Everyone's a Winner When BINGO! Plays Baton Rouge

Where were you the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend? If your home is somewhere other than Baton Rouge, you have an excuse for not being a winner at the New Orleans BINGO! Show. The band traveled up to Baton Rouge, and played for an amazing three hours at the Spanish Moon. In case you're not familiar with the BINGO! Show, I'll fill you in on what you missed.

BINGO! is a concept band led by Clint Maedgen and MC'd by Mr. Ronnie Numbers, who spends the majority of the concert with the audience, rummaging the party. BINGO! categorize themselves as "experimental, neo-solo, lounge." Clint is backed by a costumed band, several clowns, some card playing whisky drinkers, and several lovely ladies. As you exchange your ticket for admission, the doorman passes out bingo tickets because an evening spent with BINGO! requires participation. The show's activities consist of two rounds of bingo, dodging clowns with megaphones, sirens, and bubble guns, dancing, home movie viewing, and arm wrestling. Prizes are awarded for bingo winners ranging from painted portraits of Jesus to shots of Jameson. As front man Clint says, "alright my baby," ironically reminding the audience to not be distracted from the music by all the activities.

The band is comprised of talented musicians. BINGO! recently toured the country with the famous Preservation Hall Band. New Orleans is the subject matter of most of BINGO!'s songs. Like New Orleans, their sound is dark, distinct, and diverse. How many other bands do you know feature a Theremin on several songs? The drum and bass filled numbers aurally set the audience in a bad ass carnival. The pace of the show alternates from ballads, to the eerie rock. Another delightful distortion is when Clint sings through walkie-talkies into a megaphone. During the climaxes of BINGO!, Clint gets up from the keys and wails solos on a white saxophone. Props, calls and responses, and carnival chants fill the show. Clint has also recently picked up the flute, while the band added an electric guitarist, both benefiting the celebration.

At BINGO! both patrons and newcomers alike enjoy their songs, but they also relish the visual entrance into BINGO!'s world. I talked to Clint after the show and he said it was BINGO!'s first time playing in Baton Rouge, he was impressed with the response, and they might be coming back. So you might want to head down to New Orleans and catch BINGO!, or if see the BINGO! Show listed in Baton Rouge, make it out. Hint to consider before the show: you will be disoriented, so beforehand review the complicated rules of bingo.

By Vincent Cellucci