hello. this is chris from plan-it-x.

we are doing a fest this year. i thought i would tell everyone i know at once. sorry.
please direct all fest emails to:

pixfest2006@yahoo.com

here is the deal.

plan-it-x fest 2006 JULY 5th-11th bloomington IN.

for the last two years plan-it-x records has done a fest. the 1st year was our 10 year anniversary and we had a 32 band, 3 day show in our hometown of Bloomington, Indiana. Everything went really great, about 600 kids came and we made 6,000$ to benefit two local, radical, causes: the midwest pages to prisoners program (that makes it's home in boxcar books) and mother hubbard's cupboard (a free food pantry.) it was really fun. it worked well. last year we decided to try and bring the fest to other places and we loaded nine bands (34 people) onto a 38' school bus and went on a 30 day tour of the east side of the country. the shows all went well but the tour proved to be very stressful and tiring. we didn't really achieve the level of community building and person to person connections that we hoped to, nor did we raise as much money for good causes. we made less than 3,000$ for the benefits.

this year we have decided to stay home.

to imagine this years plan, start with the idea of a punk rock summer camp.
the FEST begins on JULY 5th at a park at 4:00pm. this will be ORIENTATION. there will be a short speech then some time to meet your teachers and meet each other. there will be WELCOME PACKS provided, with maps of town and buildings that have classes in them and a guide to local shops. this will also be the time when you can figure out where you are staying and how to get there.

the fest activities begin on JULY 6th. during the day there will be CLASSES. teachers from bloomington and teachers that are coming to the fest will teach classes on a wide array of subjects. there will be DIY skills classes, like how to do stuff. there will be lecture style classes on many topics, political, social, sexual, ethical, history, science….and so on. there will be radical training classes that discuss and train for direct action, protests, dealing with cops, revolt and revolution. the classes will vary in length. some will be all 5 days, some will be a one day/one session class. the teachers will decide this. students will have to enroll in classes by emailing/calling/writing the teachers. this way the classes will have a serious focus, unlike a typical workshop/skill share environment where students come and go during the class which i think can be counter productive and very distracting. enrolling in classes will also solve the problem of classes being too large, since we expect 600+ kids to come again. the class size will be determined by the teacher. many of the classes will try to tie in some sort of community benefit, like for example, there might be a class on the midwest pages to prisoners program and during the class students will package books, or mail packages. this way, in some cases, people will learn and help at the same time and our community/punk scene will benefit from the invasion of 600+ kids. classes will be held at various locations downtown and on campus, hopefully a lot will be outside. the info on classes/teachers/locations will be posted by APRIL 1st.

sometime during the day in a park close to town there will be a LUNCH break and a SWAP-MEET. this will last for 1-2 (11:00-1:00?) hours and food will be provided for free by either local bloomington kids or out of town food not bombs chapters that will hopefully be simultaneously teaching a class on food not bombs (you see where we are going with this?) the SWAP-MEET will be a chance to trade or sell goods. once again, like the first fest, there will not be distros at the shows. we don't want the shows to be about selling stuff. bands might sell their stuff on the night they are playing but NO other distros or merch tables of any other kind will be allowed inside the venues. there won't be room. the SWAP-MEET is your chance to sell/trade stuff. this will happen every day at the same location at the same time. anyone that has anything to trade/sell can set up. i suggest you bring a blanket or a table since picnic table space will be limited (for food).

there will be a few more classes until around 5:30pm. then the DAY BREAK. this will be a chance to get some food before the shows begin. during this time there will be other random events/shows around town. more than likely there will be an acoustic show at boxcar books. there will be movies brought by gadabout film fest, there will be puppet shows, open mics and other stuff. this is kind of up to people coming to the fest to set up. PIX will be setting up a few of these events but for the most part this will be somewhat independent of the fest, admission prices, if there are any, will be determined by the event's promoter and will most likely go to benefit the venue.

at 8:00pm THE SHOWS begin. on july 6th-11th there will be punk shows every night. 6 bands will play each night. the shows will only last for 4 hours. there will be no set-up time or breaks between bands, all bands will play a full sets (at least 30min.) all shows will cost $5 at the door. there will be no advance tickets. around 600 people can be in the venue at a time.

the last day of the fest is the 11th of JULY. on this day will be called CARNIVAL. we will meet at a park around 2:00pm and show off what we have learned, for example, if you took a puppet making class, maybe your class will preform a puppet show at the CARNIVAL. if you took a silk screening class, you could set up a table to show off/trade what you've made during the week. this will be a day to relax and get to know the new friends you have made better. hopefully most classes will be over by now. there will still be a DAY BREAK and a SHOW that night.

