Thunder & Lightning DJ Blog

Thunder & Lightning DJ Logan Utah

2011-11-21T13:27:00.000-08:00

Here is a sample video I am working on...

Just a sampling of some events I have done over this last year :)

New Moon Ball, Last November, Benefit Dance

2010-04-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

New Moon Twilight Ball
Benefit Dance for Juvenile Diabetes
November 19th, 2009

This is from an event I did last fall, but I thought it would be cool to post. It was pre-blog, hehe... so I'm putting it in now really quick.

This was a benefit I did for Juvenile Diabetes for a company called PhantomFX (http://www.phantomeffects.com/) Their company does airbrush makeup, masks, props, and so forth, and specializes in Halloween themed effects. They are also really super nice people, and really, really good at what they do. They dedicate their time to this cause each year, as they have a family member that was effected by Juvenile Diabetes, and are true to the cause. I will be setting up a BIG light show and sound system to perform for their Zombie Prom on August 14th, 2010 as well, for this same benefit.

It was a awesome event, and happened on the opening weekend of the new Twilight movie, which you can tell by the name it was themed after. Here is a link to a site dedicated to that event.

http://www.utahvampires.com/

I basicallly just ran my system, and had a lot of fun playing and mixing tracks all night. Super fun crowd. In the video you will see below, you will see two couples dualing it out at one point.... They really are great friends! LOL... just having fun! Anyway, watch and enjoy if you'd like :)

Sound is badly distorted in parts.... it's the weak camera mic, not the system!

Might want to turn down the audio a bit....

I will put up a blog talking about the upcoming Zombie Prom sometime soon. It is on August 14th, 2010, not July :)

That's it for now, see you next blog!

Why does radio suck? Didn't it used to be better? (Explanation Below)

2010-04-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

Why Does Radio Suck?
Let me tell you why....

Being a DJ that plays to all kinds of groups, including middle school, high school, and college crowds, I have to listen to some extent to the local radio stations, pay attention to their website, so I know what is locally being played a lot. I also get music from a subscription service for DJ's, but sometimes they don't catch everything that's on the radio, hence, I have to listen and keep tabs on what's going on with the local radio station.

Now there are a good tracks on the radio, I'm not saying that every track on the radio is crap, but:

There are a lot of songs that get a lot of radio play, even if the song really isn't very good (or even kinda crap). There's a popular artist with a new track out right now (I try not to list specifics in my blogs) that I and everyone I've talked to thinks is pretty crap. I haven't heard anyone I've talked to, including a lot of other DJ's, say they like that track.... regardless, it's getting a LOT of air play.... Why? It should be a "B" side at best. Some songs that make it on the popular Top40 station have to have so much material bleeped out, that a listener can have a hard time even knowing what the song is saying in certain parts. Why would a radio station bother to program that track in? If there are some younger readers here, you might say, "Because it's still a good track, or because it's cool", but think about it. From a Radio Station programmer's point of view (think of some old guy in an radio station office doing the programming), why play a song that has half the lyrics bleeped out? Isn't that kind of a pain? Especially when there is a ridiculous amount of music released every month. Most of you have no idea how much new material there is every single month, that never makes it on the radio. You could be listening to a far better selection of Urban/Hip Hop, Top40, Dance tracks, and so forth than what you are. You are not hearing the creme of the crop. Why??

Think about this: On the flip side, think about it from the artist's point of view. They want to sell albums and singles. Yes, they enjoy singing/rapping, but they do want to make a living at it, nothing wrong with that at all. The primary way for a large mass of people to hear their tracks is over the radio. If you were that artist, with that motivation, would you produce a song where a lot of the words had to be bleeped out in order to get radio play? Wouldn't you be concerned that the radio stations wouldn't bother to air it with your song having to be chopped up/editted to make it on the air?

Why do they think that's not a problem? Because it isn't. Keep reading....

-- There are a lot of new really good tracks//songs that never make it to the radio... ever...

WHY ???

