An unadvertised performance in London, England, led to the “internet phenomenon” of Traffic Wardens Need Love, created about a YouTube video (filmed by friends of Rainbow George Weiss) of the Carnival Band serenading traffic wardens.
Members of the band formed a board and incorporated as a not-for-profit society under the name The Open Air Orchestra Society on December 7, 2007.
2008
In the spring of 2008, the Open Air Orchestra Society began hosting regular workshops, which were free, open to the public, and led by Vancouver-based Latin and African percussionists. The society also organized and sponsored two trips for the Carnival Band: to the first annual Honk Fest West in Seattle and to Artopia and Seafest, two festivals held in the northern coastal islands of British Columbia. A community choir, Voice Mob, and samba dance group, the Carnival Band Dancers, also became active as performance troupes under the society umbrella.
2009
The band played at two international festivals: Honk Fest West (Seattle, Washington) and Honk! (Boston, Massachusetts); and two local festivals: Gibson's Jazz Festival and Vancouver Folk Music Festival. They also hosted their 10-year birthday festival, DecaDance, which featured the Carnival Band, the Yellow Hat Band, Orkestar Slivovica and Knifey-Spoony.
2010
When Vancouver hosted the 2010 Olympics, the Carnival Band supported the Poverty Olympics, the Welcoming Committee, an event at the Vancouver Art Gallery to advocate for social and environmental justice, and the Tent City Party, where Vancouver residents drew attention to the issues of homelessness in the city. The band also performed for the Place de la Francophonie on Granville Island several times during the Olympics. At the Place de la Francophonie, they collaborated with Big Nazo from Providence, Rhode Island. They also collaborated with the Bright Lights project during the Olympics.
The band hosted a 12-hour buskathon at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Honk Fest West invited them to return to play in April.
The band also made another island tour, playing on Salt Spring Island for the first time.
Performances
The Carnival band playing at Honk Fest West, Seattle, Washington, 2014
As part of 2007上海-浦东国际音乐嘉年华 (the 2007 ShanghaiPudong 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.
In March 2008, the band participated in the first annual Honk Fest West in Seattle, Washington, a three-day convocation of alternative street bands from around the U.S., which included performances in the Ballard and Georgetown neighborhoods. The band returned to Honk Fest West in Seattle in 2009 and 2010, and to the original Honk! Festival in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Music
Songs performed by the group include originals by musical directors Ross Barrett and Tim Sars; traditional songs from Colombia, France, Suriname, Afghanistan, and Bulgaria; and American and Canadian standards.
The February 2006 issue of Spin magazine featured an 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.”
The second line is a tradition in parades organized by Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs (SAPCs) with brass band parades in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The "main line" or "first line" is the main section of the parade, or the members of the SAPC with the parading permit as well as the brass band. The second line consists of people who follow the band to enjoy the music, dance, and engage in community. The second line's style of traditional dance, in which participants dance and walk along with the SAPCs in a free-form style with parasols and handkerchiefs, is called "second-lining". It is one of the most foundationally Black American–retentive cultures in the United States. It has been called "the quintessential New Orleans art form – a jazz funeral without a body". Another significant difference from jazz funerals is that second line parades lack the slow hymns and dirges played at funerals.
The music of Saint Kitts and Nevis is known for a number of musical celebrations including Carnival. The last week in June features the St Kitts Music Festival, while the week-long Culturama on Nevis lasts from the end of July into early August.
The music of Antigua and Barbuda is largely African in character, and has only felt a limited influence from European styles due to the population of Antigua and Barbuda descending mostly from West Africans who were made slaves by Europeans.
Festál is a free series of annual ethnically-related festivals that take place on the grounds of Seattle Center in Seattle, Washington. A major cultural program of Seattle, these festivals aim to celebrate and connect the city to its varied ethnic and international community. Most festivals contain various arts performances, dances, marketplace and other programs. These have also come to be the annual gathering place for ethnic groups of the community. Both older and younger people attend, especially the dances and musical concerts.
Daniel Edward Lapp is a Canadian folk musician based in Victoria, British Columbia and Pender Island.
The Hungry March Band is an American brass band with approximately 15-20 active musicians and performers. In performance, the group's size can vary from five to fifty: from a quintet to a large corps of musicians, dancers, baton twirlers, and hula hoopers.
The Antiguan Carnival is a celebration of emancipation from slavery, held annually on the island of Antigua. It is a thirteen-day festival of colorful costumes, beauty pageants, talent shows, and music. The festival begins in late July and ends the first Tuesday in August, known as Carnival Tuesday. Both Carnival Monday and Carnival Tuesday are public holidays on the island. Antiguan Carnival replaced the Old Time Christmas Festival in 1957, with hopes of inspiring tourism in Antigua and Barbuda. Some elements of the Old Time Christmas Festival remain in the modern Carnival celebrations.
HONK!, also known as HONK! Fest, is a festival of activist street bands held annually on Indigenous Peoples' Day weekend in Somerville, Massachusetts. Each year since 2006, an all-volunteer organizing community invites more than 25 bands from around New England, North America, and the world to participate in this free three-day event that showcases acoustic and ambulatory bands playing free music in public spaces. Since its inception, it has inspired additional HONK! festivals in other locations.
Lan Tung is an erhu performer, concert producer, administrator and composer playing a dynamic role in the Canadian music community. Originally from Taiwan, she incorporates Chinese music with contemporary expressions in her works. At the same time, her strong interest in music outside her tradition has been a major drive in her artistic explorations. As the leader of the Juno Award nominated Orchid Ensemble, Tung has toured extensively in North America, working with composers, musicians, dancers, visual and media artists of various cultural backgrounds.
The Seed & Feed Marching Abominable is a street band from Atlanta, Georgia. The band is composed of volunteers from all walks of life and can range in size from ten to over one hundred performers at any given performance. Most of their music comes from songs arranged for marching bands, including Swing, Latin, Marches and some notable original pieces. Performing at home and on the road in festivals, on stages and in unexpected places, they play in support of community events and fundraisers of all kinds.
Hot Tamale Brass Band is a brass band that plays traditional New Orleans jazz, dixieland, jazz funeral and funky second line music. The band is based in the Boston area. The band has nine full-time members, sometimes performing as small as a quintet, other times performing with as many as 42 members for a Disney special event.
The Christian Brothers Band of Christian Brothers High School is the oldest high school band in America, having a continuous existence since its founding in 1872. The band was founded in the fall of 1872 by Br. Maurelian, who served as the first band director. The first recorded performance of the group was in the Memphis St. Patrick's Day Parade of 1873, and the band has performed every year since. The band has an unbroken lineage of ten band directors.
Atlanta's mild climate and plentiful trees allow for festivals and events to take place in the city year-round. One of the city's most popular events is the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, an arts and crafts festival held in Piedmont Park each spring, when the native dogwoods are in bloom. Atlanta Streets Alive, inspired by the ciclovía in Bogotá, Colombia, closes city streets to car traffic to allow people to participate in health and community-oriented, such as bicycling, strolling, skating, people-watching, tango, yoga, hula hooping, and break dancing.
Walter Blanding Jr. is an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist.
Sidney Hauser is an American saxophonist with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra.
The Extraordinary Rendition Band (ERB) is a protest marching band from Providence, Rhode Island with approximately 30 active members.
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