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All images courtesy PINKY YOSHIMOTO / Pinky Photography
 

While I am well-known as as Hawaii wedding emcee, I did get my training and background initially as a Hawaii DJ, and I put those skills to use on November 17 at the Business of Networking social event at the Edition Hotel in Waikiki. The event was sponsored by Pacific Edge Magazine and Social Wahines. Darnelle, the show producer, had asked my good friend David Louis with Dynamic Sounds to be the DJ and provide the sound system, and Dave asked me if I wanted to come along and hang out. How could I say no?

It was a fun experience. I was able to mingle and network with other business professionals. I made some good contacts and even ran into Arsena Kailihiwa, whose wedding I did back in 2005!

It was great catching up with her and seeing how much she and her family has changed since the wedding.

For me, it was refreshing to simply play music as a DJ and not worry about introducing people, rehearsing a presentation, or doing any advance preparation. Best of all, I was able to play some music I rarely get to play at Hawaii weddings: a bunch of dance music! I never get to play the likes of DJ Sammy, Iio, Tiesto, Alice Deejay, etc. at most Hawaii weddings, so it was a rare treat for me to be able to do so in front of real people! Everyone enjoyed the selection, as I saw some people even singing along to some recognizable mainstream tracks.

 

 

 

 

All images courtesy PINKY YOSHIMOTO / Pinky Photography
 

Special thanks to David Louis with Dynamic Sounds for the invitation to join him and perform at this event, as well as to Pinky Yoshimoto of Pinky Photography for all of the great images you see in this post!

Click here to see more images of the event.

Thanks to all who came & partied!

Continue reading »]]> Mashups are a great way of “bridging the gap” between the mix of guests at your Hawaii wedding! A mashup is a song that combines elements of two different styles or genres of music into one song. Take this, for example:

 
In this example, the remixer (Party Ben) takes the vocals from Beyonce’s Single Ladies and combines it with the theme from The Andy Griffith Show. This makes the song instantly recognizable to

• your younger guests, who will recognize the Beyonce hit right away, and
• your older guests, who may have grown up watching The Andy Griffith Show, will instantly recognize the main theme, and may reminisce about the great memories from the past that the melody brings.

A mashup like this, when played by your wedding DJ, can bring generations together.

Here’s another one:

This is a fun one! Your younger guests will appreciate hearing Lady Gaga’s Just Dance, and your other guests who enjoy Journey will appreciate dancing to the instrumental sound of Don’t Stop Believing.

Here’s a combination of Green Day’s Brain Stew with The Beatles’ Eleanor Rigby:

And if you have guests who like music from the movie Grease, and/or like music by hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg, they will get a kick out of this:

So where do you find mashups? Mashups are everywhere! An easy way would be to go to youtube and run a search for “mashups”. Look for songs that you think you and your guests would enjoy dancing to, and let your DJ know so he can find a way to get those songs!

Mashups are a wonderful way of personalizing your wedding, getting your guests to dance together, reliving some happy memories from the past, and having a great time at your Hawaii wedding!

Image courtesy PHIL AMMON / A+ Media Creations

Continue reading »]]> Over the past few days, I have been blogging about creating the musical playlist for your Hawaii wedding. If you haven’t read them yet, click below to read them:

• Part 1, which deals with getting your audience up and dancing when dance music begins
• Part 2, which deals with creating the playlist (actually, FOUR playlists) to help organize your music requests.

In this post, Part 3 will deal with music sources: sources of inspiration to find your music choices.

One way to come up with musical selections would be to look through your old photo albums. As you go through them and reminisce, think about those moments and if there was a particular song associated with those moments. Those would be good songs to play and dedicate to people at your reception.

Find out other people’s first dance songs. If you’ve gone to other people’s weddings, see if you can remember their first dance songs. (It will help if you have access to their wedding DVD, as they will have a clip of the first dance.) Have your DJ play those songs with a dedication to the couple, and it will make that couple feel very special on your wedding day.

Ask your friends! It’s simple yet effective, and it will make your guests feel more involved in the wedding planning process. And when your guests feel involved and become invested in your party, it are more likely to stay since they now have an emotional stake in your celebration. If you read Part 1, there’s a GREAT tip in there to get song requests from your audience. Check it out!

