Last March, I traveled up to Havre and helped the High School Juniors make their Prom a party. They called me again this fall, as Seniors, and asked me to come back for their Senior Ball. I gladly accepted, and it was a great success.

The amazing thing about playing for High School students is that they are ready to party as soon as the switch is turned on. The dance floor stayed busy for the entire evening, and they seemed to have a blast.

This year's theme was "Arabian Nights", and they did an amazing job at transforming the MSU Northern Student Union Building into a true oasis.

I played music for the Senior Ball itself from 8pm until Midnight, and then the Seniors hosted an After Party for the rest of the students from 1am until 4am...it was definitely a long night, but worth the time put in.

I hope to make my way back up there again for the new Junior class and their Prom...

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Usually the wedding season tends to wind down at about this point, but I have been so busy, I have barely had time to keep up with my posts. I spent this weekend helping out with a Wedding Ceremony and Reception that took place up at Ryan's Dam. I met with the Bride-to-Be and her Maid of Honor a couple of weeks ahead of time to go over all of the details and found that they needed help choosing songs for both the ceremony and for a couple of other important dances. They really liked IZ's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" as a Processional Song for the wedding party and asked me to come up with some ideas for the rest. After drawing up some suggestions, they went with my favorite. For the Bridal Processional, the Bride agreed on Ben Harper's "Waiting on an Angel", and for the Recessional Jack Johnson's "Better Together". All of the songs definitely complimented eachother as far as sound went, and the ceremony was perfect. She told me that she and her Mother were in tears as they reviewed those songs, and knew they were the ones.

The reception was a blast. Both sides of the family enjoyed country music and classic rock and roll, so it was easy to throw together song after song for them to enjoy. I mixed in some Hip Hop later in the evening for the younger crowd, and they seemed genuinely surprised that I would have such a wide selection of music to choose from. I love it all, though, and really enjoyed playing for them. I even got to catch up with a couple (one of which was the Groom's brother) who I helped with DJing their wedding seven years ago! It was nice to know that they recommended me even after so much time had passed since we had spoken.

Another wonderful family! And another couple of full weekends coming up...

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Well, another Wedding Reception at the Heritage Inn, and this one was a huge success. I spent the day with two amazing families, the Groom's side that flew in from Missouri, and the Bride's from the Great Falls area. We even had a good number of friends from the Chicago part of the country, and they all mixed well together...a group that wanted only to celebrate a special occasion.

The Heritage staff once again did a great job, even with two other events in nearby rooms. By the end of the night, the guests had gone through 4 kegs of beer and over 30 bottles of wine, and were certainly loosened up for the festivities. It was enjoyable to play for a group of people who were so responsive, and I was able to play music from a wide variety of genres, from the 50's, 60's, disco, country, 80's retro, classic rock, and even a little bit of hip-hop. I didn't have an empty dance floor from the First Dance on, and I honestly wish every wedding reception had a group of family and friends like this one did. It was a pleasure to perform for them, and a night I won't soon forget.

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Talk about a busy weekend! On Friday, I DJ'd for a couple from Alaska, who were celebrating their one year anniversary with friends and family who could not attend their wedding. It was basically a wedding reception, with cake, the first dance, and all, and went very well for a small gathering. It took place in the Falls Room at the Great Falls International Airport, and was put together really well. It was a pleasure to work with them, and a nice change from working at the Club on a Friday night.

I spent Saturday at the Heritage Inn with a much larger group and had a wonderful time. As usual, the Heritage staff had everything in order, and the entire reception went off without a hitch. The guests had a good time, and I played to a split group, as far as musical taste went. One side seemed to thrive on 80's Monster Rock, while the other side danced away to hits from the 70's, 80's, and 90's. It was interesting to watch as they all came together and had fun.

I'll be back at the Heritage Inn again this coming weekend.

