Derek Black (Dude Fest) Interview (May 2008)

Now, this fest I didn't go to because I'm pretty low on funds so I can't personally vouch for it, but Derek Black seemed like a really cool guy and was more than willing to help us out when we contacted him for the story. Once again, portions of this interview were used in a story on AirRaid entitled Punk Fest Trends. Once again, co-credit goes to Joe Carson for all of his hard work in getting this together. Joe and Derek go way back and you can tell from the easy tone of the answers. Dude Fest happens every year in Indianapolis, In.

What inspired you to start Dude Fest, dude?

One winter day in 2002/2003, I was sitting around my apartment in desolate West Lafayette, IN, and thinking, "Boy, it sure would be nice to see a bunch of my friends that are scattered about the country." That thought eventually led me to the realization that most
of my friends are in stupid bands, and that, much like Wayne Campbell, if I booked it, they would come. So, I got the idea to put together some sort of "big show". I think Books Lie hit me up about booking a date for them in the summer time around the time I was dreaming this all up. It was either Books Lie or Daughters. Regardless, I soon after started asking a bunch of my friends bands to come to Indiana for a weekend, and many of them obliged.

What does it take to put something of this magnitude together?

It doesn't really take much more than a gmail account, and the proper e-mail contact list. The fest isn't too hard for me to put together, as the fest has stayed true to its roots for the most part. I just ask a bunch of my friends bands to come and play the fest, and I see what happens from there. I've been reaching out to other bands too that I don't know personally, but I just really want to see come and play. Playing in bands and booking shows on a regular basis for the
better part of 10 years or so helps as well.

Is it a plus or minus doing the fest in Indiana?

There are a lot of awesome local bands in Indiana, so that is the only plus. I love seeing a lot of them, and they always want to come and play. Other than that aspect, I'd say having this fest in Indiana is a HUGE minus. The amount of people from the local area interested that actually attend and are interested in this fest, is usually dwarfed by the people that come and travel to it from many other places. Indianapolis is a very "small-market" for touring bands. It's very hard to get people to come out and see new things in this town. Most of them are very content seeing the same 5 or 6 bands on a rotating bi-weekly basis. It is very possible to book good shows in Indiana, but sometimes things fall flat. Also, just the general population base and location of the city probably detracts others from traveling to come to the fest. I think if this fest was held in other cities 2 or 3 times more people would attend. However, this does make it very true that the people willing to travel to the fest are very passionate and interested in the bands playing, and it makes for an awesome time!

How would you say the trends have changed over the years concerning the fest? i.e. new faces or old faces, fashion or passion, hipsters or lifers, etc?

The fest has sort of gotten more and more "metal" over the years, and this hasn't really been done intentionally. I think that's sort of the crowd and bands that have the most interest in the fest. I usually start out by asking a wide variety of bands to come and play, but it seems like only the heavier types seem excited about coming out to it. My passion is mostly set in DIY punk/hardcore scene, and people with deep roots or connections to the same background are generally the people I want to see at the fest. There has been a core group of people that have come to almost every single fest, and it seems that people try to come back again and again after they have been once. So a lot of this fest flies in the face of what is "hip." It's mostly created in the vacuum that is my personal tastes and interests.

What do you think was the craziest moment in the fest's history?

There are so many nudity filled moments to mention. I'm probably not the best person to ask about this because a lot of times I barely get to watch most of the bands or anything, as I'm help up taking care of some sort of business. Hewhocorrupts definitely inspired a "naked circle pit around the building" in 2005. A gallon of milk appeared in the hands of some man wearing nothing but a Hawaiian shirt in 2006. At the first dude fest, and man later to be know only as "the dude" appeared. He was probably in his mid 50's and no one knew who he was. He was doing some amazing dances that seemed as if he was trying to channel some sort of spirits while the bands played. People in animal costumes have also seemingly become a staple of the fest.

What kind of direction are you looking to take the fest in the future as far as bands, sponsors, and even going interactive?

I don't really know what you mean by "going interactive". If you want to interact, there's no way better than getting your ass to Indiana and rushing into a hot as room with a few hundred other people. The future sort of depends on how successful the fest is this year. I'm wanting to get to the point where I can fly in International bands and things like that, but that's such an expensive task. I'll need some good positive enforcement from attendance at this year's fest to make me feel comfortable about dropping even more thousands of dollars on plane tickets and stuff for bands in the future. I really don't see myself straying from the course I've been set on though. I'll ask a bunch of friends of mine to come and play, and then I'll try and get some bands I really want to see to make the trip to Indiana, and that will be that.

What separates Dude Fest from the many other punk oriented fests such
as Mauled by Tigers, Chaos in Tejas, Insubordination, Riot Fest, etc.?

I've never been to any of those other fests, so I don't really know. I met a guy that worked on the Mauled by Tigers fest, and it seems like we're more or less on the same page as far as how we operated things. And although I've never been, it seems like Dude Fest comes out of the same ethos as Best Friends Day in Richmond, VA. So all of these fests you are talking about are probably just about the same. Dude Fest is different than a lot of other "fests" though, as in I'm
not too concerned about getting "big bands" to draw in a crowd, and I'm pretty big into quality control with the line-up. I won't really just let any band that asks to come and play. A good deal of "bigger bands" have asked to come play the fest, and even though they would have definitely drawn some more people, I didn't like their band so I didn't have them play. There seems to be a trend of "fests" happening every other week, that are nothing more than the combination of two package tours and every local band in the area that asked to play. Dude Fest is something that I plan, months and months in advance. Almost to the point now that I'm talking to bands about playing in 2009, even though 2008 hasn't even happened yet.

What did you study in school?

I have a degree in physics from Purdue University. I'm currently back in school picking up a math degree and taking prerequisite classes to apply to pharmacy school.

Finally what impact do you personally think Dude Fest is making on the
underground community?

I don't think it's doing that much. The idea of having a fest is definitely nothing new, and wasn't new at all when I started doing it in 2003. However, the fest is always a TON of fun, so it gives
people that want something awesome to do for a weekend an opportunity to meet up with their friends from all over the country as well.