Though in its earliest days Music Waste served as Vancouver’s premier underground punk and indie showcase, the annual event has gone on to include a diverse array of genres, from experimental laptop electro to gutbucket country, while also expanding into the worlds of art and comedy.

Organizer Cameron Reed knows the long-running festival has gone through many changes over the years, but he believes the intent behind Music Waste is still to showcase artists outside the mainstream. An open call for bands for this year’s event, which runs June 1 to 4, has the promoter looking for groups that are “trying to expand the genre or do their own thing”. Basically, Reed told the Straight, he’s looking for “anyone with an interesting sound”.

If you haven’t already put your name in the proverbial hat, you might want to get cracking. Fest planners have been overwhelmed by the number of submissions they’ve received since the new year began. “Within the first 24 hours, we got 80 submissions,” Reed noted. “We’re up to maybe 125 now.” Musicians, artists, and comedians are encouraged to contact Music Waste by the submission deadline of April 15 at submissions@musicwaste.ca.