“The band could be anything,” she says. “It could be done in two months, or it could become a breeding ground for breeding new musicians and teaching them this kind of brass music.” With a shortage of music education in Providence’s public schools, Sakash says, that might be an area upon which What Cheer? would want to raise a focus.
The Brigade also wants to continue to emphasize “this kind of celebrating and performance,” and have it “be something that is valued in our society.”
“I just feel like we are losing our ability to make our own culture and to actively engage with our creativity and imaginations,” Sakash says. The band draws part of its motivation in saying to young people, “You don’t have to other people decide what to call your own culture and how you identify yourself. You can create that on your own with other people.”
And while there is certainly irreverence in the band, “It’s less about messing around with people,” she says, “and more about creating these spaces and these moments that are really joyful and spontaneous and releasing for people, for ourselves.” Having the chance to bring human-powered music to public places, delivering a sudden spectacle and releasing a burst of energy “is really what motivates us.”
To read Ian Donnis’s politics + media blog, go to thephoenix.com/notfornothing. He can be reached at idonnis@phx.com.
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