Recent content by sawdust123

The good bands do HEAVY rehearsing. There are two local bands that I am close with. One does mashups all the time. They may add in a few lines from 3 or 4 other songs on top of the song they started. You sometimes never know what they will hit you with. They don't stop between songs during a...

There are still some DJs in my area that I have kept in touch with over 20+ years. Many are now multi-ops and/or have branched out beyond DJing. I trust their employees are up to their standards. It has been over a decade since I published my number, so I rarely get calls. Friends though still...

Like the others, I have a variety of speakers. My mains for larger (for me that is) events is my old 15" 2-way Yamaha MS-400s, It was a great sounding but short-lived offering because it was late to the market, heavy and not priced competitively. I still get compliments on their sound though...

I remember being asked to join here when it was formed. I joined out of curiosity but kept loyal to Chat and rarely posted. My loyalty was due to a series of connections and opportunities made by Sid and the Chat community that led to huge changes in my life such as switching industries and...

The forums really helped elevate the industry 25+ years ago. They drove traffic to conventions and membership to associations. I developed many great relationships. Lots of factors have led to their fall from popularity. I am happy that this forum still exists. I prefer this format over newer...

The event was last night. The playlist went over much better than I expected. It contained Latin influenced jazz, Latin covers of English pop songs and salsa music. The first hour of the event was my standard corporate background playlist while people gathered and ate. The company, I learned...

I used Spotify and some AI suggestions to put together a playlist tonight. I was pretty happy with it but had some lingering doubts because this gig isn't my typical event. A good friend of ours stopped by tonight and I used it the opportunity to run it by her. She is bilingual of Mexican...

Alto is part of the InMusic umbrella. InMusic owns all the brands listed below. The current CEO (formerly a VP at Stanton) bought Numark in 1992 and brought the company back to life before expanding. I believe ION, their consumer brand, is their biggest money maker. You find ION stuff everywhere...

I've got a small (<50 ppl) corporate gig coming up that just needs background music and a PA for announcements. Normally I would play some yacht rock and modern equivalent stuff. Basically, upbeat stuff but not fast dance music. I just learned that this gig could have a considerable Hispanic...

What you see locally in a given area may have more to do with the reputation of that brand's local distributor than a meaningful representation of the product itself. If you get great service from the brand X dealer but have no connections with brand Y, brand X is your logical choice. Rental...

250 years is a pretty momentous number. I recall our bicentennial in 1976. The entire country was absolutely abuzz with patriotism. This year I see no similar feelings with the 250th. My wife and I are throwing an epic party but I am not seeing this elsewhere in great significant. All the...

I think there is a market for a vertical style gig bar. Column speakers are popular because they present a neater look than standard speakers on tripods. There is no reason something similar can't be done for lighting. Imagine a vertical tube light that is a little thicker to support a simple...

I mostly see GigBars being used by bands and KJs. IMHO they just scream that you are taking the simplest approach possible to lighting. About the only thing worse are the restaurant performers that use $10 battery powered plastic lights meant for a kid's bedroom.

I have never been to a Juneteenth celebration. I'm not even sure they have these in my neck of the burbs. That said, these songs might follow along with the list you have started: I'm Free - Soup Dragons People Got to Be Free - Rascals Get Up, Stand Up - Bob Marley I Feel Free - Cream Talkin'...

I live out in the burbs. I have never seen or been to a Juneteenth celebration. Not sure we even have them out here. However, based on your current playlist, I have these suggestions. I'm Free - Soup Dragons People Got To Be Free - Rascals If You Love Somebody Set Them Free - Sting I Feel...