Anyone who has attended the Voodoo Music and Arts Experience in New Orleans the last few years may recognize the name New Orleans Bingo! Show.
With a name like that, it’s hard to be forgotten.
That is something that the members of the band want to ensure every night. On Friday at the Spanish Moon, the New Orleans Bingo! Show returns to Baton Rouge.
The band started when Clint Maedgen and Ron “Ronnie Numbers” Rona were working together at a restaurant in the French Quarter. While Rona was in a band and Maedgen had written music, neither one complemented the other.
Things would change when Maedgen stumbled on a set of old bingo cards.
“It was organic,” Rona said. “He wanted to create a group and a performance where he could debut some of his new material and have it become more than just a band playing and more of a happening.”
After forming, the two began doing shows in the back of the restaurant where they worked. Over time, the shows grew, becoming something more than just music.
“We did these shows every Thursday night at the restaurant,” Rona said. “We weren’t advertising it. We weren’t promoting it. It was more of a happening, a gathering for a lot of our friends. Before we knew it, it turned into this word-of-mouth thing to do on Thursday nights. It grew organically.”
In addition to playing music, the band hosts bingo games between its sets.
“We play a live game of bingo with the crowd,” Rona said. “Everybody in the room gets a couple of bingo cards, and during one segment of the show, we engage the crowd for a live game of bingo. I can’t tell you what the prizes are, but one of the prizes is fame.”
In two years, the Bingo! Show grew into something bigger than what it originally intended as more and more was added to the show.
“We had a framework where there was music and bingo games.” Rona said. “We started adding multimedia elements to it. Specifically, we invited local filmmakers to bring their short films by and we would screen it between sets and bingo games.”
As time passed, the New Orleans Bingo! Show got bigger, morphing into a “musical game show cabaret.” The show got so big in fact, Voodoo let the band create its own stage — The Bingo Parlor.
“In a lot of ways, it was the emancipation of what we did in the back of the restaurant,” Rona said.
The Bingo Parlor allowed the Bingo! Show to do more than just perform music. They would showcase other local acts, like Luke Allen of the New Orleans rock band Happy Talk.
While the New Orleans Bingo! Show may not be playing Voodoo this year, the band has more in store for the future.
“We’re working on a bunch of new things that we’ll be debuting in the fall,” Rona said. “We’re back in a creative shell right now.”
After a string of shows in New Orleans, the Bingo! Show will play in Baton Rouge on Friday at the Spanish Moon.
Besides the band’s set and the bingo game, anything is possible at the show.
“You may love it, you may hate it, but you’re never going to forget it; I guarantee you that,” Rona said. “It’s going to be different than guys playing guitars. It’s a show. It’s a whole experience. It’s extremely interactive. It’s just a damn good time.”
Anyone that has attended the Voodoo Music and Arts Experience in New Orleans the last few years may recognize the name New Orleans Bingo! Show.
With a name like that, it’s hard to be forgotten.
That is something that the members of the band want to ensure every night. On Friday at Spanish Moon, the New Orleans Bingo! Show returns to Baton Rouge.
The band started when Clint Maedgen and Ron “Ronnie Numbers” Rona were working at restaurant in the French Quarter. While Rona was in a band and Maedgen had written music, neither one would complement the other.
Things would change when Maedgen stumbled on a set of old bingo cards.
“It was organic,” Rona said. “He wanted to create a group and a performance where he could debut some of his new material and have it become more than just a band playing and more of a happening.”
After forming, the two began doing shows in the back of the restaurant where they worked. Over time, the shows grew, becoming something more than just music.
“We did these shows every Thursday night at the restaurant,” Rona said. “We weren’t advertising it. We weren’t promoting it. It was more of a happening, a gathering for a lot of out friends. Before we knew it, it turned into this word-of-mouth thing to do on Thursday nights. It grew organically.”
In addition to playing music, the band hosts bingo games between their sets.
“We play a live game of bingo with the crowd,” Rona said. “Everybody in the room gets a couple of bingo cards, and during one segment of the show, we engage the crowd for a live game of bingo. I can’t tell you what the prizes are, but one of the prizes is fame.”
In two years, the Bingo! Show grew into something bigger than what it originally intended as more and more was added to the show.
“We had a framework where there was music and bingo games.” Rona said. “We started adding multimedia elements to it. Specifically, we invited local filmmakers to bring their short films by and we would screen it between sets and bingo games.”
As time passed, the New Orleans Bingo! Show got bigger, morphing into a “musical game show cabaret.” The show got so big in fact, Voodoo let them create their own stage, The Bingo Parlor.
“In a lot of ways, it was the emancipation of what we did in the back of the restaurant,” Rona said.
The Bingo Parlor allowed the Bingo! Show to do more than just perform music. They would showcase other local acts, like Luke Allen of the New Orleans rock band Happy Talk.
While the New Orleans Bingo! Show may not be playing Voodoo this year, the band has more in store for the future.
“We’re working on a bunch of new things that we’ll be debuting in the fall,” Rona said. “We’re back in a creative shell right now.”
After a string of shows in New Orleans, the Bingo! Show will play in Baton Rouge on Fridayat the Spanish Moon.
Besides their set and the bingo game, anything is possible at the show.
“You may love it, you may hate it, but you’re never going to forget it; I guarantee you that,” Rona said. “It’s going to be different than guys playing guitars. It’s a show. It’s a whole experience. It’s extremely interactive. It’s just a damn good time.”