The Carnival Band (Canadian band)

This article is about the Canadian marching band. For the British folk group, see The Carnival Band (folk group).
The Carnival Band

The Carnival band playing at Honk Fest West, Seattle, Washington, 2014
Background information
Origin East Vancouver
Years active 1997–present

The Carnival Band is a marching band and community orchestra based in the Commercial Drive area of East Vancouver, Canada. As a frequent presence in public spaces and supporter of local social and environmental wellness organizations, The Carnival Band is a part of the Activist Street Band movement best known in the United States through the HONK! festivals.

History

The band has gone through many changes in structure and performance. With a floating membership of around 30 individuals playing sax, brass, percussion, and stringed instruments, it has appeared both as a mobile unit for parades, and as an amplified band with bass, fiddle, guitar, and banjo.

1997–1999

The band was formed in 1997 by Dan Vie. The events were local, such as Parade of the Lost Souls.

1999–2006

In 1999 tenor saxophonist Ross Barrett was hired as musical director; In 2000 entertainer/multi-instrumentalist Marcos X was brought into the group to give it more focus and develop the style and format that the band still uses to this day In 2003, the group made their first international tour, to England and Germany under the musical direction of Marcos X. Dan Vie remained artistic director and band manager until he left the group in early 2006 to prepare for the birth of his first child.

2006–2007

With Dan gone, one of the youngest members, Devon 8, soon became the general manager. She booked and handled the shows in England, Germany, France, the Basque Country, the eastern United States, and China.

A spontaneous performance in London, England, lead to the "internet phenomenon" of Traffic Wardens Need Love, created about a video on YouTube (filmed by friends of Rainbow George Weiss) of the Carnival Band serenading traffic wardens.

2007–present

After eight years in the group, both Marcos X and Devon 8 and many of the founding members including 'queen of bass' Vicki Rae left the group in the summer of 2007. Driven by a desire to return to the band's roots as a community centred group, the remaining members formed a non-profit society called the Open Air Orchestra Society to manage The Carnival Band and to promote live, original, and culturally diverse music that is accessible to musicians of all skill levels and backgrounds. Ross Barrett and his son Tim Sars are still active professionals leading many of the band's workshops and shows.

Performances

Regularly appearing at numerous peace marches, Critical Mass rides, Vancouver's Chinese New Year parades, Illuminares, and Parade of the Lost Souls, the Carnival Band has also performed at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, the Gibsons Jazz Festival, Altonale in Hamburg, Germany, the Blaydon Races and the International Street Band Festival hosted by the Tenth Avenue Band in Newcastle, with the Baybeat Streetband in Morecambe, the Vancouver Sun Run, the Vancouver Children's Festival, and many other festivals, weddings, funerals, community related events, clubs, and parties in and around British Columbia.

In October 2006, the Carnival Band traveled to Honk! Fest, in Somerville, Massachusetts, performing with groups such as the Hungry March Band and the Rude Mechanical Orchestra.

As part of 2007上海-浦东国际音乐嘉年华 (the 2007 Shanghai Pudong International Music Carnival), the Carnival Band performed during the Labour Day Golden Week, in Century Park over the first week of May, in Shanghai, China.

The summer 2007 tour through Europe included performances at Altonale in Hamburg, Germany, Haizetara, in Amorebieta-Etxano, Biscay, the Basque Country (Spain), and Le festival des fanfares de Montpellier in Montpellier, France.

In March 2008, the band participated in the first annual Honk Fest West in Seattle, Washington. The three-day convocation of alternative street bands from around the U.S. was celebrated with performances in the Ballard and Georgetown neighborhoods, as well as workshops and the exchanging of ideas regarding musicianship, performance, and cultural and political advocacy.

The Band returned to Honk Fest West in Seattle in 2009 and 2010 as well as to the original Honk! Festival in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Music

Songs performed by the group include originals by members, as well as traditionals from Colombia, France, Suriname, Afghanistan, and Bulgaria, and covers by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Ennio Morricone, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Jefferson Airplane, Luiz Bonfá, Miles Davis, and Mongo Santamaría.

Press

Coverage of the Carnival Band has appeared in the Ubyssey (http://www.ubyssey.ca/?p=7785 March 17, 2009), Vancouver Sun, the Province, the Georgia Straight, the Vancouver Courier, various small publications in and around the Lower Mainland, and the Boston Phoenix (appearing at Harvard Square Oktoberfest).

The February 2006 issue of Spin magazine featured a several page article by Caryn Ganz on the Extra Action Marching Band, noting "...now there are several artsy-oriented cities with envelope-pushing groups like them. In addition to New York's Hungry March Band, there are Portland, Oregon's March Forth [sic] Marching Band, Seattle's Infernal Noise Brigade, and the Carnival Band in Vancouver, all viewed by Extra Action as kindred spirits."

When the Carnival Band performed in Shanghai, an article in the May 2 edition of 新民晚报 (the Xinmin Evening News) about the Shanghai Pudong International Music Carnival mentioned the band's entertaining performance and colourful costumes.

Future

The band continues to gather new members, build strength as a community, support local initiatives, and have a lot of fun.

The Open Air Orchestra Society will strive to fill the city with live, original, accessible music by building on the momentum of The Carnival Band to include other bands, choirs, and performance troupes under its umbrella. These groups will mirror The Carnival Band's vision of inclusiveness, empowerment, and generosity.

See also

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