New York DJ

DJ NYC Indie Pop & Rock Song Favorites of 2009 to Enliven All Kinds of Events

These days, if you’re not that familiar with indie pop and rock, and only see and hear the bands or singers at the more popular end of the indie spectrum, it’s easy to think all this kind of music falls into one of two types: either, 1) quiet, mopey acoustic folk sung by skinny white guys with thick beards, or, 2) spastic, nervy pop songs sung by skinny white guys (or girls) wearing tight jeans. 

That may be a little simplistic, but judging from the covers of Spin or Rolling Stone for the past couple years, that conclusion doesn’t seem complete hyperbole because these are the two type of indie music that tend to be most hyped. Many who don’t know indie music much might think then that indie is either only for private listening, since the quiet folksy stuff is too sad to play at the mellower parts of an event like dinner or cocktail time, and the dancier pop stuff is just too obscure for all but a few to know.

But as a dj in nyc who is exposed to so much new music of all genres each year both new and old, both obscure and mainstream, trust me – the world of indie pop and rock is much more wide-ranging than simply the sounds of what grabs the most media attention. (If you're looking for a general and expansive list of all kinds of indie songs from the '60s until now, check out our indie playlists on iTunes by typing in "iMix", then searching "djnyc", as well as looking at the indie categories on this blog and at the dj nyc news & music blog located here.) In our list below, and playable on iTunes here there’s a huge diversity of sound and level of media visibility in terms of the artists: There’s fun, upbeat indie music great for cocktail time that looks back to the sounds of early Prince (Empire of the Sun’s “Walking On a Dream”, MGMT’s very recognizable “Electric Feel”) or the pop soul of 1960s era girl groups (The School’s “I Want You Back”, Camera Obscura’s “Honey in the Sun”); there’s melodic dance grooves that look to the future by creating fresh, lush electronic soundscapes (Annie’s “Bad Times”); there’s lovely, sentimental songs of a folksy-country mood (Laura Cantrell’s cover of New Order’s “Love Vigilantes”, The Avett Brothers’ "I & Love & You”) that will probably be the talk of your dinner party for a bit. 

In fact, the “indie” label that has become so popular and rather thoughtlessly thrown around in the past decade or so has become such a catch-all that it’s almost without meaning in terms of defining a specific sound; to many people it means a lot of different sounds. About the only thing the term is useful for is alerting you to the likely presence of a certain sensibility – being somehow new and fresh and adventurous, and going against the grain of the mainstream in a variety of ways, even if at times that newness is a retro sound that’s been off the map for awhile.

And don't think indie music can only be used here and there as an occasional filler; it often can be showcased. There’s some indie songs on our list we played this year for important signature moments, like wedding first dances: The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Hysteric (acoustic version)”, a strikingly simple and tender song about love enduring after difficult experiences that features a beautifully crisp female vocal, and the quite close-to-mainstream Ray LaMontagne, with “You Are the Best Thing”, a bouncy, smoky tune that echoes ‘70s Rod Stewart, from that time long ago when his music had a gritty, rough-edged sexiness to it.

And remember, the indie music you choose to play today at your event could give you some "cool points" tomorrow for being seen to be the first to break out a song that later becomes popular and loved. Not so long ago bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and singers like Ray LaMontagne were considered obscure, and now they’re on Saturday Night Live.

1. Electric Feel - MGMT
2. Bruises - Chairlift
3. First Train Home - Imogen Heap
4. Walking On a Dream - Empire of the Sun
5. The’59 Sound - The Gaslight Anthem
6. Honey in the Sun - Camera Obscura
7. Lisztomania - Phoenix
8. Vanished - Crystal Castles
9. Love Vigilantes - Laura Cantrell
10. Sleepyhead - Passion Pit
11. I & Love & You - The Avett Brothers
12. Hysteric (acoustic version) - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
13. My Girls - Animal Collective
14. Dominos - The Big Pink
15. This Tornado Loves You - Neko Case
16. You Are the Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne
17. I Want You Back - The School
18. Bad Times - Annie

Try These Jamaican R & B Tracks to Warm Up Any Winter Event: Rico & the Matador All-Stars, "Continental Shuffle" and Owen Gray & the Jets, "Nobody Else"

With the holidays over and the two coldest months of the year ahead, now is the time when winter in New York City and much of the country quickly loses its romantic appeal and instead becomes, to be polite, a real drag. Sorry to remind you, but remember, the weather doesn't really get consistently nice around here again until around the time we have to get our taxes in.

So, to “tropicalize” the atmosphere of events that you may have planned in the next two or three months of our annual struggle through blizzards, slush, and 37-degree rain, here’s two songs that are sunny, cozy, and fun. Both are Jamaican rhythm and blues tunes. If that genre sounds unfamiliar, don’t be surprised. It’s a rather small and obscure style, but fortunately some of its best songs recently have been made much more accessible for those of you who don’t have the time or interest to spend digging in record crates for hours a day by the release of the excellent compilation Trojan Jamaican R & B Box Set. Both songs here are available on the box set, as well as a few other less comprehensive compilations.

