Honk! Festival Downloads

Across the country and around the world, a new type of street band is emerging. Acoustic and mobile, borrowing repertoire and inspiration from a diverse set of folk music traditions – New Orleans second line brass bands, European Klezmer, Balkan and Gypsy music, Brazilian Afro Bloc and Frevo... Learn More »

Across the country and around the world, a new type of street band is emerging. Acoustic and mobile, borrowing repertoire and inspiration from a diverse set of folk music traditions – New Orleans second line brass bands, European Klezmer, Balkan and Gypsy music, Brazilian Afro Bloc and Frevo traditions, as well as the passion and spirit of Mardi Gras and Carnivale – these “honkers” all share a commitment to several core principles.

Metaphorically speaking, they honk their horns for the same reasons motorists honk theirs: to arouse fellow travelers, to warn of danger, to celebrate milestones, and to just plain have fun.

First and foremost, they honk their horns – or beat their drums, or wave their flags – to enliven and embolden their audience. Members vary widely in age, class, ethnicity and background, and although they often wear some kind of uniform, there is also always an emphasis on individuality and a “DIY” (do-it-yourself) sensibility to their instrumentation and attire.

These bands play music that is by, for, and of “the people.” The distinction between performer and audience, just like the distinctions between different musical genres, is just one more arbitrary social boundary they aspire to overcome. Spectators often think “Hey, I could do that!” and, indeed, these bands often recruit new members right off the street.

Just as important, they honk their horns because it’s the best way they know to protest a world of violence and oppression. All of these bands are less than a decade old, born in reaction to the fatalism and indifference that has gripped the advanced industrialized democracies. In response, honkers have been providing a heartfelt musical antidote, a soundtrack for anti-war rallies, political mobilizations, pride parades and joyous reclamations of public space.

Every one of these bands has a unique sense of humor to complement their sound, as they mock and discredit the roots of hatred and injustice through the whimsical act of making music together. The result is a spectacle that is radical and subversive without being militant or sanctimonious.

As often as they honk in protest, however, they also perform to celebrate the causes and institutions they support: multicultural festivals, peace conferences, social forums, artists collectives, community gardens, children's workshops, neighborhood fundraisers, block parties, relief benefits and homeless shelters. In these cases, as in every case, the honkers’ 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.

Last October, for the first time ever, a dozen honk bands from around the country gathered in Davis Square to meet, perform and hang out together. It was a blast! So we're doing it all over again this coming Columbus Day Weekend, October 5-8, 2007. There'll be more music, more bands, and plenty more fans to help us party in the streets. Hope to see y'all there!

Honk bands are on the march, and we're getting louder every day. We are geeks and geezers, doctors and bike messengers, rank amateurs and seasoned professionals.  We are acoustic and mobile, and the streets are our stage, as we follow in the footsteps of musical liberation encompassing the entire post-colonial world:  New Orleans second line jazz bands, European klezmer, Balkan and gypsy music, Indian wedding bands, Brazilian samba bands, Afrobeat and highlife bands, American folk, funk, punk and hip hop traditions, as well as the passion and spirit of Mardi Gras and Carnival.  Like all those who turn swords into sousaphones, we aspire to breach all boundaries:  between musical genres, between classes and cultures, between performer and audience.

We don't honk for fame or fortune.  We toot our horns – or beat our drums or wave our flags – to warn fellow travelers, celebrate worthy causes, and play tribute to community milestones.  And because we've seen the numbers, and read the writing on the wall, we also honk just for the fun of it, knowing full well that tomorrow may never come.  To express our hopes for a more just and livable planet, we band together to turn the world upside down, mix it all up, and beget a passing moment when everyone is free and anything can happen. 



These 18 tracks were recorded at the final blow-out cavalcade of the first annual HONK! Festival at Davis Square in Somerville, MA, featuring tunes by:

Hungry March Band (Brooklyn)

Brass Liberation Orchestra (San Francisco)

Revolutionary Snake Ensemble (Cambridge)

Environmental Encroachment (Chicago)

What Cheer? Brigade (Providence)

The Carnival Band (Vancouver)

Black Bear Combo (Chicago)

Rude Mechanical Orchestra (Brooklyn)

Stick & Rag Village Orchestra (Jamaica Plain)

Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band (Somerville)

Proceeds from the sale of this album will be used to support "Return of HONK!" this coming October (www.honkfest.org)
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