Downtown Northampton was a little noisier than normal this summer. While it's not uncommon to see lone musicians playing on the city streets during the warmer months, it is a strange occurrence to see a full band setting up shop and playing tunes for passersby. But that's just what The Primate Fiasco did on many a sunlit day this past summer.
The band as a project—many original members have been replaced—is a transplant from Arizona. "There's more room for something like this up here," said Dave DelloRusso, banjo player for The Primate Fiasco, in a recent interview with the Advocate. "People are a little more cultured and a little more fun [here]. In the Northeast, and especially in Northampton, many people think, 'Even though this isn't what we normally listen to, we might like it anyway.'"
A self-described "New Orleans Dixieland band infused with funk, rock, disco and just about anything else," The Primate Fiasco plays an upbeat, jazzy, ragtime-ish brand of music—the kind that gets people literally dancing like crazy in the streets. According to DelloRusso, because the band's music can't be easily pigeonholed into a specific genre, people don't often know quite how to dance to it. "So they end up dancing really silly," he said.
Silly dancing is the idea behind the BS Dance Contest, in which prizes are awarded to the most outrageous dancers. The contest is one of the activities in The Primate Fiasco's upcoming Halloween celebration, Happy Pill Circus, the band's third circus event this year. The idea, according to DelloRusso, is to bring some aspects of the street atmosphere, like jugglers, dancers and hula hoopers, to indoor venues.
The event features musical performances by the Happy Pill pushers themselves, the members of The Primate Fiasco; roots rock band The Amity Front; and the four hipsters of Rusty Belle. Sideshow acts include Circus Folk Unite, a Hampshire College troupe of circusteers performing Burlesque dance, stilt walking, juggling, poi, contortionist acts, acrobatics and more; Megan Labonte, aka Hoop Master SASS, who performs gravity-defying tricks with hula hoops (the sass master was often seen alongside The Primate Fiasco in downtown Northampton this summer); and Don't, white and nerdy rapping thugs.
This homegrown Northampton circus—all prizes are generously donated by local, independently owned businesses—offers the audience many chances to participate in the festivities, from generating art to painting faces to dressing like a clown.
The Happy Pill Circus takes place Saturday, Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. at the Pearl Street Nightclub, 10 Pearl St., Northampton. Call (413) 586-8686 for tickets; log on to www.happypillcircus.com for more information.