Back in the day, songs would get on the radio, because they were good enough to be on the radio. Radio stations would play them, because when they did, more people would listen to their radio station. In turn, businesses wanting to advertise, would want to reach the station's listeners. As a result, the station could get more advertising dollars, and charge more for air time advertisers. On occasion, however, a promoter might pay a radio station DJ to play a certain song for a new artist a LOT. In a sense, this was kind of like advertising for the artist, but was certainly a little underhanded. For the most part though, songs stayed on the radio because they were good, not just because they were paid for.

The market for how radio stations program was changed significantly since 1996, due to a law that was passed about that time. Remember that big bill that passed having to do with the big telephone companies? That bill has some other stuff riding on it too. I could go on to explain it further, but a friend of mine did a video on this topic, that explains it very well.

Payola and the American Music Industry

The video above was posted nearly 3 years ago.
Here is kind of an updated video he posted just today,
again on radio, but also talks about XM and also how things used to be.

In Summary: I think if you want to listen to radio a lot, XM is probably the way to go. I think the regular country radio stations aren't too bad, but then I don't listen to country as much, and knowing that there is a lot better music that never hits normal radio, it makes me wonder if there's better country music out there as well.

Anyway, I thought both videos were interesting commentary on why radio is they way it is.

I'd love to hear anyone's comments :)

April 17th High School PROM, at a Unique Location

2010-04-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

Gig Log, High School PROM, April 17th, 2010.
Unique Location

This PROM was held at a car dealership! This is the first dance I've ever done at a Car Dealership in 20 years....HA! I know it sounds a bit odd, but it was actually pretty nice. It was held in the dealership's show room, which was actually quite nice, with a polished floor. Apparently, one of the senior class executives had an uncle who was a manager for the dealership, and made the arrangement. It was a small high school, and I don't think they had much of a budget for getting a venue, so it was really quite neat for them.

It was also about the shortest haul I have ever had. See the door behind me? That's where I loaded in from, and the back of my van is about 10 feet from that door! So that worked out rather well :)

It's not my cleanest setup, but I think turned out fairly clean. I was rather rushed on time, as I had to wait for the business to close for the day, before I could setup, so no tripod skirts for this setup.

Here is a short video of the event below. The video is mostly of slow songs, with just a couple of fast songs, because I was too busy mixing most of the night to take any video.

As seen in the video, I did throw in a couple of swing songs. Some of the students are learning swing dancing, and also the parents that were there for a portion of the event enjoyed having a song or two they could enjoy dancing to, before they were ready to leave. I got thanked from several people for that :)

Anyway, here's the short clips I put together:

I likely will not blog about every event I do, but I thought I would put a blog in here from time to time concerning events.

Cheapest DJ verses the Best DJ

2010-04-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Getting a "Good Deal" on a Wedding DJ

Is it a good idea, when you are looking for a DJ, to go for the cheapest DJ you can find? Should you call around, ask only what a DJ's lowest price is, move onto the next guy, until you eventually just talk to the DJ that gave you the lowest price?

When I did the Bridal Faire recently, most everyone did want to know my price range, but they also wanted to know what I could do for that price. However, there were a few, one guy in particular, that I swear did everything he could not to look at my booth or setup at all, even approached my booth with his eyes looking at the floor (I'm seriously not kidding), told me the only thing he wanted to know was my price. As soon as I told him my price (he wouldn't let me tell him anything else) he scribbled it on a paper, and walked quickly away.

I have no doubt that I will never hear from that guy again. He was only interested in price, and I know without a doubt that there are less expensive DJ's in town, and I'm sure he found one. I am certainly not the most expensive, but I am certainly not the cheapest DJ in town either.

Why pay more?
The simple answer, is that you generally get more. As the saying goes, "you get what you pay for". Now I want to be fair here, because it is going to be a matter of what your expectations are.

