[act-ma] HONK! Festival 2011: schedule now set -- September 30-October 3, 2011

[Mary Curtin]

HONK! FESTIVAL 2011

SIXTH ANNUAL
FESTIVAL OF ACTIVIST STREET BANDS

September 30 - October 3

this year featuring
[subject to revision]

~ Young Fellaz (New Orleans, LA) ~
~ What Cheer? Brigade (Providence, RI) ~
~ Titanium Sporkestra (Seattle, WA) ~
~ Springville All Star Marching Band (Springville, NY) ~
~ Seed and Feed Marching Abominable (Atlanta, GA) ~
~ Rude Mechanical Orchestra (Brooklyn, NY) ~
~ Open Hand Orchestra (Portland, ME) ~
~ Minor Mishap Marching Band (Austin, TX) ~
~ Leftist Marching Band (Portsmouth, NH) ~
~ Hungry March Band (New York, NY) ~
~ Forward!/Milwaukee Molotov Marchers (Milwaukee & Madison, WI) ~
~ Extraordinary Rendition Band (Providence, RI) ~
~ Expandable Brass Band (Northampton, MA) ~
~ Environmental Encroachment (Chicago, IL) ~
~ DJA-Rara (Brooklyn, NY) ~
~ Detroit Party Marching Band (Detroit, MI) ~
~ Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble (Montreal, QC) ~
~ Carnival Band (Vancouver, BC) ~
~ Caka!ak Thunder (Greensboro, NC) ~
~ Bread and Puppet Theater Circus Band (Glover, VT) ~
~ Brass Messengers (Minneapolis, MN) ~
~ Brass Balagan (Burlington, VT) ~

with locals
[subject to revision]

~ AfroBrazil (Boston) ~
~ Dirty Water Brass Band (Somerville) ~
~ Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band (Somerville) ~
~ Factory Seconds (Boston) ~
~ Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band (Somerville) ~
~ To Be Named Later Brass Band (Boston)~

events based
in
Davis Square, Somerville
Harvard Square, Cambridge
&
Boston Harbor

ALMOST ALL EVENTS FREE 
AND OPEN TO EVERYONE
[THE FRIDAY NIGHT KICKOFF & 
SUNDAY NIGHT BOAT CRUISE 
ARE VERY AFFORDABLE!] 





(Somerville, Cambridge, & Boston, MA)  HONK!: the worthy craze sweeping the
nation - from Boston to Providence to Brooklyn to Austin to Seattle -- and
every Fall back to Boston, with HONK! bands migrating from far and near,
descending upon the HONK! epicenter, where festival participants (including
the audience) can gaggle, gander, and generate the gregarious racket that
signifies the HONK! experience.

The HONK! phenomenon was born 6 years ago in Davis Square spurred on by a
need of a certain species of street band to congregate and celebrate their
social activist side. HONK! lets the good times roll while being ever
mindful that some bad times need fixing. HONK! believes that street-wise
music can be the agent of change for the better. HONK! is the universal
tongue for hey-wake-up-and-pay-attention!

This year there will be honk-like opportunities galore with outdoor band
concerts in Davis, spilling over into Harvard Square and surrounding
neighborhoods, and for the first time ever, splashing out into the Boston
Harbor. Rain or shine from September 30 through October 3, HONK! will
release its clarion call throughout the Boston-area - a call to wage peace,
harmony, and just plain fun.

The confirmed HONK! band count is currently almost 30, with one to two new
ones being added weekly. But when the final count is in, there'll still be
plenty of chances for folks to jump in at the last minute and join the merry
fray. For example, individual musicians not connected to any particular
HONK! band are invited to participate on Sunday, October 2nd, in the
impromptu "community band" which will be part of the gigantic HONK! Parade
to Reclaim the Streets for Horns, Bikes and Feet.

