A number of weeks ago, I noticed an ad on craigslist inviting people to get involved in a “guerilla street music event.” The series of ad-hoc concerts organized by the Oakland Music Collective is happening Saturday afternoons through September. My band, Kerbside, along with 3 other acts (James Whiton, Retrograde Revolution & Annah), were invited to participate this past Saturday, the first in the series.
The idea is simple: get some music out on the streets while the good weather lasts! At 4pm, 4 original bands at 4 separate locations started playing a 2-hour set on the street in front of local businesses who had volunteered access to power and a bite to eat for the band. In our case, we were in front of the Arizmendi co-op Bakery and definitely lucked out on the food front. I am an avowed carnivore, but that organic, hand-made, balsamic-tossed, arugula-smothered, tomato cheese and onion pizza was out of this world. There’s no pay involved for anyone, acts or organizers, but under the gracious shade of a large tree, next to a crosswalk we had a great time for two hours in front of a rotating, but supportive crowd that seemed delighted to find something happening in their ‘hood.
The man behind it all is Stephen Duffy (pictured left) of The Man Fantastic. Stephen founded the Oakland Music Collective, sorted out the sound permits and wandered around on the day in his stylish orange vest spreading support and good humor. Stephen is still looking for acts who want to participate, so if you or your band are interested, contact him at oaklandmusiccollective(at)gmail(dot)com. Acts must be professional, enthusiastic and self-organizing.
Stephen was talking to me after the gig and thinks subsequent events should start earlier. Technically, his permit allows bands to play between noon and 6pm, so he was saying he might leave start and end times up to the individual bands, “This is THEIR gig, after all,” he explained. Participants need to bring 100ft of electrical extension cord and enough carpet and duct tape to cover it where it crosses the sidewalk so no one will trip over it. Myself and my Kerbside (literally) ko-konspirators will be back again on the 22nd.
Isn’t it great to see someone selflessly dedicating themselves to their community, artists and the local scene? Fair play, Stephen - keep up the good work.
[...] for an interesting take on the Grand/Lake music series, we’d highly recommend reading a blog posted by Kerbsiders’ Sean Lightholder on his Bay Area Open Mike Calendar. August 27th, 2009 | Category: [...]