Promotion for the DIY showcase of Edmonton’s underground hardcore scene has been mostly relegated to postering, MySpace and Facebook bulletins, and the oldest form of promotion in the book: word of mouth. Those entrenched in the scene know what’s going down this weekend... and they’re pretty much alone.
Set to feature more than 20 local acts—with two stages operation simultaneously so the rocking (and rapping, as there are five rap acts scheduled to appear) never stops—the all-day Bust-a-Lung festival is the brainchild of Matthew Cuvilier, whose punk outfit Brother Voodoo is one of the bands who’ll be taking the stage at Alberta Avenue Hall.
“There’s not only a healthy hardcore scene in Edmonton, but a lot of younger bands coming up,” Cuvilier enthuses. “There’s a real energy in the city—there’s not a lot of impure motivation behind these kids either. I think it’s something special, and I wanted to capture that and say to those who might not know about it, ‘Hey! There’s something going on here!’”
For some of these bands—like Cope, which includes members of Punch Out—Bust-a-Lung will be their first live show. And while the hardcore outfits like The Butcher’s Hand might be the main draw, hardcore won’t be the only genre represented at the event. From emo pop acts like PerfectBlue to rap groups like The Joe and the Boombox Disciples, there will be a little something for everyone.
The task of organizing an event this big—not to mention getting local distributors and independent clothing companies to show up as well—was a daunting one. Cuvilier admits that it’s taken the better part of the last six months to get things to a point where all that’s left to do is hope nothing (much) goes wrong. But he’s optimistic about his chances for success, and hopes to release a compilation CD of all the acts on the bill... and perhaps start planning Bust-a-Lung 2009.
“When we normally book shows, we’ll have maybe five bands, and things are a little more serious if we have change in the lineup,” he explains. “With Bust-a-Lung, it’s easier because if we encounter any problems, we have enough bands that can make up for last-minute emergencies—and they will happen. Making sure everyone knows what’s going on is the biggest hurdle when organizing an event like this.
“Is it a nightmare, planning something like this?” Cuvilier laughs. “Ask me after the show and I’ll tell you.”
