CONGRATULATIONS Michael & Hannah

This was a lot of fun. Hannah & Michael are friends of mine. I LOVE working for people I know because it makes the performance personally meaningful. I give 100% effort at all my parties but when it's friends or family you really step it up a notch. Hannah is a teacher who just graduated from college with her degree and spent time student teaching in both of my children's' classrooms. Additionally she is my daughters Pioneer Clubs teacher and has been an incredibly positive influence on my little girl.

The Springside Inn is a nice, family run establishment that serves some really great food. The Inn is old (it opened originally in 1854) and while it is well maintained it is an old building filled with all of the nuances that give old buildings their charm. The grounds are beautiful for pictures and the staff was very pleasant and accommodating, despite some problems with the seating chart, everything was handled well and professionally.

Hannah and Michael are just like most of the Brides and Grooms I've worked with over the last 15 years. They had a very definite idea of what they wanted to hear musically for their wedding. They chose a lot of really great music and we would have had an awesome party had we stuck strictly with what they had chosen. However as the big day arrived and their friends and family began talking to them about their desire to dance to specific songs and to really have a great time they began to wonder if their music selections focused too narrowly on their own tastes. This prompted Hannah to ask me to "play just good music that everyone will enjoy." Taking this new "flexibility" to hand I am happy to say that the dance floor was filled the entire time, and keep in mind this was an AFTERNOON wedding reception, which usually present the biggest challenge to dancing. I managed to play about 90% of Hannah & Michaels requests only having to add a few classics like "Build Me Up Buttercup", and "The Twist" to move things along.

(* Special note - I tell all my client this and I truly believe it with my heart but its good people that make a good party. The DJ can guide it and he can even take it to the level of GREAT but it starts with the people. If they want to have fun, and you give them the basics they will, even in spite of a crappy DJ)

And there you have it. That is the art of what a really good DJ is capable of. Discerning what music will motivate a crowd and how to string those songs together to keep people involved is indeed an art form. Like any art it takes years of trial and error, and herds and herds of practical experience to learn. Thats what a DJ does if he wants to make people happy.

Making requests is fine. You need only read the previous post to know that I am willing to play strictly the music that clients choose during their affair. Any professional DJ should be willing to do the same. However I encourage people to allow the DJ the flexibility to work "his magic" on the crowd. You can essentially play 40-50 songs duringa 4 hour party. Pick 20 that you absolutely MUST hear, and leave the DJ with the room to string those requests, together with "appropriate" requests from your guests and the songs that he KNOWS will move people to enjoy themselves. That is the recipe for a GREAT event. One which will be memorable to you and your guests.

Happy 50th Birthday Linda

LIVE FROM Pensabene's Casa Grande!

Every now and then you meet a client that you just love. Linda is just such a client. I met Linda when Cheryl at Pascale's recommended me for her 2006 company holiday party. She is one of those people who can make you smile at every turn. She has such an energy and is so filled with a joie de vie that you feel like a long lost friend from the moment you meet her. The party was arranged and we had a blast thanks in no small part to a great ice breaker game called "Human Scrabble" and some really choice tunes requested by the guests. Linda told me at the end of the night that she was turning 50 in 2007 and that she would love it if her husband booked me for the party. Music to my ears!

I heard from Linda again about a month later when a friend of hers called to ask if I was available for her 50th Birthday party. She told me that Linda had confided to her that I was the BEST DJ she had ever seen and that if she wanted a really great party she should book me for it. I booked the gig and we had another great time. (Great 50th birthday game called "Older than/Younger than) It was at this party that I met Linda's husband and she insisted not only that he take my card, but that he better not even think of hiring anyone but me. That very night Linda handed me an envelope containing her request list...all 14 pages!

