The Creation Of The Creative Genius, Carl Finch Of Brave Combo

The Creation Of The Creative Genius, Carl Finch Of Brave Combo

I was fortunate at the end of my college days of 1978 in Denton Texas to have a friendship with the founder of the most daring musical band that I have ever known, Carl Finch of Brave Combo.  Like many of us at that time we were stepping out of the college lifestyle and wondering what we were to do with our lives.  Of all my friends Carl was the best example of allowing a dream to be his guide.

Carl was completing a Masters Of Fine Art from the University Of North Texas when he decided on a lark to buy some polka records from the bargain bins at a local Wool Worth store.  Upon listening to the music Carl liked polkas and decided to recruit members to form a polka band.  It was not long before the band developed a repertoire of polkas, waltzes, Latin cumbias and other musicals styles that were most part unrecognized by a public that listened to music that was more mentally stimulating than the frolicking fun dance music of Brave Combo.

The synthesis of Brave Combo was stimulating audiences in ways that rock and jazz music of the seventies would not and could not create.  People could not stay in their seats while listening to the engaging rhythms.   After a few songs tables and chairs were moved aside to create a dance floor in the tightly compact lounges and joyous pandemonium erupted as the club would be redesigned for the evening for the pounding polka band.

For this time in Texas, rock or jazz music venues were not designed for dancing.  Dancing was reserved for disco and country and western bars.  The more eccentric listener would never consider dancing, that had been unheard of since the 1960’s.   The polkas of Brave Combo were so infectious with its new rhythms that one could not sit still.

The magic of the music brought out the playful child in so many of its listeners.  People danced in a variety of ways from traditional steps to wild reckless abandonment to express what Brave Combo stimulated in them.  People were unleashing something within them selves as they were infected with the spirit of the band.   The Combo were bringing out the child within the audience because they were connecting to a creative power in themselves that children relish, unrestricted playfulness.

One never knew how they would perform a song.  For example, their signature song of “The Beer Barrel Polka” was played a hundred different ways as they improvised each version to express a wide range of moods from the somber, to fairy-like to the insane.  Brave Combo could be anything, there was an innocence to them, like any new art in its infancy.  Their audience loved them for it.  It gave its listeners the inspiration to express their own dreams.

The big question is how could someone take several almost dead musical genres of polkas, waltzes, Latin styles and create them into an infectious art that is now loved by thousands around the world?  Carl’s formula was simple.  He did what fascinated him.  He was always willing to try something new.  Finch had many experiments of sampling long forgotten songs, Punk/Jazz, a polka about a 3 minute sexual experience, a heavy-metal version of  “The Hokey Pokey” (still a crowd favorite), playing a variety of clubs that traditional rock bands would not venture into, wacky videos, a video shot of Carl being adored by elderly women and the list goes on.  My favorite was the band’s ‘mental health tour’ playing state schools for the mentally retarded and state hospitals for the mentally ill.

What was amazing with Carl’s experiments was his detachment to them.  He simply would pick up an ideal, develop it and execute.  If he had a good response he would do more of it and if it did not work he set it down.  Carl never seemed to become remorseful of his failures nor did he become seduced by his successes.  Success and failure was all a part of the process.

The wisdom of detachment to your creations takes components of the ego out of the equation.  The ego would relish in its superiority of its accomplishment just as it would be distraught in its failures.  Enjoying the successes did not justify the value of or define Brave Combo, it was enjoyed in the moment and then moved on.  Carl was not the kind of guy that relished over past press clippings but always asked the question, “What is next?”

An aspect of Carl that I never witnessed was a judging or critical mind. He was not in judgment of how others created their lives.   What I constantly saw from Carl was an attitude of questioning when looking at Brave Combo or any situation.  Carl asked questions such as: “I wonder what it must be like to be him?” “I wonder what inspired the creation of that song?”  “That music is interesting, how can I include it in Brave Combo?”  The information would come through his asking.  He might know why it showed up, it just does.

The critical judging mind is one of the worst ways we can close down our creativity and openness to perceive beyond our own reality.  When we judge another or situation to find the wrongness of it we close down our perceptions to see beyond the situation.  The judgment influences our self to see only from the critical eye perspective.

Carl examined his life in a questioning curiosity that kept him attentive to creating life in the present moment.  I never saw Carl project how his newest song would be their next big hit.  The song was recognized as sounding good, enjoyed it for what it was and stayed in the question of, “How can we make it better?”

What I learned from Brave Combo was to always enjoy your creations in the moment.  It nourishes my spirit to continue to grow through the excitement of being me and expressing myself in a variety of ways.  By allowing the creative self to roam I have discovered secrets, talents within myself that reveal a deeper understanding of my self and the world around me.  In addition I use the same techniques Carl uses but as a therapeutic tool; living in the question and non-judgment.

After thirty years of performing Carl Finch and Brave Combo focus still remains an opened attitude to listen to themselves, music and the world around them.  They are still excited about music and the possibilities it can bring to people’s lives.

Bart Sharp
www.bartsharp.com