MarchFourth!: March On!

The Showbox Market was filled with the beats of these two talented groups. Seattle’s TubaLuba opened the show and laid a funky foundation for the rest of the night. Simply put – they are the band that you would want at your house party. The combination of Samantha Willis’ vocals with the band’s tight musicality resonated with the crowd, and they responded with some pretty nifty dance moves. The amount of fun that they were having on stage was evident in their effortless interaction with one another and the beaming smiles that shone on their faces.

When a set of 5 microphones comes to center stage, you know something different is about to happen. This is when Portland’s MarchFourth! entered the fray: a 20+ member, New Orleans style marching band mixed with punk, burlesque, and circus culture. While they are a talented group of musicians, I would not describe their shows as a concert, rather I would say they put on a performance. Their show begins with the group showing off their musical chops, as well as their costumes, which each member gets to choose.

Just as you get into the groove, moving to the music of their brass and percussive power, they bring out what makes their performance truly unique: their theatrical performers. Between aerial ballroom dancing, a beautiful burlesque number, neon hula-hoops being expertly manipulated, and their famous stilted maneuvers, MarchFourth! puts on a performance that is a feast for the senses.

If you have a chance to witness the power of MarchFourth!, take it. You are in for a rollicking night of revelry with a collection of musicians and performers who truly evoke genuine joy on a stage. In fact, they’ll be playing the Juan de Fuca Festival over Memorial Day weekend in Port Angeles, WA. Just watch out for the stilts when they decide to impersonate the Rockettes.