Stephen McBean returns to Vancouver Island punk roots with Pink Mountaintops tour
Pink Mountaintops are touring venues with a personal connection
Back in the day, music zine Maximumrocknroll published a do-it-yourself guide titled Book Your Own F—in' Life, which listed contact information for venues so punk bands could book their own gigs.
"It was just random places to play all over North America and you would find Xerox copies in every band's guitar cases," longtime Victoria punk promoter Marcus Pollard said of the guide.
That DIY ethos is familiar to Pink Mountaintops frontman Stephen McBean, who came of age in Victoria's punk scene.
McBean, who is also known for his work with Black Mountain and Jerk With A Bomb, now calls California home, but Pink Mountaintops are embarking on a unique grassroots tour that will take him to some of his favourite spots on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.
Rather than relying on Book Your Own F—in' Life, McBean and Pollard chose venues with some kind of personal connection.
The band's show at the legion hall in Gibsons is promoted by Jake Warren, who promoted hundreds of all-ages shows in Victoria.
Donna Mabbett and Cecil English, who were responsible for bringing back Vancouver's legendary Smilin' Buddha Cabaret, are behind the band's Powell River show.
Keith Parry of Vancouver's Scratch Records is promoting a gig in Cumberland on Vancouver Island. Dave Read and wife Valentina Cardinalli of the band Caveman & the Banshee are doing their part for the show in Nanaimo.
McBean says it will be great to play shows with such deep personal connections, but there is a potential downside.
"It's probably the most nerve-wracking ... Sometimes your friends will be like, 'Yeah, that was kind of weak tonight,'" he said.
As a kid growing up in Sidney, B.C., in the '80s, McBean felt a sense of community at the O.A.P. Hall, which hosted punk rock shows in Victoria.
"Bands from all over would play there because there was kind of that whole network," he said.
Growing up, punks bands like The Sex Pistols seemed as distant and unattainable as stadium acts like Van Halen, he said, but finding 16-year-olds in Victoria who were into punk made the idea of making music seem within reach.
McBean's roots in punk, he says, have given him the confidence to branch out into other genres.
"The thing that punk rock gifted many people was the freedom to step outside what they are told they can or cannot do," he said. "It's just feeling comfortable in your weird, outsider skin."
Pollard says the upcoming dates come at a time when touring is getting bigger and more expensive.
"People are playing festivals all the time, but they're forgetting about a lot of the little spots," he said.
McBean says he has been upfront with bandmates around hitting those little spots, which may not lead to a big payday.
"I was like, 'Hey, this is going to be really fun. There's a good chance you won't make any money,'" he said. "And they're like, 'It sounds like a blast. Let's do it.'"
The tour starts Saturday in Vancouver, before heading to Gibsons, Powell River, Cumberland, Nanaimo and Victoria.
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With files from All Points West