Listen to the radio. In your car or in the office, pay more attention to what is being played. This will help to determine what’s currently hot and what some of your guests are dancing to when they go to the nightclubs.

Check out billboard.com or any of the local radio stations’ websites for their “Top 10″ lists. This also helps you determine what people are listening to.

Here’s a list of Oahu FM radio stations, their formats, and links to their websites, courtesy of the Hawaii Radio & Television Guide:

Frequency	Call Letters	Programming Format
88.1	KHPR	Hawaii Public Radio: Classical Music & News (National Public Radio)
89.3	KIPO	Hawaii Public Radio: News, Talk, World Music, Jazz National Public Radio + BBC
90.3	KTUH	U of H – Jazz, Hawaiian, alternative, rock, rap, world music – Also on 89.9 and 91.3 FM
91.1	K216FI	Alternative Christian Music “The Effect” (KEFX FM from Twin Falls Idaho) (LP)
92.3	KSSK	Adult Contemporary Music; Perry & Price Morning Show
92.3-2	KSSK	Smooth Jazz
93.1	KQMQ	“The Zone” Contemporary Hits
93.9	KIKI	“Hot I-93.9 FM” Urban Contemporary Hits
94.7	KUMU	“Honolulu’s Lite Rock” Adult Contemporary Music / Lite Rock
95.5	KAIM	95.5 “The Fish” – Contemporary Christian Music
96.3	KRTR	“Krater 96 FM” Adult Contemporary Music
97.5	KHCM	Hawaii’s Country Music
98.5	KDNN	“Island Rhythm 98.5″ (Island Music)
99.5	KHUI	“99.5 The Jewel” – Adult Standards
100.3	KCCN	FM 100: Island Music & Reggae
101.1	KORL	“Hawaii’s Smooth Jazz”
101.5	K268BE	“Hawaii’s Multicultural Radio” (LP)
101.9	KUCD	“Star 101.9″: Modern Rock Hits
101.9-2	KUCD	“Radio Free Hawaii“: Commercial Freeform
102.7	KDDB	“Da Bomb” (Urban Contemporary Hits)
103.5	KHAI	“Air 1 Radio” – The Positive Alternative (Christian Rock)
104.3	KPHW	“Power 104.3″ Hawaii’s Hip Hop and R&B Hits
104.7	K284AL	Simulcasts KKCR FM – Kauai Community Radio
105.1	KINE	Contemporary Hawaiian Music
105.9	KPOI	“The Ride” – Hawaii’s Classic Hits (rock)
107.9	KKOL	Hawaii’s “Kool Gold” (oldies)

Use these links, lists, suggestions from friends, and your happy memories to create a unique and fun playlist for your guests to dance to!

Images courtesy Adam A. Palmer Photography

Continue reading »]]> A few days ago, I wrote about creating a musical playlist for your Hawaii wedding and how to get your guests up and dancing when the dance portion of the night begins. If you haven’t read it yet, Click here to read the accompanying post. This is Part 2, where I will write about actually creating the playlist.

Instead of creating one playlist, I recommend creating FOUR playlists, which breaks down your music requests into the following categories:

