Our Mission
Whose Music? Our Music!
We believe that music has the power to create positive change. We work and play to build community and share our love of music with each other and our audiences. Celebrating the heritage and joy of brass, drum, marching, and roving band shows and their rich, diverse history of styles, influences, cultures, and purposes, we strive to play songs that celebrate those histories, all the while having a great time playing together and with our audience. We work consistently to increase our musical range and to include underrepresented styles in our repertoire, and to perform all tunes in a way that reflects and celebrates the communities from which they originate.
Social Justice
ERB is committed to social justice and deeply engaged in building a strong, inclusive, and joyous community. We play at events ranging from massive political demonstrations to small neighborhood parades, from citywide street festivals to local school celebrations. It is our belief that music brings energy, strength, and healing to struggles for collective liberation, and we challenge inequality, domination, and oppression. We play free, guerrilla-style, and in the streets whenever possible and try to uplift our community and make the experience of saving the world a bit more fun… and weird.
We are a street band from
Providence, Rhode Island.
ERB’s Value statement
We welcome musicians from all backgrounds and all levels of ability to join us.
We play in support of select causes and events in an attempt to draw community attention to them.
We help each other to grow in musicianship.
We play free, guerrilla style and in the streets whenever possible and try to uplift everyone within earshot.
We believe that the power of music may be more effective and powerful than weapons, arguments or war.
We build community and share our love of music with each other and with our audiences.
We interrupt your regularly-scheduled life with spontaneous moments of raucous musical joy.
We encourage musical expression by playing with, and for, people of all levels of musical experience.
We contribute to making the experience of saving the world a bit more fun and weird.
We believe that any note is better than no note.
We celebrate the heritage and joy of marching/roving band shows and their rich, diverse history.
We hold each other to a standard of reliability regarding attendance at practices and shows.
We operate as a democracy, sharing responsibilities and decisions.
We value silliness, gratuitous antics and pure fun for its own sake as much as (if not more than) musical skill.