ABSTRACT
HONK! is a movement of activist street bands that celebrate people’s collective power through performance, whether that means playing music while folks dance together in the streets, playing music at a protest against a local or global injustice, or both at the same time. This chapter examines processes of political development and inclusion in the Rude Mechanical Orchestra (RMO), one of the most politically-motivated HONK! bands, which has spent the past 15 years using music to support grassroots struggles against injustice. The RMO strives to operate as a non-hierarchical direct democracy, and each member of the band takes leadership roles by facilitating the weekly rehearsals and meetings on a rotating basis. Band decisions, including which events to play, are made using a consensus process. The politic of generous inclusion within the band came through in participants’ explanations of feeling accepted into a community, or family, through participation in the band.