Jamaican R & B, born in the late ‘50s, is both like everything and nothing you’ve heard before. It combines shuffling jazz beats, the upbeat horns of what would soon become ska, festive Trinidadian-accented vocals of calypso, and a bit of the sultriness and gritty attitude of rhythm and blues and early rock ‘n’ roll. Most people are familiar with each of these styles, but put together in the right amounts, they create a sound that feels new and fresh and most of all, cozy and friendly.

Both these mid-tempo songs here have pleasantly catchy melodies that will get your snow-stained shoes tapping at any sort of event. “Continental Shuffle,” by Rico and the Matador All-Stars, a brief but swingin’ instrumental with masterfully mellow, pre-ska "skank" of a horn riff, immediately seems to brightens the mood of any room when we play it. The same reaction happens when we spin “Nobody Else,” by Owen Gray and the Jets. With its sturdy piano, its warm, fuzzy saxophones and its sweet calypso-inflected vocals, the song sounds like what Ray Charles might have recorded if he got his start in Kingston.

Have a listen to both; I think you'll agree they'll make things feel a little less "January-ish."

Matador All-Stars - Continental Shuffle

Owen Gray & the Jets - Nobody Else

An Excellent, Non-Cover Christmas Song for Your Holiday Party Playlist: Over the Rhine, "(Darlin') Christmas is Coming"

When the usual stable of Christmas pop songs are dusted off and hauled back out to the world around early November, many people complain they’re sick of hearing these same tunes over and over on the radio, in stores and at holiday parties. But when it comes to making a playlist for a Christmas party, most of us will simply throw on the radio stations that play this (at times) mind-numbing mix of Christmas classics, or we'll make a mix CD that may include a few lesser-played or quirky Christmas songs but overall mostly contains the familiar takes of singers from Sinatra to Diana Krall on “Silver Bells,” “Let it Snow,” “Silent Night” and the like.

It’s understandable - at a Christmas party it’s hard to be a music snob. As a host, it makes sense to give your guests a fun atmosphere that’s accessible and upbeat, and, unless it’s an announced "theme" Christmas party involving a more offbeat selection of music, too much sad acoustic indie-pop or experimental noise-rock covers of Christmas songs might not add to the festiveness much, or could take away from it. And new Christmas songs, of whatever genre or style, rarely tend to be memorable, at least in a good way.

An exception to this rule that can add a little freshness to your Christmas party music playlist is the album Snow Angels by the alt-countryish band Over the Rhine. (We're a big fan of theirs, go here for a post I did about a great song from an older album of theirs that can be used for a first dance at a wedding, or just in general as a nice addition to a wedding dinner music playlist.)

On Snow Angels, first released in late 2006, Over the Rhine has created a sturdy, cozy collection of jazzy, acoustic, and slightly bluesy pop songs about Christmas and/or winter that feel impressively like covers of classic Christmas songs but are all (save for a few actual covers) their own. There’s striking melodies of all moods in their original songs, from the melancholy remembrances of “Snow Angel” to the playful sweetness of “Snowed in With You” to the sultry slow-burn of “North Pole Man.” All these tunes, too, have lyrics that take a cue from American Songbook pop standards in that they're sentimental without being treacly. Also, the production is clean but always kept simple and not too polished - much like vintage mid-century holiday classics - and the versatility of singer Karin Bergquist’s warm voice is able to convincingly sell the feel of the songs, whether they’re concerned with longing, promise, sexiness, playfulness, or anything else.

Of all these great songs, though, the standout is “(Darlin’) Christmas is Coming.” With its old radio-like echo of the word “darlin’” throughout, its gently bouncing verses rising into a sweetly soaring chorus, and its inclusion of charming lyrical detail like the ringing of Salvation Army bells, or beautiful images like snow “falling like forgiveness from the sky,” this is a tune that does a most difficult thing - it connects with the spirit of those long-ago Christmas classics but doesn’t sound at all derivative of them. I think Irving Berlin and Bing Crosby would be impressed.

Unfortunately, because there only seems to be room for superstar artists' covers these days when it comes to new Christmas music being heard by the general public, this song will probably never reach a wide audience and become the classic it should be. So if you like it, help it out a little and let the world know about it.

Over the Rhine - (Darlin') Christmas is Coming

Hiring a Non-Cheesy DJ: How to Make Sure the DJ You Hire for Your Event Actually Likes Music

Trying to determine if your DJ likes music may sound silly – if they're DJs, a passion for music, or at least for a few styles of music, is a given, right? Well, unfortunately, it's not. Over the years of being in the mobile DJ business in the New York City metropolitan area, we've seen first hand - and heard from many clients - that often DJs and DJ companies don't seem to put a lot of attention to diversifying their playlists or taking the time to create an original mix of songs that is both accessible and fresh.

