Manager, Arsis Productions

HOW TO BOOK THE PERFECT VARIETY BAND FOR YOUR WEDDING

Don't misunderstand, I value the input of the bride because she will, in a general sense, be able to give me a clue as to whether we should expect to play more disco than normal, more country than normal, and so forth and so on. But the real truth is that no one can accurately judge what will be the "hot button" for a specific group of people until you see their reaction to certain "test" songs. Almost never will anyone, including the bride, know every person at the reception well enough to judge beforehand. In fact, in an average sized reception crowd of 100 to 150 people, there may be friends of relatives of the groom in attendance whom hardly anyone will recognize. Yet, they might be the sparks that ignite the party when the band hits their "hot button". That's why you need a FLEXIBLE, accomplished, variety band.

The "Variety" Band

Most well informed wedding clients ask for a "variety band." There is good reason. The guests at your wedding reception will, in all likelihood, be coming from diverse locations, lifestyles, and musical tastes. The primary mission of your wedding reception band should be to provide entertainment that everyone will enjoy. All brides like to see the dance floor full at all times. With a good variety band keeping the show well mixed, you will see your guests entering and exiting the dance floor according to their musical interests. Of course, even the best variety band is not going to please everyone all of the time. However, if your band is doing a proper job of monitoring the response of the crowd to what has already been played, you will see the party gradually building in intensity until the latter part of the reception is literally "wild".

So what is a bride (or groom) to do?

This brings me to the point in question. You may have attended a friend's reception and noticed that a larger than expected number of guests left early and, as the night went on, the intensity of the party seemed to die rather than build. This might be the result of a so-called variety band that is actually a specialty band trying to play variety. I'm afraid that the wedding reception market is saturated with these kinds of bands. They are most proficient at one or two particular musical styles but try to play everything because they know that is what discriminating brides want. They might be great at swing and mediocre at everything else. They might be great at country but terrible at rock. They might not be a wedding reception band at all, but a band that happens to play at wedding receptions. Well, that's another article for a later date. The problem might simply be the result of a bride picking the band based upon one style of music but assuming that they can "do it all" when required. After all, their song list showed a variety, right?

There are four basic types of "variety" bands. We will now take a closer look at all four. The first three should be avoided. But even the last one can be the wrong choice if they aren't proficient. By understanding the differences, you will be armed and ready with the right information necessary to discern what type of group you might be dealing with. If you know the warning signs, perhaps you can avoid a disappointing reception with the wrong choice for entertainment. Remember, your reception is a one-shot deal!

The "Pick-up" Band

A pick-up band isn't really a band at all. The term band implies that something is "banded" together. A band is what you think of when you think of Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon, and Ringo Starr as The Beatles. They were a unit that did not change until they broke up. A pick-up "band" is a group that usually consists of the leader and "on-call" musicians who don't necessarily perform regularly with him or her. A pick-up "band" should definitely not be a first choice. They may be great musicians individually, but that doesn't make a band. They can't be absolutely sure what arrangement they will use so they usually "wing it". The arrangements will usually be far from the original version of the song, not necessarily a good thing, as we will discuss later in this article. There may or may not be any background vocals because they haven't had the opportunity to rehearse and decide whose voice fits what part the best. pick-up "band"s are sometimes less expensive because they depend on musicians who are sitting around at the last minute before your reception without a “gig” and they will work cheap. That’s the real reason for the substitution clause in their contract. A professional wedding band will have a substitution clause too, but for a different reason. They will have backup musicians in case someone is sick. This is used as a last resort to avoid canceling the engagement a week in advance, realizing you won’t usually find a reputable replacement band on a week’s notice. However, the bandleader of the pick-up "band" uses this substitute policy to his advantage. He can undercut the professional level wedding reception bands and still make a killing by using these “less in-demand” musicians. But it begs the question, why are these musicians sitting around without a gig 3 weeks from your wedding day. If they are quality musicians, they will most likely have been booked for 6 months or even a year or more with a reputable band. All this translates into what I call the biggest problem with a pick-up "band", CONSISTENCY. A pick-up "band" is not a great choice for your BIG day! The truth is that there is usually only about $500-700 difference in price between a pick-up "band" and a good professional band. If your guests go home early because you booked a hobby band that couldn't hold everyone's interest and maintain flow, your caterer will most likely wind up throwing out thousands of dollars worth of food that wasn't eaten -- perhaps wasting the amount of money needed to have had a professional variety band in the first place. You do your special event the greatest service by booking a reputable professional band that has the years of experience necessary to make your reception flow at the perfect pace. It is well worth it in the long run. You’ve paid for the facility, room, food, etc. for 3 or 4 hours. You need entertainment that can hold the interest of your guests until the very end.

