#tinybronxcontest

For This Musical Community, The Tiny Desk Contest Was An Excuse To Reunite

Back in January, we shared a New York musician’s call to his local music community in the city. Alex Bondarev of Bronx, N.Y. had previously submitted to the Contest with his band Conversing with Oceans and he had a great idea: Pool his community’s resources and bring local musicians together to help film some of the best music New York (and especially the Bronx) has to offer.

Alex moved to the Bronx from Russia when he was young, and he became involved in a musical community called the Bronx Underground. His band played the first-ever show the community put on, and he was involved until it ended around 2015.

"I thought, I have a friend that does sound, I have a friend who does video," he says. "Why not just invite our friends from the Bronx Underground and have it be like this epic show get-together where everybody just walks away with a great video?"

Soon, that idea became the Tiny Bronx Contest — an evening in January where 12 local bands got together to make their videos for the Tiny Desk Contest. This weekend, Alex was on Weekend Edition sharing his story and some of the amazing entries he captured. Take a listen, then watch Alex’s entry below. You can find a full playlist of the entries the Tiny Bronx Contest produced here.

Two Opportunities From The Tiny Desk Contest Community

Hey everybody — as we prepare to watch your videos (starting this Friday! Eee!), we thought we’d pass along two opportunities that have sprung up among local Tiny Desk communities in the Bronx and Los Angeles. Read on to see if these are for you!

Calling All Bronx Tiny Desk Hopefuls

2016 entrant Conversing With Oceans has put together a gathering for bands in the Bronx. On Jan. 20, the band is hosting a free, unofficial event at Jimmy Ryan’s to help local bands film their entries. 

Learn more in the video above and reach out to [email protected] to see if this is something your band might be interested in.

One More Time For LA

Two-time entrant Cynthia Brando, in Los Angeles, has created a Facebook page for LA entrants to come together around the Contest. She’s got some great ideas about sharing the videos and potentially booking an unofficial showcase for local entrants. Follow the page here.

Tiny Desk Contest submissions open on Jan. 13 — THIS FRIDAY! Good luck, everybody! Wherever in the United States you live, we can’t wait to hear your submission. And of course, let us know if you have community events of your own.

—Rachel, Ben and Marissa