Brave Combo Influences Bob Dylan, Answers Your Questions

By Pete Freedman Fri., Oct. 2 2009 at 10:02 AM

Categories: DFW Music News

Brave Combo.

Lest we go more than a week without recognizing polk-rock outfit Brave Combo as one of the true gems of the region, let's use this bit of news as a quick reminder: Yesterday, the L.A. Times' music blog ran an item on the forthcoming Christmas album being released by one Bob Dylan--and in doing so, it went out of its way to give the two-time Grammy-winning Brave Combo a shout-out, crediting it for influencing Dylan's direction on one of the more pivotal tracks on the release.

[Dylan's] version of "Must Be Santa," with David Hidalgo squeezing reindeer-quick accordion, is directly inspired by the arrangement that Texas rock-polka group Brave Combo created on its 1991 gem of a seasonal album, It's Christmas, Man!

How 'bout that? Consider it just another factoid in the long line of head-scratching--but quite impressive--factoids boasted by Carl Finch and Co.

Oh, and you can catch Brave Combo performing at 9 p.m. on Tuesday night at The Sydicate in the University of North Texas' University Union. But, more excitingly, you can as drop on by room 282 of UNT's Kenton Hall at 4 p.m. earlier in that same day; there, the band will be participating in a question-and-answer session with fans, no doubt answering questions like "So, honestly, what was it like that one time when Bob Dylan may or may not have ripped your song off?"