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Extraordinary Rendition Band

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Extraordinary Rendition Band
At the Providence Lumina Festival, 2024
At the Providence Lumina Festival, 2024
Background information
OriginProvidence, Rhode Island
GenresBrass band/Marching band
Years active2009–present
Websiteextraordinaryrenditionband.com

The Extraordinary Rendition Band (ERB) is a protest marching band from Providence, Rhode Island with approximately 30 active members.

The band plays original compositions by its members as well as music of New Orleans and arrangements of music ranging from funk to cumbia and metal. The instrumentation of the band varies but includes percussion, brass, woodwinds, and instruments less commonly found in marching bands, such as accordions and washboards.[1] An activist street band, ERB frequently appears at protests in support of human and civil rights. The band states its aim is to instigate "spontaneous moments of raucous musical joy."[2]

The band functions as a collective and avoids having a leader. The band's name is a double entendre:  it refers to the versions of the songs the band plays at the same time as it intentionally draws critical attention to the practice of “extraordinary rendition,” the government-sanctioned practice of extrajudicial abduction carried out during the George W. Bush administration.[3]

Extraordinary Rendition Band regularly plays at Providence events PVDFest and PRONK;[4] the band has also participated in HONK! in Somerville, Massachusetts, HONK Ontario,[5] HONK Texas,[6] HONK Fest West (Seattle),[7] Pittonkatonk (Pittsburgh),[8] Crash Detroit,[9] Salt City HONK, and at Mardi Gras in Louisiana.

References

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  1. ^ "They're Weird and Proud: America's Quirkiest Cities". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  2. ^ "Extraordinary Rendition Band – HONK!". Retrieved 2019-10-25.
  3. ^ "News." Providence Journal (RI), 1 ed., sec. News, 21 June 2013, p. COMM_01. NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/15242143383C5CC0. Accessed 16 Oct. 2019.
  4. ^ "An Oral History: How The Honk Music Fest Began Here And Spread Around The World". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  5. ^ "HONK! ON". HONK! ON. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
  6. ^ "History". HONK!TX. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
  7. ^ Upchurch, Michael. "Marching bands, drum corps and more to rattle Seattle at Honk! Fest." Seattle Times, The (WA), Fourth ed., sec. YourThursday, 8 Apr. 2010, p. B7. NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/12EFB3A3F7B9A000. Accessed 25 Oct. 2019.
  8. ^ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA), SOONER ed., sec. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, 4 May 2017, pp. W-2. NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/1642C2B238D65AA0. Accessed 25 Oct. 2019.
  9. ^ "RUMBLINGS." Crain's Detroit Business, vol. 31, no. 28, sec. News, 13 July 2015, p. 0030. NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/156A026FEF189848. Accessed 25 Oct. 2019.