Check out the upcoming VIBES780 release this Nov as well as a spooktacular Haloween show this Friday at Lbs in St.Albert. Follow them on Instagram for the latest news from CUYA, Chairman, Vibes7800 and more! photo by the amazing bluemonday.photography

What inspired you to start Clean Up Your Act in Edmonton?

Although I officially started Clean Up Your Act in 2008, I had already been putting on shows here and there since about 2002. It grew out of booking shows for my own fledgling teenage bands and trying to create opportunities for my friends’ bands. The need for shows became clear, and when people started asking me to put together shows I couldn’t personally play, I still wanted to make sure those bands had a place to perform. So booking shows shifted from a necessity to a hobby, and as I gained more experience, the belief that I had something meaningful to contribute to my community began to emerge. After trying to work with others to build an official production group, I realized I worked best following my own vision and struck out as a solo freelance promoter. There was guys doing it at the time like Aaron Getz who to me was a community leader, and I really respected what he was doing and I saw his contributions to the city as really important. And I just thought, if I could get a slice of the cheesecake he's got going- that would be a pretty dece dessert.

How have you managed to book hundreds of shows over the years?

I don’t know, bro — a few at a time, I guess. It’s definitely not a numbers game for me. I only book bands I genuinely enjoy, and I try to make each show different and special. I rarely book the same bands frequently (aside from a few favorites like Rubbed Raw), and I try to curate something unique every time. I don’t work for any one venue and have no incentive to “fill a calendar.” Each show is sincere because I feel it offers something special. I don’t do it just to do it, and I certainly don’t do it for the money (because there’s very little of that, my guy). The biggest thing was all the help and support my friends and family have provided these shows, working the door, doing sound, making a poster, filling in at the last minute- if it were not for these community minded individuals, none of this would be possible

What defines your approach to punk and hardcore promotion?

I hope to build inclusive spaces that bring a variety of bands and groups of people together. To some degree, almost all my shows are mixed bills. I don’t S the D of any particular scene or genre, and I’m very unimpressed by “cool kids energy.” I want to create opportunities for bands I enjoy, not just the ones that are the most popular. The beauty of a mixed bill is that if Band X brings X crowd, Band Y brings Y crowd, and Band Z brings Z crowd, then hopefully no one feels like, “Oh, I don’t fit in here.” For me (and yeah, some of this is paying dues, blah blah blah whatever) the Edmonton scene was NOT inviting at first. There were a lot of scene elders who were frankly huge bullies. I remember getting made fun of and picked on, and I never want anyone to feel like that at a CxUxYxA show.

How has the Edmonton scene changed since you started?

Tons, man. And I think it’s hard for me to put into words how much our culture has changed since the 2000s. The name Clean Up Your Act comes from setting a standard: don’t wreck venues, don’t do super sketchy stuff in the parking lot, don’t make people feel othered, and create opportunities for women and other gender identities as well as men. But bruh — these aren’t radical ideas now. The acts of today's youth are so much cleaner than mine ever was, and I love to see it. I learn so much from young people who bring their own spin on hardcore and what it means to be punk. The representation and diversity of people starting bands and going to shows nowadays is FANTASTIC. In a lot of ways, the scene is the best it’s ever been (not least because it’s actually happening now, not just some foggy fantasy in your brain, cowboy.)

What challenges did the pandemic create for your shows?

Bruh, I don’t even want to talk about it. It was brutal. I never learned to sourdough bread or play the lithograph. I just sat around, spun my wheels, posted memes, did some facebook live interviews and waited for shows to start again. That’s the main thing I’m interested in.

How do you support local artists alongside touring bands?

Get em a show baby! And make sure people know about it. There are lots of ways to do that. (Spoiler alert: spending a whack of money on promo isn’t always the answer.) To me, promoting (at my level, at least) is about communication — communication between the bands, the venue, and other stakeholders. Creating marketing tools (posters, promo videos, etc.) to help bands communicate their show/music to the public and raise awareness about themselves. If you feel you can do all those things yourself (and you can, I believe in you ) then maybe you don’t actually need a promoter. Maybe you can do it all yourself. Personally, I’d rather do the show myself than have someone else put it together. But when you’re coming from out of town, you often need a local person like me to help you out. That’s one of the things that makes CxUxYxA special: I take chances on loads of touring bands. I know touring is difficult, so I try my best to help them out with a show regardless of whether they have a strong local pull or are completely unknown and have never set foot in Alberta before. As long as the music bangs, I try to be there to get them something.

What’s your favorite show memory?

Last year I played two and co‑promoted one show for FREYA featuring Karl Buechner of Earth Crisis. I am first and foremost a music fan, not a music industry person, and my love for Earth Crisis is profound. The CUYA logo is modeled after the Earth Crisis logo, and I’m a long‑term vegan — basically inspired by hardcore bands, most importantly Earth Crisis. Getting to book and play with them was a dream come true and makes all the years of elbow grease worth it, BIG TIME!

What’s next for Clean Up Your Act in Edmonton’s music scene?

You’d probably think it’s funny to learn that every year since 2008 I assume it’s Clean Up Your Act’s last year. I basically get through it by the skin of my teeth, lose more money than I’d like to admit, and bust my ass flyering, posting content, emailing, and putting up with clown‑ass haters. And every August I end up thinking, “Well, no way I’m doing that again.” But sure enough, each time I get pulled back in. Ain’t that a kicker.