HONK! Festival Preview, Round 1
Each Friday for the next month, we’ll preview some of the performers who will be at the HONK! Festival this October 10-12 in Boston, MA. This week, we bring you What Cheer? Brigade, Brass Liberation Orchestra, The Scene of the Crime Rovers, Environmental Encroachment, and Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble, describing their art and activism in their own words.
WHAT CHEER? BRIGADE
From Providence RI, the What Cheer? Brigade consists of people who got together out of a shared belief that loud music shouldn’t always need to plug in. So that pretty much means brass and percussion. Much of our music owes its history to the spread of brass throughout Europe and then the rest of the World through military conflict and colonialism. We can, should and will play anywhere in any weather. However, we especially like playing outside on sunny days.
BRASS LIBERATION ORCHESTRA
From San Francisco/Oakland CA, we are a group of brass, reeds and percussion that plays music to support political causes with particular emphasis on peace, and racial and social justice. We use music and artistic expression as a response to oppressive society, to sustain and build our movements, and as an expression of the world that we want to live in. Brass Liberation Orchestra is a group of musicians (of all levels) and cultural workers who use culture to support causes of a broadly left nature.
THE SCENE OF THE CRIME ROVERS
From The Scrap Exchange in Durham, NC, The Scene Of The Crime Rovers take creative music out of the traditional music venue and into public spaces where it may be enjoyed at no cost by a wider cross-section of the community. They play to promote community events such as benefits or social justice actions that the group believes are worthy causes. They compose and perform only works that allow musicians at every level of experience (beginner to professional) to participate in the band. And they collaborate with artists/creative individuals/arts organizations to create multi-arts projects that allow for participation from artists of all disciplines.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENCROACHMENT
Chicago IL performance art group Environmental Encroachment (EE) uses circus theatrics, live music and costumes to create unique entertainment environments, parades, processions, shows, punk artist marching band encroachments and art happenings. EE combines a costumed marching band with multimedia stage performance antics including dancers, hooping, juggling and skits. EE wants people to interact, be a part, be curious, dance, play. EE can do children’s shows, Holiday events, street busking, tactical encroachments, festivals, rituals, ceremonies, vaudevillian skits, electric and acoustic music jams, funerals and births.
CHAOTIC INSURRECTION ENSEMBLE
Born May 27th 2006 for the ‘Status For All’ march/demo in Montreal Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble didn’t want to stop marching… so we started marching and we’ve been marching ever since. and many marchers came and went and many marchers have yet to come… maybe you are one of them? Bring your voice, your drum, your triange or your what-cha-ma-call-it… all marchers are welcome to march and play.
Related posts:
- HONK! Fest West 2009
- HONK! Music Festival – Community Meeting
- HONK! Returns in ‘09!
- HONK! No Noise Is Illegal, Now Online
- The Asphalt Orchestra
More on Call for Participation, Events, Friends & Allies, Local, Music, Performance, Resistance
