 brave combo is a polka/rock/worldbeat band based in denton, texas. founded in 1979 by guitarist/keyboardist/accordionist carl finch, they have been a prominent fixture in the texas music scene for more than thirty-five years. their music, both originals and covers, incorporates a number of dance styles, mostly polka, but also some latin american and caribbean styles like norteÃ±o, salsa, rumba, cha-cha-cha, choro, samba, two-step, cumbia, charanga, merengue, ska, etc. as part of their perceived artistic mission to expand the musical tastes of their listeners, they have often played and recorded covers of well-known songs in a style radically different from the original versions. examples include polka versions of jimi hendrix's "purple haze" and the doors' "people are strange", the rolling stones' "(i can't get no) satisfaction" as a cha-cha, and "sixteen tons" as a cumbia. while their records may have a sense of humor, they are played straight and not usually considered joke or novelty records. ==awards and honors== they won a grammy award in 1999 in the best polka album category for their album polkasonic, and again in 2004 for their album let's kiss. in naming denton, texas, the "best music scene" for 2008, paste magazine cited brave combo as the "grand pooh-bah of denton bands" and said that "brave combo, is in many ways the template from which all the rest are cut: eclectic and artistically ambitious, with a high degree of musicianship and a strong diy ethic."{{cite news |work=paste |title=signs of life 2008: best music scene - denton, texas |url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2008/11/signs-of-life-2008-best-music-scene---denton-texas.html |date=november 21, 2008 |first=dave |last=s
American_polka_groups Culture_of_Denton,_Texas Grammy_Award-winning_artists Music_of_Denton,_Texas Musical_groups_established_in_1979 Musical_groups_from_Texas