You probably know the kind of DJs I'm talking about – the cheeseball who cracks lame one-liners and wears a "cur-razy" silver sequined suit to incite you to getting up to dance to tired disco hits; or the cooler-than-thou hipster behind the turntables that yes, really knows his one genre of music, but, unfortunately, that’s all he knows, and so he plays it to death all night; or the DJ company that comes with a bunch of “party motivators” dressed in sexy or silly costumes and practically rips you out of your chairs after dinner, bullying you into dancing to a generic mix of recent Top 40 singles.

Yes, these are all things we’ve either witnessed or have had clients witness. Perhaps you have as well. And seeing this kind of thing calls into question that very basic assumption that a DJ actually likes music. If more of them did, maybe they'd be able to switch between genres more impressively, or need less gimmicks to cover up the limp quality of their song selections.

You’d think that even if a DJ or DJ company wasn’t that into the songs and instead more into the entertainment or MCing part of an event, at least they’d put a little time in to freshen up their playlist a bit for the events at which they spin. But this takes a bit more effort – to do it, you often need to meet more than once with a client to learn more about their specific musical preferences, or you need to spend time discovering what songs are popular in a newer or vintage genre that you might not be that familiar with. It’s much easier for these DJs or DJ companies to simply stay in their limited musical comfort zone, or to “help out” lame songs by doing something like having party motivators put on plastic dog masks and bark at guests as the DJ spins "Who Let the Dogs Out." (Unfortunately, that's a real anecdote about a DJ company that we recently heard from a client.)

So, to help you find someone who’s actually excited about crafting a playlist for your event instead of relying on a tired, limited, or a one-size-fits-all mix of songs, here’s a few questions you can ask when you interview DJs or DJ companies for your event. We welcome these questions from clients, and the good thing about asking these questions is that after you do, you should know from the DJ’s answers rather quickly whether they’re enthusiastic about music or certain genres of it rather quickly – luckily, passion tends to be hard to fake.

1) Ask The DJ What They Like to Listen to On Their Own – You can quickly find out a little information about a DJs personal preferences if you ask them this question. While they may tell you about songs or artists that you haven’t heard of, or ones couldn’t play at your event (the DJ may even be aware of this and mention it to you, just so you don't get worried), getting an indication of their private tastes can be a window into seeing how unusually deep they are into a few types of music, or be the start of a slightly too detailed but endearing story about their large vintage record collection that's threatening to take over their apartment. These answers are both good indicators that there's a real enthusiasm for music going on there. Or, on the other hand, this question could result in an answer from the DJ about how they really dig the newest popular dance songs, like that new one "Tonight's the Night" by The Black Guy Peas, and you'll try to not crack your smile or a laugh since they don't even realize they got the name of the song and the band wrong. You get the idea - either way, whether the answer's good or bad, after asking this question you’ll probably have a better idea of what the DJ is more familiar with musically, and what they’re not.

2) Ask Them How They Got Started – This is a great way to see where their experience and motivation is coming from. In the answer, you might get a pleasant story about how the DJ was inspired by how his father would sit down by the record player and share his soul 45s with him when he was a kid. Or, again, on the other hand, you might find out that the DJ mostly runs a computer printer replacement cartridge business but DJs because his brother recently left him with the equipment and song library after moving to Arizona, so hey, why not? Now, this kind of answer doesn't automatically mean a DJ like that doesn’t enjoy music a lot, but it probably also means that his motivation lies more in seeing entrepreneurship opportunities than it does in crafting an original mix of songs for several hours.

3) Ask Them What They Like Best About DJing – By asking this question, you can often see where a DJ’s specific passions are. Some may tell you they love the preparation of listening to the requests of the client and thinking about how they will likely fit these in with the songs that the DJ already feels will work for that client. Others may tell you they really enjoy that they’ve learned to move around organically between genres of music that one might not think would go together automatically, and in doing this, feel they make guests appreciate songs a little more that they might not have before. Or, some might give you a vague and slightly hesitant answer about how they love “just...playin’ the music…for the crowd…and, you know…just playin’…all kinds of great tunes.” In this case, it’s a safe bet that their passion is simply collecting your check at the end of the event.

Fresh Oldies: Nappy Brown, "Little By Little" & Ella Mae Morse, "Give a Little Time"

At most kinds of events at which we perform, we’ll often mix in some bouncy “oldies” from the 50s or 60s, whether the genre is a major one like rock, soul and jazz, or is another, slightly lesser-played style, such as calypso, doo-wop or rockabilly.

We find that when we play these oldies, the songs tend to pleasantly surprise people and give the vibe of the event a touch of sentimentality and fun, as often it’s not just those in the crowd who remember when these the songs were released that will respond, but also those younger as well, as they may recall these classic songs from films or may simply enjoy the spirit of the time that the song evokes.

However, many oldies simply can feel stale due to decades of being overplayed, or from being overused in films and commercials. Sadly, one of the best examples of this is James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)." When you hear that song these days, it probably brings to mind images of mundane household products like a Dustbuster instead of a vision of an awesome hip-shakin' concert in the mid '60s at the Apollo Theater. And while we find at events like weddings or corporate parties, yes, crowds tend to respond more to songs they know, there’s always room – especially at cocktail hour and dinner – for spinning a few oldies that are more obscure, as long as they have a great rhythm and melody.

