By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Saturday, August 27th, Circo Voador in Lapa will be filled with the sounds of booming brass and thundering percussion as the venue hosts the Grande Batalha Épica de Fanfarras (The Great, Epic Battle of Fanfares).
Taking place in support of the upcoming second edition of the Honk! Rio international brass band festival, scheduled for later this year on November 24th through November 28th, the Grande Batalha Épica de Fanfarras event on the 27th will feature live performances by five groups: Os Siderais, Fanfarra Black Clube, Damas de Ferro, Ataque Brasil, and Bloco das Tubas. Additionally, DJ Flávio Cesar will spin during the event.
Celebrating the best of neo-fanfare music, brass bands, and street performances combined with social activism, the Honk! festival originated in Boston, Massachusetts. To produce Honk!, the festival relied and continues to rely on local musicians and participants to organize each edition.
Musicians and music lovers around the world helped to grow the event into an international festival. Editions have taken place across the United States in New York; Providence, Rhode Island; Austin, Texas; and internationally in Australia, among other locations.
Rio de Janeiro’s edition of the event, the Honk! Rio festival made its debut in the city last year, thanks in part to musician Juliano Pires, a member of the groups Orquestra Voadora and Os Siderais.
The Honk! Rio festival featured over twenty brass bands, blocos, groups, and international acts with over three hundred musicians combined, performing live for free in various locations throughout the city.
The group, Os Siderais participated in the debut of the festival and will perform as part of the Grande Batalha Épica de Fanfarras. Formed in 2011, the group is internationally known for their blending of Brazilian rhythms, rock, jazz, afrobeat, and punk. They performed as part of Honk! in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States in 2013 and in the New York edition of the festival that year.
Also performing as part of the Grande Batalha Épica de Fanfarras will be the bloco Fanfarra Black Clube; the group Damas de Ferro (Ladies of Iron), which is composed of thirteen women who play MPB, rock, jazz, and more; the group Ataque Brasil, which known for its “tupinopunk sambagroovística” and also consists of thirteen members; and Bloco das Tubas, a new Carnival blocos already known to impress the crowds.
For additional information, see the Grande Batalha Épica de Fanfarras event page and the Honk! Rio Facebook page.
What: Grande Batalha Épica de Fanfarras
When: Saturday, August 27th, 10PM
Where: Circo Voador, Rua dos Arcos s/n – Lapa
Entrance: R$30 – R$100