Photograph by Juliet Mansoor
Marisa Rainey all the time wished to play flute in a marching band, however her college’s competitors did not look like the appropriate match. Rainey’s mom, Megan McCloskey, then informed her concerning the Seed and Feed Marching Abominable, an all-volunteer band that attire up in kooky costumes and marches in parades, events and Atlanta Avenue Fests. Rainey, now 15, instantly felt at dwelling within the multigenerational group. “Once I joined Seed & Feed, nobody cared that I had a foul tone and could not play excessive notes,” says Rainey. “They have been completely satisfied I used to be there.”
Seed and Feed Marching Abominable, which celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this 12 months, has lengthy been a haven for Atlanta’s bizarre, bizarre and eccentric musicians. It started in December 1974, when Kelly Morris grabbed his bass drum and invited just a few musician pals to his avant-garde theater Seed and Feed. Henry Slack attended that first assembly, trombone in hand, and has been a loyal band member ever since. “I can play enjoyable and various music, and throw hostile power into the world,” he says.
Picture courtesy of Seed and Feed
The band’s signature occasion is the Inman Park Pageant Parade, the place they first carried out in 1975. “Seed and Feed is ideal as a result of we’re all loopy, pals and neighbors,” stated parade coordinator Karen Heim. The extravagantly costumed entourage, consisting of dozens of musicians and dancers, stands out in every parade. Final month, in honor of the band’s anniversary, the Inman Park Pageant appointed their parade grand marshal.
Festivals and parades are the mainstay of Seed and Feed, however you’ll be able to catch the band in any variety of wonderful locations – together with, most not too long ago, the Excessive Museum. “We performed for individuals ready to get in after which went up three flooring of the atrium,” says tenor saxophonist and musical director Alicia Cardillo. “I stood on a chair operated from floor degree.”
Such surprising live shows are solely potential as a result of greater than 250 members seem in varied configurations in the course of the band’s 50-plus gigs a 12 months. An Inman Park parade can draw as many as 150 performers, however most smaller occasions have about 30 and home events have as many as 10. Key to its longevity is the band’s flexibility to accommodate no matter members have to supply. “Now we have nice musicians, now we have mediocre musicians — we do not care,” stated band supervisor Joan Cebulski, who dances within the band. “Individuals could begin off as ‘disgusting.’ [dancers and other nonmusicians] After which be taught the tuba.”
Picture courtesy of Seed and Feed
Seed and Feed emphasizes musical creativity and neighborhood. Throughout the pandemic, they gathered for normal Zoom chats and supported struggling band members with a “fairy band mother” fund. At its core, Seed and Feed reminds everybody that life is all about enjoyable. “My highschool band director did not encourage me to wrap Christmas lights round my saxophone and put on sequins!” says baritone saxophonist Molly Brown.
Rainey, the teenage flutist, not solely thrives on Seeds and Meals, but additionally finds a house together with her mom’s band. McCloskey manages the band’s social media and dances with the musicians: “I can twirl just a little stick,” he says with fun. Largely, he bonds together with his daughter and sees her blossom. “He has an exquisite social circle in his band, which is fascinating contemplating he is 40 years youthful than most of his bandmates,” says McCloskey. “However now he has the arrogance to go down Peachtree Avenue in entrance of 70,000 individuals enjoying his flute.”
This text appeared in our Could 2024 difficulty.
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