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Sepiachord: How was the band assembled? Does ENSMB have set, standard members or does it have a revolving line-up?
ENSMB: An initial core of the band was formed with friends and friends-of-friends, and that core remains unchanged; a lot more members – just as vital to the group -- have been found through open calls. We’ve all become very close-knit and invested in this project, and we've turned into quite the misfit family. For awhile, we never played two gigs in a row with the same line up, but recently we've settled into the same die hard 11 souls making up our roster, but as with everything we do, you can always expect things to be different every time you see us.
SC: When this group was started was the primary intent to create a band, or was the visual component originally as important as the music?
ENSMB: We very much started this to group to create a blend of music that we weren't hearing anywhere else, but the longer-term goal was to create a performance group that would attract a variety of performers and audience members to us. At this point, while the music and performances are separable, we prefer to think of ourselves as a full on sensory experience rather than a band and performers.
SC: You work a wide variety of musical styles into your songs. Which is more important to you: exploring established genres or creating your own idea of "circus" music?
ENSMB: We draw our influences from a wide range of musical styles, and we use them all in the service of circus, but more than offering commentary on genre, we want our music to be a unique experience for our audience. We've taken to describing what we do as circus music because it captures the spirit and approach of what we do. Stylistically, traditional circus bands drew from whatever cultures and influences the band was made up of and the circus can in contact with, so by it's very nature it was an amalgamation of form and genre. We're seeking to do a contemporary version of that same thing, drawing together diverse sounds and stlyes unifying into one exhuberant performance.
SC: How involved with your show do you want your audience to be? Do you see them as part of the act?
ENSMB: We thrive on audience participation; it wouldn’t be a show without them! Our audiences tend to, at the very lest, exude excitement and vitality, and we try to multiply and reflect that energy back to them. Our music shouldn’t just be listened to, it should be felt. ultimately, what we're interested in is creating a fully enagaging experince for the audience, who we consider to be just as itnergral to the show as everything else.
SC: What do you think your audiences take away from your performances? Do you think they're getting something special, unique?
ENSMB: We certainly hope so! It’s a rare show that people aren’t grinning and dancing, and they do seem to keep coming back. Every show is a raucous new celebration, so even our regular fans get something different with every performance
SC: Will you be attending this year's "HONK!" marching band fest?
ENSMB: Yes, we can’t wait! HONK! is an amazing experience and opportunity for us. It is so enlivening to find every inch of our neighborhood filled with the sounds of horns & revelry, and it is so critical to be part of a musical community like that. We savor the chance to play for fellow performers, new ears, and the general public at HONK!.we had intially tried to get the band together for the very first HONK!, but didn't quite make it, so we were that much more excited to make it the following. Their is so much love between all the HONK! bands, we can't help but have a fabulous time.
SC: Are your shows getting larger and more involved over time?
ENSMB: Yes, they definitely are. We still do band-only shows, but even those have grown a little more polish & variety as our song list and skill sets have grown. The band has been fortunate to make a lot of musical friends, meaning that we’ve been able to play with bands like HUMANWINE and Walter Sickert and His Army of Broken Toys, and the Juan Prophet Organization. More and more often we’re able to bring some of our performers with us to add to the show and involve the audience. We're so happy to be part of a rich music scene in Boston.
SC: How are the upcoming "Mischief in the Machine- A Circus Folktale" shows different than other events you've done?
ENSMB: “Mischief in the Machine” is the biggest thing we’ve done yet; it combines our original music and talented circus performers with an aesthetic and plot. We’ve got a whole world imagined, and an ensmble of actors, poets, and dancers to help bring that world to life for our audience. This is our first time working with sets, lights, sound, and costumes to build a landscape, and we hope that this development will lead us to even bigger & better things from us in the future!
SC: What is the ultimate goal for Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band?
ENSMB: Our ultimate goal – aside from the desire to promote the legend of Emperor Norton – is to sow the seeds of merriment and mayhem in every audience member, inviting each one of them to join in the show of life.
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For more information:
Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band::
http://www.ensmb.com/
http://www.myspace.com/ensmb
An article of Mischief in the Machine by Walter Sickert:
http://www.sepiachord.com/mischief.htm
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