Rock Lottery's 23rd round Saturday will build five bands from scratch in a day to raise money for KUZU

A roomful of Denton musicians will walk into Dan's Silverleaf on Saturday morning without knowing who their bandmates are. By night, five brand-new groups will take the stage with songs that did not exist at breakfast.

That is the formula behind Rock Lottery, which returns Nov. 14 for its 23rd edition, according to a preview by Preston Jones of KXT published Monday by the Denton Record-Chronicle. This year's event benefits KUZU-FM 92.9, the community-supported low-power station that broadcasts from downtown Denton.

How the day works

Players gather in the morning and are sorted into bands by chance. Each lineup then has roughly 12 hours to write and rehearse three to five songs, with no more than one cover allowed, before performing that night at the same venue. Musicians named for this year include Alex Bhore, Zeke Forever, Cory Graves, Judy Mitchell and Joe Perez.

The public can attend either half. Tickets are $25 for the morning selection ceremony with breakfast and $20 for the evening show, which starts around 8 p.m., according to the preview. Pan Ector will screen-print shirts for the new bands on site.

A Denton export

The Good/Bad Art Collective started Rock Lottery in Denton, and 2027 will mark 30 years since the first one.

Organizers estimate more than 500 North Texas musicians have taken part, including members of Midlake, the Baptist Generals, Slobberbone and the Toadies, along with Sarah Jaffe, and that the event has raised more than $80,000 over the years for causes such as Court Appointed Special Advocates and Parkland Health Plus. Spinoff versions have been staged in Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Seattle.

Sources

Denton Record-Chronicle

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