Quiet Color

by dk

Think Dr. Seuss meets Circ du Soleil. Now add about 100 of the most eclectic crowd you can possibly find between New York City and Portland, Oregon hopped up on…um…life. Throw in some stilts, acrobatics, fur vests and a dance mosh…not the first image you get when you think MARCHING BAND, but MarchFourth Marching Band last night at the Knitting Factory was that….and more.

SPACE HOLE BY MARCHFOURTH MARCHING BAND:

I stumbled upon this experience after an absolutely entrancing performance by Danica Dora (accompanied by the adorable Elijah Tucker and Mark Wixom of Drew Nix and The Elephant Army) downstairs had the audience gathered on the floor by the foot of her piano closing their eyes and shaking their heads that no voice has ever sounded so angelic. I was on my way out when the energy of the main stage called to me. To think I nearly walked out the door just goes to show…always follow the music and it will not fail you.

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The dancing was not exactly uniform…neither were their uniforms, but why should they be when every horn played like they could have been the solo act at a New Orleans Jazz Club with the likes of Louis Armstrong and drums hit with the power of an African bonfire ceremony. Playing their take on some classics like the Rocky theme song and blowing our minds with original pieces like “Nighmarica,” once the crowd let go, the dance floor was possibly the closest the knitting factory has gotten to a rave. Rave and Marching Band in the same sentence?? Maybe you’ve got to be there to understand the effect of this surrealist high-energy big band ensemble…but these guys are on ANOTHER LEVEL. Luckily they’re hitting up a couple more spots on the East coast before heading back to their home in Portland. M4MB takes the band geek out of the marching band and replaces them with sex gods in wild face paint and DIY costumes. If only they were all this way…that Thanksgiving Day Parade would be a little more interesting.