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Here's a short compilation of some pictures and video shorts from the College Halloween parties that I performed at. It was truly a great weekend!
This coming Thursday brings their yearly Halloween Dance, and I am excited to come back for more fun, and to see how creative the students get with their costumes this year,
I spent Saturday in Choteau with another great family. It is always nice to spend time in a smaller community with friends and family that seem so close to one another. I was pleasantly surprised with the reception location, which was at the Pavilion next to the City Park. It was recently remodeled, and looked like a brand new event hall on the inside. They did a great job with the decorations, lending a feeling of warmth to the room.
The Groom let me know ahead of time to expect to play some country music, as there would be quite a few ranchers in attendance. What an understatement! As the guests shuffled in, the room quickly filled up with cowboy hats. Thankfully, I really enjoy playing to those crowds, and the dance floor stayed full for the entire evening. Drinks were flowing, conversations were plentiful, and everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time.
Again, I am thankful to have been blessed with so many perfect crowds at the wedding receptions I have performed at in the past, and once I again I was not let down. I look forward to traveling back to Choteau in the future.
As Summer comes to a close in 2010, I feel a renewed sense of excitement as a DJ. After taking a hiatus and performing for only a handful of events this past year, I completed my Summer run with a couple of unbelievable wedding receptions.
The first event was for a wonderful couple in Great Falls, at the Chapel Theatre. As usual, I was set up early with some mellow background music playing as the early guests started to arrive. The room was filling in and the vibe was good. Time passed, and I was expecting the wedding party to show up at any minute, watching the entrance and waiting for my sign to start announcing the arrival of the Bride and Groom. I noticed a Groomsman heading my way, sure that he was coming to tell me that they had arrived. Unbeknown to me, there was a much more serious issue at hand.
He proceeded to tell me that I needed to make an announcement. The Father of the Bride had a heart attack in the parking lot. Evidently,the church where the wedding was held was extremely hot, and did not have a cooling system. The heat was too much for him, and when they arrived at the reception, he collapsed. The Bride and at least one of her bridesmaids were nurses, and ended up having to perform CPR in the parking lot as they waited for the ambulance to arrive. The paramedics ended up needing to use the paddles, and rushed off to the hospital, with Bride and Groom in tow.
I did not make an immediate announcement, as I thought it better to inform all of the family before making a public statement. The Groom's father stayed at the reception and remained in contact with everyone at the hospital, and together we kept the guests informed of what was transpiring. The Father of the Bride ended up needing to have surgery to have a couple of stints put in, and the Bride and Groom stayed at the hospital until he came out and they got the thumbs up that he would recover. After about 4-1/2 hours, they finally made it to their reception, exhausted but ready to see their family and friends. I had done all I could to keep the guests in attendance, and the thunderous applause as I announced the arrival of the Bride and Groom made the wait worthwhile.
The night progressed smoothly from that point on. The toasts and First Dance were perfect, and then came the time that the Bride would have danced with her Father. After a warm round of applause for the First Dance, I asked that everyone there find someone to dance with, whether daughter, wife, girlfriend, or Mother, it didn't matter, as long as everyone danced to the song that she and her Father were supposed to dance to together. The entire dance floor filled with the guests...ALL of them...and there was a look of wonder on the Bride's face as she looked in amazement at everyone dancing for her and her Dad.
It was truly one of the most touching wedding events I have been a part of in the 12+ years I have been performing.
Poster from New Year's party 2009
A trip back to Great Falls for Thanksgiving was in the works when I got a phone call asking if I wanted to DJ for the New Year's Eve Bash at Club Bighouse this year. I agreed, as I have done so for them year after years since they opened their doors. I told them I was also going to be in town over Thanksgiving weekend, and they offered up their Saturday Night gig. So again, I agreed, looking forward to seeing the old crowd once again.
Thanksgiving itself was wonderful as usual, with a great spread of delicious food, as well as great company with both family and friends.
Saturday Night came quickly, and Ladies Night at the Club turned out to be a tremendous success. It didn't take much coaxing to get the crowd going, and the dance floor stayed packed for the entire evening, right through the last song of the night. It was refreshing to be back in a club scene again, and I'm really looking forward to going back down again for the New Year's Eve party at the end of the year.
