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.
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."[8]
Brave Combo performs at Zero's nightclub in Fort Worth, Texas. October, 1980.The band made a short appearance, as animated figures, on the March 21, 2004, episode of The Simpsons ("Co-Dependents' Day").[6] Series creator Matt Groening is a fan of the band and they appeared on the show at his personal request.[9][10][11] In the episode, the band played a new original song called "Fill The Stein" and their version of "The Simpsons Theme" played over the closing credits.[12]
Finch and other band members made cameo appearances in leader David Byrne's 1986 movie True Stories, set in fictional Virgil, Texas. Finch can be spotted in the fashion show sporting a brick-patterned suit and in the parade leading the all-accordion marching band. (In real life, Brave Combo was David Byrne's wedding band.)
Talking Heads
They appear in the 1986 Channel 4 television series The A to Z of C & W singing the Hank Williams song "Cold, Cold Heart".
Hank Wangford
They contributed two songs to the album, released in 1989.
Gumby
Their song "Busy Office Rhumba" was used as the theme for the 1993 television series Bakersfield P.D.[13]
Fox
They appear as a wedding band in the 1995 feature film Late Bloomers.
In 2000, they appeared on the national telecast of the MDA Labor Day Telethon with Jerry Lewis dancing along to the music.
[14]
They wrote and performed the theme song for the 2005 series " Bowling Night".
ESPN
The opening theme and other music for the 2008 animated series Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns were produced by Carl Finch and composed, arranged, and performed by Finch and Brave Combo.[15][16]
PBS
Their live music video, "The Denton Polka", appears on the Bohemia Rising DVD Compilation (released in 2009), a collection of documentary shorts directed by exploring rebellion and resistance to corporate demolition in their hometown of Denton, Texas.
Christopher Largen
Included in 's 2009 Christmas release, Christmas In The Heart, the song "Must Be Santa", is performed polka-style. Dylan's arrangement is almost identical to the Brave Combo arrangement from their 1991 CD It's Christmas, Man!. In an interview published by Street News Service, Dylan acknowledged the influence of Brave Combo: "This version comes from a band called Brave Combo. Somebody sent their record to us for our radio show. They’re a regional band out of Texas that takes regular songs and changes the way you think about them. You oughta hear their version of 'Hey Jude'."[17]
Bob Dylan
They were featured on 's album Sorry for Partyin', playing a polka version of Bowling For Soup's song "Belgium".