Two lost gems from the mid-50’s that were ahead of their time and that sweeten the atmosphere of any event where there’s a bit of sentimentality involved like weddings, birthday or anniversary parties, and even some types of fashion shows, are “Little By Little” by Nappy Brown, and “Give a Little Time” by Ella Mae Morse. Both songs are short, fun bursts of bouncy melodic pop that measure up to any of the better-known rock and R & B classics of the time, and will make you think you’re suddenly hearing an undiscovered classic from, in the case of the former tune, a Caribbean-sounding Ray Charles, and, in the case of the latter, a rockabilly Ella Fitzgerald.

“Little By Little,” with its upbeat lyrics about a guy slowly but steadily falling in love, effortlessly blends touches of blues, gospel and R & B to come quite close to the sound of what in several years would become soul music. And while this early version of a soul-ish sound is impressive, on top of it, Brown and his musicians add in a touch of Caribbean calypso to the song, giving it a sunniness that makes it not just a soul precursor, but something all its own.

“Give a Little Time” (later titled “Give a Little Time to Your Lover”), a sassily-delivered piece of advice for the guys out there, also seamlessly fuses genres that at the time were just beginning by other artists to be blended into rock and roll. In this song, there’s a dash of swing backing rhythms, barbershop-quartet style crooner pop, R & B vocals, and even a revving up of some rockabilly-ish guitars here and there. What really makes the song memorable, though, is Morse’s smooth, silky, but at the same time crisp and powerful voice. When you hear how she belts out the chorus to the tune, you’ll wonder why she wasn’t ever a household name.

Have a listen to both…

Nappy Brown - Little By Little

Ella Mae Morse - Give a Little Time

What We've Learned About Day-Of Coordinators for New York City-Area Weddings, Part 3: The Potential Nightmares of Hiring a Bad One

In the last two posts on this topic, we discussed, first, how to determine if you need a day-of wedding coordinator, and then, second, how to make sure you get a good one. Here, in our third and final entry, we cover the reasons why a bad day-of person is almost always worse than having none at all, and, if they're really bad, could even have you shouting the title of the vintage Northern Soul record below: "Please Stop the Wedding!"

Before we break down these reasons, please note that we are discussing only day-of coordinators - not traditional wedding planners who work with clients to arrange their event from start to finish. Here we’re talking about a person who is concerned with scheduling, putting out fires, and making sure things run smoothly on the day or days leading up to the wedding. And, once again, we feel that we've got some authority to address this topic since in DJing all types and sizes of weddings in New York City and the metropolitan area for many years, we've seen an incredible range of good, so-so, and very bad day-of people, as well as the fact that we ourselves have done wedding planning and schedule coordination on our own.

So, here we go, why a bad day-of person is really a bad thing:

1) The Couple Will Be Paying for Screw Ups – The most obvious reason that it’s worse to have a bad day-of coordinator than none at all is that if they screw things up by, say, forgetting specific instructions from the bride about a last-minute change to the flower arrangements, or for some reason is passionately insisting the DJ play the recessional song while the officiant's still talking, it could become not just an awkward or uncomfortable moment for the couple and their guests, but it’s also costing money, as most of these coordinators aren't known to work "pro bono." But if the couple did things themselves, or allowed vendors you trust to deal with their parts of the scheduling and flow alone, while it might be a little more work, at least they’d have a smoother day, and be saving money.

2) If There’s Not Enough Control, It Puts Last-Minute Pressure On Vendors – If, from the start, vendors are expected to do certain things at the wedding, they’ll know that they need to follow-through. For example, as DJs, if we know that there will be no day-of coordinator, we prepare for a wedding by asking many more questions and making sure to get these answers from the couple about how their wedding will be flowing, and make sure that all is in place for us do act as a de-facto day- of coordinator of the event timeline, as well as being a great DJ and MC. But if we’ve been told all along that there will be a day-of coordinator taking care of this, we might not be as ready for suddenly being put into the role of taking over another job all night, and it could effect and conflict with our expected jobs of DJing and MCing. This example applies to all vendors equally – florists, caterers, the officiant, etc. Invariably, when there’s a day-of coordinator, vendors are told this ahead of time at some point, and vendors assume they can at least use the day-of  person as a “go to” guide during the night. If the coordinator then doesn’t have any authority, or is in over their head, or leaves early or often, the vendors then are left to co-ordinate things themselves, and the event may not run nearly as smoothly.

