It has been a tumultuous few years since COVID-19 has changed how we operate, both as a band and as individuals. Therefore, we have formalized how COVID-19 numbers in NYC at any particular point will indicate which types of gigs we are open to performing and under what conditions. RMO follows three tiers of COVID-19 safety.

As of December 1, 2023, we are in the Red Tier.

40 or so members of the Rude Mechanical Orchestra wearing green, black, and glitter hold their instruments and pose at Rubulad after their 18th anniversary show in June 2022.

The Rude Mechanical Orchestra is a radical protest marching band based in Mannahatta, the unceded occupied land of the Lenape Nation, colonially known as New York City. We play music and provide chant support in the streets for the revolution and all its intersecting avenues, including (but not limited to): feminism, immigrant rights, queer and trans rights, labor, climate justice, peace, community self-determination, and racial, social, and economic justice. We pledge to fight racism, sexism, anti-queerness, ableism, ageism, classism, colonialism, war, and all forms of oppression.

Through our music, we strive to bring joy and inspiration to the communities we are in solidarity with and to inspire new people into activism of all kinds. We pay tribute to the world’s cultures and the revolutionary role music has played throughout history. Internally, we work towards being a safe, welcoming place for all genders, ages, races, sexual orientations, disabilities, neurotypes, religions, ethnicities, and musical skill levels. We act at the rate of joy, outside of urgency whenever possible, spread solidarity by taking care of each other and our communities, and make the revolution sustainable, effective, engaging, liberating, and fun!

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