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Fight tyranny! Resist oppression! Join Trash Orchestra!
If you are full of rebellious insolence and music in your heart, we need you.
Fight
tyranny! Resist oppression! See the world! Join...
![]() We are a marching percussion band – a bone-shaking recycled orchestra – a superhero sonic force of resistance to be reckoned with ![]() We
make percussion on tuned cans, hubcaps and barrels, drums, pieces of
sheet metal, and homemade oddities.
If you are full of rebellious insolence and music in your heart, we need you. Bring your courage, your passion, your righteous anger, your instruments, recycled or otherwise. We
are
looking for a few more players, with both rhythm and fiery resistance
in their hearts. We have weekly practices and independently work on
improving our skills and repertoire. We see everyone in the band
becoming virtuosos of their own handmade musical creations. We appear
invited and uninvited at protests and celebrations, furors and
frackuses, we long for invites to make noise and celebration in places
across the globe. We are ambitious in our plans to conquer the world
and make it a better place full of music and dancing and resistance.
Wanna join us?
Practice
every Sunday 3-6pm - Contact for location
trash@thespoon.com
www.trashorchestra.org
831.335.3109
|
For more information:
http://trashorchestra.org
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Check out Trash Orchestra Flickr photo sets:
Building the Trash Orchestra

Tuning the beat-up roofing tar bucket instrument
Last Night DIY New Year's Parade 2006
Trash Orchestra at Last Night Parade, New Year's Eve 2006
At a City Hall protest against police spying
Playing Downtown
Playing trash down at the clocktower for a Sentinel photo-op
Obligatory idiosyncratic band photo
At Last Rights Parade, a symbolic funeral for the right to free
speech and assembly after the city's failure to restrict police spying
Canstrument
Building the Trash Orchestra

Tuning the beat-up roofing tar bucket instrument

Welding the Scrap A-Go-Gos
Last Night DIY New Year's Parade 2006
Canstrument in action
Trash Orchestra Color Guard
Trash Orchestra at Last Night DIY Santa Cruz Parade 2006
Audience participation at Last Night
Warming Up Before the Parade
Trash Orchestra Homemade Instruments
The instruments we use varies from performance to performance, depending on who is playing, what stuff we've recently come across, and pure whim of the band.
Instruments currently being used in some performances are:
![]() The Big Blue Barrel - one of those industrial plastic barrels that makes a big bass sound. (Since it doesn't have a drum skin, musically this acts more like a bell than a drum) |
![]() The Canstrument - an array of tuned industrial food cans whose sound is something between a zylophone and a steel drum |
Recycle Bin - a rectangular recycling bin (a green one from Morgan Hill) used like a rather versatile tom tom. |
![]() Brastrument - A wearable, playable brassiere of stainless steel bowls, with light-up nipples |
![]() The Beat-up Bucket - a much abused steel roofing tar bucket that makes a surprising variety of great sounds |
![]() Steel Drum - Not calypso-style, just like what it sounds like -- a drum made of steel for a loud high clack-a-tack-tack sound |
![]() Pots & Pans - Various resonant thrift-store finds |
![]() Pylophone - Made from left over metal pipes on a styrofoam bed |
![]() Wrench-o-phone - A xylophone-type instrument made from rusty wrenches found at the wrecking yard |
- The ThunderSheet - a sheet of galvanized tin. The sound is sometimes crashing cymbals, sometimes rolling thunder
- Scrap a-go-go - like a conventional a-go-go (which is sorta like a pair of cow bells) but welded from an old washer top
- Washing Machine - an old stripped-down washing machine, mounted with wheels to accompany a marching band. Provides an amazing diversity of sounds.
- The Battered Propane Tank - An empty propane tank that is played while sitting on it
- Water-filled Steel Thermos - Makes a changing tone as you strike it and move it around
- Hub Cap - Makes a high sound like a cymbal or has holes for a crrrrrrck! sound
Instruments-in-the-Making
- Additional Canstruments - enough of these and we have our own grungy gamelan
- Something like a snare - What is a marching percussion band without a snare, without a half dozen snares! What can we use? What would get that ratatatatatatatat sound?
We have periodic build days. Join us to create your own trash instrument with us. Want to be part of the Trash Orchestra, but don't have an instrument? Or are you tired of whacking away at the same old trash? Come join us for a Build Day!
For more information:
http://www.seedwiki.com/wiki/trashorchestr...
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
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