Instant Band Night 4 On The Floor Live Music & Performances | Oakland

Submitted by the Event Organizer

The idea is simple:

1. The stage has a drum kit, guitar, bass, keyboard, and mics.
2. We draw names out of hats to make instant bands that get 10 minutes in the green room to plan an 8-minute set.
3. A hat-drawn artist will also take the stage alongside each band to draw their gig poster on a meeting room easel pad.

If you’re one or more of the following:  Up for a good time,  A musician,  Even vaguely artistically inclined

Then Instant Band Night is for you.

F.A.Q.

Q: Do I need to be a musician to show up?
A: No. Absolutely not. Hell no. Come see the show and have a good time; you don’t have to get onstage.

Q: I’m a musician; am I guaranteed a slot in a band?
A: We literally draw names written on slips of paper out of coffee cans, so there’s a chance you may not be called; in a purely mathematical sense, it’s a function of how many musicians of each type show up that night (there are five musician cans- drums, guitar, bass, vox, misc – and one can for artists who’ll be picked to draw the bands’ gig posters). We say: surrender to the spirit of random chance, or maybe slip the MC a bribe of some sort.

Q: Do I have to be an amazing musician to throw my name in a can?
A: Probably not. Your band’s only gonna be onstage for 8 minutes, anyway; how bad can you possibly be?

Q: Do I have to pick my cover tunes beforehand?
A: Listen. You and your band (who you’ve just met) have 8 minutes onstage to do whatever the hell you can think of in the 10 minutes prior to walking up there. You wanna try to pick covers everyone can agree on? Great. You wanna try writing something new? Fantastic; it can definitely be done. You wanna pick a key and tell each other to just fuckin’ wing it up there? You are a raging psychopath and we love it. We’ll see you in 10; get in the green room.

Q: What does BYOB stand for?
A: We don’t sell drinks at Instant Band Night, so you gotta bring your own. Get a cheap sixpack of something. Maybe a bottle and some cups. We’re not here to godmod how you get down.

Q: Is this in the East Bay?
A: It is. Do not be alarmed: it’s within walking distance of MacArthur Bart, and as a bonus, you get to tour Oakland’s version of the Mission on your way over. Or you could just take a Lyft from SF (or the BART station if you fancy). Got a car? Drive on over; parking around the East Bay Community Space is pretty simple. You can do this. We believe in you.

c o m e h a v e f u n
b r i n g y o u r f r i e n d s

$5 a person

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.