With a fresh crop of music festivals popping up each year, “The Music Festival” has become synonymous with big business, superstar headliners, and $7 water bottles.
Music Waste is not that kind of music festival.
“It started as a protest against the music industry festival that was New Music West,” says Mike Gittens, one of Music Waste’s event coordinators. “No one remembers New Music West soooooo that part is pretty much irrelevant now.”
Music Waste first saw light in 1994, starting as a one-night concert. It quickly caught on, appealing to the city’s underground community who saw industry-centric festivals like New Music West as a misrepresentation of their scene.
Now, 21 years later, long after New Music West has died and been forgotten, Music Waste is still going strong. The festival now sprawls over four days (June 5-8), featuring dozens of bands at 20 music venues across East Vancouver.
The event is run by and for the local music scene, fostering a powerful sense of community and showcasing a diverse range of local artists. As a result, Music Waste has showcased some of Vancouver’s biggest talent and its alumni, including White Lung, Mac DeMarco and Japandroids.
“I think one of the reasons the festival has survived 21 years is that it isn’t about money or the music industry at all.” says Gittens. “The entire festival is volunteer-run, from the organizing committee to the web site, poster and logo design to the wonderful door staff volunteers.”
In other words, there are no energy-drink-funded stages or corporate sponsorship to pay the bills. Every show at Music Waste has a bargain ticket price of $5, and a pass to the entire festival is only $15. Of course, running a music festival that’s based on affordability while also making an effort to make sure bands get paid can put a certain strain on the financial side of things for the people running the show.
Enter Winter Waste, the third-annual submission kick-off party and fundraiser happening on Feb. 27 and a welcome break up to Vancouver’s dreary, often indolent winter season.
This year will see the likes of Supermoon, Energy Slime, High Wasted and more take stage at The Hindenburg – a small sampling of the great talent we will see come June.
“Winter Waste will be so much fun!! It’s comprised of some of our favourite bands from Music Waste last year and some new acts that we really like,” says a rather stoked Gittens.
If Music Waste sounds enticing to you and your band, submissions start on Feb. 27 and close on April 17. All you have to do is visit MusicWaste.ca, fill out a form (including your music) and wait to hear back from their “completely sober panel of judges”.
Even if you aren’t selected, you can still get involved: “We invite you to put on your own show, send us the info and we promote it along with the rest of the festival!” Gittens explains. “We call it the Go Your Own Waste portion of the fest. It really makes the festival inclusive and accessible to the entire city.
“Music Waste is a celebration of Vancouver’s creative culture right now. Nestled away in studios and jam spaces throughout Vancouver there are a wealth of people creating amazing art.”
• Winter Waste is Feb. 27 at The Hindenburg, featuring Supermoon, Weird Candle, Energy Slime, Brass, High Wasted, Poor Baby, Ace Martens. Tix $5 before 10pm. $10 after 10pm.
