Fri. Aug. 3

When you're a polka band with punk rock roots, you get to call yourself Brave Combo, which Carl Finch has done since 1979 when he took his Texas band public. Brave Combo plays rhumba, cha-cha-cha, charanga and lots of other ethnic genres as well. They're their own little world music program and have been a delight to have around for, well, so long. Could have been a fad ... Could have disappeared ... But, perhaps, Brave Combo's story is that once people passed through the "novelty" end of it, they realized there's a lot of cool dance-oriented genres they don't know much about but enjoy. And, Brave Combo won't leave you scratchin' your head, too much. There's the chance the Doors' "People Are Strange," Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" and the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" might pop up. Making this Boston appearance even easier to take, t's free, well, after you pay the regular admission of $12. It's part of Dance Fridays at the Institute of Contemporary Art. (It's actually the last in the series.) It takes place at 7 p.m. Saturday Aug. 3