3) If The Coordinator Is In Control But Inexperienced, It Creates Potential Conflict With Vendors – A good day-of wedding coordinator knows how to balance their authority and expertise on “flowing” a smooth event, but at the same time deferring - when appropriate - to the expertise or insistence of a vendor like a florist, caterer, or a DJ. A bad day-of person will not take advice from a vendor, even if the vendor may be trying to steer the coordinator away from a potential awkward moment for the wedding. For example, we had an experience at a popular city venue recently where the day-of person told us to play dance music so the guests would dance as they came down the narrow and steep staircase from the cocktail area to the reception room. It seemed like she envisioned it to be normal for the guests to be already dancing as they came down the stairs. First, simply from our insurance company’s standpoint, this would be a nightmare. Second, even though it was in the city, this is not a Broadway musical version of a wedding, this is a real wedding! But this day-of person insisted, over our objections, that we do this, so we ended up having to make a potentially contentious executive decision and not do what she suggested. Instead we played bouncy and lively music as the guests entered the room, but not full-on dance music, and the client was happy. We knew they would be, since this is what they had told us they wanted from the start! This kind of dicey situation is also equally applicable to all vendors at a wedding: A bad day-of coordinator may have clunky, or overly-ambitious, or inappropriate ideas – whether it’s simply from inexperience, or from some burning desire to finally use that college theater degree. But wherever it comes from, these misguided notions can often put a vendor’s expertise and loyalty to what the couple said they wanted against what the day-of person suddenly insists the vendor do.

4) Lingering Problems After the Wedding – Okay, so the day-of person was bad, there was a few definite screw-up on her or his part, and now the couple is disappointed and angry. And the coordinator still wants their money. Here’s another battle you’re going to have to fight, good luck! The wedding is over, so shouldn’t the stress be, too? Well, not if the day-of person doesn’t see what they did wrong and you're demanding money knocked off their fee due to the flubbed moments. This is the last thing you want to be dealing with at the airport as you're called to the gate to board the flight to your Costa Rica honeymoon. And if your day-of person was a friend and this situation happens, double the stressful feelings. And these might not be stressful feelings over money so much as over something even more serious - the continuing good health of a friendship.

So, what’s a great way to avoid all these potential nightmares? We come back to the beginning: See the first paragraph of this post, and click on the links for the first two posts on this topic, and instead of nightmares of your wedding day, you'll only have pleasant dreams. Awww...

What We’ve Learned About Day-Of Coordinators for New York City-Area Weddings (Part 2): Avoiding Planners Who Don't "Get" You

In the previous post on this subject, we covered how to determine if you need a day-of wedding coordinator – a planner whose job it is to ensure at the time of your event that everything flows smoothly, that any sudden last-minute alterations are implemented quickly, and any emergencies that pop up are overcome. If you’ve decided that you indeed do need a day-of coordinator, here’s how to make sure you get a good one, and, more specifically, someone who's going to be able to execute the vision of your wedding beyond just making things a basic and stiff event, like the old album cover art below suggests.

First, just a word about why we - a group of DJs - are writing this, and feel we can comment with authority: Over our years of experience performing at weddings in New York City and the surrounding area we’ve seen that there's so many more wedding styles out there than the traditional formal (and many would say stuffy) wedding. Because we've performed at, and helped create day-of timelines for such a variety of weddings, we know 1) when a day-of coordinator tends to be needed or not, 2) what separates the good ones from the bad ones, and perhaps most surprisingly, 3) that having a bad day-of coordinator can often be worse than having none at all.

Again, in the first post on this topic we covered how to know if you need a day-of person. So, here we go with our second post: how to ensure you hire a wedding planner who knows what she or he is doing:

1) Experience Matters, But Not Just Any Experience - Of course, most of you will know that you'll want a day-of planner with a good amount of experience at this kind of work. But many couples don't think further than this, and you should. Specifically, make sure that the day-of person you hire has experience at executing a wedding schedule that is like the one you are having - be it for the same size wedding, with the same style, and at the same kind of location. For example, if your wedding tends to be on the less traditional end of the spectrum and you don't want certain components of the "usual" wedding such as a bridal party introduction, an announced entrance at the start of the reception, or a cake cutting, you want to make sure the planner has practice executing these kind of more eclectic timelines with ease and smoothness, and not defaulting to the more "standby' schedules by the end of the wedding because they feel the wedding "needs it", since that's all she or he is used to seeing at a reception. To ensure you find out what kind of experience a wedding planner has, you shouldn't have to dig too deeply. A phone call or email exchange can be sufficient to find this out, and if you get to the stage of an in-person interview, make sure to ask the planner what kinds of weddings they feel most comfortable planning, and which kinds they've been a part of the most. Any planner worth their weight in datebooks and PDAs should detail this for you, as well as give you some couples' references.

2) Get Someone Good With Control, But Flexible, Too – Being an in-control decision maker on the day of the wedding is very important, especially if emergencies pop up, but being too quick to exclude moments thay may occur just to stick to the schedule can often squelch the energy of the event. A good day-of planner will know when to back off and let things flow for a bit. For example, if a guest not on the schedule wants to give a last-minute toast, you want to make sure that the planner will at least ask the couple if this is okay, as opposed to being so concerned with timing that the planner simply tells this guest that it can't be done. Another example - more close-to-home for us DJs - is when a dance set is scheduled to end for a dinner course but the energy is still high and the dance floor is still full, you don't want a day-of coordinator who tells the DJ to immediately fade out the song and tell everyone to take their seats. Great day-of planners will be sure to have a quick decisions, but often that decision needs to be to back off control for a bit. So, how do you determine if a planner will have this sort of ability? Asking their references is a good way to find out; asking their boss is another way, if they're from a larger company. But simply telling them directly hat you expect this(and, if you don't talk to them much between hire and the day of the wedding, now and then repeating it) is the best way to ensure they keep it in the forefront of their mind on the day of the event . 

