Local street band attuned to political causes
Jean Redus, center, plays Trombone with The Hubbub Club who performed at Aubergine After Dark & Vintage Emporium in Sebastopol, Friday, July 11, 2014. (Crista Jeremiason / The Press Democrat)
If you live in Sonoma County and you get out at all, there’s a decent chance you’ve experienced the aural, visual and always joyful phenomenon that is the Hubbub Club.
An eccentric and eclectic street band of the sort director Federico Fellini might have mustered for one of his movies, this group’s brand of raucous music earns it stage time at dozens of public events each year.
From the infectious tunes culled from songbooks around the world, to the colorful, inventive attire of the musicians who play them, to the streamers and hula hoops that are part of its performance, the Hubbub Club is out to engage whoever stumbles into its path — sometimes sweeping them up in shared enthusiasm.
“Hey, I want to be part of this,” Sebastopol family physician and trombonist Jerry Eliaser remembers thinking when he saw the band play at a 2008 political rally, before he joined up himself.
“It’s amazingly fun,” said Santa Rosa Junior College student Pauline Allen, a trumpet player who, at 19, is among the band’s younger members. “The great thing about Hubbub is it brings the joy of music to everyone who plays and everyone who listens.”
Founded in the fall of 2007, the band has several dozen members, from stalwarts to alums who may come and go, depending on life circumstances. Its roster includes mostly West County residents from all walks of life — a lawyer, a real estate agent, a massage therapist, a ranch caretaker and a stay-at-home mom among them. The performers are usually clad in red and black, the band’s signature color scheme.
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