“We know over 1,000 songs! We are adding stuff all the time,” says Brave Combo founder Carl Finch on the phone from his home in Denton, Texas. “The more you add, you can’t help but be intrigued and want to explore more.” And those explorations always lead to more high-energy, over-the-top rock. Brave Combo began carving their niche in the late ’70s. “We weren’t thinking about the polka crowd too much in those days. The drummer was in a punk band already, but he was also into border music.” Thus the early addition of rancheras and cumbias. They just kept listening to new stuff and trying it out. “I never wanted to try to be authentic. When we finally broke through the polka scene with the Slovenians in Cleveland, I was amazed that these people actually accepted us.” A series of gigs opening for Ivo Papasov gave Finch a serious Serbian brass-band listening habit. Veteran fans shouldn’t worry, though, Carl still bounces like a man possessed, playing and singing the definitive polka punk version of “People Are Strange.”

Sun., Nov. 25, 8 p.m., $12-$15, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.