Question: What brought the band together and when?
Answer: Ricci founded All-City Street Band for the New Year's Revolution 2006 show at the Nightlight Lounge. The All-City Street Band is an experiment in raising awareness and encouraging community, creativity, all-ages music and events, cultural self-sufficiency and music education. The All-City Street Band is committed to helping people of all-ages and abilities participate in the joy of creating free outdoor music in the streets of Bellingham. The All-City Street Band accepts donations of musical instruments, money, office space, practice space and volunteer music teachers.
Q: What inspires your music?
A: The belief that all people are endowed with the ability to make and appreciate music. That no person, young, old, rich or poor should be cut off in any way from the opportunity to realize creative potential as musicians and music lovers. That creating music in the outdoors — especially in an urban core — transforms the space, beautifies the environment and brings joy and wonder to all the participants.
Q: Who or what influences your band's sound?
A: Influences come from the sounds of street bands of the world, especially Express Brass Band of Germany, MarchFourth Marching Band of Portland, Ore., and several New Orleans street bands like Hot 8, Rebirth and Dirty Dozen. Inspiration also comes from experimental music and musicians including Sun Ra, Charles Mingus, Michael Griffen and Gary Evans (the high school band teacher who first encouraged Ricci to improvise).
The sound is also influenced by it's members, who are always different and comprise a spectrum of abilities, ages and instru-ments/noisemakers.
Q: Where have you toured?
A: The band is based in Bellingham and has performed for the Community Food Co-op, Downtown Renaissance Network, Allied Arts, Bellingham Farmers Market and Bellingham Roller Betties.
Q: How many albums have you released?
A: None, but we welcome audio and video tapers to our actions.
Q: Where do you see the band going in the future?
A: All-City Street Band actions are mandated first and foremost by the needs of the community as a whole. I envision a day when the All-City Street Band becomes the central hub for smaller neighborhood street bands, high school marching bands and college musicians and educators and when the band administers a musical instrument library that will accept, repair and check out musical instruments to members of the community for free and provide free lessons and tutors.
Q: What are the highs and lows in your band's history?
A: The All City Street Band's inaugural performance at The Nightlight on New Year's Eve resulted in a noise ordinance violation fine that was paid for by the street band and the Nightlight. I will continue to work to pay Matt back his half of the fine as it was not his fault that we got in trouble. This moment counts as both a high and a low as over 50 people followed us out of the club and danced and grooved down the block with us as we rang in the New Year together.
Q: You're stuck on a deserted island and forced to listen to one album for eternity. What album would you pick?
A: Ha ha, trick question! First, if I had access to any kind of technology, I would rewire it into a crude communications de-vice. Second, I don't really listen to albums. Only 45-rpm singles.
Q: What is your favorite piece of musical gear?
A: Pocket trumpet.
Q: What is your favorite drink?
A: Water, because it is simple, essential, elemental and shared by everyone. Also, it moves freely, changes forms, flows, dis-solves and promotes growth.
More info: www.westsoundrecords.com, myspace.com/allcitystreetband
Contact: allcitystreetband@gmail.com