The weeks are definitely flying by this summer. I spent the 24th of June at a short but sweet wedding reception at Norley Hall up in Conrad. The Bride and Groom kept the reception short, as they had to start their drive back to Seattle that evening. Still, all went well as usual, and the guests had a wonderful time. The couple even showed off their dancing skills as they waltzed and jitterbugged across the floor.

I kicked off July back at the Civic Center, but the reception was held in the Missouri Room, instead. They did a beautiful job decorating, and surprisingly enough, 250 people fit quite well in the room. Some effects lighting really added a dramatic effect to the room, and we had a blast as the party really swung into full gear after the traditional dances were over. Another highly successful event, with many more yet to come.

My wedding weekends continue! I was at the Heritage Inn on Saturday for my smallest reception so far this year. The ceremony took place there, as well, and I provided the music for the whole event. The marriage took place without a hitch, and turned out to be a beautiful ceremony. The guests started drinking immediately afterwards, and the food wasn't scheduled to be served for almost another 45 minutes. We weren't sure how long the reception would last, with the small crowd and the amount of liquor being consumed, and one of the staff even commented that he would bet that the party would be over by 10:30. I didn't agree, and was right not to. The party lasted right up until the scheduled ending time of midnight (hotel policy). The people that we there danced the night away, and there were even some hotel guests on the upper balcony that were dancing and singing right along with them. We had a great time, and the Heritage staff did a wonderful job, as usual.

Check this out. In Geraldine, it is evidently not traditional to send out wedding invitations. Instead, the engaged couple simply place an ad in the newspaper, and then those in the community who know the couple show up for the reception. I was a little skeptical, I'm not going to lie. Little did I know that just about the whole town was going to be there, and on a day that the town attended a funeral in the morning, and a 50th wedding anniversary the same evening. Talk about a party. From the first dance on, the dance floor had something going on. We even had to remove some of the seating to allow more room for dancing. I think I had as much fun watching the crowd as I did playing the music for them. There is truly nothing better than entertaining a group of people looking for an excuse to have fun (especially in a farm and ranch community during a year with more moisture than we've seen in a very long time).

June started off strong with a Wedding Reception at the Great Falls Civic Center. There had to be close to 400 people in attendance, and it was easy to keep them entertained. The reception was scheduled for 7:00pm, but I actually started playing music early, as guests filtered in as much as a half an hour ahead of time. After the first dances, the crowd was eager to hit the dance floor, and I kept a good mix of music going all the way up until almost 1:00am. Country and Hip-Hop were definitely the most requested genres of music, but they also responded well to some 70's and 80's thrown in to keep things mixed up. All in all it was a very successful reception, and it was a pleasure to help in making a memorable event.

Wow. What a way to kick off the summer wedding season. Saturday turned out to be a long day, as I started setting up at 3:00 in the afternoon, right after the thunderstorm we had in Great Falls. Luckily, the skies cleared up and the outdoor wedding ceremony worked out. I provided the sound for the pastor and for the guests who read scripture during the ceremony, and it was a beautiful event. We moved inside of the Country Club immediately afterwards, and I quickly set up my equipment for the reception, which again ended up turning out amazing. The bride had an itinerary that she wanted to follow, and I was absolutely amazed at just how smooth everything progressed. It is very rare to see a reception that flows so well, as there are always little things that seem to delay parts of the evening (dress bustling, visiting longer with guests, taking longer with food, pictures taking way too much time, etc), but Saturday's reception was perfect. The party kicked off after a great couple of first dances and a Generations Dance that ended with the Bride and Groom presenting the couple that had been married the longest with the Bouquet and Garter. The guests really loosened up as the evening progressed and I kept the music flowing as they danced right up until 12:00 midnight. I couldn't have asked for a better wedding to begin the summer season.

