Radical Street Band Masterpost
A collection of links related to street bands around the world which, while diverse in many ways, generally share a few characteristics: Brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments; mobile; non-heirarchical; open membership; community-based; support liberatory projects by playing at protests, marches, rallies, fundraisers, as well as other events.
History and articles
And The Bands Play On: Marching For Revolution
Infernal Noise: The soundtrack for insurrection
Tom Tom Magazine #11: The Drum Core Issue
Notes from a Band Organizing Workshop at HONK! 2009
A Joyful Noise: a short overview of street bands around the world
Bands
Infernal Noise Brigade
Rude Mechanical Orchestra (NYC)
What Cheer? Brigade (Providence)
Extra Action Marching Band (San Francisco)
Caka!ak Thunder (Greensboro)
Extraordinary Rendition Band (Providence)
Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble (Montreal)
Brass Liberation Orchestra (SF/Bay Area)
Bread And Circus Puppet Band (Glover, VT)
Hungry March Band (NYC)
Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band (Somerville)
Environmental Encroachment (Chicago)
May Day Marching Band (Pittsburgh)
Forward! Marching Band (Madison)
Yes Ma’am Brass Band (Austin)
Chaotic Noise Marching Corps (Seattle)
Detroit Party Marching Band (Detroit)
Seed & Feed Marching Abominable (Atlanta)
The Brass Messengers (Minneapolis)
Original Pinettes Brass Band (New Orleans)
Minor Mishap Marching Band (Austin)
School Of Honk (Boston)
Movitas Marching Band (Seattle)
Riff Raff Radical Marching Band (Sydney + Melbourne)
The Carnival Band (Vancouver)
La Fanfare Invisible (Paris)
Le Pompier Poney Club (Marseille)
Les Vilains Chicots (Paris)
Pakava It’ (Moscow)
Titubanda (Rome)
Pink Puffers Brass Band (Rome)
Banda Roncati (Bologna)
Sheet Music
from Brass Liberation Orchestra
from Movitas Marching Band
from Riff Raff Radical Marching Band
from Le Pompier Poney Club
from School Of Honk
from Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble
and a motherlode from Rude Mechanical Orchestra
Radio Programs
The life and death of the Infernal Noise Brigade
If a song could be freedom mixtape 003: Radical Brass Bands
Marching For Change: Street Bands In The U.S.
Festivals
HONK! Fest
HONK! Fest West
HONK! Oz
Pittonkatonk
HONK! TX
HONK! Rio
Some inspirations
Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
Rhythm Activism / Norman Nawrocki
Ex Orkest
Buzzfeed’s “15 Quintessential New Orleans Brass Acts” (of course they’re missing crucial bands like New Creations Brass Band, Original Pinettes, Olympia, and Original Big Seven Social Aid and Pleasure Club) – I debated about putting some NOLA brass bands in the band list above but decided against it because it feels like a slightly different tradition and I want to respect that, even though we play with many of these bands and love them and draw so much inspiration from them. RESPECT!!!
Bonus Link
Joey Quits / worker quits his job with a marching band (feat. What Cheer? Brigade)
