When the members of Durango Street Band – An Organized Noise Society get together to play, their sound is huge.
They are also a fun, supportive group always looking for new people to join them.
At a recent practice, 11 band members – three on percussion (with one also picking up the flute), two on saxophones, three trumpets, a clarinet and two trombones – met downtown for a two-hour run-through of songs, covering everything from “Louie Louie,” “Funkytown” and “Push It” to “Amazing Grace.” They also threw in the theme songs for “The Flintstones” and “The Munsters.”
Durango Street Band began about four years ago, said Jess Wilton, who has been with the band since December 2015. He said the band was the brainchild of Jack Tallmadge, a longtime teacher at Durango High School.
“He called me up and said, ‘Hey, we’re starting this street band and we want you to come join,” he said. “We all kind of played in other bands, that’s how Jack knew us all. He wanted to do something different. I went to the first practice and I didn’t bring any instruments, and then I was leaving and I was like, ‘Hey! I played saxophone in band 25 years ago,’ so I went to a thrift store and got a sax. It’s fun; it’s something a little bit different.”
Janet and Matt Kenna are also founding members who still play with the group – Matt on trombone and Janet on bass drum and cymbals.
Since the beginning, Durango Street Band has played in Snowdown Light Parades, Women’s Marches, a climate change march, people’s birthdays, Halloween parties and for the firefighters working the 416 Fire this past summer.
“They seemed to love it; they were honking and waving,” Janet Kenna said.
The group is always looking for new members to add to the mix: No auditions are necessary, and people of all skill levels are invited. The group said it’s not necessary to be able to read music; in fact, some members will play by ear – whatever your comfort level is – the point is to have a good time.
“We try to just mostly have fun,” Wilton said. “Anybody’s welcome to join the band.”
Member Tracy Campbell agrees.
“If they can play and have fun, even if it’s just to hit sticks for percussion, you’re welcome,” she said. “We want to be a community band.”
Campbell said she plays just about everything, but her main instrument is the flute.
“I joined just because I wanted to get together and play,” she said. “I found this band because I had come back to Durango, and I wanted to start playing again.”
She said the group is working on adding songs to their playlist so when they get a call to perform, they’re ready. She’s also interested in a larger trend, she said.
“There really is a worldwide movement of street bands. I’m just so fascinated by what’s going on with all the musicians in the world who are taking to the streets,” she said. “I think that’s kind of what we are, too.”
The performances downtown are what stand out for Candace Brendler, who played with the band soon after it started. She said her favorite performances were the Women’s March after President Donald Trump’s inauguration and the Snowdown parades.
She said getting involved with the band happened pretty fast.
“I asked if they needed a clarinet, and the next thing I knew I was attending practice in the loft above (Matt Kenna’s) garage,” she said in an email. “There was a handful of us, and I think they had a few practices before I arrived. But I was there pretty early in the scheme of the band.”
Brendler said she started playing clarinet in elementary school and had always planned to pick it up again as an adult. The band gave her the perfect chance, she said.
“I had a clarinet but I hadn’t played since fourth grade. I kept it for so long with the intention of playing it again someday, but also because it belonged to my great-grandfather (he was the commander of the Navy band),” she said. “I was terrified to play in front of people who I hardly knew, and the group was so encouraging! They were so kind cause I made some awful squeaking sounds. I was much more enthusiastic than talented.”
For Brendler, the importance of Durango Street Band is that its members make picking up an instrument for the first time or even revisiting something you haven’t played in years a fun endeavor that’s supported and encouraged by people sharing the same passion.
“The band is important on so many levels. It is a great community of kind and supportive souls,” she said. “Everyone is super encouraging. They give people an opportunity to bust out an old instrument that has been collecting dust, and also happy to support people who are newly learning an instrument that they’ve always wanted to try.”
katie@durangoherald.com
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