You want to contact
Ken Daluge who has a long standing Batteria.
drumfeel@cruzio.com
Be sure and tell him (and everyone) that I sent you.

There is a wonderful all woman's Samba group to and because I've had the flu and have a splitting headache tonight, I can't remember their name.
I'll bet they'd be up for it.

Gary "Bucky" Kehoe ( gwkehoe@cats.ucsc.edu)

also has been playing for Brazilian dance classes for a long time and might want to join in with a smaller non-Bateria styled marching group.

You might also contact Arthur Hull (VILLAGEMC@aol.com)

and Jim Greiner (jgreiner@handsondrum.com)

who are wonderful facilitators of drumming groups and might want to put something together.

Dror Sinai of Rhythm Fusion (RHYTHMFUSION@rhythmfusion.com)

usually will put together a small middleeastern marching group replete with Belly Dancers.

Additionally, you should contact the Santa Cruz Ethnic Arts Network (SCEAN) and have them post a 'call to arms' to any marching group.

I also just played a very hip gig with Pyrocussion and the owner of the Pyrocussion machines, Bob, told me he is considering putting together a flatbed truck to use to drive around the big machines he has. I'll talk to him personally about seeing if he wants to get involved.
Wow, was that a cool gig at I did with them, replete with a large brass, industrial 'drum' set that I used to go with the fire percussion.

I'm seriously considering reviving the Santa Cruz Funk Corps which is a rag tag ad hoc group of drummers who use traditional band marching drums to play rhythms like New Orleans 2nd Line, West African 6/8 rhythms,
Burundi war rhythms, Hip Hop and Drum and Bass. (rickwalker@looppool.info)


I can't promise it but someone should let me know as soon as a definitive time has been decided upon.

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Remember, that in a parade like this, you have to have a large staging area..............a place where folks will congregate before marching and a large stage disenbarkment space...........where people will congregate after the parade.............without permitting, the cops will be all over us before we even get started at such places. You just won't be able to hide
200 people all congregated at once.

I have been involved with a million parades from 50 people to several thousand participants (Carnival in San Francisco) and I've seen what happens if people don't get permission first. It sucks horribly, but in this case, they do have the power.

I have been a Santa Cruz Arts Commissioner for the last three years and have just resigned but I do have the ears of the mayor and a couple of influential City Council members who are very concerned that the City Council is being viewed as not being supportive of music in particular.
If you get any kind of flack from the Police, please let me know ASAP and I'll do what I can do.

I would also suggest, if there is time that you get on the agenda of the next City Art Commission meeting and try to enlist their lobbying help to accomplish all of this.

I know people have talked about not doing it officially but I would heavily advise against it.

Best of luck. let me know if I can be of service.

yours,
Rick Walker (percussionist/live looper)