[act-ma] 10/11/13-10/13/13: HONK! Festival 2013: schedule now set -- October 11-13

[Mary Curtin]

HONK! FESTIVAL 2013
HONK_SLSAPSBrassBand
[HONK! photo by Geoff Adams, 
Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band, 
HONK! 2012]


EIGHTH ANNUAL
FESTIVAL OF ACTIVIST STREET BANDS

October 11 thru 13

this year featuring
[subject to revision]

~ Young Fellaz Brass Band (New Orleans, LA) ~
~ Worcester Ice Cream Social Band (Worcester, MA) ~
~ What Cheer? Brigade (Providence, RI) ~
~ Rude Mechanical Orchestra (Brooklyn, NY) ~
~ The Riverhawk Party Band (Lowell, MA) ~
~ Perhaps Contraption (London, UK) ~
~ Os Siderais (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil) ~
~ Original Big 7 Social Club (New Orleans, LA) ~
~ Minor Mishap Marching Band (Austin, TX) ~
~ Leftist Marching Band (Portsmouth, NH) ~
~ Hungry March Band (Brooklyn, NY) ~
~ Gora Gora Orkestar (Boulder, CO) ~
~ Forward! Marching Band (Madison, WI) ~
~ Extraordinary Rendition Band (Providence, RI) ~
~ The Expandable Brass Band (Northampton, MA) ~
~ EE-Environmental Encroachment (Chicago, IL) ~
~ DJA-Rara (Brooklyn, NY) ~
~ Detroit Party Marching Band (Detroit, MI) ~
~ Colonel Pope and the Harford Hot Several (Hartford, CT) ~
~ The Bread & 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/Cambridge) ~
~ Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band (Somerville) ~
~ Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band (Somerville, host
band) ~

events based
in and near
Davis Square, Somerville
and
Harvard Square, Cambridge

ALL HONK! EVENTS ARE FREE! 

"It was hard to tell where
the politics ended and the party began at
the HONK! festival of activist street bands."
(The New York Times, Oct. 8, 2012)



(Somerville and Cambridge, MA) From October 11-13, HONK!, the unique
revolutionary street music spectacle, will occupy every corner, every cut,
every alley within a 1 mile radius. The HONK! progressive musical movement
can drive social change on a daily basis, but once a year HONK! kicks into
overdrive, just for fun.

HONK!, the originator of HONK!s worldwide, is embarking on its 8th annual.
Words fail to describe the overwhelming impact this festival has on
participants and audience alike. HONK! is a huge celebratory rally where
boisterous bands from all over congregate to play their street music loudly
and proudly and to exult in their roles as cultural ambassadors for just
causes. HONK! is not only infectious, it is also reinforcement for these
bands, empowering them to then head back to their home towns and carry on.

This year, HONK! has invited the Original Big Seven Social Aid and Pleasure
Club (OB7) from New Orleans to lead the huge HONK! Parade to Reclaim the
Streets for Horns, Bikes and Feet that will take place on HONK! Sunday.
Among the mainstays of New Orleans culture are the second line parades
organized by the social aid and pleasure clubs that populate the
neighborhoods. 

On May 12th of this year, the OB7, which operates in the Seventh Ward, held
its annual Mother's Day Parade. Usually a fun-filled, family-friendly brass
band romp through the neighborhood, the event this year was different. At
the intersection of Frenchmen Street and North Villere, three gunmen
senselessly opened fire on the crowd, wounding 19 people including two 10
year-olds. Fortunately there were no fatalities. Immediately following,
there were condemnations of violence in New Orleans and calls to halt these
time-honored neighborhood parades, but there was very little discourse on
the importance of the parades as a source of neighborhood pride and a
bulwark of New Orleans culture.

Courageously, and in solidarity with the neighborhood, the OB7 vowed to
stage a "ReDo" of the event, along the same parade route as the original.
Following a national fundraising campaign and with the support of the
neighborhood, the second Mother's Day Parade happened on June 1, and went
off without a hitch.   

HONK! salutes the courage and commitment of the OB7 in staging a successful
ReDo Mother's Day Parade, and in inviting the club to lead this year's HONK!
parade, HONK! confirms the importance of New Orleans culture to the HONK!
movement and reaffirms the principle that the streets belong to the people.