Well, Halloween has come and gone already. I spent Thursday, October 30th, DJing for MSU Billings for their Annual Halloween Dance. A couple of hundred young students slowly trickled in at about 8:00pm, and we had them covering the dance floor soon after. I had a great time with a responsive crowd of eager collegiates. The costumes were fun to observe, and awards were given out to several categories, including Scariest - Krusty the Clown; Prettiest - Eve; and Best Overall - Chicken Cord on Blue (someone dressed in a blue suit, with a cord and a rubber chicken attached).
The summer is truly flying by, as it seems to do every year. One weekend was filled with two nights back in Great Falls at Club Bighouse, which was definitely enjoyable. It was great to see some of the old crowd, and to spend time back in the booth.
July really went by in a blur of active weekends, taken up of course by a number of Wedding Receptions.
The month started off with a reception just South of Buffalo, Wyoming. It was at a very nice ranch and the guest list was huge. The set-up was amazing, with an extremely large tent covering quite an expansive area. The Bride and Groom rode in on a horse drawn buggy to a warm applause from the gathered crowd. Everything from then on went off without a hitch, and the only difficult part was shutting down at the end of the evening. The crowd kept chanting for more music, and I finally pulled the plug when the Ranch owner called it a night after 8 hours of music.
The last couple of weekends were spent out of town yet again. First was a Wedding Reception down in Worland, Wyoming. I wasn't sure what to expect when I drove into town, as it had been raining and this was to be another outdoor event. Everything turned out perfect...the clouds went away and the sun came out...even the bugs weren't much of a nuisance. The groom's family was of Mexican descent, and had a good time swinging to Salsa and Merengue music, as well as Country music with the rest of the family. There were also lots of requests for Hip Hop music for the younger crowd. The Generations Dance went over extremely well, as the Bride's Grandparent were the oldest married couple there at 58 years together. It was definitely touching moment as they approached the new couple to give them advice on how to stay together in a happy and commited relationship.
This past Saturday was at a small ranch just outside of Bozeman for a small Wedding Reception. There were only about 50 people in attendance, and most were from different States, ranging from Louisiana and North Carolina to Wisconsin. It was nice to see people flying in from all over to spend time with old family and new for such a special day. The ceremony went smoothly, and the rest of the evening progressed nicely as well. The sky turned cloudy and it started to rain at almost the exact time I was scheduled to shut down, at yet another outdoor event with another great family.
I'm traveling back down to Wyoming this coming weekend, for another reception at another ranch. This one is on the outskirts of Sheridan, and looks like it will be another good one.
Club Bighouse Summer 2008
We traveled down through Wyoming this past weekend, all the way to the South of Ten Sleep. Our destination: The Red Reflet Ranch for a Wedding Reception. The drive down was pleasant, and when we arrived at the ranch, we were definitely surprised to find an absolutely gorgeous location. The scenery was breathtaking, and the building that the reception took place in was very nice, with a great view of the surrounding area. We were a little thrown off at first by the initial meeting with the owners of the property, as they were very difficult to work with. It seemed like an imposition for them to have to accommodate our needs, which were honestly only a six foot table in the reception area, and a table to set our equipment on for the outdoor ceremony. The owners were made aware of our request for tables weeks before the event, but feigned ignorance. We ended up finding a way to make things work on our own, and everything turned out even better than expected.
The reception itself went almost without a hitch. The cake sliding off of the table it was set up on and one third of it smashing on the floor was about the only thing that went wrong, and I have to give credit to the Bride...she shrugged it off and continued celebrating her big day.
The dancing started a little late, as the wedding party and the happy couple wanted to capture some pictures with an amazing backdrop as the sun was going down. But once the dancing started, it was nonstop for the rest of the evening. Everyone had a great time, and it was one of those crowds that we wish could take part in every reception. They were all there to have a good time, and were all smiles for the whole evening.
All in all, the family was wonderful, the friends were a blast, and the location was perfect.
Another Wyoming Wedding Reception, this time down in beautiful Buffalo. Absolutely everything was wonderful, from the food and atmosphere, to the dancing and the company. The family was so welcoming, that we wanted to stay long after the reception was over. The crowd started dancing as soon as the party music began, and didn't stop until it was time to shut things down.
