Members of Ilithios, No Jersey, Debbie Dopamine, Sorry Darling, Awful Din, and more share their testimonies about the Brooklyn Band Lottery, and offer some advice for first-timers.
Last week, we opened up sign-ups for our annual Band Lottery event. I described it as “the most wonderful time of the year” (came up with that one on my own), explained what it was, and collected some stories and experiences with previous years, which you can read here.
That said, when I was reaching out to people for last week’s article, they had A LOT to say! This thing means a lot to people. And if I have anything to say about it (and if Jon lets me), their passion will not go undocumented!!
SO!! We took the full quotes from last week’s interviews and collected a few more to make a collection of Band Lotto Testimonials. Read them below.
Why is Band Lotto special to you?
Band Lotto feels like a whole day of that feeling you got when you were a kid coming up with a show with your friends to convince your parents to let you have a sleepover. - Liz Wagner-Biro (Sorry Darling - Band Lotto 4-timer)
Meeting at Band Lotto when we did genuinely changed my life. Manny [Nichols - Catty, Ilithios] started Ilithios a year or so later and I joined his live band for that project. The crew of friends that make up the two bands has been such a home base. It's made me feel rich. The cats chat every day - the puns are ongoing. (PS: our group thread name is a nautical Beatles pun. I’ll give a buck to the first person who guesses it) - Ana Becker (Catty, Ilithios - Band Lotto 1-Timer)
It’s how my partner and I celebrate our anniversary. The story goes my first one was our 3rd date, and he fell in love with me doing whatever I was doing onstage. - Dani Hilzenrath (Wildcard - Band Lotto 2-Timer)
I love the feeling of being on stage with everyone I’ve been in the trenches with all day, with this collective agreement of “well, this is going to be weird… let’s fucking go!” and just letting it rip. There will be flubs and forgotten lyrics, there will be wrong notes and missteps, and there will be fantastic chaos. - Katie Ortiz (Debbie Dopamine - Band Lotto 5-Timer)
What brings/brought you to Band Lotto?
I wanted to get more involved in the music community and make friends. I was excited to just go play and I ended up bringing a bass to get more out of my comfort zone, since I primarily play guitar. I didn't even really know what Band Lotto was or anyone going, but I had been to [The East Williamsburg Econolodge] a handful of times, and everyone was always extremely welcoming and kind. - Melody Henry (Phantom Signals - Band Lotto 2-Timer)
I'm not in a band, but part of me has always wanted to be in one. I grew up playing piano and saxophone, and started teaching myself guitar when I was 18. I used to have a sticky note collection of "band names" [laughs]. Before my first Band Lotto experience (2019), I had never played guitar with other musicians. My first experience was incredible and really helped my self-confidence. Each time I've participated in the BandLotto since, my confidence has continued to grow. Last year, I even played bass for the first time! - Shane Wax (“Shane, but I’m not in the band” on Instagram - Band Lotto 4-timer)
How have your Band Lotto connections coincided with your real-world projects?
Catty started because of Band Lotto in 2019. I didn’t really know any of my band-for-the-day-mates before lotto day, but I felt immediately comfortable. The transition to being a “real band” was pretty seamless from what I remember - it was just sort of the obvious thing to do. It involved starting a group text of endless terrible-great-terrible puns about boats, because the band name we landed on for Lotto day was “Hayyy Sailor”. Our formal band name decision process after that involved bringing a poster board of options to our next show, and giving people post-it notes to vote with while we played our brand new baby set. - Ana Becker
My second Band Lotto I met Dan [Holodak] and when Sorry Darling needed a new drummer, I immediately asked him to fill in. Now he’s one of my bestest friends and still in the band three years later! - Liz Wagner-Biro
I was working on my own project and hoping to form it into a real band. I was recording stuff and putting it out by myself before Band Lotto, and I had been talking to our drummer John Morris about joining the project as well. But after [Band Lottery], I really liked the energy Mike Petzinger, our bassist, and Joey Russo, our former guitarist, brought to writing at Band Lotto. So maybe 24 hours after, I texted both of them and sent them two of the songs I had put out, and they said they were in. It was very fortunate that I found people that made sense in the project and that they were down to take a chance on me as someone new to leading a band. - Melody Henry
What do you gain from Band Lotto as an artist or performer?