A good mode of thought to have in mind, is to consider a risk factor in combination with the importance of the event. If it's maybe something like a high school dance sock hop, and you think you've got a good DJ for cheap, and your budget is tight anyway, then think of it this way. If the DJ doesn't meet your expectations, is it the end of the world? For a single High School Sockhop dance, maybe a simple after the game dance, not a big formal, it might be a worthwhile risk, if you feel good about the DJ, and his price is cheap. If he FAILS, you just don't hire him again. If he does okay, you keep his number. (Some of you might be surprised to hear me say to not completely ditch the cheap DJ, but that's how I started... that's how most DJ's start. So I hope the one's that are honest, starting out in the business do get a shot, but keep in mind what kind of events you should hire them for :)

In contrast, what about your wedding reception? This event will hopefully only happen ONCE. If you DJ FAILS, I guarantee it will be remembered by not just you and your spouse, but by various family members. A reception dance, is kind of like a big THANK YOU for showing up for the wedding and the reception. It's a celebration with family and friends, and should bring some fun into generally a very formal day. You're not going to be having 5 more receptions this year (atleast I hope not for your sake!). This is a one shot deal to get it right. Do you want to hire the cheapest, lowest bidder DJ you can find for your wedding reception?

Why do DJ's charge more for Wedding Receptions?
Ever notice that a DJ will generally charge considerable more for a Wedding Reception than a school dance? Why? Because weddings/receptions are in fact a LOT more work, if the DJ is handling it correctly.

For a School dance, we show up with enough time to be setup by the time the actual dance starts, then we mix the latest top40/hip hop/ techno (country if requested) music and deal with requests for 3-4 hours, then we pack up. There's slightly more to it, but not much more.

However when playing for a wedding reception there is a lot more prep work, and a much longer day for the DJ.

When doing a reception, we have to deal with the cake cutting, bouquet toss, garter removal & toss, Bride/Groom dance, Father/Daughter, Mother/Son, and a variety of other possible activities. Our setup has to be as clean and neat as possible. We need to arrange requested songs for the special dances in advance, work with other vendors, work with the reception planner, go to the venue in advance to determine where we will be setup, and sometimes negotiate where we will be setup with other vendors, while trying to make sure we can provide a good performance. On the day of the wedding, we need to be completely setup, and dressed up before any guests arrive (before dinner), then play dinner music, have mics available for toasts or other activities, and of course make the other before mentioned activities happen. We may need to arrive 4-6 hours before the dance even starts, perhaps more depending. We may also have to deal with people having a bit too much alcohol, if alcohol is served. It's a far longer day, a more difficult setup, and a LOT more prep work. Where is your confidence level hiring a DJ that will do all of that for $200 or less?

False advertising:
There are a lot of good cheap as well as expensive DJ's, performing at their levels of experience, that are very honest about what they can and can not do, and about the kind of equipment they use. However, there are also a lot of DJ's with false advertising claims like, "we have the biggest system in Utah", that simply are not true. I have a very substantial system, and it is bigger than some I've seen make that claim. However, I also know that there are DJ's running bigger systems than my own, and I won't try to tell anyone otherwise.

I don't want to use any local examples, so I am going to show you an example of a DJ company my friend in Australia was telling me about. Here is their website:

http://www.mobydisc.com.au/

These guys are undercutting a lot of DJ's in Australia, and paying the DJ's they hire minimum wage, and it shows. From their website, you would expect a very professional DJ, wouldn't you? My friend took this picture of a Mobydisc setup at a friend's wedding reception he went to:

...No doubt, they got a really low price, but did they get a good deal? Would you feel comfortable with this DJ at your wedding reception? Remember that guy who only wanted to know my price, and nothing else? He might be hiring someone like this, based on price alone.

If they are promising you the moon for $100, don't bet on it, unless they are a close relative, and they are doing you a big favor.
Wouldn't you prefer something more like this, or better?

This kind of setup, and the kind of performance a good DJ will provide for a reception, will not happen for $100. You wouldn't do it for $100, would you? (just as a side note, this is a medium sized setup, I have larger and smaller setups available, as do other good professional DJs)

Final Note:

I want to make sure my readers understand, that there are a lot of good DJ's in the area. Each of us have strength's and weakness's, some will have bigger or smaller systems, and we will be priced appropriately to what we provide. This blog is more about being aware of what kind of DJ might be appropriate for the kind of event you have in mind. This blog is also about being aware that as in every business, there is the good and the bad, so make sure to ask questions, do your homework.

Hope this helps!

Enjoy the improving Spring Weather :)

2010-04-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

Spring in Logan, Utah!

Welcome to Spring in Logan, Utah. April 3rd, 2010. It actually all melted away, and has now returned again as of today, which is actually April 6th. It looked exactly like this, this morning, no kidding! We got that much snow overnight. It was actually quite pretty, just misplaced in the WRONG month. This should be a picture of December, right?

