Replacements reunion a big T.O. treat
Riot Fest co-promoter’s love for punk music started in Brantford basement
As far as reunions go, Toronto’s Riot Fest struck the jackpot.
The Replacements are set to play their first gig since they walked off the stage July 4, 1991 in Chicago, when Riot Fest hits Fort York on Aug 24 to 25.
But why is Toronto getting the treat of punk summer festivals when the iconic Minneapolis band reunites? It has a lot to do with Brantford, Ont., and a young man who would later be known as Riot Mike, then listening to Mötley Crüe as a teen.
Mike Petryshyn, a Buffalo native and co-promoter of Riot Fest with Sean McKeough, had family friends north of the border. It was there, in a Brantford basement, Petryshyn says, that he got his first listen to the music that would shape his life.
“The Story of the Clash, Vol. 1,” Petryshyn, 35, said, “That pretty much changed my life. . . . That’s why, at least emotionally, I’m invested in Toronto. Because had it not been for my friends in Canada, I probably would not be doing what I’m doing.”
Thank Brantford that Petryshyn became Riot Mike, one of two men behind one of the most affordable festivals — punk or otherwise — running in Chicago since 2005. Tickets for both days start at $70.
“There’s many people who’ve never seen them live, including myself,” Petryshyn said of The Replacements, a band that’s influenced a generation of punk, including Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong.
“Everybody knows that they’re going to come out and it’ll be a great set. . . . There’s a general excitement about it. It’s not just fans, it’s music people and amateur stage hands. Everybody wants to see them,” Petryshyn said.
Whether he actually sees The Replacements is another story.
“I’ll probably be putting out fires or something like that,” Petryshyn laughed. “I rarely get to enjoy the shows. I’ve been doing this for what, nine years now. And out of the nine years I’ve probably caught maybe 20 sets.”
Petryshyn said that comes with the territory and any promoter knows that in advance. But so do the backstage interactions — most stories he can’t tell.
Iggy and The Stooges is another headliner Petryshyn is eager to see.
“I love seeing The Stooges, man. That’s really my jam,” Petryshyn said. “They
“Had it not been for my friends in Canada, I probably would not be doing what I’m doing.” MIKE PETRYSHYN CO-PROMOTER OF RIOT FEST
played a set in Chicago last year, just killed it, energy, and it was something special . . . Iggy is one of the greatest frontmen ever.”
Other notables will be The Weakerthans and Dinosaur Jr. on Sunday. On Saturday, Pierce the Veil and A Day to Remember will kick off the fest on the Fort York grounds.
Riot Fest will take The Replacements back to two other dates on their tour, in Denver and Petryshyn’s now hometown of Chicago.
“We want to make Toronto just as big as Chicago,” Petryshyn said, looking forward. “We’re both still hungry. It’s getting bigger each and every year. Is it stressful? Yes. There are times where we’re like screw this, we’re never going to do this again, but that’s not going to happen.
“There’s something here, right? And how it all ends up five years from now, we don’t know. . . . So why give up?”
Thank Brantford, Toronto punk fans.