Just over six years ago, the notion of Riot Fest was little more than a passing thought in the mind of founder Mike Petryshyn. While bored at work, Petryshyn surmised that it might be fun to try and have his favorite bands play a show together. Having previously booked only a few small shows in his hometown of Buffalo, New York, he had no idea that Riot Fest would someday become an annual event, let alone a nationally-recognized festival that attracts thousands of concertgoers per year. “I don’t think the Chicago music scene was lacking anything before Riot Fest, there’s always been a plethora of amazing bands here,” Petryshyn said. “All I think Riot Fest has ultimately done is put a little bit of a bigger national spotlight on Chicago. Obviously, when people think of punk rock USA, it’s New York and LA. It’s the two coasts and Chicago unfortunately kind of gets left out of that a little bit.” With a rough plan assembled, Petryshyn went about organizing the inaugural Riot Fest, though it soon proved to be a much more difficult endeavor than what was initially envisioned. “I didn’t get any of the bands I really wanted, because nobody would take a chance on a first-year festival. I feel a certain loyalty for the bands that were there the first year and kind of went through the bumps and bruises. I learned a lot and kind of got my education in about four months,” he said.

Thankfully the primary attempt at Riot Fest wasn’t a total disappointment, allotting Petryshyn the motivation to give it a go the following year. He set his sights higher, worked tirelessly and watched as the festival grew in terms of both attendance and acclaim. When asked as to whether or not he’s surprised at the rate in which Riot Fest has grown, Petryshyn responded, “Yeah, completely. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think back to the early days in amazement and how not only do people look forward to it every year, but that it’s just getting progressively bigger. To be honest with you, I was just going to do it that one year. I never thought it would take on a life of its own”. According to Petryshyn, the rise of Riot Fest has by and large developed naturally. At first, it simply consisted of two nights at the Congress Theater. The second year marked the advent of multiple venues being utilized, while it wasn’t until year five that numerous shows were simultaneously taking place at various venues. “Last year was the first instance where we had different shows going on at the same time. I think people dig it, I really do. It’s not like an outdoor festival, where you’re sitting in a field and walking to different stages. It’s what kind of separates us. Even that’s completely accidental though. The only reason I started doing Riot Fest in the fall is because I thought of the idea in May. Everything that’s happened with us has been somewhat accidental. I guess we’re pretty organic,” he said.

In terms of Riot Fest 2010, Petryshyn is most looking forward to seeing Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, as well as the Busted at Oz reunion, which features performances by Naked Raygun and The Effigies, among others. “Shows like that cement what Riot Fest does for Chicago punk rock. We’re always promoting it and always having kids who are just getting into punk take a listen to some of the older bands. I think that’s pivotal,” he said. With one foot firmly planted in the rich traditions of Chicago punk rock, Riot Fest also has one eye continuously gazing toward the future. This year, they’ve aligned with Red Bull, striking a non-obtrusive partnership that will allow Petryshyn to further see his definitive vision take shape. “Everything that Red Bull does within Riot Fest is kind of my idea, which is great because they admit they don’t understand our crowd that much. They just really like what we’re doing, and that’s awesome,” he said. “I know this is punk rock and you’re not supposed to have sponsors and all that kind of stuff, but that’s just how it is. I learned my first year that it doesn’t matter if it’s hip hop or punk rock, the music business is still a business. It’s all the same players involved. It’s kind of a rude awakening, because you view some bands differently. You idolize a couple bands when you’re growing up and first getting into punk rock, and then you realize sometimes they’re not exactly practicing what they preach. It kind of turns you a little bit. With that said, you also meet a ton of bands that blow you away and they’re so much cooler and nicer than you could ever imagine.”

Over the years, Riot Fest has played host to hundreds of bands. Various genres, generations and geographic locations have all been represented. When posed the question as to which single Riot Fest performance stands out as the all-time best, Petryshyn cited the 2009 show by English street punk legends Cock Sparrer. “When Cock Sparrer took the stage there was nothing but electricity in the crowd. It was unreal,” he said. “I’m watching the crowd before they walk onstage and I see all of these kids all the way in the back who are there for NOFX. You could see it on their faces, like ‘Who is this band? I feel like a complete loser right now because all these people are about to jump out of their skin to see them and I have no idea who they are’. When Cock Sparrer started playing, you saw nothing but all those kids move up, get into the pit and try to sing-along to songs they didn’t know. It was awesome. Cock Sparrer instantly made an additional 2,000 fans right there.” Despite Riot Fest’s already lengthy track record of epic reunions and high-profile performances, Petryshyn still has several dream bands that he hopes will one day play his festival. Some of those include celebrated artists such as; Big Black, The Descendents, Operation Ivy and Quicksand. “A lot of it is kind of wish list stuff, but at the same time, wish list stuff a couple years ago was Naked Raygun and Screeching Weasel. That stuff kind of has a way of working out eventually,” he said. “Out of the newer bands, I’d really like Rancid to play. That’s always been a band I’ve gone after and they just don’t tour that much. I have a lot of respect for that band. I know I’m probably going to lose some scene points by saying that, but they’re amazing. It was just a continuation for me of Operation Ivy and they always wrote great songs. I’d love to have Rise Against play too. I know a lot of true punk rockers or what have you don’t like Rise Against because they get radio play or whatever, but they’ve always come to Riot Fest and always supported us. Maybe next year or the year after they’ll play. It’s not because they need to get integrity or anything like that, it’s kind of like how you help your own a little bit. It makes sense; they’re the biggest Chicago punk rock band ever.”

Taking into account the sizable quantities of expansion and accolade that Riot Fest has attained during its six-year history, it would appear challenging to pinpoint a single, proudest moment. Though for Petryshyn, it only took seconds for him to reference the 2006 performance by Chicago punk godfathers Naked Raygun. From behind-the-scenes rehearsals to appearances at Q101 and JBTV, he described the five month period leading up to their show as the happiest time of his life. “My relationship with those guys is not a business, it’s a friendship. I talk to those guys all the time. We’re all really good friends. What Bad Religion is to Warped Tour, Naked Raygun is to Riot Fest, and I’m really proud of that,” Petryshyn said. In the future, he hopes to see Riot Fest in multiple cities, possibly in Europe and even as a club tour. “I just want to take what we’re doing everywhere else,” Petryshyn said. “I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. Chicago, no matter what, will always be the flagship. That’s just how it is. I love this city and there’s going to be a bigger expansion in Chicago. I can’t really say exactly what it’s going to be, but it’s going to be awesome.”