It does make for some pretty pictures though, with the snow frosted trees. Kind of nice to get off the DJ topic for a minute.

Here are some more pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Here's my youngest son's 3-wheeler

Here's My older boy's Bikes, ready for Spring! HA!

Hopefully it will all melt again soon :)

See you on the next Blog!

2010-04-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

Friday Event Gig Log:
LDS Adult Singles Dance, 31+ yrs Friday, April 2nd, 2010

I was a little rushed Friday night. When I arrived at the venue at the expected time, there was a basketball game going on, which didn't end for about another 40 minutes. One result of being rushed, is that only half the table was covered with the table cover. Generally, I put the table cover on first, then the mixing counsel, mics, request sheets and so forth. Couldn't remember where I had stashed the table cover after last weekends Bridal Faire, and didn't want to take the time to find it until I had a functional setup... so just folded the cover in half when I did find it, and did half the table that stuff wasn't on already :) Other than that, everything else was pretty much as it should be.

Again, the chair is not there really for sitting, it's there primarily for two purposes: 1) for someone making a request...okay, that sounds a little odd, but often at this event (it's repeating) I've had someone use it to sit down while they write down a few requests, and I need it there for another purpose anyway, 2) just in case I need to adjust something on the lighting truss during the night, I will need to stand on something as I am not that tall. ..... and, okay, there is a 3rd reason.... I'll admit that I might sit down if I've already had a long day during a slow song, for just a minute....hehe.

The reason I bring the chair thing, is it's better for the DJ to stand, for basically the same reason as at the Bridal Faire I blogged about last week. What looks better when you go to a dance? A DJ sitting down behind a table behind his mixing counsel, or standing up behind his mixing counsel? Which one looks more entertaining and involved? Okay, if he/she is just doing dinner music, that's different, so there are appropriate times to have a seat, but in the middle of the dance? -- Confession time! When I started and for some years after I started, I used to sit down all the time! Someone clued me in, and I got my behind off the chair.

Setup & Presentation:
Okay, this was a non-formal Adult Singles dance, not a wedding reception. I setup a pretty sizeable light show, and sound system, and while I always make an effort to keep it clean, and keep cables hidden neatly, I don't bother with tripod skirts and the like for an informal event generally. I do use a front facade infront and around my table, to hide the table and extra cabling. Non-formal doesn't mean sloppy, just not quite all the bells and whistles. For non-formal events, I don't do a tux, and generally don't do suit and tie, but I do dress nice and respectful. My goal is for the attendees to feel comfortable with me being there, to be approachable, and to show respect in how I dress for the client and attendees. Some would do a Tux all the time, and that does look nice, but I think it also makes a DJ a little less approachable at a non-formal event, where people are dressing nice, but more like nice jeans and a nice shirt kind of nice, not formal wear. For weddings I always do atleast suit and tie, Tux if needed, unless otherwise specifically requested by the client.

Someone's going to say, where's the subwoofers?
Subs are actually there, but loaded against a wall. Bass is non-directional, so they don't have to be right infront of the setup. That said, subs are not needed for every event. I like to use them here, because it is a big room, and I like having them there. I would probably actually be okay without them, given the group, but I bring them in anyway, just to be sure :)

How did the night go?
The night went well. Good group of people. I don't get to beatmatch my favorite tracks with this group (okay, I beatmatch a few here and there when the opportunity is there), I don't get to turn up the system and shake things, and I don't get to use fog and lasers, but they are a fun group, very appreciative, and most of them all know my name by now....hehe. They are a fun client. It's an interesting challenge every time, because there are a range of single adult people from their 30's clear to some people in their 70's, and it's interesting trying to keep them all happy with their different tastes in music. Fortunately, the far majority of them have learned to enjoy and have fun dancing, even if the track playing at that moment isn't from their era. I've seen some fairly "older" people dancing to Cupid Shuffle, and had some of the younger group, some of whom are probably technically too young to be at the event dancing to some 50's tracks that I play for the older people. Over all, I need to reach across some current top40, country, 50's - 90's, even some benny goodman, and somehow make it all work! It's a fun challenge every month I do this gig, and it's a fun group of people :) The night went well :)

Here's a short video clip. The audio is terrible, as the camera I was using has a weak mic. It distorts if I talk to loud...LOL.