• The DO-NOT-PLAY list. If there’s a song or genre you absolutely DO NOT want to hear at your celebration, place it on this list. These can be songs you can’t stand (I had one bride tell me that absolutely, under no circumstances, should I play any Celine Dion), or songs that bring some bad memories (e.g., a breakup song with an ex, or a song associated with a death in the family). But keep this in mind: although you may not like a song, your guests may want to hear it, which leads me to the second list…
• The DO-NOT-PLAY-UNLESS-REQUESTED list. If there are songs that you don’t really want to hear but think your guests might want to hear (and if you’re nice enough to accommodate them), then place the songs here. Most “line dance” songs like the Macarena, Electric Slide, and YMCA go into this list; although you may not care about these songs, your guests may want to break into the Electric Slide sometime during the night and may request it. I did a wedding where the bride absolutely hated the Macarena…but the song was an important family dance for the groom and his family. (His family did the Macarena at every family gathering; it was somewhat of a tradition.) So at the wedding, I didn’t play it…until the groom, his mom, his aunts, and his cousins asked for it two songs in. And the groom’s family flooded the dancefloor and did the Macarena! Although the bride didn’t like the song, she was more pleased that her new husband and and his family were having a great time at her wedding.
• The MUST-PLAY list. Place all of the songs that you absolutely must hear at the wedding. If there’s a song you love, a song that has meaning to you, or a song that has meaning to your friends & family, and you must hear it at the wedding, place it in this list.
• The REQUESTED-PLAY list. Place your song requests that you’ll feel okay if your DJ doesn’t play it that night into this list. Keep in mind that you generally have 1-2 hours for dancing after the formal program. Your DJ will not have time to play EVERY song on your request list AND take care of your guests’ requests. Giving him a list of your song requests will help him with the flow of the night (and most good DJs will try to play as many songs on your list as possible), but try not to hold your DJ against it if he does not play everything on the list. With his expertise and experience, he will want to play your guests’ requests and take them on a musical journey where your guests will dance and have a good time.

These lists will help your DJ create a playlist that’s exciting, entertaining, and fun enough for your guests to dance!

Image courtesy ERIC & WENDY/L’Amour Photography

Continue reading »]]> Although most people hire me to be the Master of Ceremonies, I can still provide DJ services for their Hawaii wedding if requested. In that respect, one of the most frequently asked questions I get is

What music will get my guests dancing?

There are four main factors that will determine whether or not your guests will dance at the end of the night.

How well you know your guests’ musical tastes: You know your guests better than the DJ whom you hire, so you have a general idea as to what they like to dance to. After all, you’ve probably gone clubbing or concerts with them, or you’ve gone to parties with them and witnessed what types of music get them going and grooving. If anything, simply ask them! A thoughtful thing you can do when you send out your invitations is to include a line on your RSVP cards asking your guests for ONE musical request in addition to the number of friends attending. If you send out 100 invitations and get 65 of them back, that will be 65 music requests to start you off!

How musically knowledgeable your DJ is. While you may have a lot of requests or an idea of what you want to play at your wedding, at the same time, you must trust your DJ’s expertise and experience in reading your crowd and playing the music at the right time to get people moving. With his experience, your DJ will know the right time to play the hot new Lady Gaga track or to slow it down with some Etta James for your older guests. Trust your DJ for his experience & expertise.

How much fun your guests have during the program. This is very important: how much fun and engaged your guests feel during the formal program determines how willing they will be to dance later on in the night. If your guests feel involved during the formal program (e.g., the toasts, cake-cutting, all the traditional wedding things you do at the reception), then they will more likely stay to dance. But if the program is noticeably boring, then your guests will more likely head home once the house lights go down and the dance music begins. (You’ve probably seen this at other people’s weddings, haven’t you?) A Certified Professional Master of Ceremonies can help to make sure your guests feel engaged and involved during the formal program of your party, making it more fun for them so they are more likely to dance later on in the evening.

The ambiance of the room. If the caterer or videographer insists on having the lights on during dancing, it’s very likely that your guests won’t dance. After all, no one wants to really be seen dancing, so if it’s too lit, no one will dance. Think about the last concert or nightclub you went to: when the performance starts, they kill the audience lights, don’t they? Part of the reason is to encourage the audience to dance along to the music! It’s the same thing at your wedding. Kill the lights during open dancing so your guests will feel comfortable enough to dance!

When putting together your dance playlist, keep these factors in mind, and it will help you to create fun and lively moments when it’s time for your guests to get up and boogie!

Continue reading »]]> In an article on the Time Warner Cable Around Hawaii website, Dianna Shitanishi with Hawaii Weddings & Events recently wrote an excellent article on choosing the right entertainment for your Hawaii wedding. Whether you hire a band, DJ, string quartet, Hawaiian trio, magician, lion dance team, Master of Ceremonies, or other form of entertainment to perform at your ceremony and/or reception, the article has some great tips to help you make the right decision.

Click here to read the wedding entertainment article.

