Leftist Marching Band and others attend unique annual festival in Somerville

For every kid who gave up a study hall to be in concert band, dragged a trombone on and off a bus in grade school, or wondered if it would ever be cool to play the clarinet, this past weekend’s Honk! Festival was for you. And everyone else, too. Centered around Davis Square in Somerville, Mass., the fifth annual weekend-long festival provides performance venues for activist street bands from around the country.

Portsmouth’s own Leftist Marching Band, founded in the spring of 2004, has been participating in the festival since its inception in 2006. The energy, variety and flair of the first Honk! still resonate for band member Eric Pearce, who counts seeing how familiar bands have progressed as one of the highlights of the festival. One such band, the What Cheer? Brigade from Providence, “are a must see,” Pearce said. “If the bad guys in the movie ‘The Road Warrior’ had a band, it would be something like them.”

Gathered in the parking lot before the start of the parade on Sunday, Oct. 10, a shirtless sousaphone player and a bearded baritone saxophonist syncopate for a wailing trumpet. Folks turned to watch and drummers nearby slowly joined in as What Cheer? warmed up. It’s all part of the camaraderie of Honk!

The event began on Friday, Oct. 8, with band performances at local non-profits. It continued through Saturday with groups performing hour-long sets at venues across the city, and culminated with a live performance on Sunday night featuring each of the bands up on stage at the historic Somerville Theatre.

Sunday’s daytime festivities included a parade beginning in Davis, shutting down Mass Ave. and ending in Harvard Square with a performance at Oktoberfest. The parade is self-described as a way to “reclaim the streets for horns, bikes and feet.” Local nonprofits and community activist groups join with the marching bands to raise awareness on a myriad of causes: homelessness, prison rights, literacy, food safety, and amnesty, to name a few. The combination of musicianship and activism motivated Leftist Marching Band member John Mayer to pick up his horn after 20 years. “It is great to see bands take the marching band form and use it to make a political statement,” he said.

Festival committee member Michael Rome watched Honk! for a few years before becoming directly involved because he simply wanted to do more to support the festival. “The most amazing thing about this is it is totally supported by the community. Musicians are housed by neighbors and fed by local restaurants and volunteers.”

And the community turns out to support the events, as well. On Sunday, the streets of Davis Square were lined with folks gathered to watch the wonders of a hula hooping troupe, a 15-foot puppet championing immigration reform, an interpretive dance version of a marching band, and a hunger-awareness organization who rolled a working grill through the streets and passed out fresh-grilled hot dogs (with mustard and ketchup, of course).

Diversity is reflected not only in causes and musical styles, but in costumes. Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band swaggered in steampunk finery. Austin, Texas’s Minor Mishap Marching Band dressed in jackets, tights and hats of yellow and black and were supported by a percussion section made up of snares, bass drums, and a blacked-out contraption featuring a washboard. One-man bands walked alongside belled Tibetan dancers. Dozens of Brazilian-style drummers jumped and shouted sporting green and blue. Anyone can (and does) jump into the parade, including a Honk! Community Band made up of hobbyists, professionals and otherwise unaffiliated musicians. The aim of the festival, Rome says, is to keep it “true to its New Orleans roots.”

The green and black Rude Mechanical Orchestra was led by a dancing drum major; the marching band equivalent of Ginger Rogers. She kept time and twirled a flag—but backwards and in heels. Pearce and Mayer both cited Honk! as a way to reconnect with old friends and to make new ones. One newcomer to the festival, they noted, was the Springville All Star Marching Band, which formed after one of its founders saw the Leftist Marching Band play in Portsmouth.

The 2010 festival is now gone, save for a faint ringing in the ear and maybe a few feathers in the streets of Davis Square. But rest assured that Honk! will be back next year, and that Portsmouth is fortunate enough to have the Leftist Marching Band to carry the spirit of Honk! for us throughout the rest of the year.