LDS Adult Singles Dance
April 2nd, 2010

That's it for now :)

Bridal Faire Experience

2010-03-31T08:28:00.000-07:00

My Booth at the Bridal Faire, March 27th, 2010.

Thought I would write about my first Bridal Faire experience. I've been in the business a long time, but this is the first Bridal Faire I've ever done. Just never really thought of doing one before, and it seems that there are not a lot of DJ's around here doing them, as I was the only one at the show.

Get Advice from people who have done it before:
I am part of a worldwide DJ community, that can be recognized by the term, "Practice and Enjoy", I should probably do a blog on that sometime as well. Anyway, I watched a number of videos done my friends across the world, on Bridal Faires. Two were particularly useful. One by a good friend Brian Redd that lives near Chicago, and has done many, many Bridal Faires, and another by a good friend that lives in Australia, who did his first recently, but he is a perfectionist, and I think did quite well.

Much of the advice from both sources was common:

1) Don't setup too much gear, keep it clean and neat.
2) Main purpose of setting up gear, is so that brides can see it looks nice and neat, not bob's garage at their wedding.
3) don't describe your gear too much, they don't care how cool it is... talk about packages.
4) Brochures, business cards, some kind of treat to draw people in and put them in a good mood while at your booth,
5) don't spend the day sitting down, cause if you do, you look bored, and potential clients will be bored with your booth too.
6) Dress like your at someone's reception. If you are dressed in a T-shirt at a Bridal Faire, why should a bride think you will dress any differently at her reception?

On this last one, I thought about going all the way with a Tux, but decided a suite and tie was good enough for a Bridal Faire, considering where I live. Each person needs to decide which will work best depending on where you live.

First time Bridal Faire Booth
Okay, that said, wasn't sure what to expect from booths around me. What level of game were we playing? I thought it wise to put in a reasonable investment, but also decided not to go too overboard on the first Bridal Faire, and to remember this was a first time and would be a learning experience as well. If I ran out of something before the end of the day, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Get Setup the night before if you can, or as early as possible:
Something I thought about, which I am glad I did, is that unlike a tipical gig, or even Wedding Reception, there wasn't going to just be me and maybe a couple of over vendors setting up Saturday morning, there was going to be maybe 130 other vendors trying to crowd all their stuff through the same door and set up that morning. The Faire organizers mentioned that for anyone that wanted, they could setup after 8PM the night before. I took that option. There was a number of others that wisely took that option along with me, but not nearly so many as were indeed trying to frantically setup Satuday morning. I basically setup everything the night before, except for the laptop, treats, and a few other minor things. Here is a picture of people finishing their setups while brides were starting to arrive:

Everyone was pretty well setup on time, but I was glad I didn't have to setup everything, and then try to be relaxed and conversational :)

How my booth looked:
I'm sure I wasn't the best looking booth there, and I am sure I will make improvements for next time, but for a first time bridal faire, I think it worked reasonably well :)

The Banner says, "Thunder & Lightning DJ", and also says that we can provide DJ services for both English and Spanish culture weddings. I work with a really good Spanish DJ named Ernesto, and there is quite a market for a DJ business here that can not only cover "English" (for lack of a better term) events, or "Spanish" events, but also cover mixed events, where the two cultures are brought together in at a reception. So part of my goal was to capitalize on our ability to cover the mixed events as well.

I decided to set the table sideways and pointing out with us to the side, rather than across with us behind. My goal was to make us more accessible, rather than presenting a barrier between us and the client. The chairs were only used when there was nearly no one in the room. Again, we wanted to look like we were not bored with our own booth, and interested in talking to clients.

Jury's still out as to whether I will do this same arrangement with the table in the future, still thinking over the results :) Here are some more pictures of the table:

I had business cards for both English and Spanish, as well as Brochures and what are called "Rack Cards", which are kind of like 1 page brochures. Mainly I got those incase we ran out of Brochures or if someone preferred a more brief description, but something more than a business card. Didn't really hand out many of those, probably will just stick with Brochures and business cards in the future.

