Meet Michael Gormley of Blast N Scrap in Fort Collins

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Gormley.

Michael, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Blast N Scrap came to fruition through my other organization, CapePals. The idea is to make capes with kids to raise money for good causes. Around that time my band CB & the G Jeez was playing a set a couple doors down from Who Gives a Scrap at a horror movie theatre called Gorehound’s Playground. We play Country BlueGrass Blues renditions of punk songs and would do horror punk covers to open for indie horror movie night. Anyway, I was outside and through their window, I saw this tremendous fabric section and thought it would be a great selection for capes. When I went inside and told them my idea of putting together fundraisers where we make capes with kids, they told me they were non-profit sponsored and everything in the store was either donation or recycled goods. Thus began our relationship.

My first fundraiser was for a local girl diagnosed with leukemia. The idea was to make capes, bring the children over to the movie theatre to play them songs, then let them pick from a selection of rated G/PG spooky films. When I came back to clean up the crafting area, I was asked if I wanted to play kids music at Who Gives a Scrap. Without preparation or a preconceived thought, I was instantly pitching them to be a DIY punk ethos venue by night. All of the arts and crafts racks in the back were on wheels, so by moving all the shelves between the aisles in the front of the store, it would open up a space that could fit close to 100 people. Not that we got that large of a crowd right away, it was certainly an uphill battle. We made headway, though, and over the course of the year, the space grew exponentially.

What started as bands playing to other bands, became a place where locals would come to catch art of a wide variety every weekend. Enacting as a multimedia art space allowed for me to book bands interspersed with comedians, circus acts, drag performers, etc. all while arts and craft supplies were setups so that the audience could create as well. Thus, the line between stage and audience was blurred as everyone was part of the show. All shows charged a suggested donation of $10, but with the guarantee that no one would be turned away for lack of money. The majority of people ended up paying the full amount, but if you were having a rough time financially, you were still welcomed. This, combined with us being All Ages Always and alcohol-free, allowed for our room to be a safe space for all walks of life to be creative together. It was a home for the arts. Who Gives a Scrap picked up extra day time business too. Since they sell all donations and recycled arts and crafts supplies, and my shows brought in all types of artists, the store caught on.

The neighbor complained of noise so we are looking for a new location. So, while our location shopping has currently come to a halt due to COVID-19, we remain hopeful that we can bring you our multimedia art space Sept.1, inside of Who Gives a Scrap’s new location.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Getting people to show up was certainly a struggle. It definitely helped having a bar in the strip mall of our location, as we are All Ages and alcohol-free. We certainly have a few more challenges ahead as well, I’m sure a new location will come with its own set of obstacles. Obviously having music shut down on us is definitely a big obstacle. I know that the ability to pivot is important, so we have held our last four events at alternate locations.

Blast N Scrap – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I try and mix as many art forms as possible into one event. An average evening will have four bands, with three comedians between acts, circus performers swinging while the bands played and a live painter capturing the entire event. Sometimes we’d have drag performers instead of comedians or poetry readings. Really anything we can come up with is on the table. My goal is to have no downtime. I’m proud that we are able to have donation-based variety events where no one has turned away for their economic background and that is inclusive to all walks of life.

In our downtime while looking for our new location we’ve focused our efforts to the merchandise division of Who Gives a Scrap/Blast N Scrap called Scrapyard Garb. We make merchandise like t shirts and patches using donation and recycled supplies with a policy of Never New Unless Necessary. We can guarantee the cheapest prices, and get to cut out sweatshops and excess waste. It cuts down on our human carbon footprint.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
If those our event space lifts up find success, then we are successful. The fact you found out about us through King Crawdad is certainly a highlight of putting this all together. The ability to pivot in the face of adversity is another cornerstone of a successful artist. We built a foundation that can be moved to a new space and still find our community within our doors. For that, I feel grateful and successful.

Contact Info:

• Email: blastnscrap@gmail.com

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