Bar & Club Silly Rookie.........

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C

Cr33pin

New DJ
Apr 26, 2009
100
0
46
540 Va
www.myspace.com
Well first let me introduce myself, my names travis im 28 from Va an im about to be a DJ :D

The only bar in my town (which has been closed for almost a year ) is opening back up Friday May 8th with me an my first time deejayin.
Im not really nervous about it i have been making people mix tapes an cds since i was in 6h grade, bringing mix cds an making playlist at partys for as long as i can remember and a friend of mine who is a dj has let me sit in the both for a bit an play some songs. I know thats not gonna be the same as what im about to do but im excited it has always been like a dream job for me cause i love music!

A few questions i can think of off the top of my head are
1: some good slow songs to play for people to slow dance?
2: im not real sure about what to play when people first get there an arent drunk an not tryin to dance ( i was jus thinkin some top 40 pop music or something)
3: when people are dancing how many dance songs do you play before you switch it up so they can get drinks an such?

This bar will have everything from redneck bikers to wanna be thugs

well thanks in advance to those who take the time to read this an any advice would be greatly aprechiated. wish me luck :sqwink:

a list of my current set up incase any one wanted to know

Toshiba Laptop with Virtual DJ
Hercules RMX
JBL JRX 125 dual 15" speakers
Qsc Rmx 2450 amp
Denon DN-X500 mixer (ordering tonight)
Pioneer HDJ-1000 headphones (which i can not get to preivew the opposite deck to save my life)
an lots of Chauvet and American Dj Lighting (mainly moonflower things)
 
Travis:

In my area the bikers like the old Southern Rock such as Skynyrd, 38 Special, Marshall Tucker and the likes!

Watch the crowd for movement such as tapping their fingers, swaying in their seats tapping their feet and go with the flow. Also do not be afraid to interact with the crowd. The bikers in the group will also tell you what they want to hear!

Relax and enjoy the show!

Bill
 
I DJ'd a biker bar for quite a while some years ago. The bikers will run out the "wannabe thugs".

Bikers want blues, southern rock and mainstream stuff. Cater to the bikers and the bar owner will be happy if this bar is anything like the one I played at. Bikers are loyal to a bar they find a welcome at, and most are decent working folks no different from you and I.

Best,

Paul :)
 
Southern Rock (named above), Outlaw Country, (Waylon Jennings to David Allen Coe) and some slightly older Country (George Jones to Randy Travis) was popular when I was playing biker bars. Top 40 not so much.
Take requests and you'll quickly find what you have to play or buy but don't be afraid to experiment too. I mean at some time in their lives they never heard Molly Hatchet before.
Good luck. It will prove to be a great experience if you let it.
 
If ya don't get anything else out of this, please remember the most important aspect of bar DJing: A full dance floor doesn't sell drinks. :)

Mix up your music genres so the patrons will have a reason to go to the bar or sit at their tables and order drinks. When I was doing bar shows I did 2- or 3-song sets then changed up. I'd kill the dance floor on purpose after a fast set so they'd buy drinks. ;)

Slow song suggestions for this type of crowd:

You never even called me by my name ~ David Allan Coe
Rose Colored glasses ~ John Conlee
Long Black Train ~ Josh Turner
Good morning beautiful ~ Steve Holy
I hope you dance ~ Lee Ann Womack
I could not ask for more ~ Sara Evans
Burn ~ Jo Dee Messina
Whiskey Lullaby ~ Alison Krauss

Uptempo can be Southern Rock of your choice. Remember to take note of your requests. If you don't have a song, get it for next time.

