Providence RI’s WHAT CHEER? BRIGADE is an 18-piece roving brass band that has played in trees, ferris wheels, zoos, grocery stores, bus stops, parties, farms, bars, libraries, soccer fields, cemetaries, and elementary school playgrounds since early 2005. We’ve played with Extra Action Marching Band, Lightning Bolt, Bindlestiff Family Circus, Wolf Parade, DJ Scratch, Tiny Hawks, Stick and Rag Village Orchestra, Mahi Mahi, and Hungry March Band, to name a few. Loud music doesn’t need electricity.
In 1636, Roger Williams left Salem, Massachusetts to seek religious independence and landed at what’s now Providence. According to legend, members of the Narragansett Nation greeted him with “What Cheer, Netop?” (Netop was a Narragansett word for friend, and What Cheer was an English greeting brought to New England by English settlers.) It’s like saying” ¿Que tal, man?”
The music owes its history to the spread of brass throughout the World through military conflict and colonialism. Brass sounds got mashed up with local rhythms and traditions and there was a world brass explosion; we’re part of the fallout.
I was eating socks last night, I plucked them off the washing line one by one by the sink. The yellow socks as usual tasted best. As I thumbed through the socks to make my selection they played different notes - the longer athletic socks made deep resonant sounds, while the shorter dress socks produced higher pitched tones that set my teeth on edge.
My pajamas may be too small, but they have never presented a problem. I can only tell you that the top has a bloated impression of the Powerpuff Girls stitched directly below the front pocket that I button to secure the day's coins.
Hi there What Cheer? Brigade first of all we'd like to say thanks for being our myspace pal. We wanted to make sure you knew the reason incase we suddenly vanish off of your friends list. The movement we've started for indie artists has grown significantly and consumes all of our time these days. We seldom sign into our myspace account and this is making several people believe that we are ignoring them. We are not ignoring anyone, we wanted everyone to know that. What we're doing has become so busy we just don't have the time for myspace any longer, so in all honesty we are probably going to just close our myspace account.
Many people wanted to use us in the future so if you were one of those people make sure you bookmark the link below so that in the event that we do close our myspace account you won't lose contact with us. I wish you the best of luck in your music career. Thanks again for being our myspace pal.
We have also built a pretty big music community which you are welcome to join if you want to meet new artists like yourself!
Looking forward to the next leg of the Luddite revolution. Will I bear this lingering New England frost til your sunshine bursts through once again in April? WCB, come break this winter of discontent. The beautiful blue skies of today were not enough to chase the cold away, but maybe your music will. Wish I could have heard you play I’ll Fly Away!
If some of the Brigadeers are free on Sunday, March 9th, there is a benefit concert for Bob "Bubba" Enos' family at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet.
Bob was Roomful's trumpet maestro. He passed, suddenly, in January. Come on out, beat those drums and blow your horns for Bubba. Please. Peace Through Music, ~Mari
