Hungry March Band: It's Jen Emma

J.E's great great great uncle, Nikolas Langenfelt, was a famous trombonist in Prague. There's even a lithograph depicting her ancestor playing in the streets around the castle in Prague's National Museum. So you can say that trombone playing is in her blood, or at least like the story. She started tooting her horn at a young age when her mom gave her a trombone. And much to her surprise, her playing has brought her around the world. She stumbled into the HMB community when she moved to NYC and immediately fell in love with their chaos and songs. There is nothing like a live marching band, especially one with some kick.

other projects	Juliet Echo-- rock band and Jay Mankind-Singer/Songwriter
interests	music music music
HMB Stories	Afer tours and hundreds of shows later, it has become one big blur of solos, bass lines, slamming drums, and whacked-out-there-ness. Sweet

Jen Emma's HMB Web Diary

Tue, Jun 24, 2008 HMB Post-Mermaid/Merman Parade
Last Saturday was an up because we played on Coney Island's boardwalk-post mermaid parade. Earlier afternoon-we had an uptown gig (across from the Plaza) for the Make Music New York festival and the crowd was very polite and appropriately appreciated us. Then we slipped into the subway and played all the way to Coney Island-we saw a fist fight happened in the car ahead of us and we knew Mercury-yes-was in retrograde. But then it happened--PURE CROWD LOVING--when we got off the train at Coney Island (of course we were still playing) excited people cheered and hooted us onward. What a welcoming experience and the jam continued to the boardwalk till our lips hurt. Highlights of the jam: a Swing-styled Push It, some kid rappin' with us (to Blood Sugar), Sara Valentine climbing a police cart (to the officer's delight), marching w/ Rev. Billy to the water where we were baptized by the sweet twilight sky and sea as we played Blood Sugar again (Anders-wherever you are-your song rocks), and even pulling off Okkon's song with no tuba/sousaphone. It was very very nice. thank you!!

Mon, Jun 11, 2007 ALBUM is done!!
EUROPE here we come. watch out!

Wed, Dec 27, 2006 2006 highlights and stuff
Hello,

What’s up? '07 is almost here. Sweet, the New Year is always refreshing. The HMB is busy working on new tunes...we played a Christmas party last week that had us waiting in a cellar-type-of-backstage-area that was very small & cold but we still managed to pucker up and hit the party with some vigor (vinegar?). Jingle bells?!? Yes, we did play it, we are guilty, and lets not talk about it. The last year for the HMB has brought some exciting highlights: One, as you can tell from the blog pictures, is the FUSION festival in Germany, a 4 day electronica festival that had some other bands like us involved. We stayed and performed all four days and ate vegan food to our hearts content. It was fun for me to wake up and just dance whenever I felt like it. And some of the musical acts were seriously fantastic, including The BEATZ- a duo drumming group who played trip hop beats on found-object drums that they had to climb up to or jump up to hit. Pretty great musically and athletically, Dang! One of the best memories would be when we-HMB collective- all headed to the river and most of us skinny dipped. We were all very loud laughing and screaming for no real reason. It was hilarious, the water was cold, the jokes superb. Another highlight of the year was the HONK festival in Boston. Wow! The organizers, hello! Fantastic. And the bands! Amazing. It was great to meet all these people from around North America doing the same thing. Finally, Brad Will's funeral and procession was moving and I hope we helped ease people's pain a bit. I know it’s hard and it was nice for me to be part of it. I did not know him personally, but so many people I knew did and he is part of our network, the whole thing is so tragic, I hope for justice for all involved in that struggle. Finally, my hat goes off to Michelle Hardesty who left the HMB to continue with her field of study/teaching. She played that bass drum like no other and will be missed. And to everyone I have met via HMB, we will see each other in the NEW FRICKEN YEAR.

Wed, Dec 27, 2006

Wed, Jun 29, 2005 Florence, Tuscany, and the like
HI, Fianti Sprecati, the brass band from Florence is fun fun fun. The socialist squatted school in Florence is pretty great too...but too many mosquito bites for most of us.

We also played a ceramic pottery festival...yes, it was pretty happening for a pottery festival...and we got homemade food and played for all in the streets. The organizer, Maximo, said we were the highlight. Did I write about this already? Also, a man said that we made his eyes BALLS FOR TENNIS. He said this in English...so that has been a joke.

We also stopped in Pisa on our way to Genoa to get the ferry ride. the leaning tower of Pisa, which we were going to busk at but did not have enough time to do, is actually beautiful and it is behind a marvelous church made out of white and green marble...I had no idea that it was beautiful...everything else was disgustingly touristy and that vibe of Pisa carried us to Genoa...which has become famous to Americans to the anti-globalist who got shot down. Well, the WTC building does stick out in town and our getting on the ferry and meeting 4 members of the band there was a huge challenge!! due to miss connections in Paris, dropping off the rental cars, a last minute train ride from the Milan airport, the fact that two boats leave at night to Sardinia, and that we had a gig the next day where we needed all members for (Anders, the snare drummer had left two days previous so rich needed to be there!!) caused the stress level to rise.
But everything worked out in the end, everyone made the boats just in time...and it helped to wake up in paradise. It is SO BEAUTIFUL here, it is ridiculous and the people are truly lovely.

Our Sardinian manager Francesca, friends of LUCA (a HMB trumpeter who helped out with the planning since is from here) has gotten us great gigs, made posters, got us in the newspapers, set up excellent housing, and also Carlos and Francisco too, both musicians themselves, are driving us around, showing us the best beaches, just unbelievable people.

I am feeling very lucky to be in this wonderful island, its semi arid landscape, unique rock formations, and warm water beaches make me speechless.

Oh wait, and playing, we are playing music too! we played all over this little town called San Torrero, the crowd was great, the kids loved us, and we got to march in the streets, in the restaurants, and on the beach too. And only in Europe...the police requested that we played in the streets!! It was so fun last night to see the crowd clapping to our tunes...and we get to do it again.

Oh wait, did I mention in Florence, that we played in the main square right off the Uffizi gallery...late at night? Sorry it’s all blending together now, the crowds.

Ciao for now!

Sun, Jun 26, 2005 HI!
I have a few hours to get in the sight seeing in Florence. I have never been here and am a major art lover-former painter.so the beautiful works, despite the throgs of tourists (alas, so am I...) deeply resonate with me. Truly beautiful. 2 nights ago we arrived from the south and were very happy to see Sasha's connection here work out. They are in another marching band and we played together at Ponte Vecchio for about 3 hours exchanging songs with each other. There was a great trombone player, in red sweatpants, whipping the crowd up with is hard core playing. Ben Meyers did a lovely St. James solo intro and a wedding couple came by and got their picture with us...also, when we played don cosmic, a lovely couple danced to our grove and I think were a little surprised when various HMB members danced around them! Both bands, about 30 of us, then went to a restaurant and we had a late night dinner...I would say it was really lovely.
Last night, we played a ceramic pottery festival, yes, it might not sound thrilling but we hit high points, we only have 5 CDs left now. We were happy to find beer from quince's friend after playing in the hot evening. The traveling in the van & car does weigh on us though...hey, now off to busk again in Florence.
jen emma=with attitude!!