{"id":8789,"date":"2018-10-04T13:43:51","date_gmt":"2018-10-04T17:43:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/?p=8789"},"modified":"2018-10-07T07:45:09","modified_gmt":"2018-10-07T11:45:09","slug":"honk-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/2018\/10\/04\/honk-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Honk: Our Totally Biased Guide To This Weekend\u2019s Festival Of Activist Marching Bands"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 13th annual Honk<\/a>\u2014the infectious street party and festival of activist bands\u2014arrives in Somerville and Cambridge this weekend, featuring an international roster of more than 28 bands. The free outdoor music festival and parade is the rare Boston area cultural invention that\u2019s so amazing and successful that it\u2019s been copycatted in New York, Seattle, Providence, Austin, Detroit, Australia and Brazil.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been going to Honk for 12 years and am friends with many folks involved in the shindig. (My sweetheart illustrated the poster and T-shirts for Honk this year.) So what follows is my well-informed\/totally-biased guide to Honk\u2014including some recommended bands, a schedule and good places to hear the music and see the parade.<\/p>\n

Some initial tips: <\/strong>
\n\u2022 Come ready to dance.
\n\u2022 Part of the pleasure it exploring all the music and discovering new bands. But if you\u2019re choosey about music, try previewing the bands on YouTube.
\n\u2022 Eat local. \u201cWe don\u2019t allow any outside vendors. We drive all the business to local businesses,\u201d Honk organizer (and drummer) Reebee Garofalo told me in 2014. (The Harvard Square Oktoberfest is another story.)<\/p>\n

Pictured at top: School of Honk performing in the 2017 Honk Parade. (Greg Cook)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band leads the “Boston Women’s March,” Jan. 21, 2017. (Greg Cook)<\/p>\n

\n

Help Wonderland keep producing our great coverage of local arts, cultures and activisms (and our great festivals) by contributing to Wonderland on Patreon<\/a>. And sign up for our free, weekly newsletter<\/a> so that you don’t miss any of our reporting.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Bands:<\/h2>\n

Honk allows you to easily sample bands<\/a> hailing from S\u00e3o Paulo to Vancouver to Austin. Part of the pleasure it exploring. But here are some personal favorites:
\n\u2022 Emperor Norton\u2019s Stationary Marching Band from Somerville: A klezmer-circus-funk ensemble sporting steampunk outfits.
\n\u2022 Environmental Encroachment from Chicago: Check out their signature psychedelic critter costumes. Lots of bunny ears.
\n\u2022 New Creations Brass Band from New Orleans: Classic second-line band.
\n\u2022 Rara Bel Poze from Boston: Plays rara festival music from Haiti featuring the signature vaccine bamboo tube trumpets and drums. If you\u2019re a rara fan (and you should be) also see Plezi Rara from Brooklyn.
\n\u2022 Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band from Somerville: Members of this New Orleans-style brass band founded Honk. In addition to their hot jazz and their signature red and black attire, you\u2019ll also recognize them from the 2017 Boston Women\u2019s March, the March for Science and numerous other protests around here.
\n\u2022 Rude Mechanical Orchestra from New York: A 30-member band and dance troupe in green and black that carries activist banners and offers a fierce brass attack.
\n\u2022 Unidos do Swing from S\u00e3o Paulo: Mixes traditional jazz music with Brazilian carnival styles.
\n\u2022 What Cheer? Brigade from Providence: An 18-member punk brass band that\u2019s played with everyone from Dan Deacon to Blondie.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Expandable Brass Band from Northampton, Mass., plays in the Honk Parade, Oct. 8, 2017. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SCHEDULE<\/h1>\n

Thursday, Oct. 4<\/a>:<\/h2>\n

7 to 9:30 p.m. Six bands play live in Union Square, Somerville.
\n11 p.m. Party at Aeronaut Brewing Company, Somerville.<\/p>\n

Friday, Oct. 5:<\/h2>\n

4:30 p.m. Union United Somerville Canvassing Parade<\/a> in Union Square, Somerville. The group is aiming to make the public aware of an upcoming public hearing in which the city will consider the transfer of land in Union Square for development. Honk band Forward! Marching Band is scheduled to join them.
\n6:30 to 8 p.m. Rally and March: Stop Evictions at Dorchester Rooming House<\/a> at 6 Humphreys Place, Dorchester, Boston. Honk band Unlawful Assembly from St. Paul, Minnesota, is scheduled to take part.
\n7 p.m. Lantern Parades<\/a> from Hodgkins Park, Somerville. All are welcome to join in. Arrive early for free lantern-making workshop from 4 to 6 p.m.
\n8 to 11 p.m. K<\/a>ickoff party and tune-sharing<\/a> at Bow Market Way, Union Square,
\n8 p.m. Kickoff Showcase at Aeronaut Brewing Company, Somerville.<\/p>\n

Saturday, Oct. 6<\/h2>\n

Noon. Opening ceremony<\/a> at Seven Hills Park, Davis Square, Somerville.
\nFull schedule with map:
\n1 to 9 p.m. More than 25 bass bands from around the world play in squares and parks all around Davis Square<\/a>, Somerville.
\n1 to 5 p.m. Interactive Area<\/a> on Elm Street, Somerville. The street will be closed to cars and open for art-making and activism.<\/p>\n

