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 (trumpet). 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 - Guitar and Vocals
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 "Hello Beautiful" in 2023, "Live at 6010" and "Let's Get Lost" both released in 2021, "Second Shot" in 2019, "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.
Brendan Michael Bull - Drums
Hailing from Chapin, South Carolina, Brendan Bull grew up playing drums in the diverse music scenes of the Carolinas. He went to the University of South Carolina where he attained a percussion performance and jazz studies degree. After college, he focused on teaching privately and performing in many different ensembles and bands throughout the southeast. He moved to New Orleans, Louisiana in 2013 and furthered his studies with drumming greats Johnny Vidacovich and Stanton Moore. He soon flourished in the local music scene, playing 7 days a week. If Brendan isn’t out on a national or international tour with The Good For Nothing Band or Mike Dillon, he is busy recording, teaching, and playing live with a plethora of groups within the South Carolina and New Orleans music scenes.
Robert Kling - Bass
Robert was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As a youngster he participated in church choir and was selected to the 2001 Louisiana All-State Elementary Chorus. At CHS he joined the band program where he played bass guitar in the jazz band and bass drum in the marching band. It was in high school that he first encountered an upright bass. Robert went on to study the contrabass extensively in both the orchestral and jazz settings as he pursued a degree in music performance from LSU.
After college Robert moved just down the road to New Orleans to cut his teeth with some of the greatest musicians in the world. It was here where, alongside countless other musicians, Robert really began to mature musically. Learning the New Orleans songbook, playing multiple gigs a day, and immersing himself in the culture were incredibly valuable, and altogether irreplaceable experiences for Robert.
Robert is currently living in France pursuing his passions. He has been writing and playing his own music and is honored to represent his home state internationally.
Jake Gold - Keys
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.
Raph Zee - Trumpet
Since her arrival in 2018, Raph Zee has carved out a lane for herself as one of the few transfemme musicians consistently playing live music in New Orleans. Her unique approach to playing trumpet in various genres of Black American Music has led to opportunities playing the WWOZ Jazz Tent at Jazz Fest with Trumpet Mafia and Quiana Lynell, the Rabbit Hole with Maurice “MoBetta” Brown (Silk Sonic, Anderson Paak, Tedeschi Trucks), multiple performances with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, as well as the Treme Fall Festival & residency (fall / winter 2019) at the Hotel Monteleone with Shannon Powell (Preservation Hall, Danny Barker, Harry Connick Jr). These days Raph can most frequently be found playing trumpet with the Good for Nothin’ Band and Trumpet Mafia, singing, playing guitar, and band leading with Raph & the Rotation, and playing keyboards, background vocals, and trumpet with Lyla DiPaul.
Ellis Seiberling - Trombone
Ellis Seiberling is a native of Cameron, North Carolina. A fourth generation trombonist, he studied music and theater in high school, going on to receive several degrees in classical performance. After a teaching stint he moved Chicago to freelance in music. While there, he played in styles ranging from classical to funk, hip hop, R\&B and soul, salsa, klezmer, traditional and modern jazz, folk and americana. He was a featured performer in venues across the country including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Montreal Jazz Festival, and Festival International de Louisiane. In 2015 he moved to New Orleans, and has since played up and down Frenchmen and Bourbon streets, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, French Quarter Fest, the Steamboat Natchez, and many other venues. He has recorded and arranged for numerous projects, and continues to tour nationally and internationally.
Feel free to contact me using the links below, email me jon@thegoodfornothinband.com or call 615.594.0980.