Ernesto to the rescue for Spanish Events:
Ernesto is my good friend and Spanish DJ. We work together for various events, particularly for Spanish/English Wedding Receptions. Here he is posing as a DJ. The only time either of us had a pair of headphones on the entire day....HA!

DJ Reception Planner & Contracts:
I also had a sample Reception Planner & sample contract, both laminated, for looking at on the table. I should make it clear that I am not a reception planner. However, these forms give the DJ the schedule, song selection for special dances, and contacts needed to make the event go smoothly. They can also be used to help clients to plan out their reception. I had regular, non-laminated copies to hand out if needed under the table in a container. The sample Reception planner turned out to be a pretty solid selling point during the Faire, as it did a great job showcasing that I would have a lot of attention to detail for their reception. I was also able to show case that I would be pro-active with working with their wedding coordinator/planner, and other vendors cooperatively, and not as a separate entity. I sent 3 contracts home with people, and I think 4-5 planners.

Wedding Planners and Venues:
I made several contacts with wedding planners and venue owners while I was there. A free-lance wedding planner was right next to us, so that was an easy contact to make. Also, there was venue owner, that was in the corner of the same room we were in, and he actually approached us initially. I also made a followup contact with another venue in town, called the Castle Manor, and talked to one of the event coordinators for the venue this Bridal Faire was held at. Here are a few pictures of two venue owner booths:

Other Vendors:
It's a good idea to check out other vendors, and find people that have a related enough field, that perhaps you can cross-promote. Some examples are photographers, videographers, caterers, and other people involved with entertainment as well.
Here is a photo of a booth for a really good acoustical guitar player, which I may cross-promote with in the future:

Imagine someone hires this guy to maybe play the bridal march on acoustical guitar. If he knows that they are also looking for a DJ, maybe he will recommend me. On the flip side, if someone hires me to be a DJ for their reception, and they are looking for something unique and beautiful for a bridal march, perhaps I will recommend this guy (I will).

Summary:
Purchasing booth space at a Bridal Faire was well worth my time. I still have to wait for calls back, but I suspect that this Bridal Faire will have paid for itself within the first hour of me being there. I won't do rack cards again, I'll just get more brochures, as no one wanted a rack card that could get a brochure instead. Oddly enough, there was no real value in playing music at the event, other than maybe a little fun with demonstration, but playing music wasn't really needed at all. Having a few mild lights on was a plus, and drew attention to the booth. Busy effect lights would have been a distraction. I left the roller scan effects off the entire time. A small clean display, with treats, brochures, wedding planning sheets were the clear winners in my booth.

Just because I have them, here are the rest of the pics I took :)

Fashion Show:

Ice Creme Samples, Yumm...

Other Booths in the room I was in:

This Balloon Booth was rather unique. The ladies here were very creative.

Other booths in the venue:

And below is a picture of Scott, one of the organizers of the event. Great guy. Last guy I talked to at the end of the event, after I finished loading all my stuff back into my van. Looks like a fitting picture for the end of this blog... :)

Here's The Exit...

Too many names for the Marriot & Bridal Faire on March 27th, 2010

2010-03-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

This is just a bit of silliness.
Needed something here to acknowledge a start to this blog.

I will have a booth at the Bridal Faire at the Marriot - Spring Hill Suites - Riverwoods on March 27th, 2010, here in Logan, Utah. I really do not understand why the venue needs 3 names. Why not just choose 1 name? Okay, I understand that the Marriot is the name of the chain of Hotels, and they want to have a name specific for the one here in Logan, but why not stop at two names? Why the need for 3 names?

I really don't know what to call this place to be sure. Do I call it the Marriot? If I tell people I'll be at the Riverwoods, will they know what I am talking about? What if I tell them it's the Springhill Suites? And how confused are they going to be when I tell them that all three of those places are the SAME PLACE??? LOL....

That said, the Marriot/Riverwoods/Springhill Suites is a VERY NICE venue indeed, and the staff has already been great to work with :) Looking forward to this Bridal Faire on the 27th. I'll post more on my plans for the Bridal Faire as it get's closer, and I get more prepared for it :)

Brady Mikesell