User:MikeAntares/HONK! festivals

HONK! festivalsare a series of music festivals held in various cities worldwide, primarily in North America. Inspired by the original HONK! festival in Somerville, Massachusetts, these festivals feature ambulatory, acoustic bands playing free music in public spaces. The bands are diverse by nature and include samba lines, klezmer groups, second-line inspired brass, community brass bands, balkan groups and eclectic self-defined styles.

Description

HONK! festivals have so far have been staged in Somerville, Massachusetts; Seattle, Washington; Austin, Texas; Providence, Rhode Island, New York City, New York, and Detroit, Michigan. HONK! Oz will have its inaugural debut January 9th-11th, 2015, in Wollongong, New South Wales.

At present, each festival is locally organized via committee, and there is no central HONK! authority. However, the festivals share common features: the bands are drawn from both the local and global musical communities; the bands play for free, though may receive a modest travel stipend; the bands are housed and fed by local volunteers; at least some of the performances must be free to the public; and each festival has at least one freely-accessible parade performance featuring multiple bands. Additionally, the festivals are volunteer-run and receive a majority of their budget through arts and community grants, crowdsourced funding, and local business sponsors.

Each HONK! invites between ten and thirty bands (sometimes more), who agree to play multiple ambulatory and acoustic sets in private and public spaces over the course of two days or more. In previous festivals, performance venues have included parks, plazas, schools, theaters, three days. Though many of these performances are free to attend, some HONK! festivals have used specific shows to raise additional funds by charging admission. The festivals are volunteer-run and get support from local sponsors.

The bands invited to play at HONK! share common characteristics. They use instruments that can be simultaneously carried and played, and utilize little or no electronic amplification. As a result, the bands can walk and play at the same time. There is no generally agreed-upon label for this type of band; labels in use include "street band," "activist" or "radical marching band," and "community street band."

Dead Music Capital Band playing at the Honk! festival in Austin, TX. 2013

Although many of the bands that play at HONK! have the phrase "marching band" in their names, they bear only superficial resemblance to a traditional marching band. Traditional marching band characteristics derive from their military history: they tend to feature regimented, synchronized movement and matching uniforms, and play music that has been composed and arranged in advance, with the goal of presenting the band as a cohesive unit without any differentiation between individual members. Band members are typically drawn from and affiliated with some larger organization, such as a school or military unit.

A HONK!-style band, on the other hand, often encourages the individuality of its members through self-expression. Attire may be thematic by matching uniforms, or by specific colors or styles, with individual members free to implement that theme in a manner of their own choosing; similarly, its music may offer more chances for improvisation. Many HONK! bands incorporate traditional marching band instrumentation, sometimes augmented with other instruments or vocalists; others use instrumentation drawn from non-Western music traditions, such as those of a Brazilian samba school. HONK! bands also display a wide range of political (or apolitical) organizational systems. Some exist for a specific purpose and perform primarily at activist events, for instance, but they are typically autonomous entities not affiliated with another organization.

History of HONK!

The longest-running HONK! has taken place in Somerville, Massachusetts' Davis Square neighbourhood every October since 2006. It was begun by a committee of members from a Somerville activist band, The Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band, who saw the need for a gathering of like-minded souls interested in applying the joy of music to the work of promoting peace, social justice, and civic engagement. Since 2007, it has included a parade titled "Reclaim the Streets for Horns, Bikes and Feet!" The parade features the bands along with other non-musician participants, including puppeteers and visual artists such as the Bread & Puppet Theater and organizations that promote transportation alternatives and environmental and social justice, such as Bikes Not Bombs.

Brooklyn HONK! a/k/a BONK!

(the following is cut directly from http://greatsmallworks.blogspot.com/2011/10/bonk-brooklyns-honk-festival.html) BONK! THE 2011 Brooklyn HONK! Festival is a NYC follow up to the annual HONK! Festival held in Somerville, MA. Celebrating the spirit and artistry of d.i.y. brass band culture, BONK! embraces a street-smart interpretation of global brass music by musicians across north America and Europe. Like its older sibling, HONK!, BONK! places emphasis on community building, inclusivity, and the participatory making of music and merriment.

HONK! Fest West

Starting in 2008, HonkFest West (also known as Honk! Fest West) has been held every spring in Seattle. In its second year, HonkFest West 2009 took place in several locales around Seattle: Friday night in Ballard, Saturday night in Georgetown, Sunday daytime at Gas Works Park and Sunday evening at The Vera Project. HonkFest West 2010 took place Friday night in Fremont, Saturday afternoon in the Central District, Saturday night in Georgetown, and Sunday afternoon at the Alaska Junction in West Seattle.

HONK!TX

HONK!TX has been held in Austin every March starting in 2011. The 2011 festival took place on East Sixth Street on Friday, in the North University neighborhood on Saturday, and, following a march through the center of Austin, in Pan-Am Park on Sunday. Subsequent years have used South Congress instead of East Sixth.

Future HONK!s

Currently, active discussions and early-stage planning exists for HONK! festivals in the American Midwest, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Rio De Janiero, Brazil.

Locations and Dates

Providence HONK! Fest a/k/a PRONK!: Providence Rhode Island,

External links

• HONK! homepage
• HonkFest West homepage
• HONK!TX homepage
• PRONK! Providence Honk Festival homepage
• HONK NYC! homepage
• HONK! Oz homepage
• Crash Detroit homepage

Category:Music festivals in the United States Category:Festivals in Massachusetts Category:Festivals in New York City, New York Category:Festivals in Providence, Rhode Island Category:Festivals in Seattle Category:Festivals in Austin, Texas Category:Festivals in Detroit, Michigan Category:Music festivals in Australia Category:Festivals in Sydney, New South Wales Category:Folk music festivals