Dodongo

For several years, the members of Dodongo spent many a night in seedy rehearsal rooms around New York City, renting with friends as a simple outlet for folks to get together and blow off some steam musically -- until July 2019, when talent buyer Michael Lew needed another band to fill out a bill at the now-defunct jamband mainstay Sunnyvale in Bushwick. Guitarists Nick Cerbone and Dean Hicks, Keyboardist Andy Smith, Bassist Jayson Abrams, and drummer Tyler Hathaway were at one of these spaces with Lew (sax) when they had the idea that they could just play the show as a six-piece.

What initially started as a one-off gig where the band planned to play jamband renditions of video game tunes quickly developed into a much more serious project. They played several shows that year, including a successful Phish pre-party in December 2019. They were one of the last bands to play at Brooklyn Bowl in 2020 before the pandemic and had massive success in their debut there, selling 200+ tickets on a Wednesday. 

As the world waded through the uncertainty and despair that plagued the rest of 2020 and into the beginning of 2021, Dodongo was hard at work in their home studio, writing and recording material and experimenting with new sounds, styles, and genres. Their first release, Inside The Cavern, Vol. 1, was released in early 2021 and showcases their phenomenal improvisational skills and eclectic sound.

Afterf two sold out Bowery Electric shows in June 2021, the first full-capacity show at City Winery's new space The Loft in July 2021, a raucous Dopapod afterparty in September at The Gutter, and a second Brooklyn Bowl show in November 2021, which can be heard on the band's newest release, Dodongo is armed with an arsenal of new material and ready to launch into the next phase of their journey in 2022.