Elephant Journal favorites Chris Ledesma and Michael Litt, the Austin-based founders of arts-and-culture organization iLoveMikeLitt, are sharp lookers with rollicking imaginations and boundless community spirit. In March 2011, iLove is creating city-wide merriment in mutual partnership with Jason Fialkoff, Minor Mishap Marching Band, and a rough-n-rowdy volunteer crew of non-profit music-festival organizers. These soulful collaborators are working their hipster asses off to bring marching-band magic to the people, in the form of Honk!TX.

Inspired by similar stage-free-street-music festivals in Boston and Seattle, Honk!TX will bring radical marching-band sound to the sleepy streets of the Lone Star State’s capital. Imagine a one-hundred-percent free, week-long celebration that showcases over 20 ensembles, with a kaleidoscope of jump-n-jive vibes: Balkan & Romani, New Orleans Second-Line, Klezmer, Carnaval, Mardis Gras, and post-high-school-marching-band nerds-gone-wild.

This is music for-and-by the people–where international sonic traditions provide a forum for a community to celebrate its very existence and essence. It’s a participatory, family-friendly reclamation of the streets to promote civic pride, world-class music-and-performance artists, and down-n-dirty dance moves. And they need your help!

Ledesma, Litt, Fialkoff, Minor Mishap, and friends are currently raising funds to fairly compensate the talented bands converging in Austin for Honk!TX….not to mention parade permits. Give these good men and women a lift and boost their chances of making this event happen!

Your sliding-scale gift could very well be their lifeline. With nearly 50-percent of their $10,000 goal met, the organizers now have less than three weeks to raise the remaining funds. Just say yes to live music and click HERE. Viva Tejas!!

Honk!TX would like to honor Wheatsville Food Cooperative, its premiere festival sponsor, along with Whole Foods Market and Austin’s Independent Business Alliance.