There was such a large variety of music requested, and we had a great time watching as the crowd adjusted to genre after genre of music. They danced to all of it, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. We would definitely travel back to Buffalo to help this family out with another event, or even to simply spend a day hanging out together.
What a crazy year it's been. Back in June of 2007, I moved to Sheridan, Wyoming to further my career with my day job. Of course, my summer was booked with Wedding Receptions, mainly in the Great Falls area, and I spent most of my time driving back and forth from Wyoming to Montana and back again. I worked with some wonderful couples through the end of the year, and would spend my time traveling to work with them all over again.
As my luck would have it, I was asked to move back to Montana, this time to the Billings market, and find it refreshing to be back in Big Sky Country. Once again, I find myself traversing distance to work with more amazing duos, and am very happy that the length is much shorter this time. I'll be performing in Sheridan, Buffalo, Tensleep, the Red Reflet Lodge, and of course, Billings throughout the summer. I do have some dates still open for booking, and would welcome the opportunity to meet more people and help bring everything together with them at their wedding reception.
Now that I am located in Billings, and should be here for quite some time, I'll be able to effectively cover a much wider range of locations. I plan on traveling to Laurel, Big Timber, Livingston, Bozeman, Belgrade, Red Lodge, Miles City, Great Falls, Sheridan, Buffalo, and anywhere in between. It feels good to be centrally located. We're settled into our new place, and I really do feel at home in Billings, MT.
Here's to another great year in music and lasting relationships.
What a crazy week!!!
Well, this was definitely a hectic way to start off the summer wedding season. On Wednesday, I donated my time to help with the kickoff of the Special Olympics' Summer Games at the fairgrounds. I played music at the outdoor pavilion for their "Celebration in the Park" and had a wonderful time. It was simply amazing to participate in such a heartwarming experience, and to see everyone having such a great time. I will definitely offer to help them out again next time.
On Thursday, I helped out with a pre-concert event to help promote E-40, Lil' Scrappy, and Baby Boy for their upcoming concert this Friday, May 25th.
Friday night, I played at Club Bighouse to a full house...
Saturday brought my first summer wedding reception. I played for a couple who had just returned home from a trip to Cancun, where they were actually married. It was also held at the Fairgrounds, in the Family Living Center. It was a nice gathering, and I visited with three other couples that I had DJed for in the past.
Well, it's just around the corner. Wedding season has just about arrived, and I have a wonderful looking schedule so far. July's Saturdays booked first, as usual, but I do have a few prime dates still open in other months. If you are a June Bride and need someone to help make your event what it should be, send me an email, as I do have a couple of weekends open at this time, as well as some Saturdays in every month other than July.
Big thanks and congratulations to Nick and Sanjuana. I had a great time performing for their Wedding Reception, and really enjoyed putting together a mostly Latin theme for the occasion. I played a mix of Salsa, Cumbia, Reggaeton, Mexicana, and Peruana styles of music for both sides of the family, and had a blast watching them dance the night away.
After an extremely busy end to 2006, I have decided to set up a new picture site to display some pictures from some of the events I have performed at. It can be seen at www.djjimmyo.com and includes the Wedding Receptions from December 29th and 30th, as well as the New Year's Eve Party at Club Bighouse. It was a whirlwind of a weekend, and I had a great time at all events.
Friday's Wedding Reception was held at the Airport, and the Air Host had to virtually push the last 30 guests out the door over a half an hour after the event was scheduled to be done. It was definitely a great start to the last weekend of the year.
Saturday's Reception was actually held in Highwood, at the Community Center. The place was transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with pine trees and sparkling white Christmas lights. A large number of people showed up for the Bride and Groom, and I kept them dancing for what they said was far longer than a typical Highwood event. The people were very easy to get along with, and just as easy to entertain.
Of course, the weekend ended up with the New Year's Eve celebration at Club Bighouse, and the place was jammed full with all kinds of people looking for a good time. The dance floor was filled for the entire evening, and it was a refreshing change, as the crowd requested a good variety of music from Country, Rock, Top 40 Hits, and the usual Hip Hop that the younger crowd loves. I had an amazing time, and was excited to see 2007 roll in with such an enthusiastic crowd.
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...
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...