Passersby can't help but be caught up in the HONK! vortex ... whether they
be dancing, singing, clapping, swaying, shouting, shaking. The second line
tradition works hand-in-hand with the brass band tradition of taking it to
the streets. Recently, The Guardian had this to say in their article "Why
brass bands are back in vogue," quoting snare drummer David Henzie-Skogen of
the Youngbloods Brass Band : "It's a more simple, universal thrill of
hearing 'music made via the human power of breath and hands, that one feels
in the gut,' this is music with physical heft in an era of laptop twiddling.
It would take a hard heart indeed to watch one of these troupes playing live
and not want to join the parade."
(www.theguardian.com/music/2013/sep/06/riot-jazz-brass-band).

Movement is the inevitable result of experiencing HONK!, which establishes
no boundaries between performer and spectator. As of last count, there are
25 bands coming to HONK! 2013, plus OB7, and includes several new bands, Os
Siderais from Rio De Janeiro and Perhaps Contraption from London. Most HONK!
events ... many concerts, one very large parade, some mini parades, and much
more ... will take place in the vicinity of Davis Sq. Somerville and Harvard
Sq. Cambridge and are free and open to all. Opportunities to join in at the
last minute will be abundant, including participating in the community band
that evolves on HONK! Sunday not long before the parade takes off!  

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:


"The sound originated by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band 
some 35 years ago lives on, 
especially here in the northeast as is evidenced by the 
annual Honk Fest in Somerville." 
(Troy Tyree of WCUW-FM 
introducing the Dirty Dozen at 
Newport Jazz Festival, Aug. 4, 2013)

HONKgraphic
2013 WEEKEND SCHEDULE
(keep checking in for updates at www.honkfest.org/schedule)
Friday, October 11, 3 pm-5 pm:
HONK! In The Neighborhoods
HONK! bands play for and with community and after-school groups throughout
the greater Boston area.
For information: 617-383-HONK (4665), contact at honkfest.org.

Friday, October 11, 7 pm-9 pm:
Lantern Parades
Sidewalk HONK! processions around Davis Square, Somerville, accompanied by
bike lights, paper lanterns, flashlights, and other forms of DIY lighting.
Open community lantern-making workshops from 4 pm-6 pm, held prior to the
lantern parades which start and end in Hodgkins-Curtin Park near Davis
Square.
Free and open to all; rain or shine.
For information: 617-383-HONK (4665), contact at honkfest.org.

Friday, October 11, 8:00 pm-12:45 am:
HONK! Kick-Off Concert
A free party for HONK!ers and their fans:
8:00 pm-10:00 pm: A HONK! Jam with reps from each HONK! band, conducted by
Ken Field of the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble;
10:00 pm-10:45 pm: Perhaps Contraption (London, UK);
11:00 pm-11:45 pm: Young Fellaz Brass Band (New Orleans, LA);
12:00 am-12:45 am:: Os Siderais, (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil).
Johnny D's Uptown Restaurant and Music Club, 17 Holland St., Davis Square,
Somerville, MA 02144
[Conveniently located near the Davis Square stop on the Red Line and several
MBTA bus connections.]
Free and open to all.
For information: 617-776-2004,  <http://www.johnnyds.com/> www.johnnyds.com.

Saturday, October 12, 12:00 pm-12:30 pm:
HONK! Opening Ceremonies
Held at 7 Hills Park
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.

Saturday, October 12, 12:30 pm - 9 pm:
HONK! In Davis Square: The Main Event
Free Outdoor Concerts:
Twenty-five activist street bands, current roster:
AfroBrazil, Brass Balagan, Brass Messengers, The Bread & Puppet Theater
Circus Band, Colonel Pope and the Hartford Hot Several, Detroit Party
Marching Band, Dirty Water Brass Band, DJA-Rara, EE-Environmental
Encroachment, Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band, Expandable Brass
Band, Extraordinary Rendition Band, Forward! Marching Band, Gora Gora
Orkestar, Hungry March Band, Leftist Marching Band, Minor Mishap Marching
Band, Os Siderais, Perhaps Contraption, The Riverhawk Party Band, Rude
Mechanical Orchestra, Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band,
What Cheer? Brigade, Worcester Ice Cream Social Band, and Young Fellaz Brass
Band.
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 (nearby back-up venues in case of
downpour).
For information: 617-383-HONK (4665), contact at honkfest.org.