The "Hobby" Band

A hobby band is a group that usually consists of musicians who simply play music on weekends for fun. A hobby band should definitely not be a first choice. There may be an occasional gifted musician in the midst of a hobby band but one gifted person does not a great band make. The arrangements will usually be far from the original version of the song, not necessarily a good thing, as we will discuss later in this article. Hobby bands are usually less expensive because they have days jobs and just play music for fun on the weekends. However there are usually serious logistics problems with hobby bands.

I was at a wedding reception earlier this year where they had booked a hobby band. They really felt like the price was too good to pass up (it wasn't). They got an 8-piece band for the price of a professional trio. However, the father of the bride found the band just sitting around in the lobby at the time the reception was to start. I heard him ask the bandleader what songs they would play for the first dance and father/daughter dances. What?!!! Discussions about song requests should have taken place weeks or even months earlier. The bandleader should supply an event planning form to capture such information. He should at the very least make a phone call to the client to discuss these details. You don't wait until the wedding day to start thinking about what songs you might play! But it got worse at this event. At 7:30, when the band was supposed to start, the female vocalist and trumpet player had still not shown up. The bandleader relied on a word-of-mouth system of communication, rather than providing the musicians with an event itinerary so they would all be on the same sheet of music, so to speak. The missing musicians finally arrived at 8:30, thinking they were 30 minutes early for a 9:00 start. But things got worse still. All night long the band's sound system had a feedback problem. Being a wedding professional, I could not stand it any longer and I finally approached the bandleader about the sound problem. The sound system was thrown together from different pieces that various members of the band happen to own. It was amateur grade equipment at best. The speakers from side to side didn't even match. I asked if they had a 1/3-octave equalizer. This device is a standard piece of equipment, and is a must have, for any decent sound system. In the hands of an expert, it can rid the sound system of the horrible squeals that make your guests want to leave the room holding their ears. One of the horn players spoke up and showed me a small black box that was hanging by the wires from the back of the mixing console. He wasn't sure what it was, but thought it might be the device I was talking about. In fact, what he was holding was a reverb unit. It turns out that they didn't even own a 1/3-octave equalizer. So forget hearing the father of the bride as he attempts to make his toast speech, usually standing in front of the speakers, the position most prone for feedback problems. This is just a typical situation for a hobby band. Their main focus is having fun playing music on the weekends and there is little time or expertise available to think of logistics like event itineraries, song requests, and decent sound equipment.

Most professional level bands purchase their own sound and lighting equipment, but they have to amortize the initial cost and maintenance of the equipment into every performance. Renting equivalent sound and lighting equipment costs $1500-$2000, leaving very little left for logistics costs such as equipment storage, transportation, insurance, legal and accounting fees, office supplies, demos, brochures, telephone, advertising, etc. It is common to spend $20,000-$30,000, or more, on the sound and lighting system to get the job done right. You aren't necessarily paying for loudness either. It's clarity at lower volume that is desired. You need a good monitor system for the singers so they sing on pitch. You need speaker cabinets that sound good in even the worst acoustical environments. You need great quality microphones (these run between $1000 and $1500 for wireless models) and cables. When you add in the logistics costs, a professional band will easily have $1500-$1800 per performance invested before they ever put a musician on stage. So if you get a quote from a band that seems too good to be true, it probably is just that. You wouldn't expect a top of the line Mercedes for the price of a Chevy would you? The saying is so often true, and even more so in the wedding market that is flooded with so many "cheesy" bands, "you get what you pay for." When a professional band gives you a quote, you can easily calculate how much the musicians are making. Remember that the logistics cost for a professional band (sound, lighting, office expenses, legal and accounting fees, insurance, transportation, storage, demos, advertising, etc.) averages between $1500 and $1800 per engagement. So just subtract $1500 from the price quoted and you have an approximation of the price of the musicians themselves. If a band is quoting under $2000, they have most likely compromised on logistics or they are hobbyists. You get what you pay for!

