This weekend was the annual HONK!TX festival of community street bands. Almost 30 bands participated this year. Many were from Austin, but ten other U.S. cities and two countries (Brazil and El Salvador) were represented. I was able to attend two days: Friday evening at Mueller Lake Park and Saturday afternoon at Hemphill Park. Friday’s picture-perfect weather contributed to big crowds at Mueller. After a mid-morning cold front arrived, Saturday audiences seemed a little smaller than usual. It’s hard to pick from the 19 bands that I heard, but I think my three favorites were Extraordinary Rendition Band, Big Blitz, and Minor Mishap Marching Band.
Continue reading →