Where To Watch Saturday In Davis Square:<\/h2>\n

\u2022 If you want to feel the energy of a big crowd and a big bass brand, head to the plazas at Statue Park right outside the Davis Square MBTA stop or in front of VFW Dilboy Hall.
\n\u2022 Seven Hills Park offers more of a leafy, picnic on the green vibe.
\n\u2022 For a closer, bit more intimate atmosphere see the bands in Davis Square Plaza, the pedestrian alley between Chipotle and Starbucks.
\n\u2022 If you\u2019ve got kids, the bands at Kenny Park play right next to a playground where folks can play while you listen.
\n\u2022 Note: The crowds get bigger and bigger as the day goes on.<\/p>\n

\"Bread<\/a>
Bread and Puppet Theater from Glover, Vermont, marches in the Honk Parade, Oct. 8, 2017. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sunday, Oct. 7<\/h2>\n

Noon to 2 p.m. A monumental parade<\/a> and spectacle of marching bands, activists, community groups and amazingness (like the legendary Bread and Puppet Theater and the Red Flame Hunters, the first\u2014and perhaps still the only\u2014youth-oriented Mardi Gras Indian tribe in New Orleans) marches from Davis Square, Somerville, to Harvard Square, Cambridge. Route map<\/a>.
\n2 to 6 p.m. Bands perform on stage in Harvard Square<\/a>, Cambridge, as well as nearby at Eliot Triangle, Charlie\u2019s Kitchen, and the Church Street lot.<\/p>\n

Where To Watch Sunday\u2019s Parade:<\/h2>\n

\u2022 One of the best spots to watch is the very start of the parade. Find a seat on the curb along Elm Street at Davis Square and watch as the parade comes out of Day Street and heads southeast on Elm Street. If you\u2019ve got kids, hang out at nearby playground at Kenny Park before and\/or after.
\n\u2022 Massachusetts Avenue at Beach Street just northwest of Porter Square, Cambridge. The parade seems to blossom as bands and groups emerge from the narrow, tree-lined Beech Street and turn onto the wide expanse of Mass. Ave. to head toward Porter Square.
\n\u2022 Harvard Square, Cambridge. There are big crowds here, so it can be a bit hard to see, but the street narrows, compacting the energy of the parade as it concludes just south of Harvard Square. And if you\u2019re curious who\u2019s who, announcers on the stage in Harvard Square identify all the parade participants. If you\u2019ve got kids, hang out at the nearby Kemp Playground on Cambridge Common before and\/or after.<\/p>\n

Monday, Oct. 8<\/h2>\n

When Honk ends, Pronk<\/a>, the Providence Honk Festival, begins in Rhode Island.
\n2 to 5 p.m. Bands perform on Riverside and Field Stage
\n5 p.m. Parade along South Water Street.
\n6 to 10 p.m. Bands perform along Providence riverfront near Route 95.<\/p>\n

\"New<\/a>
New York’s Rude Mechanical Orchestra plays in the Honk Parade, Oct. 8, 2017. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All The Bands:<\/h1>\n

The full list of bands<\/a> participating in the 2018 Honk fest: aNova Brazil (Somerville, MA), Artesian Rumble Arkestra (Olympia, WA), Band Land Brass Band* (Cambridge, MA), The Brass Balagan (Burlington, VT), The Bread and Puppet Circus Band (Glover, VT), The Carnival Band (Vancouver, BC), Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble (Montr\u00e9al, QC), Detroit Party Marching Band (Detroit, MI), Dirty Water Brass Band (Boston, MA), Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band (Somerville, MA), Environmental Encroachment (Chicago, IL), Extraordinary Rendition Band (Providence, RI), Forward! Marching Band (Madison, WI), Leftist Marching Band (Portsmouth, NH), Minor Mishap Marching Band (Austin, TX), Musicians Action Group (San Francisco Bay Area, CA), New Creations Brass Band (New Orleans, LA), The Party Band (Lowell, MA), Plezi Rara (Brooklyn, NY), Rara Bel Poze (Boston, MA), Red Flame Hunters (New Orleans, LA), Rise Up! Action Band (Seattle, WA), Rude Mechanical Orchestra (NYC, NY), School of HONK (Somerville, MA), Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society (Somerville, MA), Unidos do Swing (S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil), Unlawful Assembly* (Twin Cities, MN), What Cheer? Brigade (Providence, RI).<\/p>\n

\n

Help Wonderland keep producing our great coverage of local arts, cultures and activisms (and our great festivals) by contributing to Wonderland on Patreon<\/a>. And sign up for our free, weekly newsletter<\/a> so that you don’t miss any of our reporting.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\""Stop<\/a>
“Stop Playing.” The end of the Honk Parade, Oct. 8, 2017. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 13th annual Honk\u2014the infectious street party and festival of activist bands\u2014arrives in Somerville and Cambridge this weekend, featuring an international roster of more than 28 bands. The free outdoor music festival and parade is the rare Boston area cultural invention that\u2019s so amazing and successful that it\u2019s been copycatted in New York, Seattle, Providence, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3772,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[111,101,102,119],"tags":[42,51,376,26],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8789"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8789"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8867,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8789\/revisions\/8867"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}