It’s my one time a year to front a punk band with my accordion. - Dani Hilzenrath
Band Lotto is the best exercise in ‘yes, and’-ing. When I’m writing on my own, it has to be good enough to be worth the time and energy to write it, workshop it, and teach it to my bandmates. Band Lotto gets rid of all of that. There are time constraints, new people and dynamics at play, and there may not be traditional instrumentation. You don’t have to write and rehearse the greatest 15 minute set - you just have to be able to get through a 15 minute set. Everyone participating has taken a risk getting out of their comfort zone, so it’s easier to take more collective leaps together, because if it flops, who cares?
I personally like to lean away from my comfort zone by abandoning my usual tools. I don’t think I’ve ever played guitar in Band Lotto, which is my main instrument. I’ll usually break out the saxophone I’ve had since I was 7 and rarely touch, or a synthesizer. When the risks pay off, they *pay off. I’ve been in Band Lotto bands that do an a cappella moment, or a synth-y club mix, or a disco breakdown in the middle of a shoegaze song. One year we didn’t have a drummer, so people took turns playing simple beats on the kit, and it weirdly worked! None of us really ever know what we’re doing, so we end up in some awesome new places together.* - Katie Ortiz
As a musician it definitely makes you think about the patterns you fall into when writing songs. Doing so much in such a little time made me very aware of the progressions and rhythms that I fall back on by default. And recognizing those helps me expand my songwriting. - Aaron Groom (Awful Din - Band Lotto 4-Timer)
It's given me the chance to stretch out stylistically a little bit. Writing songs on the fly like that allows me to exercise my creativity and collaboration muscles. Julian Ames (No Jersey - Band Lotto 4-timer)
Any advice for Band Lotto first timers?
Don’t say “no” to anybody’s idea. You can build on an idea but pushing back or saying “no” costs you valuable time that you don’t have. Most ideas people have make it into a song in one way or another, and that’s a good thing! - Aaron Groom
Expect to be locked in a sweaty room and run through the entire experience of being in a band all in one day - the highs and lows. In the end it’s purely fun - it’s one of the only times of year I feel comfortable on stage! - Dani Hilzenrath
Create just for its own sake. None of us have to be there, and most of these bands won’t exist more than a day (though every once in a while, an accidental killer band forms… looking at you, Catty!). It’s a reminder that even though so many of us are trying to find fulfillment or success in our music, we can discover so much by returning to the source. Music can be like child’s play. I’ve definitely tried to carry that with me beyond the exercise, but it’s nice to be reminded each year. - Katie Ortiz
How has Band Lotto impacted your sense of community?
I’ve made so many friends doing Band Lotto. I feel bonded to anyone I’ve worked with because we have truly been in the trenches together, in hour six with with sore feet, running on too much caffeine and a communal bag of chips, just trying to squeeze out one last song. I love getting to follow these people’s journeys after our one-day collaboration. If you’re new to the scene, it’s a surefire way to make strong connections quickly. - Katie Ortiz
Around half of the Band Lotto participants are musicians who I've never met. Being stuck in a practice space for 8 hours is a great way to build bonds with people. The event lasts a day, but we're all "Bandmates for Lyfe." While I feel blessed that I've been placed in bands with one or two musicians I knew beforehand, I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to play with musicians I've never met. In my first go, I got to play with Dylan Roth, who plays in No Jersey. I had never met him before and had never seen his band. Now they're one of my favorite local bands - you can catch me at almost every one of their shows, and also in their upcoming music video. That's all thanks to BandLotto. - Shane Wax
Most importantly, the Band Lotto has allowed me to meet people - some of whom I may not have even met going to shows - and learn about what bands they're in. It’s definitely led to more bands whose shows I go to and play on bills with regularly. - Julian Ames
In conclusion, sign up for Band Lotto if you’re a musician, make plans to go to the performance at the Gutter if you’re not, and whether or not it’s at Band Lotto, please start a band that sounds like The Gin Blossoms. Also please start a band that sounds like the Locust. Actually, only start bands that sound like Lightning Bolt, because the city needs more of those.
Sign up for Band Lotto 2026 here.
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