Take note that in previous years HONK! has been held on Columbus Day
weekend, but due to the 2011 dates conflicting with Yom Kippur, the festival
has been scheduled a week earlier. Festival updates can be found at
<http://www.honkfest.org/> www.honkfest.org,  <http://twitter.com/honkfest>
http://twitter.com/honkfest, and  <http://www.facebook.com/honkfestival>
www.facebook.com/honkfestival, or by calling 617-383-HONK (4665). Listed
below is the festival schedule as it now stands:



2011 WEEKEND SCHEDULE:


Friday, September 30, 10 pm-midnight:
HONK! Kickoff!
A spectacular kickoff to the weekend, featuring Boston's own urban tribal
brass band Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, joined by an impressive guest
roster of HONK! band members!
Johnny D's Uptown
17 Holland St., Davis Square, Somerville
[Conveniently located near the Davis Square stop on the Red Line and several
MBTA bus connections.]
Ticket: $10 general admission, available at the door.
For information: 617-776-2004,  <http://www.johnnyds.com/> www.johnnyds.com

Saturday, October 1, noon-9 pm:
HONK! Davis Square
Up to thirty (or more!) activist street bands, from near and far, will
perform outdoors for free.  An Opening Ceremony to be held at noon in 7
Hills Park, Davis Square, Somerville, with music following, performed
throughout Davis Square, from 1-9 pm.  At this writing the following bands
will be participating during the day on Saturday, listed in alphabetical
order: AfroBrazil, Brass Balagan, Brass Messengers, Bread and Puppet Theater
Circus Band, Caka!ak Thunder, Carnival Band, Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble,
Detroit Party Marching Band, Dirty Water Brass Band, DJA-Rara, Emperor
Norton's Stationary Marching Band, Environmental Encroachment, Expandable
Brass Band, Extraordinary Rendition Band, Factory Seconds,
Forward!/Milwaukee Molotov Marchers, Hungry March Band, Leftist Marching
Band, Minor Mishap Marching Band, Open Hand Orchestra, Rude Mechanical
Orchestra, Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band, Seed and
Feed Marching Abominable, Springville All Star Marching Band, Titanium
Sporkestra, To Be Named Later Brass Band, What Cheer? Brigade, and Young
Fellaz.
Davis Square, Somerville
[Conveniently located near the Davis Square stop on the Red Line and several
MBTA bus connections.]
Free and open to all; rain or shine.
For information: 617-383-HONK (4665), contact at honkfest.org

Sunday, October 2, noon-2 pm:
HONK! Parade to Reclaim the Streets for Horns, Bikes and Feet
The theme for this year's Parade is SHARE - sharing the road, sharing our
skills, our resources, our upbeat HONK! spirit. Led by the Mayors of
Somerville and Cambridge, the parade will feature all the HONK! bands, plus
the Bread & Puppet Theater, the impromptu "community band," and many local
arts and community organizations, such as Green Streets Initiative, Bikes
Not Bombs, 350.org, Open Air Circus, Puppeteers Cooperative, Livable
Streets, and Sprout. The parade assembles at 11 am, and the route starts in
Davis Square, Somerville, at noon, making its way to Harvard Square's
Oktoberfest celebration in Cambridge. To participate in the parade or to
volunteer as a parade facilitator, contact  <mailto:parade at honkfest.org>
parade at honkfest.org.
[Conveniently located near the Davis, Porter, and Harvard Square stops on
the Red Line and several MBTA bus connections.]
Free and open to all; rain or shine.
For information: 617-383-HONK (4665), contact at honkfest.org

Sunday, October 2, 2-6 pm:
HONK! Oktoberfest
Several HONK! bands will be featured in Harvard Square's Oktoberfest.
[Conveniently located near the Harvard Square stop on the Red Line and
several MBTA bus connections.]
Free and open to all; rain or shine.
For information, visit  <http://www.harvardsquare.com/>
www.harvardsquare.com, 617-491-3434,  <mailto:hsba at harvardsquare.com>
hsba at harvardsquare.com

Sunday, October 2, 8-11:30 pm:
HONK! On The Water
Boston Harbor boat cruise, featuring many of the HONK! bands, each
performing a short set.
Bay State Cruise Company 
200 Seaport Blvd., Boston
[Conveniently located near the World Trade Center stop on the Silver Line.]
Ticket: $10 general admission, available at the dock; rain or shine.
For information: 617-383-HONK (4665), contact at honkfest.org

Monday, October 3, 10 am-2 pm:
HONK! Music Education Conference
Includes a panel discussion on "Learning HONK!-Style: An Alternative Model
for Music Education?" and presentations on "The Roots and Routes of HONK!: A
History of HONK! Through Music" and "HONK! Activism: Experiential Education
in Action."
Gutman Library Harvard University, Graduate School of Education/Arts in
Education Program
Appian Way, Cambridge
[Conveniently located near the Harvard Square stop on the Red Line and
several MBTA bus connections.]
Free and open to all.
For information: 617-383-HONK (4665), contact at honkfest.org

