percussionists Mitch Marine or Joseph Cripps. Following the late-’80s signing with Rounder, the 1987 anthology Musical Varieties preceded nine further releases on the label through the mid-’90s. The musicians also supported pop figure Tiny Tim on his final album, 1996’s Girl. Polkasonic arrived three years afterward, and Process surfaced in spring 2000. A subsequent live set, Kick-Ass Polkas, was issued by Cleveland International in 2001; two years later the band returned to Rounder with Box of Ghosts, which recast classical themes in its signature style. Amid assorted other recording and concert projects throughout the twenty-first century, Brave Combo joined avant accordionist extraordinaire Guy Klucevsek on The Multiple Personality Reunion Tour in 2012.