How to Find Inspiration for Wedding and Party Music

Thanks to USANA for this picture.  For some of us, inspiration is “getting off”.  For others it’s “moving on”. Either way, everyone develops techniques for how to find inspiration.  What’s YOUR favorite? One of my earliest tricks for how to find inspiration was to count through the alphabet, beginning with the letter “A”.  Then I’d seize the […]

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First Contact for Wedding and Party Music

First Contact is a common term in anthropology and in science fiction stories about the very first meeting of two cultures. If you remember, First Contact is the title of a 1996  Star Trek movie and the subject of a 1997 movie starring Jodie Foster.  Remember “ET”? I think about first contact often.  It’s one of many […]

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My Fourth of July Picnic and a Lesson for Party Music

At a recent Fourth of July picnic, the kids taught me a great lesson for planning party music.  Simple but powerful. Thanks to Babies Can’t Wait for the picture. This was a Fourth of July family affair, and easily half the crowd was less than 10 years old.  We played on a bandstand, and I had […]

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What Whitney Balliett Taught Me About Wedding and Party Music

Whitney Balliett taught me the power of vivid language.  He was a wonderful writer who still has a profound effect on me. Whitney Balliett, who died in 2007, was a journalist and ardent jazz fan.  He wrote remarkable profiles of musicians and insightful book reviews for the New Yorker magazine. Writing for nearly 50 years, he […]

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Why Do I Blog About Wedding and Party Music? Part 1

Why Do I blog?  Simple.  In one sentence, three reasons — to explore, express, and share my ideas & feelings, to meet new friends, and to market my band. Back in 2009, I accepted a challenge to list 25 interesting things about me.  If you have a moment right now, please read a few of […]

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Is Music the Universal Language for Weddings and Parties?

People often call music the universal language.  No translation needed.  Worldwide, everyone responds to music wordlessly and understands something it conveys through their feelings — happiness, sadness, fear, or something else.. Rather than communicate specific thoughts or ideas, music seems to conjure feelings, emotions, and images in our imagination. Have you experienced this, too?  I do […]

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4th of July Party Music

Every year we entertain at a big 4th of July party. Is it too early to begin planning one of your own? Nah.  Get a head-start.  Google “4th of July party ideas” for a ton of handy suggestions. This year our music will help create the festive 4th of July holiday mood, and we’re preparing to jazz […]

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Useful iPhone Apps for Planning Wedding and Party Music

Apple’s iPhone apps grab our attention.  And hold it, at least for a while.  The fun always begins with watching some astonishing technology.  Then unless we find some compelling use for them, we move on and these apps fade away. Compelling use?  Here’s a typical story.  I recently met with a bride who requested the […]

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A Memorable Wedding Toast

Last Saturday I heard a terrific wedding toast.  There we were, entertaining at a gorgeous wedding outside the Madrona Manor on the hottest day of this year so far.  It was 106 degrees at 3pm. Maybe the heat inspired the father-of-the bride’s wedding toast.  He began with a few charming stories about “how did we […]

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I Take a Relaxing Break from Wedding and Party Music

Earlier today, my wife and I decided to take a relaxing break!  It’s always work, work, work around here, so we often take a relaxing break to stay as sane as we can manage. This time, as we do every year, we participated in the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program.  This nationwide program, run by […]

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