There’s one line in there that really sticks out:

 
There you have it! There’s nothing wrong with having a basic DJ be your emcee if all you want is a very basic wedding with a few simple announcements. But if you are looking to create an original and personalized presentation that will really stand out in your guests’ minds long after the wedding, then investing in a professional Master of Ceremonies for your Hawaii wedding makes much more sense.

Continue reading »]]> Wow, it’s been a while since my last post, hasn’t it?  It’s been a very productive month.

Last night, I had the honor of being the Master of Ceremonies for the monthly Oahu Wedding Association party at the Waterfront at Aloha Tower.

The highlight of the night was a well-prepared presentation by Hawaii wedding photographer Jeanne Viggiano with Jeannemarie Photography on the importance of new social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and how she uses it effectively to market her name and establish her brand.  I got a lot of great ideas from her presentation.

The theme was “Morroccan-inspired Island Style,” which was reflected in the decor, food, and entertainment.  The audience enjoyed exotic and up-close bellydance performances by male dancer Michael Azure and tribal fusion dancer Natalie Phoenix, as well as the ono (delicious) food by Chef Chai from Chai’s Island Bistro and the chefs at Gordon Biersch Restaurant.

Guests also enjoyed getting intricate henna tattoos, although I didn’t get any because I was on the microphone and “in the zone” for most of the night.

Of course, part of the fun was in the networking, and with the nice weather and festive atmosphere, Hawaii wedding professionals took advantage of the opportunity to connect.  After the presentation, I was able to mingle and connect with many good friends, as well as to make new ones!

Many hands went into making this month’s party a success:

• Jeanne Viggiano with Jeannemarie Photography, for the informative and inspirational keynote presentation;
• Crystal Evans, David Booth, and the staff at the Waterfront at Aloha Tower, for hosting the party, and being so easy to work with;
• Chef Chai from Chai’s Island Bistro and the chefs at Gordon Biersch Restaurant, for the ono food;
• Troy Michael with Troy Michael DJ Entertainment, for providing the screen & projector for Jeanne’s presentation;
• Dave Miyamoto with David Miyamoto & Company, for the great photos of last night’s event and for being so great to work with;
• Natalie Phoenix & Michael Azure, for the great belly dancing entertainment;
• Jennifer & Dennis with Hawaii Tents & Events, for the the beautiful tents and the Morroccan-inspired design;
• Naomi Lee with Les Saisons and Vignette, for the gorgeous decor and linens that made the space come alive;
• Sean, Kalani, and Eliza with Mobile Gamer Guys, for the fun Guitar Hero and racing games;
• And of course, THE GUESTS, for being such a great audience to perform for!

It was certainly a great party!

Continue reading »]]> Dianna Shitanishi with Hawaii Weddings and Events, a good friend and one of my favorite wedding coordinators, just posted a WONDERFUL article on her blog about choosing the music for your wedding soundtrack. Whether you are hiring a DJ or live music for your Hawaii wedding, this article is a MUST-READ.

Click Here to Read Dianna’s Article on Wedding Music Selections.

Continue reading »]]> When dealing with live musicans or any wedding professional, it’s always important to make sure you clarify that the band’s performance start time does not mean it’s their “show up time”, or the time of their arrival. To explain, let me share a story.

At last night’s event, there were two bands that were performing for the audience. They both had separate stages, and they would alternate playing back and forth throughout the evening. Although they were tied into the same sound system, each group had their own microphones, instrument tie-ins, etc. The soundman purposely did this to avoid having to adjust the levels to each group every time a group played, just so that it would sound good and look good from the audience’s perspective.

Showtime was at 5:00pm. Doors to the guests opened at 4:00pm.

Band A showed up at 2:00pm to set up their instruments and run through a full soundcheck. Band B, on the other hand, arrived at 4:30pm, as the guests were mingling and taking their seats. It would have been rude and disruptive to the guests if the band conducted a soundcheck while the audience was in the room, so it was determined to just “shoot from the hip” and pray for the best.

When the show started, Band A sounded stellar. Their music was at the right volume and mixed very well. Band B, on the other hand, sounded terrible. There wasn’t a nice blend of instruments, and at times it was too loud.

