Sun. March  30

You can expect another HONK! Festival - a politically-motivated, musical march through Somerville and Cambridge Oct. 10-12, with 20 or more brass-based bands from around the country. But you can get a taste of it during their fund-raiser Sunday March 30 from 6-9 p.m. at the Dante Club in Somerville. It should have the spirit of HONK! - without all the multiple bands, but with political comic Jimmy Tingle, the Ethiogroove music of Debo Band, a screening of the DVD set "Return of HONK!" and, of course, a performance by the HONK! organizers, the Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band. At last year's festival, an NPR producer told the HONKsters it was the best event he'd experienced in Boston in a decade.

What's HONK!'s history?
Said Maury Martin, the SLSA & PS musical director: "'HONK!'began with several members of our brass band on the way back from a gig in Jamaica Plain. We had heard about a few other street bands such as ourselves in New York and in Rome, and thought how much fun it would be to get together with them sometime and compare notes, so to speak. We sent out queries and each band suggested another band, and before we knew it we had a dozen like-minded units from around the country wanting to come to Davis Square.  We had no idea how much money we could raise, but the bands felt convinced enough about the rightness of the idea that they signed up for the project anyway."Trudi Cohen, SLSA & PS drummer said: "After (2006's) first-ever HONK! Festival, a member of NYC's Hungry March Band said 'This is the future of popular music.' I have seen that Honk bands have a broad appeal, and people of wildly diverse backgrounds, ages, sensibilities, and tastes all respond to them. We Honk because we must!We honk to wake/shake things up.We honk to warn the world that there are some serious problems out there. We honk to amplify the message of people whose struggles we support. We honk to have a good time. We honk to share something as stimulating and joyous as music with our fellow honkers. And the thing which makes the festival soar is the spirit and enthusiasm of the musicians participating.  We all share an amazement and pleasure in discovering like-minded bands, formed for both musical and social-political reasons.  Who knew that so many bands exist?  None of us."
So, at this fund-raiser, saxophonist Ken Field says, they're hoping to raise money to get to a $50,000 goal, which will help offset travel, food, promotion and venue expenses. The admission is $25 or $30 day of. Tickets available at Vintaage, ETc. Joie de Vivre and Poor LIttle Rich Gril  at the website below.

3 Dante Terrace (entrance of Craigie St., between Somerville Ave & Summer St.) Somerville, www.honkfest.org/fundraiser