Jon Roniger and The Good For Nothin’ Band is pleased to announce that the latest full length album release Hello Beautiful is being considered for a 2024 Grammy Award. In the seven years since the band’s inception, they boast a host of local residencies on the highly competitive New Orleans music scene. The band consists of Jon Roniger (singer/songwriter, guitar), Brendan Michael Bull (drums), Bob Kling (bass), Jake Gold (keys), Ellis Seiberling (trombone) and Raph Zee (trumpetl). For 200+ shows a year, Jon Roniger and The Good For Nothin’ Band tour nationally and internationally. Maniac World, their first LP garnered rave reviews; “New Orleans based five piece The Good for Nothin’ Band practically crackle with chops on each cut.” (Lydia Hillenburg, Vents Magazine), “There’s something to satisfy every sensibility. This is an outfit with a boundless future.” (Michael Saulman, Gashouse Radio), Their sophomore effort “Second Shot” released in April of 2018 and singles “My World”, “Hello Beautiful” and “Do What Makes You Happy” released in 2019/2020 garnered the band appearances at Vinter Fest in Copenhagen, The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, The French Quarter Festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Ingolstadt Blues Fest and Festival REM in France. The band released Let’s Get Lost in March of 2021 and Live at 6010 in August 2021. Rave reviews came in again with the two new releases; “a band that is at the top of its game” (Dave Franklin, Dancing About Architecture), “you’re not going to hear much better than this” (Anastim Ducray, Stepkid.com), “those who appreciate new music, will definitely want to hear this album” (Woke Chimp), “powerful performance that contains infectious energy” (Beach Sloth Music Blog). Look for show dates and times on www.thegoodfornothinband.com.
"Jon Rongier and his cohorts have fused often surprisingly poetic and image-filled lyrics with the melodic and highly stylized textures of Dixieland jazz and Delta blues. While it may sound effortless, the band practically crackles with chops on each cut.” — Lydia Hillenburg, Vents Magazine (Oct 14, 2016)
"Everything about this unit is steeped in the history and environs of the Crescent City with a roar of tradition, conviction, and an unquenchable thirst for new wine in old bottles. There’s something to satisfy every sensibility. This is an outfit with a boundless future.” — Michael Saulman, Gashouse Radio (Oct 14, 2016)
"There’s an original voice at work here, sly and sophisticated without being too self-conscious. If you want a date-night cocktail of real NOLA flavors, fizzy and giddy enough to seduce whomever you’re giving the side eye to, spin them around to this. It deftly sidesteps the hard sell.” — Robert Fontenot, Offbeat Magazine
"One of the band’s most important ingredients is a sense of humor, but they never play the material or the genre as a whole for laughs. Instead, the band’s songwriting humor relies on discovering the absurdity in life rather than pursuing gimmickry and novelty.” — Lance Wright, Indiemunity (Oct 14, 2016)
"Jon Roniger and The Good For Nothin' Band's "Maniac World" strikes notes of the familiar, but overall, it’s quite unlike anything you’ll hear. It's an impressive debut that sets the band up nicely for the future and establishes a very flexible musical template that shows no limits about where they can take it.”— Skope, Skope Mag (Oct 18, 2016)
Jon Roniger
There’s only one local New Orleans artist who boasts the success of writing all original music, collaborating with other recognized songwriters, performing live on a daily basis, and writing for film and television, all while staying true to his musical influences. Jon Roniger does not shy away from being slick, sly, and charming as he wraps himself up in authenticity, embodying a combination of the legendary local Harry Connick Jr., as well as the iconic Tom Waits, Paul Simon, and Randy Newman.
After spending years traveling the world, Roniger is proud of his roots in New Orleans. He playfully sings odes to NOLA’s infamous streets, historic landmarks, and succulent foods. He delivers it all in a sweet, melodic vocal style, mixed with moments of beautifully rough and fast-paced singing reminiscent of Bob Dylan channeling Donald Fagen. It leaves the listener wondering how he’s mastered blending them all together.
With his vast repertoire of a dozen albums to date, including "Maniac World" in 2016, "Live at the Mint" in 2015, the 2014 "Gypsyland" in which he sings primarily in French, "Dirty Gypsy" in 2013 which boasts an ambitious track listing of 28 acoustic songs, and "NOLA Rolls" as his 2012 EP, Roniger is no stranger to versatility. While he refers to his musical content and style as "twisted tales from the seedy side", he consciously writes in ways that evoke happiness, laughter, light sways of romance, sadness, and a sudden urge to dance. He does this seamlessly from one song to the next, while staying true to his influences.
A brief stint in Nashville has garnered Roniger the privilege to write with and/or for independent and signed artists who call Music City their home. His primary co-writer is the talented and well-known Chris Gantry, who had a #1 hit, "Dreams of the Everyday Housewife" in 1968, and worked with musical legends including Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson.
When Roniger is not busy creating magical concoctions of jazz, folk, and blues for his own albums, or writing in a variety of styles for others, he can be found writing and composing music for film and television. You can hear his work in the feature film "Island of Fantasy", TV shows "Platinum Babies", "I Used To Be Fat", "Extreme Couponing", various songs on HGTV, and a theme song for UK Based company, Bedford for Beds. In addition, he can be seen in a small acting roll for a Belvita Breakfast Snacks commercial from 2014 and in Nashville’s Rhinestone Wedding Chapel from 2013.
Jonathan Bauer
Born and raised in Alberta, Canada, Jonathan Bauer got his start in British Columbia where he performed with the Nanaimo Musician’s Association (NMA) Big Band and received his Bachelors in Music from Vancouver Island University.
