Monthly Archives :

May 2014

Memorial Day Weekend of weddings with Around Town Entertainment!! May, 2014

Memorial Day Weekend of weddings with Around Town Entertainment!! May, 2014 150 150 adam Michaels

What an exciting holiday weekend for Around Town Entertainment with three really beautiful weddings!
Saturday, May 24th, the Around Town Band performed for the wedding of Jamie Birckholtz and Kyle Derkacz.
The wedding took place at the beautiful Windows On The Water at Frogbridge in Millstone, New Jersey.
The bride and groom chose the acoustic guitar from Around Town Entertainment to play their wedding ceremony music.
With wedding songs like “Your Song” by Elton John, the classic wedding song “Canon In D” Pachelbel and “Here Comes The Sun” by the Beatles, the guitar was the perfect choice.
Then the guest enjoyed a very sophisticated setting for their cocktail hour and the jazz trio from Around Town Entertainment really set the mood!
The guests moved into a tented wedding reception, which was beautifully decorated and lit perfectly.

The guests danced the night away with some of the clients favorite wedding classics such as “What I Like About You” by the Romantics and “Super Freak” by Rick James. The dance floor was full, and the music never stopped!
Guests screamed for more music! The Around Town Band played all the guests’ favorite wedding songs and the night truly could not have been more perfect!
And what a great team with Scott and Jim at this amazing wedding venue! Everyone loved the atmosphere, and the attention to detail. The Around Town Band was honored to be chosen as the wedding band for this wonderful couple!

Sunday, May 25th, the Around Town Band was back in New York City! At the remarkable Hudson Theater!
This venue has a true classic supper club vibe with a legit Broadway stage. Many headliners and productions have been performed here and the band was thrilled to return to the theater again for another wonderful event!
Brian Rubin and Toby Sowers celebrated their wedding production to a full house!
The ceremony began with the couple on stage with a Chuppah that seemed to be suspended from the sky!
Such a warm and touching ceremony as the couple exchanged vows, and all the guests sang the Traditional Jewish wedding song “Oseh Shalom.” The pianist from Around Town Entertainment accompanied this beautiful Jewish wedding song. The guests then enjoyed the cocktail music as the piano, bass and guitar played a variety of the clients favorites.
The guests returned to the transformed theater for their wedding reception. It was a stunning production!
The 11 piece wedding band from Around Town Entertainment took the stage and wowed the guests all night!
The entire theater full of guests rushed the stage and the guests filled the stage completely as they rocked to some of the favorite wedding selections that Brian and Toby loved!

Madonna was a huge favorite, but they loved all the female vocalists of our time (Whitney, Maria, Britney, Cher and more!…yes, Britney too!). The band learned all their favorites and they were ecstatic! The stage was the place to be for all the guests who felt like “Shining Stars!!”

The After Party Band from Around Town Entertainment was the chosen wedding band for Daniel Kort and Leslie Rabach’s wedding which was also in New York City! This May 25 wedding celebration took place at the James Berden Mansion on East 91st Street.
The guests first had an outdoor cocktail hour as a trio from Around Town Entertainment played a cool jazz mix.
The guests moved into their private dinner room, where they shared toasts and dedications to the couple. The music continued to play as the trio moved to the grand room with the grand piano and the guests were serenaded during their dinner.
Once dinner was completed, everyone moved to another room to dance the night away! The After Party Band welcomed the guests in with a traditional Hora and then it was an all night dance affair! This couple loved the classic wedding songs that spanned the decades. The guests loved the songs too and could not stop raving about the music!
A beautiful night for a beautiful couple!

Around Town Entertainment www.aroundtownent.com for your favorite New York Wedding Bands!

This weekend with the Around Town Band and the A-List Band-May 17, 2014

This weekend with the Around Town Band and the A-List Band-May 17, 2014 150 150 adam Michaels

This was a great weekend with wonderful weddings!  Saturday, May 17th, 2014, The Around Town Band from Around Town Entertainment had the pleasure of performing for the wedding of Ryan Dopkin and Mia Rohrer.

