2.4 A wknd w/ R O N I
The artist on sweet-potato latkes, the sacred ritual that is 'Drag Race' and her Saturday-night solo show at East Williamsburg Econo Lodge
GOOD MORNING! For some reason, we woke up at 5 a.m. Please send help. And coffee. Let’s begin.
We’re gonna kick off this week’s newsletter with a mind-blowing statement: New York… big city. (Whew! Told you. Recovered? Read on.)
However, while NYC is stacked and packed to the boroughs’ brims with people (8.4 million, to be exact), as anyone who has lived here for a while understands, once you find your thing—be it stand-up or soccer, poetry or polar plunging, magic or marathons or HEY, MAYBE MUSIC—you realize that this massive metropolis is made up of a lot of very, very small worlds.
Sure, this might sometimes make dating difficult (every hot person you meet is someone you already know’s ex; plz kiss carefully), but on the plus side, it offers you a series of second chances on the friendship front and extra opportunities to connect on a creative level. If you meet someone at a show once and think they’re cool, there’s no need to run home and post a Craigslist Missed Connection or, on the 1000% more modern front, scour Insta and then sliiiiide into their DMs. You’re both part of the same scene, and unless this person of interest is, say, the drummer’s second cousin in town from Dubuque (in which case: slide away!), it’s more than likely you’ll run into them again… andagainandagainandagainandagain.
Case in point: We first encountered + were thoroughly wowed by guitarist, singer and songwriter R O N I when we caught a few Sofar Sounds shows she played pre-pandemic. Then, when live music made its triumphant return last summer, we were super stoked to run into the artist again on a sweaty Sunday afternoon at 18th Ward Brewing, where she was running sound for New Colossus Fest’s free outdoor concert series. It was at this point that we took action, simultaneously calling dibs on the artist’s talent and forcing her to be our friend by booking her for a show at FirstLive Studios in June, two months before she dropped her stellar album, Afterglow.
Fast-forward to February 2022, and we’ve officially taken the next step in this relationship: We asked R O N I what she was planning on doing this weekend… like, everything she was planning on doing this weekend… and then suggested that maaaaybe she could also, idk, write it all down and, like, email it to us?!
And, VOILA! With that, we give you the weekend itinerary below. And because, as we know, everyone/everything in this magical, shockingly minuscule world overlaps, we’re stoked to report that R O N I is playing a show THIS SATURDAY at one of our favorite DIY spots (East Williamsburg Econo Lodge) with some of our favorite people, including SETLIST alumna Kasey Heisler from A Very Special Episode. Dubbed A Solo Night at the Lodge, the event will feature intimate, stripped-down performances from several participating artists (details below), and having seen R O N I in precisely this fashion on multiple occasions, we can guarantee it will be a very sick show with some seriously incredible songwriting on display.
SO! There’s your starting point. Or technically, more like your mid-point. As for the days/nights before/after, READ ON! Your weekend starts now, and it’s packed with cool stuff at great places that will inevitably be full of familiar faces—
It’s gonna be a good one. Have fun, smooch safe and enjoy~enjoy~enjoy it all.
[BUT FIRST: PRESS PLAY]
FRIDAY
Start the day at Bagel Pub with an egg and cheese on a croissant with tomatoes, a lil bit of cream cheese and a LIL bit of pesto! Yes. You're welcome. Prepare your mind to be blown. I call it: the Sloppy Moses.
Get some flowers for Shabbat :) at your local shop, I get mine either at the nearby supermarket or (when feeling fancy) I go to my favorite shop, Natural Spirit Shop.
Fridays are sort of sacred to me only in the way of watching Drag Race religiously with friends and some din din at home. Here's a great recipe for some sweet potato latkes that are as addictive as crack. But if that's not your vibe, there is always someone's gig you can catch at some of my favorite venues - Berlin under A, Bar Lunatico, Barbes, TV-Eye and The Nest (fun bonus - I'm playing there with my bandmates March 4th).
If you find yourself still out and up for a nightcap - The Back Room in the LES, Fionna's on Flatbush, or The Keep in Ridgewood.
SATURDAY
Sleep innnnnnnn.
A lil more....
5 more minutes....
Ok (2 hours later) - Once you're up, and in a naughty mood for brunch, head over to Miriam's (the breakfast plate is fantastic), or to Stone Park Cafe (French Toast, need I say more?).
Weekends are for extended playing of vinyls in my house. Highly recommended Saturday records: Sylvester - Step ii, Donna Summer - Bad Girls, Art Blakey - Buhaina's Delight , Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue.