3) If Your Day-Of Planner Is a Friend, Be Honest With Yourself - You might know a friend who has some experience with day-of planning, and often this is a way to save money, or just help out a person you like. This is great, but make sure your frugalness and/or altruism doesn't blind you to the possibility that the friend might not know at all what they're doing. We've DJ-ed weddings before where friends (or friends of friends) have been doing the day-of planning and it quickly became obvious from their running severely behind in the schedule, or from the lack of their presence at key moments in the event, that they were completely overwhelmed. It might be tough, but you should ask these friends or acquaintances directly about their experience, or at least ask others about it. If the friend takes offense to being asked about their background with day-of planning, well, then you already know something about their fragile temperament, and this might make you think again about having them guide the flow of your wedding.

4) Learn the Fine Print About The Planner You Want - When you've found a good day-of coordinator you'd like to hire, make sure that you know what you are getting in the deal. If they are good at what they do, chances are they are in demand, and this can bring up a few areas of potential difficulty. For example, a planner like this may charge more for overtime, or may only allow a certain number of consultations for the intial fee. Also, they might double-book during a day, and if yours is the later wedding and there’s traffic on the highway that afternoon, they could be arriving late. We’re not saying these planners aren't worth their money or that it's not worth dealing with their busy schedules, but make sure you ask them how available they are before you sign the contract, just so you’re both on the same page.

Now, just in case you're still thinking of going with the planner you think might not be all that great, in the next post, we'll cover the reasons why not having any day-of coordinator is better than having a bad one.

What We've Learned About Day-Of Coordinators for New York City-Area Weddings (Part 1): Throwing Out Dusty Old Assumptions

While the old wedding music album cover image pictured below might be sweetly anachronistic, most couples' idea of a perfect wedding is not probably not that cliche and storybook-ishly square. But right up until today - whether a couple is planning a celebration that's very formal, more casual, somewhere in between, or entirely unconventional - couples still have a very idealistic image of their wedding day, and with it, what they believe they will need to help make it a reality.

A major piece of helping ensure their vision goes just as they want is the wedding planner. From working with so many couples on their weddings over the years, we've found that those who use or do not use long-term wedding planners have a large variety of reasons for it that are hard to predict - sometimes the couple is having a small wedding, but they're living on opposite coasts and need a "point person" to help bring ideas together. Sometimes there are large weddings that have many unusual elements to them, but the couple doesn't hire a wedding planner because they simply don't want to pay the money, or they get a friend or relative to do the job. In other words, hiring a long-term wedding planner seems to be a decision that often goes beyond what the DJ sees in how he or she helps a couple with their wedding schedules and timelines.

However, it is much easier for us to give you some valuable and some not-too-obvious advice on "day-of" wedding coordinators - planners whose job it is to ensure at the time of your event that everything flows smoothly, and so any sudden last-minute alterations are implemented quickly or any emergencies that pop up are overcome. Our experience DJ-ing has taught us that - especially in New York City and the surrounding area - there's so many more wedding styles out there than the traditional, Protestant-ish wedding like the image on the album cover above hints at. Because we've performed at, and helped create day-of timelines for such a variety of weddings, we know 1) when a day-of coordinator tends to be needed or not, 2) what separates the good ones from the bad ones, and perhaps most surprisingly, 3) that having a bad day-of coordinator can often be worse than having none at all.

In this post, we’ll cover the first topic: How to determine if you need a day-of coordinator.

1) Take a Step Back From It All - Much of this choice boils down to common sense. But, often that is the first thing to get lost at the start of wedding planning as couples begin contemplating the mountain of preparations needed to pull off a great celebration. Understandably, many couples think that they’d better have some kind of “insurance” that all they’ve been planning for is executed smoothly, and that is where they often start discussing whether to have a day-of person. However, if you take a step back and think about the wedding in term of its size, style, and locations and components, you can often see fairly clearly if you will really need that extra help.

If your wedding is going to be small (we've found that "small" ends at about 100 guests), the style is going to be fairly casual, and the components of the event will be at the same location, it makes sense to think you won’t need to spend the money on a day-of planner, since often the venue will have a maitre'd to oversee the day's schedule, or, if the wedding is really low-key, the job of making sure things stay on-track can be given to a member of the bridal party. However, if the wedding is larger than 100 guests, if there are noise restrictions or other unusual preferences that need to be accounted for, or if there are several atmospheric touches during the occasion (anything from an obscure music set, slideshows, the bride and/or groom's clothing changes, live performers such as dancers, specialty drinks, extensive décor, etc.), then a day-of coordinator will definitely make more sense.

Basically, the important thing here is that if your wedding is going to be big, or if it's going to be small but will have several unusual moments or moments that need to be sensitively choreographed, look into a day-of planner. (Or if you have an existing wedding planner, see if they can be there for the actual day.)

