NOISE: The What Cheer?ers in action. |
In case you’ve missed it, it’s all the rage. No, I’m not talkin’ about the return of Buddy. I mean punk marching bands: stomping, heavily populated, screamingly loud, positively thumping brass bands for punk rockers. The sound of our own What Cheer? Brigade falls in the cavernous area between the loose big bands of Dizzy Gillespie and classic horn-filled ska minus all the upstroke guitars. There’s some Cuban sizzle in there too, in the soaring vibes of that superb trumpeting. And did I mention an Eastern European/North African influence?
There’s something about all that hot air flying through all that brass that whips the excitement up really fast. And the great part about the act is that they’re versatile enough to play sweaty clubs, wholesome community parades, and grade school classrooms alike. They were recently awarded an arts grant to perform a recess tour at Rhode Island elementary schools. No one’s immune to the excitement the blaring horns of What Cheer? brings.
WCB has been around for two years. They boast a lineup of 18 musicians, ranging in age from 21 to over 40. “Our fans are even more diverse,” says member Paul McCarthy, “since we appeal to small children and old folks, art school students and immigrant workers.” Their show this week at AS220 is to celebrate the two-year anniversary and launch a fundraising campaign to get the whole gang on a tour of Europe in August. All 18 will be playing in Hamburg, Berlin, Rostock, Prague, Budapest, and the world-famous “Guca” Balkan brass festival near Belgrade, Serbia.
The band is also selling raffle tickets for a chance at winning . . . the band! Yes, that’s right. You can have the WCB at your very own event. “The more bizarre, the better,” says the band on its website. “Report card day, bris, funeral, follow you around while you walk to classes, bust in on lunch at your office, spring out from behind a street corner to ambush your friend, wake up your roommates in the middle of the night, etc.” The winning ticket will be drawn at the end of the night on May 11. The AS220 show also features the incredible nine-piece Balkan brass band Slavic Soul Party! (see “8 Days a Week” on page 3) and the 15-piece Ethiopian-via-Boston Debo Band. Hell, the musicians alone — 42 by my count — will singlehandedly fill up AS220.
What Cheer? Brigade + Slavic Soul Party! + The Debo Band | May 11 | AS220, 115 Empire St, Providence | 401.831.9327
