PREVIEW
Third annual Rising Scum Festival featuring Guttermouth, Swingin' Utters, West of Hell and more
When: Thursday through Sunday
Where: Club 9ONE9, Logan's Pub and Soprano's
Tickets: $10-$15 nightly (or $35 for a festival pass) at BC Smoke Shop, Lyle's Place, Ditch Records, Absolute Underground and ticketweb.ca
More information: risingscumfest.com
Ira Hunter likes to view his annual Rising Scum Festival as a two-pronged production.
Not only is the four-day event a means of bringing big-name punk and metal bands to town, it also gives hardworking local acts the opportunity to share a stage with touring groups with higher visibility.
That's what Hunter, the man behind the Absolute Underground record label and online TV show, calls a win-win situation. "It's a way to get bigger bands to come to town and have some smaller bands open for them."
Rising Scum is back for another edition this weekend, its third in as many years and biggest to date. Guttermouth, Swingin' Utters, West of Hell, Keg Killers, the Hoosegow and Class of 1984, among others, are scheduled to appear during the four-day run, which grew by an additional day following the success of last year's festival.
Rising Scum broke even in 2011, according to Hunter, which gives him hope the event will pay for itself again this year. "I'm doing my best to sell sizzle," the Nanaimo native said, adding the response so far has been positive.
"We're not looking to make a bunch of money off this. We want it to grow, and each year we're taking definite steps forward." The festival's opening and closing nights will be held at Club 9ONE9, while dedicated punk and metal nights are slotted into Logan's Pub and Soprano's, respectively.
Though it's spread across three venues, Hunter hopes the unique branding of the festival - which takes its name from The Scum Also Rises, an unreleased video project by U.S punk act the Dwarves - gives the disparate events a sense of symmetry.
"We'll make it seem like one festival as best we can," he said with a laugh. "I'm trying to tie it together. We can't really afford to rent Centennial Square right now, but in the future we'd like to have it all in one place."
Hunter and his team have been canvassing local businesses for input and assistance, be it services in-kind or cash contributions. That push resulted in the involvement of 32 local sponsors, up by a dozen from last year.
That certainly helps the bottom line, Hunter said. "It means the difference between the festival happening and it not happening."
It also means the local arts community is coming around to an often misunderstood musical movement. "If people took the time to discover these bands, they are going to find great enjoyment there," Hunter said. "There's good vibes going down with these bands."