Monday, October 3, 3-5 pm:
HONK! In The Neighborhoods
Visiting HONK! bands will team up with their local counterparts to perform
and interact at 5 Boston-area Boys and Girls Clubs. At this writing the
following clubs participating are:
Blue Hill Club (15 Talbot Ave., Dorchester, 617-474-1050); Charlestown Club
(15 Green Street, Charlestown, 617-242-1775); Jordan Club (30 Willow St.,
Chelsea, 617-884-9435); South Boston Club (230 West Sixth Street, South
Boston, 617-268-4301); and Yawkey Club of Roxbury (115 Warren St., Roxbury,
617-427-6050).
Free and open to club members and their families.
For information: 617-383-HONK (4665), contact at honkfest.org

Leading up to this year's HONK! weekend events, there are several
preliminary events worth noting:

Friday, September 2 through Sunday, October 2, 24 hrs./day:
HONK! Photo Exhibit
Features 5 photographers: Greg Cook, Mark Dannenhauer, Jesse Edsell-Vetter,
Ben Greenberg & Chris Yeager. Their photos are inspired by HONK! Festival
2010.
The Inside-Outside Gallery (aka the CVS windows)
CVS Pharmacy
1 Davis Square, Somerville
[Conveniently located near the Davis Square stop on the Red Line and several
MBTA bus connections.]
Free and open to all.
For more information, contact  <mailto:photoshow at honkfest.org>
photoshow at honkfest.org.

Monday, September 12, 6:30-8:45 pm:
HONK! Volunteers and Parade Meeting
Sign-up gathering to help in all the ways that make HONK! possible.
Individuals and groups interested in participating in the HONK! Parade to
Reclaim the Streets for Horns, Bikes and Feet, to be held from noon-2 pm on
October 2nd, are also encouraged to attend. The theme for this year's parade
is SHARE. The bands and community groups in the parade will investigate the
dynamics of SHARE by creating actions, images, slogans, concepts,
choreographies and other elements that explore how we can share our lives,
communities, resources, and spirited energy.
Somerville Public Library (West Branch)
40 College Ave., Somerville
[Conveniently located near the Davis Square stop on the Red Line and several
MBTA bus connections.]
For more information, contact  <mailto:volunteers at honkfest.org>
volunteers at honkfest.org.

Tuesday, September 20, 10 am-11 pm:
HONK! Flatbread Pizza Benefit
Flatbread in Davis Sq. is donating a portion of the cost of every pizza pie
purchased during the day to the HONK! Festival. Diners can also look forward
to hearing some subtle HONK! sounds between  6:00 pm and 7:15 pm.  
Flatbread Company
45 Day Street, Somerville.
[Conveniently located near the Davis Square stop on the Red Line and several
MBTA bus connections.]
For more information, contact contact at honkfest.org.

The HONK! Festival is a great idea come to fruition. HONK! festivals are
cropping up everywhere since a need has been identified, not only on the
part of musicians everywhere - of a particular persuasion - who have a
penchant for gathering to raise awareness about issues that need attention.
But also a need is there on the part of audiences everywhere - not
necessarily of any persuasion - to bask in the glow of this unusual
phenomenon.


As often as bands congregate to HONK! in protest, they also perform to
celebrate the causes and institutions they support in their own communities:
multicultural festivals, peace conferences, social forums, artists'
collectives, community gardens, block parties, neighborhood fundraisers,
relief benefits and homeless shelters. In every case, the HONK!ers' ultimate
goal is to have fun, to relish the art of making fun as a form of individual
and collective transcendence, and to encourage others to see and do the
same.

The HONK! Festival Committee would like to give special thanks to the
following for their support of this year's HONK! Festival [sponsorship
updates at  <http://www.honkfest.org/> www.honkfest.org]: City of
Somerville, the Somerville Arts Council, Harvard Square Business
Association, MySecretBoston, Davis Square businesses, and last but not
least, the local Davis Square community, whose support in terms of in-kind
donations of food and public services, housing for upwards of 300 musicians,
and cash contributions, is vital to keeping the HONK! effort going.






###





--submitted by marycurtinproductions [on behalf of HONK!]
c/o Mary Curtin
PO Box 290703, Charlestown, MA 02129
617-241-9664, 617-470-5867 (cell),
 <mailto:marycurtin at comcast.net> marycurtin at comcast.net
"dedicated to staging insightful entertainment, particularly in
non-traditional venues"
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