Nearby: 🎶 Song-A-Thon Playoffs at Schooners

Songwriters battle for cash at the Schooners Song-A-Thon Playoffs

In Cayucos, up the coast. The Song-A-Thon Playoffs take over Schooners on Thursday, July 30, a bracket-style original-song contest where eight to ten solo songwriters play their own material, the audience ranks each round, and judges crown a champion. Doors open at 6 PM, the first round starts at 7, and awards land at 9, with a $250 cash top prize and gift cards down the board. Free to attend, upstairs from the beach at 171 North Ocean Avenue.

The format is what makes it: original songs only, head-to-head rounds, and an audience with real power over who advances, which turns a listening night into a participation sport. The county keeps a deep bench of working songwriters, and a cash prize on a competition bracket brings out both the polished regulars and the wildcard entries that make these nights unpredictable in the best way.

Song-A-Thon runs the last Thursday of every month at Schooners, so a good night here can become a habit. The full bar and menu run through the rounds, and Cayucos sits about ten minutes up Highway 1 from Morro Bay, an easy Thursday drive for a night of brand-new songs.

For more songwriter nights and Nearby Happenings up the coast, see what is coming up on the event calendar.