This Western Canadian fest has grown tremendously, especially by DIY punk standards. Distort began in 2004 by organizers Zach Batuldin and FOAT inspired by Pointless Fest, Prank Records Fest, Havoc Fest, Chicago Fest and Chaos in Tejas. “After seeing these amazing and fun festivals [that] bring punks from around the world together...we decided that Vancouver should have one of these” says FOAT. Batuldin is now with the Spectres but still helps out where he can and FOAT has been doing the fest solo since 2009. “The last two volumes of Distort have been the biggest [and] I'm happy to say that in the last eight years, I have had some of my favourite bands and people up....which I guess is why I still do this year after year. Believe me, it's definitely not because of the money!”
Is there more thought behind the selection of Distort bands other than just shit that FOAT likes? “Actually, no, there is no more thought than that. I do this fest for me and my dear friends. Which means I only put on bands that I'm stoked about. If you try to please everyone, sooner than later you got some shitty hipster fest. So “this year I'm maxing the Visa and getting Wolf Brigade to destroy. I think North American punks can be schooled on other kinds of hardcore than Black Flag and Minor Threat. Bands like Wolf Brigade prove that in countries like Sweden, punks are light years beyond our conception of hardcore.” says FOAT. “If I'm gonna go in the hole every year, it better be worth it....a lot of people accuse me of being pretentious and elitist because of this....but that's usually because they're in a shitty band that no one gives a fuck about anyway.”
The Volume VIII fest is: Wolf Brigade (Classic Swedish d-beat punk), War Cry (Portland d-beat masters), Crimson Scarlet (Oakland goth punks), Midnite Brain (Oakland raw punks), Asile (Raw d-beat punk from Ottawa), Mania (Silenzio Statico punks from LA), Oust (Phoenix death metal skids), Biocido (Brutal phoenix grind), Rapid Loss (Edmonton/Vancouver hardcore punk), Death Count (LA drunk raw noise fucks) Raw Nerves (PDX Hardcore), Deras Krig (Raw mangel from Oakland), Terokal (Portland d-beat punk), Night Nurse (Portland fucking heavy metal punks), Taratuja (Edmonton party rockers), Skabiis (Calgary punks not a Ska band!), Side Effects (Bay Area hardcore punk), Bellicose Minds (Portland gloom punk), Zoloa (Raw LA ponx), War Sound (Disrupting d-beat from LA ex-What Shame?), Frenzy (ex-Nerveskade from Portland), Six Brew Bantha (party grinders from Victoria), Hoopsnake (stoned doom metal from Squamish), Bishops Green (ex-Alternate Action street punk from Vancouver), Spectres (Vancouver's least cheerful peace punk goths) and Nu Sensae (wild weirdo punk from Van).
It is notable how many female fronted bands and players are at the fest. “That's kinda weird, cuz it's not really an intentional part of Distort which I think is awesome, because, in many ways women's involvement in punk seems to have become more common place and we barely even notice the gender of the musicians. Who cares about the genitals of the guitar player as long as the music is raging....and I hope in 2012 most people share this point of view. That said, I know that sexism definitely lurks in the punk scene....but it's refreshing to hear that you have noticed a fair representation of women in punk” says FOAT. “Distort would never be possible without the help of Hesher, Batuldan, Annie Basterd, Boxcar and a sea of punks who help me out in a billion ways....I am just one punk dude. You, the reader, have just as much power to do something like this. This is what punk is about to me. Taking control of what you want to see in the scene, and building a world you want to live in and be a true part of. Now do your own punk fest! Up the punks.”
Distort Vancouver is September 27, 28 and 29
by More Betty
