[Dixielandjazz] Band leaders, put your local DJ out of work.

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 6/16/04 6:42:54 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
barbonestreet at earthlink.net writes:

> Why not become the DJ?
> 
> Barbone Street gets asked do a lot of weddings for young people who hear
> us at our various general audience gigs. They want our music, but they
> also want to have their young friend's music too and when we quote a
> price, saying we will only play Dixieland Jazz  &Swing, they blanche,
> saying they'll have to hire a DJ too in order to please everybody. So
> can't we do it for less? I used to just say "No".
> 
> 

While I admire the ingenuity, of My compadre Steve Barbone, I am not quite so 
tolerant, I do not announce that I will play only Dixieland or Swing.    I 
will play Dixieland, Swing, Jazz and Blues Standards, Country, BeBop, R&B, 
Gospel, Rock, Hoagy Carmichale, Nat King Cole, or the Carpenters music for a 
Wedding if they are paying enough money to make it worthwhile.  We have a repertoire 
of hundreds of tunes that were all million selling records so everyone should 
know them and be able to play them.    That is what makes a commercially 
viable band as opposed to being an all original Jazz band, or a band set in only 
one genre of music.

 I do not solicit weddings but when they do come my way they are usually high 
brow ones in very wealthy societal situations and pay as much money as a good 
concert gig.   For that kind of money I will play ANY song they want to hear 
and authentically.   If they want a Rap tune I can deliver it, however I 
usually can convince them that that is not appropriate music for a Wedding 
reception and pass over it quickly.

Yes I always take a Cd player to the gig to play in between sets and they are 
of course welcome to play any thing they want to hear.

I have no doubt that Steve and his band could play almost any song requested 
by their audience if asked, maybe not quite as hot as they do their preferred 
material as an act, but nevertheless they could do it.  Well maybe not Rap, 
:))

Hell I won't stay on the stage for that either, but if they really want it I 
will hire a kid to come up and rap the Hell out of them till they get bored 
and want to dance again, usually no more than two songs.   If they really want 
to get into that stuff, I will simply sit in the back and drink their congnac 
and eat their wedding cake and watch while counting my money. :))

Give the customer what they want they are paying for it.

I never had a wedding gig that meant doggity do do about my career, nor did I 
ever have one reviewed in a newspaper so who really cares what they like or 
don;t like, if they have musical taste or not, take the money give em what they 
want and move on to a real gig.

I have done weddings that have paid for a CD production and nobody even 
rememebrs that we did them except the band once every few years in a BS session.  
you know the kind, hey man rememebr that wedding gig we did in Hillsborough for 
those really rich people, and Leon got drunk and left his clarinet in the 
pool house and it took us two weeks to get it back because the whole family went 
on the honemoon to Hawaii. :)) etc. etc.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins
Saint Gabriel's Celestial Brass band and sometimes Circus Show.