2) Investigate Your Venue's Level of Service - If you think about the type of wedding you want and still are unsure about whether to hire a day-of person, the next area to look at to help you decide is the level of staff service offered at the venue you choose or have chosen. We’ve DJ-ed at venues all over the metropolitan New York City area, and there definitely is a range of how much the maitre'd at a particular venue will be involved in keeping the wedding schedule moving or helping you plan it ahead of your wedding date.

Sometimes there simply is no maitre'd, as certain venues are purely space rentals - these have no staff, only managers, and the managers are rarely on-site for the entire event. Other venues that have a maitre'd may have the type that is more "hands-off" - he or she doesn't get involved in schedule-keeping the day of, only schedule-making in the weeks before so they can make sure their staff gets the food out on time. Lastly, of course, there are venues where the maitre'd is quite involved in keeping everything flowing smoothly, and in a way is the de-facto day-of coordinator.

Therefore, make sure you ask your venue or potential venue what level of maitre'd service they provide when it comes to the day-of the event and its scheduling. If your wedding is a fairly straightforward celebration, this kind of service might be all you’ll need to keep your schedule flowing well.

3) Use The DJ & MC - Finally, the DJ/MC can do offer his or her input to keep help you build a great wedding day schedule, and they can also help keep it on track during the day of the event. Any DJ/MC who just reads your wedding schedule in an email a week before the event and offers no feedback on it, or simply offers to follow it, has likely either not DJ-ed much, or simply doesn’t care enough. Any DJ who truly cares about your wedding will want to at least want to study the schedule you’ve come up with and tell you that it looks good or not. Most of the time, there will be a few minor things on the schedule the DJ might want to tweak to ensure the couple gets the vibe they want - like asking to leave some time for possibly extending an early dance set if a high-energy crowd is anticipated, or, if it's a very informal wedding, giving suggestions on how to not "shine a spotlight" on moments like first dances and cake cuttings, which the venue might have positioned in their timeline to be grander, more "on display" moments.

In almost every schedule we work on with clients, we notice something that we offer advice on. Sometimes the couple or venue have a reason for doing things the way they do, but, because we asked, then we know. But often, the couple and/or venue will listen to us, and will alter the schedule a bit to incorporate our suggestions - which only seek to maximize the mood the couple wants without disrupting the food service and the other elements of the celebration such as speeches, toasts, slideshows, etc.

So, ask your prospective DJ if they are comfortable collaborating a little on the timeline of the day, and also asking them if they have experience doing this, and what that experience has been. We're not saying that the DJ can be a substitute for a day-of planner at very large weddings with an unusual number of special moments, but for smaller weddings, we do find that a DJ that is comfortable with "flowing" a wedding as well as a maitre'd who takes a more hands-on approach to keeping the day on schedule can be enough so a couple doesn't need to spend the money on a day-of planner.

If, after considering these factors, you think that yes, you do need a day-of coordinator, in the next post we’ll tell you how to make sure they’re actually good.

Adding A Little "Bromance" to Your Event: Some Off-the-Beaten Path Songs That Guys Like

There’s certain songs that are commonly played at all kinds of events that get a wide range of guys onto the dance floor – especially after they’ve had a few drinks. These anthemic songs are ones that you probably know work well to get the dance-floor male bonding going – the jock jam staple “Jump Around” by House of Pain, Nirvana’s grunge masterpiece “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” or the fist-pumping, partying call-to-arms of “Rock and Roll All Nite” by Kiss.

But beyond these familiar “go-to” songs that DJs often pull out, we’ve found that on the internet there really isn’t a lot more original or fresh choices of music recommended to get guys a little charged up at events.

Sure, plenty of playlists will say you should crack out those songs that you’d think might work from seeing guys party to them in movies, like Bachman Turner Overdrive’s “Takin’ Care of Business” or Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild.” But in actual practice, we’ve found that these songs feel much too tired and predictable to work. Even when drunk, most guys still have some sort of judgment when it comes to being lame. They might become a bit stupid after 4.5 beers, but they usually won’t become lame.

However, there are songs that we’ve found work really well to get guys on the dance floor that you might know but haven’t heard a million times before, or might not even think would work to up the energy of an event.

Here’s a mix of ten songs in a range of genres that are “battle-tested” in that we’ve found guys love them when played at the right time. With some of these songs it’s easy to see what guys like about them - the near-Gothic cry of “the world drags me down” from The Cult’s “She Sells Sanctuary,” or the confrontational declaration "fuck you I won't do what you told me" from Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name" are quite cathartic for many guys to shout along with, and “Scenario” by A Tribe Called Quest Seems to be a more raw version of “Jump Around” that has more street cred.  But with other tunes, like Rush’s “Limelight”  or Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality” the appeal isn't as easy to pin down, other than it might be simply be that the song rocks.

usually, our mixes are longer than only ten songs, but in this case, we tried to only include songs that, in our experience, tend to only be danced to by guys. Yes, there's plenty of songs that are nearly "guy-only," but that some girls like just as well, such as a lot of '80s heavy metal or '90s punk/ska like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones or Rancid. The songs on this mix are songs that pretty much exclusively produce a response from guys, just as "Dancing Queen" almost exclusively produces a response from girls. See? Now you get it - simply put, songs that usually strictly appeal to guys and get them dancing without any girls around, no less, are not that easy to find. But when you do find them, they're great to bring out when your event needs a little male bonding.

