Dozens of local, regional, and even international brass bands marauding through some of Austin finest parks filled with families, students, and Austin musicians might as well be called Pied Piper Fest for its loyalty among homegrown music freaks. Totally free and unfailingly funky, it’s only weird in that it doesn’t occur in every city from here to Manitoba. Ascending ATX crew Big Wy’s Brass Band – led by Chronicle senior ad rep Jerald Corder’s son Wyatt – can already be considered HONK!TX veterans.: “Our first honk experience was in 2015, when we were still seniors in high school and played at the Snack Bar on South Congress and in Pan Am Park as well,” writes in Wyatt. “We didn’t know what we were getting into, since we had never played a festival before, let alone a hippie DIY brass band festival. It was a real culture shock to how quirky people can be.”: Brass bands, too, seeing as Big Wy’s horn blowers were soon covering Dr. Dre classic “The Next Episode” for a small throng at Saturday’s main attraction in Adams Park (out back of Spider House), where crews round robin all the grass corners.: “I love hip-hop and rap, and have always tried to integrate that influence into Big Wy’s,” explains the trumpet-bearing bandleader. “HONK!TX is really special because every band is comprised of people that are playing music just for the love of it, and all of the volunteers working it are really down-to-earth people that are happy to help. I’d say for the first-time attendee to keep an open mind and mix and mingle with some of the most wackiest and genuine people in the world.”
Sat., March 30, 11:30am
Adams Park, 201 W. 30th