Head out to Econo Lodge in East Williamsburg for a killer lineup of musicians performing solo and more intimate versions of their songs. Yours truly will be playing, as well as @patrickporterz , @kasexyy , @daltondeschain , @robolitious and @mandy__marie_. Doors at 8pm, shows at 9pm, $5 at the door. :)
SUNDAY
Recover.
Get a smoothie at the local crepes and shakes place, BKLN CREPE. I get some sort of a banana, berries, OJ and chia seed thing. Don't ask me to explain it, you need to visualize a magical purple/magenta situ-aish.
Get some more vinyls (bc why not) at the 5th Avenue Record Shop.
If you came to my show at #ewel last night, and didn't go dancing after, go out dancing to a leftovers Saturday night after-hours rave. Yes, on Sunday. Check @resolutenyc on IG and check their stories to see if their Saturday-night rave is still happening. Sometimes, those after-hours raves become so much better and more interesting in the afternoon of the next day! And potentially cheaper. ;)
If home is where your heart is, make yourself a nice din din, and watch some good Sunday-night TV. My faves atm are Euphoria, The Gilded Age, The Righteous Gemstones, Somebody Somewhere and of course, Veep, on reruns, for the soul.
Itinerary above written + provided by R O N I. Follow the artist at @roni_sounds and add her songs to your Spotify playlist!
Feature image provided by the artist.
MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
UMMMMMMM, holy shit. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for showing up + turning up *in a bomb cyclone* to celebrate BdBK turning 3 years old last Saturday night! We want to give a huge shoutout to the bands, the Broadway team and every human in attendance for making the evening so epic and for honestly just being the absolute best. That was a whole lotta love (+ one poorly executed stage dive) and we will be crying happy tears for the foreseeable future.
BdBK is going to SXSW! As a member of ~the press~ our goal is to give as much love to our local artists as we can leading up to + during the fest, so if you’re planning on heading to Austin, please let us know when and where you’re playing (bandsdobk@gmail.com). From NYC to ATX, we’re here to promote, support and show up for you however we can.
Dim Things’ DIM COMP 3 is officially out TODAY! The comp features contributions from Petite League, Raavi, War Violet, Fat Trout Trailer Park, Bat Kid, Noverb and more, and all proceeds benefit Ridgewood Tenants Union. Head over to Bandcamp and cop a copy now!
Our Wicked Lady’s WINTER MADNESS tournament kicks off TONIGHT! Come out every Friday and Saturday in February as up-and-coming bands battle it out for a grand prize of $5,000 and, speaking of SXSW, a slot at OWL’s festival showcase. Check out the Sweet 16 here, pre-game with the official playlist and come out to cheer on your faves (+ discover new ones) all month long.
MONDAY! Following the drop of their two-track release Make It A Double I’m Not Thriving, we’ve got 95 Bulls on the radio! Tune into Radio Free Brooklyn at 7 PM for talk + tunes + whatever madness inevitably ensues. (When we had Dom of the band as a guest a few years ago, he brought 99 Bananas. God help us all.)
A HUGE CONGRATS to BdBK BFF Rich of Bloodless Management, who just announced his new role as talent buyer at Arlene’s Grocery, where he’ll be teaming up with the venue and artists like (maybe) you to “reshape the musical landscape of Manhattan and amplify awareness to a broader audience.” He’s currently taking inquiries for March/April/May, so hit him up at rich@bloodless.management.
RELEASE RADAR
New(ish) stuff from local (or once-local) artists we love, listed in no order whatsoever:
Sleep Without Dreaming // Beechwood
Sankofa // Olivia K and the Parkers
While You Wait // Widowspeak
“Wino” // Homeschool
“The Story of Us” (Taylor Swift cover) // Marinara
IT’S HAPPENIN’
Here’s a look at the shows we’ve got coming up this month. Mark your calendars and come hang!
2.12 BdBK + EWEL present the 2022 BAND LOTTERY @ East Williamsburg Econo Lodge (details here)
2.15 STRONG LITTLE SONGS living-room show benefiting Sweet Relief Musicians Fund ft. stripped-down performances from Ok Cowgirl, Drive-In, Omer Leibovitz and Arlo Indigo (donation-based; BYOB; DM @bandsdobk for address)
+ ICYMI
Around the blog + on the radio + from the archives:
SPOTLIGHT: ‘Abyssal Gigantism’ from Two-Man Giant Squid
PREMIERE: “Scam Likely” from Fat Trout Trailer Park
WANTED: Multi-Instrumentalist Seeking Band to Join
PLAYLIST: Bands do BK Vol. 15 (a currently unlisted 51-song rough draft ft. songs we’ve featured + artists we’ve worked with + new songs we dig released by bands we love, all in the last… uh, since we released Vol. 14)
Thx 4 reading! Find more fun stuff at bandsdobk.com and @bandsdobk. <3