A Closer Look At The M4 Style
Random pics off the web can be fun, but for appreciating the subtle details of a particular style, nothing tops being with the genuine article in person. On 11/7/09 March Fourth (M4) owned Reno’s face with flair.
The vibe was electric. In addition to rocking a sold-out venue through two sets of marching-fueled mayhem, M4 brought it fashion-wise, dazzling us with the finest couture aspects of their signature style.
Hats, collars, sleeveless tail-coats, vests, bustles, and layered vaudville (one of the stilters was wearing five layers of clothing on his torso!), all well accented with miscellaneous militaria. Anywhere there’s a gap in cohesiveness, throw in some punk-rock accessories or a bit of tribal flair.
Just about every article worn by the band is custom, some of it gifted by fashion designer fans from around the country. Speaking to the band members is a crash course introduction to the underground burner couture network.
One thing that stands out about all M4s costumes is their individuality. While you can tell there have been certain trends, all the costumes are highly individualized conceptions and the band welcomes all takes on its core theme.
Their merchandise table was a veritable smorgasbord of wicked accessories. Belt buckles, chain-ring M4 necklaces, custom designed hats by Faith, and of course, the infamous logo’d shirts in 31 different flavors.
The vibe wouldn’t quite have been what it was were it not for the fans. We brought it too, with circus and marching band inspired creations of our own.
As M4 proved that night: it’s one thing to rock, and another thing entirely to look good while doing it. If you’re near Portland, M4 will be celebrating their homecoming and the release of their newest CD “Rise Up” on November 19th at the Wonder Ballroom. March On!
*Alert* We just received a hot tip about a marching band/outfit project happening in the vicinity of Gigsville! Subscribe by clicking the links to the right if you want to be notified when this story breaks!
March Fourth, Style To Beat The Band
If there were such a thing as too stylish, the March Fourth (M4) marching band would have to qualify. Instead, they remain the darlings of every town they storm into and the focus of many a band-camp urban legend.
This isn’t your run of mill radical, infectious, electric, gypsy-afro-vaudeville-multi-disciplinary marching band either, cause you see, these freaks are burners who RAWK the Playa consistently & without fail. And what’s more fine readers, they’re spreading their special brand of burning freaky-funk around off Playa the old-fashioned way traveling from town to town.
When M4’s on the scene there’s no denying it. From a distance, you can hear the sound coming your way, like your town somehow just became New Orleans while you weren’t looking. Then you see them, and your world forever changes.
Their fashion statement is Marching Band Punk meets Circus Sideshow with a little bit of Post-Apocalyptic Elks Lodge thrown in just for the funk of it. Andy Batt an award winning photographer captures the members’ individual styles at their fantastically freaky finest in a series of brilliant studio portraits.
I know what you’re thinking now, how can we be like them. Well if you don’t have any musical or circus-y performance experience you might have to just arrive on their doorstep all Fight Club style and refuse to leave OR you can choose to be happy enough just to look like they do.
The declining state of school funded marching bands in our country, while deplorable, creates numerous opportunities to purchase awe-inspiring vintage marching band attire for next to nothing. Not surprisingly, many such “Marching Band Uniforms/Jackets/Hats” can be found via simple search on Ebay.
Be forewarned, while these uniforms will arrive styled out to a brilliant degree you will want to take them even further. Study the M4 outfits closely and notice that all have been personalized. You see, it’s not just about looking cool. It’s about being radically empowered in the name of self-expression.
M4 will be at the Broken Spoke in Reno this Saturday night (Nov 7th). It’ll only cost ya $8 and I WILL BE THERE. Come on down, we can compare notes … and outfits.
Burners Do “Steampunk Lincoln” For Nevada Day
We just love a parade. Pomp and circumstance, marching bands, floats, being the unabashed center of attention in a linear representation of community for all to see, and, of course, dressing to the nines.
For the sixth year in a row, Burning Man (under the guidance of Danger Ranger and Kernul Killbuck) chose to enter the Nevada Day Parade in Carson City to celebrate the day Nevada attained Statehood: October 31, 1864. Each year there is a new global theme participants are encouraged to incorporate (sound familiar?) into their parade entries. This year the theme was a tribute to Abraham Lincoln, “The Great Emancipator”. In true burner fashion, our community put its own unique spin on this banal guideline with “Steampunk Lincoln”.
There are some important considerations to bear in mind when fashioning an outfit for a parade. Among these are: Comfortable Footwear, the parade route is X miles long but how many times will you also go back and forth from one side of the street to another?; Interactivity, you want to be able to memorably engage the parade spectators in some way(s), visually is fun but can you also go beyond that?; Movement, in addition to being able to march comfortably you may also want to bust a dance move or get in and out of a 
tight spot, consider the experience you want to create as well as the tricky situations you could end up in the middle of.; Fun, you want to have fun too so don’t go and put something on that’s going to make a glorious celebration seem like a grueling or dangerous task!
Burning Man did very well this year handily defending their position as the top Novelty Division entry. Further, the outfits were extraordinary! From finely accoutremented tail-coat lapels to 50-lb backpacks of brass home-furnishings, we strutted our stuff along a three-mile route through the heart of town to the delight of thousands.
We were all surprised to discover how easily a good stovepipe hat can be fashioned out of sturdy poster paper. I was also impressed by the fact that such paper can be hand sewn onto fabric (note, throw in at least a stitch per inch).
The fact that the October 31st date of Nevada Day coincides with another popular costume holiday can definitely set the stage for an alter-ego identity crisis. However, as you can see in the picture below, at least one participant had this tricky dichotomy well in hand.