WHAT WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE:
we want to build community. we want to raise money for local causes. we want everyone that comes to the fest to learn something when they are here and take it home and teach it to others. we want to strengthen the network of DIY punk and start making progress towards a better world.

WHERE THE MONEY WILL GO:
the money raised at the SHOWS will be used to pay the touring bands (100$ each) and some teachers if they need it. we will have to pay some expenses too, like the venue, food for the bands, promotion etc. (this should be really cheap). the rest of the money will go to one or more local benefits again. we hope to raise at least $6,000 again. it should be easy.

WHERE YOU WILL STAY IF YOU COME:
not at a local punk house (unless they invite you.) hopefully, we will have a FREE campground arranged this year. there is a chance that we will have a protest camp set up on campus. this will be only semi-legal. this is not planned yet, there was a peace camp on campus that lasted 2 years. i think if we told the university it was only gonna last a week and we would clean up when we left they may let it happen. i don't think they will want to deal with the media if the were to bust it up. if that happens, it will be a peace camp. please DO NOT come here and force your way into a local punk house. this fest is a lot of stress for local people and we want their houses to remain a safe place for them to retreat to. besides, they all have friends and their houses will be full. other ideas include: camping at a campground, there are a lot around bloomington (you will need a car) or renting a cheap hotel downtown. like i said, hopefully we will have some camping arranged for you. sadly, most camping will require a car to get to or at least plan on a 4-5 mile bike ride/walk. carpooling can solve this problem.

HOW MUCH DOES THIS COST:
the shows are 5$ each, each night. that's all. some classes may have fees, this will depend on the teacher. (supply costs etc.) there are NO ADVANCE TICKETS.

CAN YOUR BAND PLAY:
probably not. at least not the PIX FEST NIGHT SHOWS. there are a lot of plan-it-x bands and we all have a lot of friends in band. we are asking 50 bands to play. only 36 bands can play, so unless you are asked, please assume that you can not play. sorry. if for some reason there is room will will be looking for bands. if you want to be on this list please send a demo to the PIX PO BOX but address it to PIX FEST DEMO. don't get your hopes us, sorry. however, there will be shows during DAY BREAK (see above) maybe you could play one of these shows.

WHAT TO BRING, WHAT NOT TO BRING:
bring a tent, a sleeping bag, a bike, a toothbrush, a bowl and eating utensils and about $50-60 for the week. DO NOT bring a dog, drugs, spray paint, or weapons.

RESPECT IS REQUIRED:
when you are in our town, do not destroy things, do not in anyway damage the VENUE. do not vandalize our town without expert local advice/guides, you know, maybe you can put your stencil up in a place where there a lot of other cool stencils, but get advice. do not steal from our local businesses (it would be better if you did not steal at all since it limits the local thieves' resources and could also create a problem for PIX FEST if you get caught.) do not eat/patronize corporate businesses but feel free to use their restrooms. if you have to buy food or anything please refer to you city guide and find a local shop to support. we will not except any form of homophobic, sexist, racist, or macho behavior. be nice or get kicked out. (yes, out of town). i don't think this will be a problem but for the sake of our town i have to say it and STRESS it. we require your respect.

THIS IS LIST OF BANDS that MIGHT PLAY? or that i might ask… OR THAT HAVE ASKED TO PLAY.
THIS LIST IS NOT COMPLETE IN ANYWAY and IS SLIGHTY OUTDATED.

paul baribeau
the door-keys
japanther
this bike is a pipe bomb
sexy
one reason
defiance ohio or pretty hot or destroy
soophie nun squad
kimya dawson or antsy pants
the bananas
the four eyes
ghost mice
the max levine ensemble or lava lava or spoonboy
erin tobey
matty pop chart
madeline
the dauntless elite
reactionary 3
tiny hawks
latterman
bent outta shape
the good good
the modern machines
dave deans musical forklift
your heart breaks
mount gigantic
justin clifford rhody of smut
submission hold
requiem
onion flavored rings
the mountain goats
propagandhi
bright eyes
jello biafra
the tiger (or his new band with pascaloo and seasamee)
los gatos negros
totally michael
panoply academy
hot new mexicans
this is my fist
stress face
the evens
j-church
pinhead gun powder or cbds or astrid oto
saw wheel
eric peterson
bread and roses
johnny hobo?
baby calander
the fleshies
drunken boat
aphid ant constructions
allergic to bullshit
toys that kill
jeff ott
snuggle
best friends forever
what the kids want

tree of knowledge book distro
greg wells book reading
gad about film fest and or lost film fest

remember all emails to: pixfest2006@yahoo.com

thanks. -chris