This beautiful bride and her husband chose Studio 450 in New York City as their wedding venue.
With the cocktails on the rooftop, the couple and their guests enjoyed cool jazz selections from trio of jazz musicians from Around Town Entertainment.
The guests then went down to the main floor for their dinner and dancing!
With very eclectic taste, the bride and groom danced to “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me” by Mel Carter as their first dance. Other songs requested were “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles, and “Forever Young” by Bob Dylan.
The crowd danced the night away to some of their favorite classic wedding songs and new Top 40 wedding songs!
The team from Relish Catering and Event Planning were wonderful! True professionals!

The A-List Band from Around Town Entertainment was the chosen wedding band for the wedding of Lisa Schroek and Jonathan Shalik.
The wedding took place at the Muttontown Country Club in East Norwich, New York.
This couple enjoyed the sounds of classical strings from Around Town Entertainment for their outdoor wedding ceremony, and what a beautiful day for such an occasion!
The guests then enjoyed their cocktail hour as the wedding cocktail musicians from Around Town Entertainment played songs from the couples favorite artists (Elton John and Billy Joel).
The reception was off to a great start as the couple danced their way into the room with their song “Happy” by Pharrell! Their first dance “Can’t Help Falling Love” by Elvis was romantic and touching. The guests joined in as the band played a traditional Jewish Hora.

The dance floor was full with the excitement and energy that came from the A-List Band and the beautiful crowd! The dance floor and the band were well lit with “intelligent” moving lights that were added to create a true club atmosphere. The professional lighting crew did an outstanding job!
The bride and groom were ecstatic and so thrilled with the entire event!

Around Town Entertainment was honored to be part of such amazing events this weekend!

For weddings and all events, contact Around Town Entertainment
www.aroundtownent.com

Two beautiful weddings- May 10, 2014 with Around Town Entertainment

Two beautiful weddings- May 10, 2014 with Around Town Entertainment 150 150 adam Michaels

Around Town Entertainment provided the wedding entertainment for two beautiful weddings on Saturday, May 10, 2014.
The Around Town Band performed for a stunning wedding at the Metropolitan Building located in Long Island City, New York. The wedding between Alexa Levine and Spencer Bodner began with their touching ceremony as the bridal party walked in with cool ceremony music by Coldplay. The bride also chose the ceremony song “Yellow” by Coldplay.
The guests moved to their cocktail reception and enjoyed a jazz trio also provided by Around Town Entertainment.
The night was set with a warm sophisticated vibe as the sun began to set and the lively guests enjoyed cocktails.
The reception proved to be quite a party! The bride and groom started the dance set with their first dance wedding song, “All Of Me” by John Legend. The guests joined in on the dance and enjoyed a very spirited Hora!
After some heartfelt toasts and dinner, the dance floor exploded! The guests danced the entire night to all the favorite wedding song requests from the bride and groom. Songs like “I Love It” by Icona Pop, “Forget You” by CeeLo, “Living On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi had the crowd going crazy. Of course the Around Town Band from Around Town Entertainment delivered a wide range of wedding music that kept the crowd screaming for more! The band played some of today’s Top 40 dance songs as well as some favorite classic hits. The crowd got wild and rowdy and were practically dancing on the ceiling! They had a blast!

The A-List Band from Around Town Entertainment performed for the wedding of Kerry Burke and Michael Baity.
This beautiful wedding took place at the Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York.
This New York wedding started with a jazz trio from Around Town Entertainment for their cocktail hour.
The guests then moved into a reception, where they danced all night to their favorite songs!
The bride and groom chose the amazing song “I’ll Be There” that Mariah Carey made a hit.
The crowd also enjoyed some anthemic wedding songs such as “Empire State of Mind” by Alecia Keys and JayZ as well as the crowd stopping “Living On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi. Seems this Bon Jovi classic was the popular wedding song of the night, as both wedding couples chose this song for their wedding dance party music!

Around Town Entertainment was thrilled to be part of such amazing wedding celebrations!
www.aroundtownent.com for the best wedding music entertainment

Choosing a Band vs DJ

Choosing a Band vs DJ 150 150 adam Michaels

Choosing a Band vs. Choosing a DJ

When trying to decide on the best music options for your wedding day, one of the biggest questions is “Should we choose a live band or a DJ?”
It can seem a bit overwhelming, since you only get married once, and don’t really have the experience with wedding entertainment.
Here are some basic things that can make this process a bit easier and also a lot more enjoyable!

