Choose LIVE music because it is spontaneous and unique!

You’re getting married and you want some great dance music. Your best friend got married six months earlier and she had a great DJ, but you are thinking, “I really want my wedding to be different. I’m not sure I want a DJ.” The solution to this dilemma is very clear:

HIRE A LIVE BAND

• a live band brings unique energy and spontaneity
• your guests experience the “wow factor” of having LIVE music because only 15% of weddings have live music
• and live music is “organic and spontaneous.”
• My good friend, Robert Leger, wedding guitarist, says. “A recorded song sounds no different at your wedding than it does in your car — or at a lot of other weddings. Whether the song is played through a streaming service, a IPOD play list, CD, or any other format, it always sounds the same. On the other hand, live music is like a sunset: it’s never exactly the same. Each one is totally different and beautiful in its own way. Musicians are human and distinctively individual, so subtle differences arise every time we play. Songs played LIVE are just like those sunsets, uniquely different and beautiful each time.”

Here’s a few great examples:

FOLSOM PRISON BLUES

You know the lyrics to this huge country hit from 1955

I hear the train a comin’, it’s rolling round the bend
And I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when
I’m stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps draggin’ on
But that train keeps a rollin’ on down to San Antone

But have you ever heard this “lost verse”?

Ever since I was a young boy
I’ve played the silver ball
From Soho down to Brighton
I must have played ’em all
But I ain’t seen nothing like him
In any amusement hall
That deaf, dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball

Yes, those lyrics are actually from PINBALL WIZARD, a rock hit from 1969. But those words can fit the melody of FOLSOM PRISON BLUES perfectly. And I actually heard a band do this, and I thought, “Wow, that is creative!” If you only listen to the original Johnny Cash version whether from a DJ or a streaming service or some kind of playlist, you will never hear how perfectly these two songs can blend……. And that kind of spontaneity is lots of fun.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THIS “LOST VERSE” FROM MARGARITAVILLE

“Parrotheads” around the world know all about this “lost verse:” not found in the original studio recording

Old men in tank tops…. cruising the gift shops
Checking out chiquitas down by the shore
Dreamin of weight loss, and being their own boss
Those three day vacations become such a bore

And here’s another version that concert-goers have heard:

I blew out my flip flop, stepped on a pop top
Broke both my legs, had to limp on back home
Lord I still feel pain, I wish I had some cocaine
But that’s been gone since early last fall.

So that is a great example of a very famous performer changing the lyrics to a hit song which he himself wrote.

OR CHANGE JUST A FEW WORDS…..

What happens if you change just one word in a song?

Try saying “rogaine” instead of “cocaine” in the famous JJ Cale song. It’s something like this:

When your hairs in decline and your head starts to shine… Rogaine

Or try “propane”.

If your camper’s gone cold and you wanna get warm, propane!

Many singers can take this idea and completely rewrite the lyrics to a popular song and have your guests yelling and screaming and laughing hysterically. When you play “Cocaine” at your party through a DJ or a streaming service or a playlist, it will always sound the same as the original studio recording. Your party, event, or wedding deserves better. Your guests deserve more fun so hire a live band that’s known for spontaneity and creativity.

And we’ve only been talking about LYRICS. What about the song itself? How many ways can a LIVE musician change a song to make one performance totally unique? Here’s a few examples:

HURT SO GOOD or HOLD THE LINE: originally recorded with MALE LEAD VOCAL. Performed live it can become a DUET with both male and female lead vocals.

ANY SONG: instead of ending the song as originally recorded, the band returns to the play another verse and chorus and then ends.

BROWN EYED GIRL or any song: originally recorded with lots of picking on the electric guitar becomes totally different when performed with acoustic guitar and just chords.

SOLOS in any song: almost all dance songs have a similar structure that includes solos, often on guitar. How about moving that solo to the piano or to a saxophone. The song now sounds different from the original.