This band makes me wish I lived in Denton, TX

I already dug Brave Combo but now I dig them even more.

Why?

Two words: Ginny Mac.

She’s a twenty-something, accordion virtuoso from Ft. Worth, Texas and she is rockin’. You see, if there’s anything better than one accordion player, it’s two, which makes her the perfect addition to the kick-ass Texas band, Brave Combo, founded by the madly talented Carl Finch.

I first saw her last August when Brave Combo returned to the great Blob’s Park Bavarian Beer Garden and Dance Hall in Jessup, MD. Quick side note: We need more dance halls in this country, people! Especially in Virginia. See what you can do about it. In the meantime—major props to Blob’s for fighting the good fight. But I digress.

I knew how good the show was going to be—Joe and I had seen them in the same venue, from the same table even [strategically next to the bar], two summers before.  Being a mad Brave Combo fan and knowing the crazy-fun night ahead of us, I was understandably jazzed when Carl Finch passed right by our table, so, um…I had Joe trip him. Not really—I just leaned slightly his way, waving and smiling like an idiot and he kindly postponed refilling his beer to talk with us for a moment.

Aw shucks, Carl. : )

I told him about my accordion-friendly blog and how it was designed to bring the cool back to the accordion and he said, “Oh it’s back, baby, it’s back!” Or something to that effect. He may not have actually called me baby, but that’s how I like to remember it.

Anyway, he told me I should definitely talk to Ginny after the show and I did. Stay tuned for my recorded post-gig interview with her later in this post. She’s delightful. If she can’t bring the cool back to the accordion, then we’re screwed. But lucky for us, she’s up to the task.

Finally, if you don’t know of Brave Combo or Blob’s Park, you should. Seriously. Don’t waste another day going without either. It’s hard for me to describe just how much fun Brave Combo is to listen and dance to. But maybe this four-minute sample of their nearly three-hour performance last summer at Blob’s will give you an idea.

Finch founded the band in 1979 and they have been performing in front of die-hard fans ever since. I found a cool video on their official website that gives you a little insight into this salsa, meringue, rock, cumbia, conjunto polka, zydeco, cha cha, blues band.

Last but not least, the lovely Ginny Mac on all things accordion. Thanks for the interview, Ginny! Here’s her website. You can like her Facebook page, too.

Ginny and me after the show.

6 thoughts on “This band makes me wish I lived in Denton, TX

  1. Great post! Ginny’s very cool. And I loved the band’s polka-infused rendition of America the Beautiful. They should play it at the Presidential inaugural today!

  2. If you get a chance you should check out Polkaboy, a Brave-Combo-inspired band in Indianapolis. Their ~monthly outdoor shows at downtown’s Rathskeller Biergarten draw insanely packed crowds. If you want to do a proper polka you have to do it in the first set; after that the dance floor is too crowded. It’s a large band with not one, not two, but count-’em, three accordians.

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