HONK! Fest West marches into Seattle, with free fun

Orkestar Zirkonium, Tubaluba, Nu Klezmer Army, Artesian Rumble Arkestra ...

Not since the psychedelic heyday of 1960s San Francisco, with its Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Quicksilver Messenger Service, have bands with a certain countercultural kinship come up with such enticing, evocative names for themselves.

The difference is that, rather than brandishing amplified guitars, these folks are all exuberantly drum-and-brass-centric. They'll be putting that exuberance on display at "HONK! Fest West," a three-day, mostly free, indoor-outdoor festival happening this weekend in Georgetown, Gas Works Park, Fremont's Hale's Palladium and Seattle Center.

The musical inspiration behind these outfits includes New Orleans jazz, Latin rhythms, hip-hop, reggae, R&B, Balkan folk tunes, klezmer oom-pah and more (expect a heavy-metal cover tune or two). Ensembles are typically "acoustic and mobile": not much of a carbon footprint here. Some mix their music with community-activist agendas, while others are in it simply to bring good cheer and wear fabulous costumes.

A few take a distinctly surrealist approach to their art. Seattle's Nu Klezmer Army, for instance, insists it was "formed in 2010 deep within the bowels of a Siberian prison camp. Of the 137 members, only 9 escaped. ... 7 of 9 were musicians, and we made a meager living, transcribing sheet music by memory. The other two were struck by lightning. On the full moon, somewhere just outside of Bozrah, we were directed to form a Klezmer band by a burning shrubbery."

HONK! Fest West isn't just a showcase for local talent but a great way to keep tabs on brassy and bash-happy musical activities all over the country.

This year's out-of-town performers include Samba Ja and BeatCrunchers, two percussion ensembles from Eugene, Ore.; the Bolting Brassicas Marching Band from Lasqueti Island, B.C.; the Carnival Band from Vancouver, B.C.; the Young Fellaz Brass Band from New Orleans; and Environmental Encroachment from Chicago.

On the homefront, the Bucharest Drinking Team, Movitas, Titanium Sporkestra, VamoLá and others will parade their talents. Ensembles fielded by local sports teams (the Seattle Seahawks Blue Thunder Drumline and Seattle Sounders FC Soundwave Band) and schools (the Garfield High School Bulldog Drumline) are also part of the fun.

For full details, go to www.honkfestwest.com.

Michael Upchurch: mupchurch@seattletimes.com