Brave Combo Boldly Delves into Territory the "hip" Wouldn't Touch

What is hip?

Brave Combo was still a half-dozen years away from being formed when Tower of Power first asked that musical question in 1973, but from the beginning the question has been at the heart and soul of the Denton, Texas, band that is celebrating its 27th year on the scene.

Bandleader/founder Carl Finch and company have been trying by example all these years to prove that hip is simply a state of mind.

"We believe in reintroducing forgotten music in ways that may enlighten people a little bit about the power of song or the power of certain material, and certainly the idea of playing music that's considered unhip, that's always going to be at the forefront of what we do because we just don't believe it is unhip," he said. "We believe all music has the power to have influence on people. Not much really changes in that sense. We're just really thankful that we're able to do this."

Brave Combo was once described as a party band with purpose ("Peace through polka" would be the party platform) and the world's greatest wedding band from another planet.

Finch, who sings, plays guitar, keys and accordion, is joined by multi-instrumentalist/reed man Jeffrey Barnes, the second most senior member of Team Brave Combo, having joined in 1983. The rest of the band includes trumpet and flugelhorn player Danny O'Brien, drummer Alan Emert and newest member Ann Marie Harrop, who replaced longtime bassist Bubba Hernandez (who joined in '84) about 18 months ago.

"She was there when we needed her," Finch said of Harrop. "She's learned to sing in Polish and German. Of course, that's a requirement."