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Monday, August 19, 2024. Nai Tapas, East Village, Manhattan.—With support from Fat Tire Ale, The wild honey cake hosted an intimate dinner party with Nashville-based Tennessee indie rock musician, Annie DiRusso. The New York native, who carries the influence of both cities, played a set of original music from her most famous EP, “God, I hate this place” as well as her brand new single, ‘Legs’ produced by Caleb Wright (Hippocampus, Samia). “‘Legs’,” as Annie describes the song, “is a damp summer night in South. It’s a battle between my desire to surrender and my instinct to stay in control. I hate not being I know things, but I loosen my grip and let things take their course.” DiRusso’s 200,000+Social media followers have been eagerly awaiting the release of “Legs,” which recently garnered 1.5 million views on TikTok and Instagram. The new song hints at DiRusso’s new upcoming album, the title of which has not yet been revealed.
Eric Weiner, founder of The Wild Honey Pie, pictured with indie rock musician Annie DiRusso and a fellow musician
Annie’s birth close to home and her vulnerability in her lyrics touched the spirit of The wild honey cake Founder of a creative agency, Eric Weiner; who, since his internship at MTV UK in London, prides itself on working with artists and their fans to build a connection with their fans. “The Wild Honey Pie was created to break down the barrier between artists and their fans and reward superfans for their loyalty to the artists. We give artists the opportunity to thank their fans on a personal level. It’s a very special moment for everyone involved. In today’s music industry, there’s a lot of talk about how to build a community around musicians and turn listeners into superfans. And I think with our dinner parties, we have the perfect formula for that.”
Annie DiRusso fans before the game at Fat Tire during the Wild Honey Pie Dinner Party with Annie DiRusso; Photo by Emilio Herce
The Wild Honey Pie Dinner Parties are funded by brands such as Fat tire supported the Annie DiRusso show at the Nai Tapas restaurant, where a live film was recorded for an upcoming video, “We worked on videos with Cage the Elephant, Eric Clapton, Iron & Wine, Jason Mraz and on the event page with Del Water Gap, Lucius, Haim, Kishi Bashi, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and many more. We also work with some pretty cool brands: Vacation Sunscreen, Olipop, Half Day Iced Tea, Blundstone, Grillo’s Pickles and of course Fat Tire, the supporter of The Hiney Pie Dinner with Annie Di Russo. Everything we do is about taste; the selection of artists and brands.”
Guest in attendance: Bonafide Rojas (The Mona Passage) eyes the Fat Tire can. Photo by Emilio Herce
Light bites at the Wild Honey Pie Dinner Party with Annie DiRusso Photography by Emilio Herce
Dinner began with light appetizers such as hearty home-style fried potatoes, prawns in garlic sauce, ham croquettes and complimentary cans of ice-cold Fat tire The guests mingled and laughed like old friends at the table, like at a small family reunion or a housewarming party, while the The wild honey cake Team and No, spoke to Annie DiRusso fans and gave them memorabilia and signed tote bags.Our parties are deliberately intimate. The number of dinners depends on the size of the restaurant. The restaurant “Monday”, “Nai”, can accommodate 55 people, we have restaurants for 60, 70, 80 people and also smaller ones with a capacity of up to 40 people.”
As the evening progressed, the now better-known guests ate decadent portions of fudge dessert and the mood was set for Annie DiRusso’s live performance. “We love so many different kinds of music,” Eric says as Annie DiRusso takes the stage and greets her fans like close friends from her hometown, “…but I think our strengths lie in pop and indie.” Annie opened her performance by praising the service of the host team, the coziness and expressed her gratitude for a full audience, which she laughs about when she says she, “…doesn’t usually have the luxury of a well-fed and relaxed crowd.”
“Don’t Swerve,” an Annie DiRusso fan shows off her memorabilia with a gift bag. Photography by Emilio Herce
Fans sang along as Annie performed popular songs such as: “Nine months”, And “Don’t swerve.” The artist is blessed with an amazingly raw, clear and heartbreakingly audible emotion in her voice, reflecting the promise of a songwriter we will be talking about for years to come.
Annie DiRusso performs live at Nai for “The Wild Honey Pie Dinner with Annie DiRusso.” Photo credit: Emilio Herce
Wild Honey Pie Presents’ menu includes dinner parties hosted across the country and launched internationally. Their intimate pizza parties are regionally focused on upstate New York, where their collaborator, the iconic Paulie Gee’s Pizzeriabased on.
The real success of The Wild Honey Pie Dinner Party was the simple genius of it all; a dinner, a movie and a chance to meet people with shared musical interests. From the flavor and curation of each element; from the choice of artist to the selection of savory dishes, the table layout and the design of the atmosphere, it was a fresh and unique experience well worth having. “There’s something magical about our parties that’s different from the atmosphere of the venue. When you combine your love of food and music with great design and so many surprises, it’s hard to beat. We want to change the lives of music fans and artists.” I think they do. 
https://www.thewildhoneypie.com/events/all The Wild Honey Pie also has a partnership with Graduate Hotels by Hilton, which we will announce soon, as well as other dinner parties in Austin, LA, Denver and beyond.