The "Jam-Session" Band

A jam-session band may or may not consist of regular musicians. They can't usually perform more than 7 or 8 songs per 45-minute set because everyone takes a solo and turns the song into a "jam-session". They are obviously not playing the song per the original arrangement. This is a major contributor to the boredom factor that will cause your guests to lose interest. The fact is, a jam-session band is more interested in entertaining themselves first and your guests second. They wish they had recorded the hits they play, so they pretend they did by re-arranging the songs to the point that they may be halfway through a song before your guests figure out what dance step to use.

The "Permanent" Band

It is very difficult for a pick-up "band", a hobby band, or a jam-session band to compete with a "permanent band". A permanent band consists of a set roster of musicians who work together regularly and are well rehearsed. But, even with a permanent band you need to be careful about a couple of issues. Hiring a permanent band does not necessarily guarantee that your guests won't lose interest. Remember that a major contributing factor to boredom is that the songs tend to all sound the same after a while. You will certainly get closer to the mark using a permanent band but they still have to be competent. Just because they perform together often with the same musicians doesn't mean that they are accomplished musicians possessing the level of versatility needed to keep the audience interested. Examine their demo CD closely and try to see if they are really showing off their versatility. What you really need to book is a permanent band with professional musicians.

A good demo CD will have between 10 and 15 demo selections (usually a minute or so each). If a band is really a variety band, they will be more than willing to include enough different types of songs on the demo to give you an accurate idea of their diversity. If the demo CD has less than 10 songs and they are mostly of one or two styles, this should be a warning. They may refer you to a song list that shows a big variety of styles, but, if they are really capable of playing all those styles uniquely, why didn't they include them on their demo CD? One other pet peeve of mine is when a band has a female vocalist sing what would generally be known as a "guy-tune". I have had many brides share that same concern with me when they tell me their "war stories" about looking for bands.

Budget

Budget enough to get the very best. Most couples pay from $60 to $150 per guest for food and yet they try to hire a band for around $7.50 per guest (based upon 200 guests). This is not very wise since the food will not hold everyone's attention for 3 or 4 hours like a band will. Ask yourself this: The band has to pay for thousands of dollars of musical instruments, P.A., lighting, formal wear, etc., office expenses, technical personnel, and the musicians themselves, right? How professional can a band possibly be if they are willing to play at your reception for one-tenth of what the food is costing you? I'm often amazed at how low a client's entertainment budget is in comparison to food and the photographer. Many photographers today are charging $5,000 up to $10,000, and even that is still a fraction of what the food costs per guests. Let's face it, the guests will eat three more meals the next day. In 6 months, they won't have a clue what kind of food you served them at the reception. But they will remember whether or not your reception was a ton of fun. And what kind of photos will the $5,000-$10,000 photographer snap at the reception? Will they be pictures of guests eating chicken fingers or having a blast on the dance floor? The irony is the chicken fingers cost you much more than the pickin' fingers. Who creates the party? Will the reception end when the food is eaten and the photos are taken? Let's face it! The ultimate success of your reception is riding on the "low-bidder", the entertainer. GET THE BEST!!!

In Summation

Of course it is always a good idea to see the band "live", if possible. This is not always possible due to timing, and many events are closed to outsiders. Weigh the demo CD against the song list and see if they are really a variety band or just a band that has a variety song list. If you do see the band "live" be careful not to judge them strictly based upon whether the dance floor is full. For one thing, even the best band can encounter a "dead" crowd. And earlier in the evening the band will most likely be playing "dinner music" and the guests will be catching up on things with friends or relatives. Some crowds, for religious reasons among others, may just enjoy listening to the band. Try to determine whether it's the band that is boring or the crowd. Look for toe tapping, head bobbing, etc. and decide if the band sounds good to you. Would you be inclined to dance if it were your event? The best time to see the band is about halfway into the reception when all the visiting is over and the guests are ready to have a party.

Most good variety bands book 6 months to one year in advance so don't wait until the last minute to go looking. Many book on a first-come-first-served basis too, so don't tarry too long making a decision or you may end up looking again and again and then end up with a lesser quality act for perhaps the most important day of your life.

I hope you have found this article helpful. Please feel free to contact me if you have a question I have not covered in one of these articles. I make this advice available for no charge, as I endeavor to raise the bar of excellence with regard to wedding entertainment.

Doug McAlexander - Arsis Productions

E-mail: arsisproductions@gmail.com

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