Her husband did indeed book me for Linda's not so surprise, SURPRISE 50th Birthday party. Another list followed via email....12 pages long (phew at least its getting shorter)

A week before the party Linda sent me through "snail mail" her final revised list....10 pages.
I sat down and programmed them into the laptop to get a feel for what I was dealing with. Linda had requested 9hr and 38minutes worth of music to be played during a 4hour party. She had indicated special dedications on about half of the songs for a total of about 5hours worth of stuff. Whats a DJ to do?

Well not panicking seemed a good place to start so I planned out the night as if I would have 10 hours to play. I always pre-program the music that I think I will need. This is a great overview of the flow of the party. It ALWAYS changes but its like a painter doing a rough sketch, or a novelist doing a synopsis you need to have the ideas sussed out to get a vision of where you'll go.
I then made note of all the special dedication songs giving them top priority. Weaving together a playlist is pretty cool. checking the starts and stops to make sure they flow is detail type work and I always throw in some "easter eggs" in the shape of themes - a string of songs that are related in some way that only I know. Once in a blue moon someone will come up to me at a gig and say..."I see what you did there.." but mostly its just for myself.

Pensabenes Casa Grande is nice place. I've done weddings there in the past and the staff is very friendly. It's an incredibly easy load in which is always nice to encounter.

The guests arrived about 45 minutes before Linda and gave her a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY as she came in. I got down to playing through the massive list of requests and trying to decide what stayed and what had to go. About 15min into the party I played "Stormy Monday" by the Allman Brothers Band which my notes told me was for Linda's brother. The tune is a bluesy sort of mid tempo deal with lots of solos and its over 10min long. About half way through Linda came up and says "What is THIS?" I showed her the request list and she said "Ugh - my brother - skip to the end of this - I want energy I want excitement!" and with that statement the request list trimmed itself to just over 4hrs.

You see most people when they are planning a music list go with songs they "like" and don't consider the way or the context in which they will be played. So a song that you love to hear cause it reminds you of something or someone is truly a great song, but may not be so hot for a party where you want people energized, excited and dancing. A good DJ with some decent experience will tell you that his or her personal music preferences play absolutely no part in crafting a great set-list. What matters are things people don't immediately think of when it comes to music...tempo, key, length, lyrical content, mood,genre. 2 great songs will not necessarily play well together. If the songs don't "mesh" then you kill the flow of the music and if you do that the dance floor will empty and you have to start over to rebuild it.

When Linda realized, and she could only have realized this on THAT night at THAT moment, that what she really wanted was high energy she eliminated alot of the mellow memory tunes from her list, which represented about half the list. Weddings can be even worse as everyone is so focused on love. I have received 30 song request list with 25 slow songs on them and 5 hip hop songs of the current charts. If you play that type of list you can be assured that the party will be a snoozer AND that the majority of guest will look to leave ASAP!

As it was we had a great time. The party reunited many old friends, some from quite far away, and Linda has told me that she's calling me soon to schedule this years company holiday party. Honestly I can't wait!

CONGRATULATIONS Brian & Jessica

Live from Gilfillans aka The DJ with no pants!

I like Gilfillans. I get along well with the owner Dan and its a nice place even if the layout in both rooms is a bit awkward for a DJ on a wedding. I got myself together to head out to this wedding with PLENTY of time. 4hours in advance as a matter of fact. I carefully laid out my clothes, planner, checked my gear, loaded the trailer and generally was feeling pretty smug and prepared as I headed out to DJ a great wedding.

I arrived during the couple in the other rooms ceremony but was so early that I decided to wait to unload rather than be a potential distraction. The gazebo at Gilfillans is the first place that I ever performed a wedding "ceremony" as the offciant.

Yes gentle reader I am registered and legally able to act as the officiant for you ceremony. I have done it twice, though both times it really didn't count. Once at Gilfillans and once at Boldt Castle in Alexandria Bay. You see both the couples had gotten married before hand and were holding ceremonies for the benefit of their families so they were already legally married. I did not know this the first go round so I inquired and learned that in many states anyone who registers with the county in which the ceremony is taking place may officiate a wedding and sign the license. Just to be double sure I got my self ordained on the web which has been court tested and passed. but I digress...