In 2014, Jonathan moved all the way south to New Orleans where he received his Masters in Music from the University of New Orleans. Since moving to the United States, he has had the privilege to study under Ed Peterson, Victor Atkins, Jeremy Davenport, and Ashlin Parker, among others.
In addition to playing with the Good For Nothing Band, Jonathan is an active bandleader and sideman in New Orleans. Jonathan is honored to have shared a stage with the likes of Ingrid Jensen, Nicholas Payton, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Trumpet Mafia, and the legendary Ellis Marsalis.
Adam Everett
Adam Everett is a professional drummer and educator based in New Orleans. He is fluent in a variety of styles including Rock, Americana, Blues, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Traditional and Modern Jazz, and Brass Band. Born in Massachusetts, Adam began performing in live bands at age 16. He went on to graduate from San Jose State University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Music focused on Jazz Studies. Adam worked for Holland America Cruise Line and toured all over the world with them for two years. He then relocated to New York City where he performed and taught before heading down south to New Orleans in 2014. He performs weekly and is available for private drum lessons for students of all ages and experience levels.
Jake Gold
Jake Gold grew up playing piano in Queens, NY, studying how to make the instrument bend at his will, learning from scary old Russians, neighbors' parents, and by playing along to the radio. He went to college in Connecticut to study jazz and world music, and upon leaving found himself immersed in Boston's reggae scene, where he got to tour, perform, and record with some of modern reggae's biggest names. Tired of playing primarily one genre, Gold relocated to Vermont, where he joined a popular electro-rock-dance band and continued to perform with jazz and reggae outfits. After a decision to escape winter forever, he moved down to New Orleans in 2012, and hasn't looked back since. Over the past decade, Gold has gained a reputation as a strong composer, arranger, and sideman -- in the studio and on the stage -- playing with too many bands to list. He has appeared on over 40 releases, filling the roles of pianist/keyboards, drummer, bassist, producer, and engineer, and is currently finishing his Master's degree studies at the University of New Orleans. His music can be found at www.jakegoldmusic.com.
Evan Paydon
Evan came from a family of choir singers and began his love for music at a young age. He began playing trumpet at age 10 and found the electric bass at the age of 17. He went to college to study psychology but the call to perform was too strong. Throughout college he performed and studied jazz music and found teachers in the Chicago and Milwaukee area to study with. He owes many late night practice sessions to the inspiration from Neal Chandek and Bill "The Bhudda" Dickens, as well as James Singleton of the Astral Project. After performing and teaching in Milwaukee for a number of years Evan moved to New Orleans and has found a vibrant second home for his musical aspirations.
Evan's relationship with music is significantly informed by improvisation. He believes it is the responsibility of a musician to become an open window through which the language of music can pass, and to understand music as the contribution of an articulate dialog to a greater conversation, the topic of which is betterment of self and community.
Evan has recording credits on well over a dozen albums throughout a variety of genres. He has had his music played on national television; in 2013 was a featured performer at MKE Bass Day; received and been nominated for various 88.9 Music Awards and Wisconsin Area Music Industry awards; performed at NAMM 2014 and NAMM 2015; and in 2009 was honored to be Shepherd Express' Runner up for Best Jazz Artist. He has played or shared the stage with Buddy Guy, Benny Golson, Willy Porter, Russ Johnson, Bill Dickens, Fred Boswell jr, Mike Maher (Snarky Puppy), Jason Ricci, Paul Cebar, Sam Llanas (The BoDeans), Kathy and Dave Jensen (Hornheads, Prince), Warren Weigratz, Simon Townsend, Dave Stoler, Jim Liban, Nick Moss Band, Devin Drobka, Eric Schoor (Brian Lynch), Jamie Breiwick, Shonn Hinton (John Legend, Lil' Wayne, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott), Rick Aaron, Kevin Hayden, Steve Peplin, Mike Dillon and Tank and the Bangas, to name a few.
Ellis Seiberling
Ellis Seiberling was born and raised in Cameron, North Carolina, an old railroad town amongst tall pines and abandoned tobacco barns. The son of teachers, he grew up around the high school marching band in the fall while traveling in the summers to far off locales like New Orleans. At twelve years of age, he sat on the floor of Preservation Hall in the Crescent City, took in the sounds of the brass bands of Jackson Square, the tap dancers of the quarter, and was never the same. As a fourth generation trombone player, he came up playing in marching bands, orchestras and jazz bands, ska and punk bands, playing guitar and singing in coffee shops, street corners and talent shows. Ellis enrolled at the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati to study bass trombone. While there he played in professional orchestras, at the same time leading a traditional New Orleans style jazz band, country bands, avant garde brass bands, played in polka bands and with street musicians in Cincinnati and Athens, Ohio. After a graduate degree at Ohio University, he moved to Chicago, Illinois where he played in funk, soul and r&b bands and with the Salvation Army on street corners in December. While in Chicago he also played in hip hop and indie groups, Serbian weddings, played Catholic services and college basketball games, was a wedding singer and was a member of the band Mucca Pazza. He has shared the stage with the likes of Primus, the Flaming Lips, Andrew Bird, Yo La Tango, Claire and the Reasons, the Chicago Sinfonetta, Del the Funky Homosapien, and Chico Trujillo. Ellis has played at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Lincoln Center in New York, Montreal Jazz Fest, the Festival International de Louisiane in Lafayette, LA, Nelsonville Music Festival, movie theaters in Los Angeles, streets in St. Louis and St. Augustine, art lofts in Baltimore, Fenway Park in Boston, city parks in Nashville, Detroit, and Minneapolis, bars from Omaha to Dubuque, Toledo, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, San Fransisco, Ft. Wayne, Viselia and more. He now lives and works in New Orleans.
Feel free to contact me using the links below, email me jon@thegoodfornothinband.com or call 615.594.0980.