Showing posts with label marching bands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marching bands. Show all posts
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Day Five: Ballard Takeover
Sunday morning, marching bands took to the streets for a takeover of Ballard. A march and rally down to the Farmer's Market, followed by a takeover of a public square in Ballard.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Day Four: The Night of Flaming Taiko
A night of more performance insanity. Three more performances in three different venues in Georgetown, south of Seattle. Punched in the gut by a phenomenal performance by the bone-shaking Weapons of Marching Destruction. Played with Hungry March Band and a remarkable set with Eugene's Samba Ja. Picture Jake from Samba Ja rapping in Portuguese to an extended crazy breakdown version of our Ragga.
Afterward, an after-party in the street with a dozen bands playing to a hundred dancers taking over the street. Police start showing up, at least a dozen cars, dropping flares, blocking streets, disco party police car flashers.
An overheard surreal conversation:
Officer: You have to move out of the street.
Drummer: We're having fun!
Officer: You're blocking traffic.
Drummer: What do you mean? (pointing at a dozen police cars and line of flares) You're blocking the traffic!
Officer: Come on now, this is silly.
Drummer: Silly? This (gesturing) is beautiful!
The officers walk away perplexed, shaking their heads.
And after the after-party, an after-after-party at a remote apocalyptic industrial area, a deafening drum jam, and Trash Orchestra plays flaming taiko.
What do you mean silly?! This is beautiful!
Afterward, an after-party in the street with a dozen bands playing to a hundred dancers taking over the street. Police start showing up, at least a dozen cars, dropping flares, blocking streets, disco party police car flashers.
An overheard surreal conversation:
Officer: You have to move out of the street.
Drummer: We're having fun!
Officer: You're blocking traffic.
Drummer: What do you mean? (pointing at a dozen police cars and line of flares) You're blocking the traffic!
Officer: Come on now, this is silly.
Drummer: Silly? This (gesturing) is beautiful!
The officers walk away perplexed, shaking their heads.
And after the after-party, an after-after-party at a remote apocalyptic industrial area, a deafening drum jam, and Trash Orchestra plays flaming taiko.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Day Three: Ballard Street Band Insanity
We arrive just in time for dinner and meeting an assload of people from dozens of bands from as far away as Chicago and New York. Legendary bands, obscure bands, bands we've never heard of, bands we've known forever, bands who's every song we collect and trade, and bands who've never recorded a note.
And everyone is fabulously friendly and welcoming, and everyone's heard of us, making us feel like rock stars and like maybe our ability to sell ourselves exceeds our ability to make music.
We try something different and instead of spending an hour with the whole band choosing a set list for a 45 minute set, we divvy our three sets up and work on them in pairs. A brilliant move as we'd all come to the conclusion in Portland that long, tiring meeting are uh, long and tiring.
We're playing first at the New York Fashion Academy in Ballard, a place we're convinced is actually a hip name for a bar, but turns out is exactly what it sounds like. Because we're convinced it's a bar, we don't bring any booze which we regret. Later we're playing at Mr. Spots Chai House, which turns out to be the venue of the evening.
We played our set early in the evening out in the street and it feels like a warm-up set for us, not quite on yet, but alright. Then inside for an awesome set in which I don't even remember what we played, but it was good.
Then an amazing set with the Hungry March Band in which they push us forward for little solos. At one point in the jam, they're pointing at our base drummers who are playing quieter and quieter convinced they are fucking something up, before they realize via boots in the ass that they are being pushed into the center for a solo. Each of us takes a crazy little moment of the spotlight and we all keep it going and we're kinda flushed and woozy from the rhythm and the attention.
Then up to Mr. Spots Chai House for a remarkable set in which we brought down the house with our impromptu improv craziness made-up-on-the-spot Song X.
Crazy motha fuckin time.
And everyone is fabulously friendly and welcoming, and everyone's heard of us, making us feel like rock stars and like maybe our ability to sell ourselves exceeds our ability to make music.
We try something different and instead of spending an hour with the whole band choosing a set list for a 45 minute set, we divvy our three sets up and work on them in pairs. A brilliant move as we'd all come to the conclusion in Portland that long, tiring meeting are uh, long and tiring.We're playing first at the New York Fashion Academy in Ballard, a place we're convinced is actually a hip name for a bar, but turns out is exactly what it sounds like. Because we're convinced it's a bar, we don't bring any booze which we regret. Later we're playing at Mr. Spots Chai House, which turns out to be the venue of the evening.
Hungry March is pointing at our drummers who are playing quieter and quieter convinced they are fucking something up, before they realize via boots in the ass that they are being pushed into the center for a solo
We played our set early in the evening out in the street and it feels like a warm-up set for us, not quite on yet, but alright. Then inside for an awesome set in which I don't even remember what we played, but it was good.Then an amazing set with the Hungry March Band in which they push us forward for little solos. At one point in the jam, they're pointing at our base drummers who are playing quieter and quieter convinced they are fucking something up, before they realize via boots in the ass that they are being pushed into the center for a solo. Each of us takes a crazy little moment of the spotlight and we all keep it going and we're kinda flushed and woozy from the rhythm and the attention.
