It’s a story as old as time itself: man wants to foster a community, man attaches basketball hoop to his van, man throws basketball tournament for every weirdo he can find in Portland, Oregon. If you’re unfamiliar, this is the story of Rigsketball, an annual basketball tournament held by Portland DIY musician Bim Ditson in whatever parking lot or cul-de-sac he happens to plant his band And And And’s van in.
Over the two-weekend, single-knockout-style tournament, 32 of Portland’s finest bands—whose genres range from hip-hop to indie to sketch comedy—fight for a gold spray-painted trophy and the ultimate bragging rights. In addition to the tournament, there’s a grand finale show, which was held this year at the East Portland Eagles Lodge, and no doubt tons of cheap beer.
Since its founding in 2011, the event has become an underground hit and serves as the inspiration behind music, beer, and a new video about the ethos of Rigsketball.
In the video, Ditson explains that the goal of Rigsketball was simple: “to bring people together” and the inspiration even simpler: “it seemed like it would be funny.” It’s clear, however, that the bands participating in the tournament don’t treat it as a joke. As mohawk’d dudes in cutoffs shoot for threes, the matches inevitably devolve into something that belongs more in a mosh pit than a basketball court.
You can check out all the action above and get yourself ready for next year’s tournament by checking out the Rigsketball’s Tumblr page.
In addition to the video, the good folks at Party Damage have released a free compilation of all 32 of the bands that competed in this years tournament, including the current reigning champs, comedy troupe Who’s the Ross?, which you can listen to here. You can also read the rest of the Rigsketball profile over at Julie Zulu’s website.