Imagination

Imagine the big day! Think about how amazing your event will be with all of your favorite people celebrating this once in a lifetime occasion.
Picture the setting, the room, the décor, the dance floor and what will best fit with your taste.
A DJ usually stands alone with his equipment on a small table or stand. Will this fit your aesthetic? This look can be okay for a very small affair but can often seem too minimal for such an important event.
A Band with it’s varied vocalists and musicians immediately sets the tone for a higher level of sophistication.
Guests will know instantly that you planned an upscale event the moment they walk in and see and hear a live band in place.

Energy

Do you want a high energy party with all of your guests dancing the night away?
There is nothing like the energy of live music for a wedding!
Bands often have several different styles of vocalists in front, along with the varying instruments accompanying them.
A quality band adjusts to the energy of the crowd, switching music as the crowd reacts to the chosen songs.
Working directly off each other, the band and the crowd become one!
It is a kind symbiotic exchange of energy that builds throughout the event, creating a kind of magic on the dance floor.
A DJ, is more restricted to the pre-recorded selections that he has to choose from. Often a DJ chooses to play a set routine of songs based on the need to have logical transitions from one song tempo to the next. With a set routine, the energy can often be stale and also leaves no room for spontaneous reactions to the crowd.
A live band can really adjust at a moments notice, and switch gears without having any issue. A good band does not stick to a set routine for all events.
They will instead choose each song based on the reaction of the crowd and your dance floor.
With a live band, the music can crescendo and decrescendo (gradually increase and decrease the intensity and volume) along with the flow of the event.

Personality

The choice of music for your wedding should represent your personality!
With a band, you can really custom design an event around your specific style and create a vibe that best suits your individual taste and personality.
This is usually accomplished by choosing just the right band!
Great bands are well versed in all styles of music, so you can really pick and choose your favorite songs to highlight who you are and how you want your night to go!
It isn’t ideal to choose a band that really only specializes in one style of music. For example, a band that is really strong in jazz, isn’t really going to get your crowd going.
Or a band that really plays just rock music, or just Motown, isn’t really going to grab the attention of all of your guests.
You have to find a band with a balance of all styles of music that all guests can relate to, and this is how you get a full dance floor.
Again, by thinking about what fits your taste and personality, you can still instruct the band on what to play more of, or what to cut completely.
A DJ can offer variety of styles as well, but most DJ’s are just pressing play and letting the pre-recorded music spin.
There isn’t much custom design of music when it comes to a DJ, because they are truly restricted to the sounds of the record and can’t adjust in the same way that live musicians and vocalists can.

Budget

Like everything else in planning your wedding, the decision of budget can really factor in.
It is definitely important to research the pricing of live bands. Many bands can provide different sized groups to fit each event budget, making it totally possible to have very upscale entertainment for your event, while staying well within your budget.
If you are looking to splurge for the occasion, you can go with a larger band with more instruments and vocalists, really impressing your guests and adding to the overall aesthetic.
When dealing with a more limited budget, a DJ can often be the right decision.
But keep in mind, you often get what you pay for when it comes to music. The DJ’s who are often very low priced are also typically the kind of cheesy, over the top entertainers, who just play their CD’s and over hype throughout the event. Quality music stands strong on it’s own without the need to over do it. With a sophisticated live band, there is usually a band leader who conducts the event with the right balance of energy and elegance, allowing the guests to really enjoy the music without the hammy nonsense that so many DJ’s can bring to the event.

Lasting Memories

This day is one of the most important days of your lives. It represents the start of making your lifetime of lasting memories together.
Music can truly make or break your event.
It is important to do some research, check references, get ideas from friends who have recently been married, etc.
Asking friends who happen to be musicians or music buffs, is always a great idea as well! They can really help you choose the best quality music for your wedding.
You have to hire skilled, polished musicians who are at the level of professionalism worthy of your event.
Make sure you can view live, unedited videos of all prospects, or see a live performance.
Most DJ’s these days, just bring their computer, and play songs directly off of an ITunes playlist. The art of spinning records is unfortunately a dying craft.
Anyone can play a record or a CD, even you! So think about the specialness of the occasion and make the choice that works best in creating lasting memories!