The March Fourth Marching Band
A friend of mine was hired to make a documentary about a well-to-do entrepreneur by a business partner as a birthday present. My buddy is a filmmaker, and has had a lot of experience with documentaries, so he set out getting stories from family and friends, capturing emotional moments and providing insight into the documentary's subject.
He compiled a 27 minutes long piece, which upon presentation to the client, was initially rejected. The client had envisioned a more "Ken Burns" style piece, with slow pans over static images, and a focus on old photographs, rather than interviews.
The conversation got me thinking about the idea of a biography, and I considered what I'd want my own biography to look like. Personally, I prefer a watching a combination of the two styles, but for my own biography, ideally I wouldn't be in it at all --- no photographs, and no interview with me. It'd just be people talking about me behind my back. In fact, "Behind my back" is a solid title.
Today's song is another one of a small, but potent treasure trove that I stashed away in the early days of the fix, for revealing later. Well, it's "later", and I'm breaking out my favorite song by The March Fourth Marching Band.
If you're not familiar with the group, they're a force to be reckoned with. Numbering as many as 20 members (30 if you include their dedicated dancers), this ensemble of brass and drums (and a single bassist) is an instant party. They're not your usual Marching Band, of course. They play original tunes, though some of them draw from the traditions of Eastern Europe and South American. But each composition bears the marks of the groups unique style. And they are definitely unique.
The band members dress in outlandish costumes, they use an old fire engine as their band transport (also works as a moving amplifier for parades), and they show up regularly at Burning Man. Their live show includes elaborate dance routines involving burlesque-style chair dances, fire play, and stilt walking (here with an odd marionette theme), and that's not getting into the stellar musicianship of the group.
This cut, Pilo Erect, off 2005 debut album, is still my favorite track of theirs. I adore the middle breakdown, from the inclusion of slide whistle (2:35) to the haunting vocals of Lesley Kernochan (2:50) who also wrote the song. I think this is just a fantastic piece of music, and that's why it ended up on my Best of 2005 list (in the days before the Fix existed). Enjoy it, on this groovin' humpday.
Pilo Erect - The March Fourth Marching Band
2005 - March Fourth Marching Band
Alternative Big Band
Track Length - 6:11
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