Well, we're halfway into May and the Wedding Season is definitely here! I can't believe how busy my summer is going to be. I will be at the Country Club this coming weekend for a very big event, and I'll be providing the music and sound for both the ceremony (outdoors) and reception. Both are taking place on the Country Club grounds, and I can't wait to see how things turn out. It looks like there will be roughly four hundred guests in attendance, and I'll be sure to post some pictures when everything is all said and done. Something to look forward to as a new addition to my packages: audio and picture discs! I will be putting the most popular songs from the wedding reception as well as the main dance songs onto a disc for the Bride and Groom, as well as a disc with pictures of people dancing at the reception. My wife Brittny takes some amazing pictures with her new camera (8 megapixels), and we get some shots that some photographers don't tend to stick around for. And of course, we'll throw them in at no extra charge. Wedding season is here, and I'm excited! I can't wait to work with all of you who have booked your events already, and with those of you who are looking for someone to help you out.

Wow...I guess I haven't posted anything in quite some time...sorry about that. Things have been as hectic as usual, with the most recent event taking place up in Havre - The Junior Prom and Post Party. Their theme this year was Mardis Gras, and I started things off with a slide show for the parents while they were awaiting the Grand March. I played some jazzy parade music while showing some pretty interesting pictures from this year's multitude of Mardis Gras festivities. The Grand March started at roughly 8:00 pm, and I had each couple on the big screen as they walked through the arch way and were introduced to the parents and friends in the stands, and played a variety of Cajun and New Orleans Jazz as they made their way through the walk.

The dancing commmenced almost immediately after the Grand March, and the couples jumped right into things. I was amazed at how much everyone wanted to have fun right from the word go. They all danced right up until midnight, and I played music from so many different genres. I had a great time,and I know that they all did, too. It was a great success, from the Grand March, to fast and slow songs alike, and the presentation of the King and Queen.

At 1:00 am, the Post Prom Party started, and I couldn't believe how many students showed up. The gym was packed right up until 4:00 am with kids partying on the dance floor the entire time. The video presentation added some great effects to both the Prom and the Post Party, and I will definitely continue to offer it as an option for future Proms.

Shelby's Junior Prom is this coming weekend, and I look forward to another crowd of enthusiastic High School couples with their Red Carpet theme.

Yet another Heritage Inn wedding reception...and another wonderful family gathering. For those of you in the planning stages of your own wedding reception, here's something very important to keep in mind: even though you get family and friends to RSVP a yes to coming to your event, you can almost guarantee that not everyone will actually show up. A good rule of thumb is to expect roughly 20% of those who commit to not be there. Sometimes it can be even higher.

This weekend's show was very successful, and I kept the crowd there until the Heritage Inn's closing time of midnight. I ran the music for the ceremony at the Foothills Community Christian School (the old St. Gerard's) and somehow made it to the reception afterwards before any of the guests arrived. The reception was very smooth, and everyone had a great time. After nine hours of music, I was pretty exhausted, but felt extremely good about how everything went. We even had a group of people that pulled some tables and chairs from the pool area to where they could listen to the music and were very appreciative to the Bride and Groom for allowing them to take part in at least listening to the entertainment. I made a new contact with a professional photographer from Lewistown who was part of that group, and hope to book some events in her area.

Here's to the start of another great wedding season in Montana!

Well, they got me to come back to work at Club Bighouse. I'll be performing most Fridays, MCing the comedy show and DJing on the club side. This last weekend, the comedians were hilarious. The headliner was Darryl Lennox, who is set to be featured on Comedy Central sometime in February on a Jamie Fox special. My first official weekend back started off pretty well over in the club, and it felt good to be back. I received a great welcome, and it will be nice to work on building Fridays back to where they should be. I'm taking this Friday off, but will be back on February 10th. The cash box has been doing well, with $1200 already given away. It's back up to $400 in cash right now, with 4 chances to win given away every Friday night. Be in by 9:00 for the comedy show, and receive 5 tickets, and by 10:30 for 1 ticket. This Friday night is their Bikini Bash 2006, and DJ Jade from Spokane will be in spinning vinyl.