Once the ceremony was over I nloaded and set-up my gear (about an hours work) and then turned to getting ready with 45 minutes before my contracted start time. The one thing I hate about my job is having to dress in bathrooms. It's just so..blah! I hate it! Anyhow I unzip my garment bag to discover that my dress shoes are nowhere to be found. This is irritating but not a really big deal. I know of one really successful wedding DJ in Baltimore who wears flip flops with his tuxedo and has a Schtick that he does explaining it. I could fix this...no biggie. I stripped of my shorts and dug into the bag for my......
OMG!
I have no pants! The jacket, the shirt, the...hey wait..these are from LAST NIGHT OH JEEZ I have grabbed the wrong garment bag I have 40 minutes till I have to intro the bridal party and I have..no shoes...and no pants.

I frantically called my wife who was on her way to the movies with our youngest child. She did a U-turn and began the 45 minute trek to save my hide! I then did what any self respecting professional would do. I put on the elements of my tuxedo that I had...shirt, tie, vest, jacket....and shorts and sneakers...and went out to greet the Bride & Groom....

Wanna know how this ended? leave a comment in the comments section voting to hear then end. I will only finish if I get 4 or more requests......caio

Happy 50th Anniversary Doc & Lucille

It was an absolute pleasure to be a part of this lovely couples 50th Anniversary celebration. 125 family members and friends were on hand to wish the couple well. I played a selection of hits from all five decades of their marriage including "their" song "Nobody Does It Better (from The Spy Who Loved Me)" - Carly Simon.

I was able to broadcast live from the Hotel Syracuse using the Local TPG wireless I found downtown at the 50th Birthday party last month at Pannini's.

The Hotel Syracuse sure isn't what it used to be. When I arrived the place was hot and smelled musty. Eventually the maintenance guy arrived and got the AC cranking and by the start of the party the room was cool and the smell had gone. Sad that such an historic building was allowed to deteriorate to it's present state. We were in the Persian Terrace which used to be gorgeous and still retains much of its charm. The catering at the Hotel is run by Pascale's and they are ALWAYS top notch.

Not alot of dancing but there was some. The average age of the crowd was easily 65 and it was late afternoon. All in all though I received numerous compliments and Maureen (my client, one of the couples daughters) was very pleased. Nice tip for a Sunday gig!

Live from Canadaigua Inn on the Lake

I don't even know where to begin. This was the kind of gig Wedding DJ's dream of! Fairly easy load in and an always pleasant and helpful staff make Canadaigua Inn on the Lake a great place to play. Add to that the SPECTACULAR lakeside views (literally on the water!), awesome sunset, laid back client and a very enthusiastic crowd and this was a 10 out of 10 for wedding receptions.

The meal was served in 4 courses and the bride chose to spread out a series of toasts in between each course. Unbeknownst to the bride 4 of her bridesmaids had prepared a musical tribute to her. They contacted me 3 weeks before the wedding and emailed me the accompaniment in mp3 format. They sang pretty well and everyone cried.

Guests danced from the moment the Parents dances ended till the very last downbeat. They had great requests, but mostly let me do my thing with the bride & grooms list and just enjoyed the party.

I was able to grab onto the free wi-fi from the hotel which came in really strong for being outside under a tent lakeside. More and more hotels are providing free wi-fi as are many catering halls. The world will be awesome when its just a wave in the air everywhere!

HUGE tip from the father of the bride! Handed out tons of cards felt like a million bucks on the long ride home...

under an unbelievable cherry moon that seemed about to touch down on the road before me...

Live from Casa Larga Vineyards

Great reception! I highly recommend this venue. Terrific staff, great food, beautiful setting. Thanks again and.....

CONGRATULATIONS Tom & Alicia Carroll!