'Laissez Les Bons Temps Roules' Daniel Island!

Black Tie Musci Academy's Brouhaha Marching Band to 'Let the Good Times Roll' on Daniel Island this Mardi Gras
Brouhaha defined - noisy and overexcited reaction or response to something.

This coming week the world will celebrate the annual week of madness, marching and music known as Mardi Gras, and this year for the first time ever Daniel Island will be marching alongside the rest of the revelers. Thanks to the folks at the Black Tie Music Academy and a few key sponsors, Daniel Island will be home to our own Mardi Gras celebration and parade headlined by the V-Tones band along with the Academy’s own “Brouhaha Marching Band.”

The Brouhaha Marching Band is an informal outfit of face-painted, kazoo toting youngsters and adults who, for the last few months have been practicing every Friday under the tutelage of Black Tie co-owners Kris Manning and Braeden Kershner. The group is free to join, open to everyone, features musicians of all experience and skill levels and in the spirit of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras marching band tradition, favors flair and fun over all else. For band founder Manning, the marching band is all about allowing Daniel Island to express itself.

“Right now, it’s very challenging for folks to express themselves,” begins Manning. “We want to make sure both the kids and their parents are immersed in both music and art. When they walk in the door for the thirty minutes they are here or the hour they are here they just let it all go, and it’s awesome.”

The base beats and melodies to be served up by the marching band will be played by Black Tie instructors, including Manning, Kershner, and Arnold Gottlieb, with each additional member adding whatever they want to the group on top of that. Some play kazoos, some spoons, some drums, and some band members don’t play at all, choosing instead to add to the group by marching in costume, tap shoes or with a puppet. The collective effect is as Manning calls it, “expression in organized chaos.”

“A lot of folks can’t conceptualize what the heck this is but when they see it they say ‘ah, ok, I want to bang a drum or I want to show up on roller skates wearing a football helmet and playing a kazoo,’” continues Manning. “I just want them to know ‘you can do whatever you want, you can feel any way you want.’”

For Manning, the creative outlet that the Brouhaha Marching Band offers was born of the need for some unhinged, yet good, clean fun on Daniel Island. And she wasn’t the only one who felt that way. When Manning began approaching the community to pitch the event to potential sponsors, she was met with open minds and financial support. Sponsors who’ve signed up to support the event include the Daniel Island Community Fund, Peace, Love and Hip Hop, and The Daniel Island News.

“I went to the POA (Daniel Island Property Owners’ Association), and said ‘hey nothing’s going on for Mardi Gras on the island can we do a big thing?’” says Manning. “I explained to them what we’re trying to do, which is have people express themselves, have a really good time, and kick off the Brouhaha Marching Band, because this is something that’s going to survive after this event so this is just introducing it to the community.”

“We thought, let’s do something here, because Daniel Island, there are fun people here. You don’t see them running up and down the streets yet, but you will,” she continues.

The Mardi Gras parade and celebration will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the evening on “Fat” Tuesday, February 28, at the Guggenheim Park on Daniel Island. The event will kick off with a sidewalk parade from the Brouhaha Marching Band and continue on with a party in the park headlined by the V-Tones. The event is free to the public, and food and drink specials from area restaurants will be available.

The Black Tie Music Academy’s Daniel Island location is located at Seven Farms Drive, #305. For more information on the Academy or the Brouhaha Marching Band log on to the organization’s website at www.blacktiemusicacademy.com or contact Kris Manning directly by phone at (860) 305-7975 or by email at kris@blacktiemusicacademy.com.

Free Mardi Gras Celebration

Time & Place: 6-9 pm, Tuesday, February 28 at Guggenheim Plaza on Daniel Island outside of Agaves Cantina. The Black Tie Music Academy is celebrating Fat Tuesday with a fantabulous Mardi Gras Celebration. Be a part of the sidewalk parade and party in the park hosted by the V Tones band of Charleston. Enjoy food and drink specials offered by area restaurants that coincide with the event!

Schedule of Events:

5 pm - Meet up at Black Tie Music Academy. Get face painted and find your spot in the parade line-up. Address: 162 Seven Farms Drive, Suite 305, Daniel Island, SC!

6 pm - Parade Kicks Off and marches to Guggenheim Park. This is an easy low impact sidewalk march that lasts about 10-15 minutes.

6:30 pm - The BTMA Adult Jam Band takes the stage. Fifteen impressive local adults whose day jobs include attorney, fitness scientist, marketing guru, doctor, insurance sales, business executive, mother, father and IT professional rock and roll the rafters!

7:15 pm - The V Tones of Charleston delight your senses as Charleston’s only ukulele hot club jug, vaudeville, ragtime, neo-retro-post-postmodern, beachfront quasi-primitive anachronistic revolutionary anti-inflammatory mass catharsis jazz, freak out and philharmonic group therapy session band.

WHAT kind of fun will there be? Stilt walker, light spinners, photo booth, face painting, henna tattoos, puppeteers and more street performers. The goal is to have a few hours of good clean fun for all ages while expressing your individuality.

WHAT should you do? Dress up! Wear a costume, get decked out in your favorite tutu and cape, put lights on your football helmet, don some butterfly wings, polish off that old tuba … whatever way you want to express yourself, in a fun family friendly way, goes!

The Brouhaha Marching Band is sponsored by Black Tie Music Academy, Peace Love Hip Hop, The Daniel Island News, and The Daniel Island Community Fund.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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