Hope it helps. :)
 
vrrrrmmmmmm

thanks for the advice an suggestions. id like to clear something up, this isnt a hang out for the hells angels, theres not alot of bikers i was just saying that cause of the variety of people that are gonna be there..... :sqlaugh:
 
well last night was my first night (played wednday night just a a lil trial with no advertisement so only like 15 people there)
i killed it!! we had 120 people in there an everyone was havin a blast, i couldnt clear the dancefloor when i tried! people was dancin to anything, was talkin on the mic like i been doin it for years, made a b-day anouncement, called some people to get on the dance floor ( before i played single ladies i asked where all my single ladies were an told them i need them to report to the floor), said a quik bit about MJ's death an played some MJ songs. at the end of the night everyone was coming up an tellin me i did great!!!

not tryin to toot my own horn but im pumped... i would DJ for free!! i love the feeling of playin a song an hearin everyone scream!!
 
Yo Cr33p going in the first time and rockin the yard is the most awesome electricity. Those nights are the best. Now the bar is set very high and expectations will become above the limit. Work hard to keep the minimum and continue rockin the joint. I could tell ya a story of one of my first round shows in California but wont use up the space here. If you would like to hear about an old dawgs experience pm your phone number would love to send the JTV officially unofficial ODJT welcome.
 
A warning about bar play, watch your set lists. Don't get too dependent on playing the same songs over and over. You will loose repeat business over the long run. Depending on how many nights a week you are playing, you can do like a generational theme. Wed's 70's, Thursdays 80's, etc. Not all from that ere, just lean on them a little harder. This helps keep things fresh. After a while, you will see patterns of patrons. Play to them. If the bar is big enough, have some bar theme songs. I had a particular bar gig were Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (yeah, i'm old), was a bar song. The waitresses would dance on the bar and tables.

Look for crossover songs, like Uncle Craker - Follow Me. You can use the slow songs to rotate the floor. Coming out of dance, play a couple of country slows. The first will keep the people wanted to slow dance on the floor and get the country folks out. The second will get the rest of the country to the floor. Then drop some country dance. Regardless of the crowd, most bars will respond well to rock dance (Pour Some Sugar On Me, You Shook Me All Night Long, Cherry Pie, Blister In the Sun, etc). Don't be afraid to reach back in time and experiment.

As stated earlier, you have already set your own bar high. Don't F it up!

Congrats. Bars can be very fun, just wish they paid better.

Bar work will definitely teach you how to read a crowd. A skill that will go far if you go the wedding route.
 
thanks for the comments! as for my equipment i sold one of my cars to buy it, i figured if i was serious about this id have to make some sacrafices then i also figured if i spent all that money on my equpiment id have to do somethin with it! ha

im already aware of the not playin the same songs all the time, i was suprised at how many good songs i have i still want to play that i didnt play the last 2 nights!

as far as weddings i do all the receptions they are gonna have at the bar, my first one comming up august first..... works outlike a dream cause anyone who rents the place for anything has to use the house DJ wich would be me, an im already set up there so i really got it made there..... plus i make killer money, im not gonna name figures but i make as much in a night at the bar as i would a wedding around here.



i just wanna thank everyone on this site for all thier help, i learned alot just read threw old threads an such......
 
Cr33pin said:
thanks for the comments! as for my equipment i sold one of my cars to buy it, i figured if i was serious about this id have to make some sacrafices then i also figured if i spent all that money on my equpiment id have to do somethin with it! ha

im already aware of the not playin the same songs all the time, i was suprised at how many good songs i have i still want to play that i didnt play the last 2 nights!

as far as weddings i do all the receptions they are gonna have at the bar, my first one comming up august first..... works outlike a dream cause anyone who rents the place for anything has to use the house DJ wich would be me, an im already set up there so i really got it made there..... plus i make killer money, im not gonna name figures but i make as much in a night at the bar as i would a wedding around here.



i just wanna thank everyone on this site for all thier help, i learned alot just read threw old threads an such......
Click to expand...

We are all here always to help
 
djsazon I'm glad things went well for you but a word of advise if you don't mind , earlier in the post Fred suggested "I Hope You Dance" as a biker if I heard that song I would walk out of the bar . there are much better songs out there
 
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