Sunday, October 13, noon - 2 pm (11 am assembly):
HONK! Parade From Davis Square To Harvard Square
HONK! Parade to "Reclaim the Streets for Horns, Bikes and Feet":
A perambulating street spectacle featuring all the HONK! bands plus 24
community organizations, visual artists, and performers, including the Bread
& Puppet Theater, the Boston Hoop Troop, Veterans for Peace, the Tibetan
Association of Boston, the Open Air Circus, the Boston Sprockettes, and
special guests the Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club of New
Orleans, whom the parade will honor for their efforts to reduce gun violence
and support community street performance for younger generations in their
city's Seventh Ward.
Parading from Davis Square to Harvard Square's Oktoberfest celebration; the
parade assembles in Davis Square, Somerville, at 11 am, leaving Davis at 12
noon, travelling down Elm Street, then Beech Street onto Massachusetts Ave.
to Harvard Square, Cambridge, to participate in Oktoberfest. Led by the
Mayors of Somerville and Cambridge. Those wishing 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 13, 2:15 pm-6 pm:
HONK! Oktoberfest, including a HONK! All-Band Blowout Concert:
All HONK! bands will be featured in Harvard Square's Oktoberfest, after the
arrival of the HONK! Parade, with separate side show sets and an
all-afternoon all-band blowout held on the Main Stage. The participating
bands are:
AfroBrazil, Brass Balagan, Brass Messengers, The Bread & Puppet Theater
Circus Band, Colonel Pope and the Hartford Hot Several, Detroit Party
Marching Band, Dirty Water Brass Band, DJA-Rara, EE-Environmental
Encroachment, Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band, Expandable Brass
Band, Extraordinary Rendition Band, Forward! Marching Band, Gora Gora
Orkestar, Hungry March Band, Leftist Marching Band, Minor Mishap Marching
Band, Os Siderais, Perhaps Contraption, The Riverhawk Party Band, Rude
Mechanical Orchestra, Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band,
What Cheer? Brigade, Worcester Ice Cream Social Band, and Young Fellaz Brass
Band.
[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.

Events leading up to this year's HONK! weekend:

Running now through Sept. 19:
HONK! Kickstarter campaign
This year's goal of $12,000 has already been surpassed. Besides Kickstarter,
individuals are welcome to donate at any time! Information at
www.honkfest.org/help/ <http://honkfest.org/help/> .

Thursday, October 10, 7 pm:
Pre-HONK! Musical Showcase For Visiting HONK! Bands
Throughout Union Square, Somerville
For information: 617-383-HONK (4665), contact at honkfest.org.

Running now through HONK! Festival weekend, 24 hrs./day:
A Harmonious Hoopla: the Art of HONK! featuring the work of local artists
inspired by the HONK! Festival.
Area artists respond to Somerville's home-grown music festival with their
own HONK!-inspired creations including works in painting, photography,
printmaking, and sculpture.
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, email contact at honkfest.org.

Ongoing call for HONK! Volunteers*:
A HONK! Volunteer Appreciation Pep Rally was held at Sprout & co.
(www.thesprouts.org) in Somerville on Sun., Sept. 15th. Many individuals
attended this pep rally, which included a large impromptu parade through
Davis Square, led by the Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass
Band. Those who missed the rally, but are interested in participating in all
things HONK!, are encouraged to email  <mailto:volunteers at honkfest.org>
volunteers at honkfest.org. HONK! is an experience like no other! Even last
minute volunteers are welcome!

[*Incidentally, requests to host a HONK! musician (or two or ten!), will be
enthusiastically received by the HONK! Festival Committee right up until the
11th hour! Please contact housing at honkfest.org for more information.] 
HONK_WhatCheer
[HONK! photo by Leonardo March,
What Cheer? Brigade from Providence, HONK! 2012]

The HONK! Festival Committee would like to give special thanks to the
following for their support of this year's HONK! Festival [supporter updates
at www.honkfest.org/supporters]: City of Somerville, the Somerville Arts
Council, Harvard Square Business Association, Davis Square businesses, and
the local 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"
 <http://www.marycurtinproductions.com> www.marycurtinproductions.com
www.facebook.com/marycurtin
http://twitter.com/marycurtin
www.myspace.com/marycurtin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://act-ma.org/pipermail/act-ma_act-ma.org/attachments/20130918/192e3aa5/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 213816 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://act-ma.org/pipermail/act-ma_act-ma.org/attachments/20130918/192e3aa5/attachment.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 77685 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://act-ma.org/pipermail/act-ma_act-ma.org/attachments/20130918/192e3aa5/attachment-0001.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image003.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 507677 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://act-ma.org/pipermail/act-ma_act-ma.org/attachments/20130918/192e3aa5/attachment-0002.jpg>