The Carnival Band

Sunday, June 15th is Car Free Vancouver Day, and the Carnival Band will be out in force. From 10am to 3pm, the band will be performing nearly non-stop along Commercial Drive. Look for us on rooftops, in trees, at nomination conventions, and of course in the street. In particular, we will be performing at the Parker Street stage from 2-3pm.

Car Free Day is an annual festival which this year fills four Vancouver neighborhoods: Commercial Drive, Kitsilano, the West End, and Main Street. Without the noise, smell, and safety hazards of cars, the people of the city are able to come out and greet one another in public space with performance, healing arts, and of course vibrant commerce.

From the festival website, these events were originally established as a way to protest the Gateway, a “highway-building megaproject which would bring thousands more cars into our neighbourhoods as well as destroying Burns Bog, valuable farmland, and the wildlife of our region.” For more information see www.gatewaysucks.org

The Carnival Band is proud to support the Collingwood Days celebration once again this year. The transportation themed festival is an established event of Vancouver summer, made possible by hundreds of artists and community leaders.

The band will lead a parade from the Joyce skytrain station starting at 11am on Saturday, May 31st. A short parade set will follow. Come out and dance with us!

Against all odds, Garibaldi, a small kindergarten to Grade 3 Eastside school slated for closure in September, recently won a signal victory by convincing the Vancouver School Board to keep their school open. The Carnival Band was proud to perform in the school board chambers both before and after their decision, and to celebrate with the children of this community with a parade.

Over a six month period this small school and its surrounding community put together an innovative 60 page plus brief that COPE trustee Al Blakey described as “a remarkable and visionary educational document”.

The VSB, while offering a modified proposal that differed from the original Garibaldi submission, recognized the value of the school’s detailed submission with several NPA trustees commending the community for its persistent effort.

This Sunday, April 20th, The Carnival Band will be performing in an event celebrating the candidacy of Gregor Robertson for Mayor of Vancouver. A long-time sustainability and ethical business advocate, Gregor has worked as an organic farmer, co-founded the Ethics in Action Award winning juice company Happy Planet, and currently serves as MLA for Vancouver-Fairview. As MLA, he served as the Opposition Critic for Small Business and Co-Chair of the Caucus Climate Change Task Force, as well as putting forward two private members bills mandating clear food labeling and the regulation of carcinogens, toxic substances and genetically engineered food. The “Artists for Gregor” event hopes to raise awareness about his platform and inspire political empowerment within East Vancouver’s rich artistic community.

The evening is planned to run from 7-10pm in room 210 of the Trout Lake Community Center, and is free and open to the public. The Carnival Band will be joined by local pop act Bridge, other performance artist guests, and of course Gregor himself.

This Sunday, April 6th, the Carnival Band will bring its music to the 11th Annual Port Moody Festival of the Arts, at 2425 St. Johns Street in Port Moody. This event marks the first of the summer festival performances for the band, which is ready for the music and the sunshine.

The Open Air Orchestra Society is glad to support the Port Moody Festival of the Arts. In fact, many of the society’s values are mirrored in this event: providing opportunities for their community to work with and learn from professional performers and artists, as well as providing affordable and accessible arts experiences both ticketed and free in a diversity of venues throughout Port Moody.

To learn more about the festival, go to www.pomoartsfestival.ca. Hope to see you there!

The Grind Show is coming to the Backstage Lounge on Granville Island this Friday, March 28th. The show is an Ayden Gallery production including music by The Carnival Band, PIM, and Brasstronaut. Also in the show will be dancing by the Rococo Dance Troop and a photography exhibit by Betty Pietak.

The Carnival Band is highly charged for the event after a series of explosive performances at the HONK festival in Seattle last weekend. Bringing back the collective energy of the best alternative street bands from around the United States, the band is sure to bring the house to its feet. The event starts at 9pm, and has a $6 cover charge for non-performers.

The big weekend is finally here. This Friday, March 21st, The Carnival Band will be crossing the US border by train, bus, and automobile to attend the inaugural Honk Fest West in Seattle. The festival is a convocation of sixteen street bands from all over the United States, as well as hundreds of impromptu performers and supporters of community music.

The group will be performing three shows a night, both Friday and Saturday nights, and open jams will be happening all throughout the city. In addition, Carnival Band co-director Tim Sars will be hosting a jazz theory/improv workshop as part of the festival’s programming. Alternative community music guru Gregg Moore will also be in attendance and conducting workshops on street performance and the power of music.

On the evening of March 6th, The Carnival Band had it’s first performance at the newly remodeled Commercial Drive restaurant, Lime. Grateful for the bigger stage that the renovations afforded, the band spread out and filled the house with music from twenty performers – from trumpets and tubas to surdos and djembes, saxophones and tambourines. The band’s two full sets were well recieved, with standing-room-only in the house until the last round of encores rang out at 11:30.

Among the highlights of the night were some great solos and dancing from some of the band’s newest members, an alto sax and a trumpet player, both just out of elementary school. The Open Air Orchestra Society is grateful for this opportunity to share our music, and hopes to revisit the cozy venue another time soon.

“For the 3rd time in a row, The Carnival Band added a welcomed dose of energy and vitality to kick off our 4th annual ‘Promoting Healthy Living: A Multicultural Health Fair.’ Wearing an array of colourful costumes representing different fruit and vegetables, the band trumpeted their way leading our special guests from the Opening Ceremony, such as Mayor Sam Sullivan, into the exhibition hall.

Their diverse music style left a lasting impression on our multicultural audience and conveys the importance of joyful fun to anyone seeking to lead a healthy lifestyle.”

-Vivianne De Pass, Health Fair Coordinator