During events, we’ve found that for many guys, getting "into" songs such as these need not result in them being  inspired to form a mosh pit, or do an impromptu break dance cheered on by old college buddies. Sure, this amount of intensity is fun and often welcome, but also it’s just as cool to see a song allowing a bunch of male friends to have nice genuine, and even rather well-behaved moment of dancing together, or simply to inspire the nodding of some heads and maybe a little air guitar together while they have a drink at the bar or catch up while eating dinner.

Yes, despite what those new-ish punny, headline-catching books about “brocabulary” and “bromance” suggest, the act of guys having a good time together can indeed can be subtle now and then.

So go for it, guys (and girls, of course) - have a listen.

 

Some Great Covers by Indie Pop & Rock Artists to Enliven Your Event

Though indie pop and rock artists tend to have a more offbeat sound than those who dominate the mainstream pop and rock charts, one aspect of recording indie musicians have in common with even the most bland bar bands out there is having at least a couple of cover songs they like to perform. However, if an indie band or singer is at all worth its weight in quirkiness, they better well bring a memorable take on the classic (or, sometimes, more obscure) tunes they choose to play.

This iTunes mix of cover songs by indie pop artists (also included are a few bands that were called “alternative” not so long ago) contains unexpected but yet fun and accessible takes on a wide range of mostly well-known songs that can do a lot to enliven many kinds of events. These covers will hopefully leaving you remembering them when you come across the original the next time – which is perhaps the best sign of a great cover.

This mix includes indie bands and singers not only performing a diverse selection of song genres, but also doing covers that are performed in a large variety of musical styles. As far as genres, there’s jazz standards (Over the Rhine’s crisp, smoky take on “My Funny Valentine”), bluesy soul (Feist speeding up Nina Simone's famous version of the song "See Line Woman" and changing the title to "Sea Lion Woman"), ‘80s pop favorites (“In Your Eyes” is given a strikingly pretty stripped-down treatment by Matt Ketteman and Cameron Mizell), innocent girl-group '60s pop made a bit badass (The Raveonettes’ sweet yet more raw version of “My Boyfriend's Back”), and even well-known indie songs from several years ago (“Such Great Heights” by The Postal Service is done by Iron & Wine in its usual hushed, acoustic folk style).

As far as musical styles, the artists here are all over the place - here, a good thing - in their approach to interpreting their cover songs. There’s some once-popular but now-forgotten songs that are pleasantly resurrected (“Holiday Road” from the ‘80s film National Lampoon’s Vacation, made shimmering and pretty and completely "de-cornified" by Matt Pond PA), electronic pop re-imagined with gentle acoustic treatments (“Take On Me” as done by A.C. Newman of The New Pornographers), classic rock performed with a danceable electro beat (Scissor Sisters’ version of “Comfortably Numb”), ‘80s hard rock given a sleek electro-samba feel (Sixth Finger’s take on Guns ‘n’ Roses’ “Patience”), and dancier tunes downshifted into unlikely but lovely ethereal dreaminess (David Bowie’s “Modern Love” as done by The Last Town Chorus).

The great thing about well-done cover songs – whether by indie artists or others – is that they can be played at so many kinds of events, and they can be played at almost any time during events which have different components that call for different energy, such as fashion shows, corporate parties and weddings. We’ve found in our years of experience DJ-ing throughout the city and the metropolitan area that covers are great to play because they offer both the familiar and the unfamiliar at the same time – your guests get something new and fresh, but built on a tune to which they know the beat or lyrics. Hearing a well-chosen cover song done in a fun style adds a playful touch to background-music atmosphere that can boost the energy of guest arrivals, cocktail hours and dinners without being too overpowering, or calling too much attention away from the conversation. And some of the songs in this mix can even be placed into a dancing set to add a rather un-risky fresh surprise into a group of songs of an appropriate genre or style of music your guests are dancing to at the time. As for smaller events like dinner parties or barbecues, playing a few of these songs here and there is almost sure to kick-start a few conversations, or even turn your guests onto new indie bands.

The first half of the mix contains mostly bouncy acoustic songs that would work well when guests are just getting to your event or having some cocktails, as well as faster songs that have a more electronic feel and can be used for dancing. The last half of the mix features more sentimental and/or quieter music, appropriate for dinner or smaller, more intimate gatherings.

Many of you might be fans of the indie bands on this mix, but you might not have heard these covers, simply because many times covers are left off of albums in favor of original songs, or because the covers were recorded for tribute compilations or were featured on movie soundtracks. Hopefully you’ll find some songs here you didn’t know existed from bands you like, and also be able to use some of those songs for events you’re planning, or for events for which you want to contribute to the music playlist.

Listen to the mix here.