Then up to Mr. Spots Chai House for a remarkable set in which we brought down the house with our impromptu improv craziness made-up-on-the-spot Song X.
Crazy motha fuckin time.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Brass Liberation Orchestra and Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-In
This Friday, we'll be joined by Oakland's amazing Brass Liberation Orchestra and Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-In for a fundraiser in support of Trash Orchestra's west coast tour -- including an anti-war march in Portland, performances in Eugene, and a gathering of radical street bands in Seattle. I hope you'll join us for an exciting evening.
Please join us for a Trash Orchestra Benefit in preparation for our tour to Seattle's Honk Fest West. Performances by Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra and the East Bay's amazing Brass Liberation Orchestra. With the help of Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-In, we'll be showing the film Honk You Very Much -- a documentary about radical street bands -- and Auto Re-Vision -- a short doc about a handful of kids sealed in a room, who convert an automobile into an array of musical instruments. Also joining us: the Hoopalites and Lighthouse Fire Dancers.
Getting together two ear-shattering marching bands in one place for one night is just our way of promoting hearing loss within our community. See you on March 7th.
Please join us for a Trash Orchestra Benefit in preparation for our tour to Seattle's Honk Fest West. Performances by Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra and the East Bay's amazing Brass Liberation Orchestra. With the help of Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-In, we'll be showing the film Honk You Very Much -- a documentary about radical street bands -- and Auto Re-Vision -- a short doc about a handful of kids sealed in a room, who convert an automobile into an array of musical instruments. Also joining us: the Hoopalites and Lighthouse Fire Dancers.
Trash Orchestra Benefit
Friday March 7th at 7:00pm
at the Pacific Cultural Center
Seabright & Broadway
$10-20 sliding scale
Friday March 7th at 7:00pm
at the Pacific Cultural Center
Seabright & Broadway
$10-20 sliding scale
Getting together two ear-shattering marching bands in one place for one night is just our way of promoting hearing loss within our community. See you on March 7th.
 Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra |  Brass Liberation Orchestra |  Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-In |
Friday, February 22, 2008
Trash Orchestra Benefit
We've been working to put together a Trash Orchestra fundraiser in preparation for our tour to Seattle's Honk Fest West. I hope you'll join us for an exciting evening.
A Benefit for
Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra
7pm Fri March 7th
Pacific Cultural Center
Seabright & Broadway
Our fundraiser in preparation for our tour to Seattle's Honk Fest West, which we estimate will cost us a thousand dollars. We'll be joined by other amazing bands. With the help of Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-In, we'll be showing a film Honk You Very Much -- a documentary about radical street bands -- and the film Auto Re-Vision -- a short doc about a handful of kids sealed in a room, who convert an automobile into an array of musical instruments. $10-20 sliding scale
We estimate the trip to Seattle will cost the band about a thousand dollars. Would you be willing to kick-in $100 to help with the journey? Trash Orchestra is a grassroots shoestring endeavor. Your cash will help fight tyranny.
If you value spirited community rebellion, please shower us with modest sums.
Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra is a community project, a radical marching band who's instruments are composed solely of trash. A bunch of rank musical amateurs who get together to create a veritable recycled symphony.
More information, music, upcoming performances, video, and photos can be found at our website at http://trashorchestra.org
Thanks for considering helping us.
Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra
A Benefit forSanta Cruz Trash Orchestra
7pm Fri March 7th
Pacific Cultural Center
Seabright & Broadway
Our fundraiser in preparation for our tour to Seattle's Honk Fest West, which we estimate will cost us a thousand dollars. We'll be joined by other amazing bands. With the help of Santa Cruz Guerilla Drive-In, we'll be showing a film Honk You Very Much -- a documentary about radical street bands -- and the film Auto Re-Vision -- a short doc about a handful of kids sealed in a room, who convert an automobile into an array of musical instruments. $10-20 sliding scale
We estimate the trip to Seattle will cost the band about a thousand dollars. Would you be willing to kick-in $100 to help with the journey? Trash Orchestra is a grassroots shoestring endeavor. Your cash will help fight tyranny.
If you value spirited community rebellion, please shower us with modest sums.
Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra is a community project, a radical marching band who's instruments are composed solely of trash. A bunch of rank musical amateurs who get together to create a veritable recycled symphony.
More information, music, upcoming performances, video, and photos can be found at our website at http://trashorchestra.org
Thanks for considering helping us.
Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra
Friday, September 14, 2007
West Oakland Night of the Band Fags
Motha fucka! What a rockin fun time we had at the big radical marching band hoohaw in Oakland. Thanks a ton to the Loyd Family Players, Brass Liberation Orchestra, and March Fourth. We danced our asses off, blew our eardrums out, and schmoozed the night away.We went up there on a Trash Orchestra field trip. We were talking for hours and hours about shit we saw, shit we heard, shit we learned, people we met.
We loved the all-drum bone rattling sound of the Loyd Family. Loved the dynamic and many-flavored rotating band leader action of BLO. Dug the fancy pants showmanship of March Forth and were envious of their drum carriers crafted from recycled bicycle parts.
We won't be content until we've slept with each and every one of the members of all those bands.
 The Loyd Family Players |  Brass Liberation Orchestra |  March Fourth |
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