In the end, Band A was very happy with their performance. Band B was displeased and blamed the soundman for causing them to sound lousy.

But it really wasn’t the soundman’s fault. He was just doing his best to accommodate a challenging situation.

The true fault in why Band B sounded lousy was Band B themselves.

If they had arrived early enough like Band A did, they would have had a great soundcheck, helped the soundman a lot, and given the audience a great performance. But because they arrived during cocktail hour, as guests were mingling and being seated, they didn’t.

Ultimately, these people lost out on the bad performance:

• The clients, because they had hired two groups to entertain their guests, but only one sounded good, and
• The audience, because they were expecting two great performances but only got one.

When it comes to YOUR wedding, if you are having a live band, do you want them to sound good? If so, make sure they understand that “start time” does not mean “show up time”. Insist they arrive early for a full soundcheck, just so that they will sound good during your event.

You’ll get your money’s worth, and your guests will certainly appreciate it!

Continue reading »]]>
Brian, Brian’s sister Geri, and Genesa

Genesa & Brian’s wedding last Saturday was one of those parties where the timeline and script goes out the window…for a good reason. When I first met them, they told me they wanted a very fun and elegant celebration. Based on this, I helped them create a very personalized and engaging party that was reflective of their personal and musical tastes, as well as would get the audience involved in a very elegant and fun manner.

So the wedding day comes, and as guests arrive and mingle during cocktail hour, they enjoy a wonderful jazz and classical playlist put together by Brian & Genesa. This wasn’t your usual “Kenny-G-jazz” that gets overplayed during cocktail hour; guests were treated to contemporary jazz works by Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock (Brian’s type of music) as well as classical string quartet music by Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart (Genesa’s).

After warming up the crowd, I introduced the wedding party with the Grand Entrance, and the festivities were underway. With the introduction of Mr. & Mrs. Brian & Genesa Que, the applause was loud and enthusiastic; the audience really showed their love for the couple.

During dinner, instead of the banquet captain releasing each table, I had the honor of sending the tables to the buffet, with a unique twist. Each table was named after a place of importance to Brian & Genesa, and as I released each table, I told stories about why these locations are significant to the newlyweds. For some, it was revealing to learn something about the couple that they may have not known about.

The party really took off during the cake-cutting. For their cake-cutting music, Genesa had chosen Faith Hill’s The Way You Love Me, and the upbeat song was enough to get the guests up to dance! Although we still had the toasts, bouquet & garter, and activities to do, it seemed the guests were ready to let loose! So with Genesa’s permission, we opened the dancefloor and the rest, as they say, is history!

We eventually did the toasts and other traditional elements of a reception throughout the night. It was totally impromptu and spontaneous, but it worked out perfectly. The guests made many great requests (including many requests for the music of Michael Jackson), danced to almost every song, and enjoyed themselves.

Although I was still playing some great jams, the audience finally “hit the wall” around 10pm. By then, everyone was tired, so I put on the last dance of the night and invited everyone to join Genesa & Brian on the dancefloor for a last dance. The final surprise was the impromptu Tarantella which evolved out of the last dance–totally spontaneous, totally fun, totally in keeping with Genesa’s Italian-American heritage!

In the end, a very tired Genesa & Brian were happy with the results as their guests raved about the wonderful party that the newlyweds had thrown.

Here was the planned timeline for Saturday’s event. Of course, with the fluid and spontaneous nature of the party, the times and order of events went out the door…

And here’s the soundtrack of Brian & Genesa’s celebration.

Note that in addition to the great songs for their soundtrack, Genesa & Brian had specific playlists for their cocktail hour and dinner music, songs which have much meaning and significance to them.

Thanks to Brian’s brother-in-law Chris Audette for taking the great images you see in this post.

Special thanks to the following vendors and people who helped make this day very special:

• Laura Gregory with Mid-Pacific Country Club, for providing the great food and beautiful location for their celebration;
• Keith, Jeth, and David with Graphics by Keith, who captured the amazing moments of the night with their cameras;
• Joyce & Cecilia with The Bridal Boutique for helping Genesa look stunning in her wedding gown;
• Genesa’s friend Helene for creating such gorgeous decor for the room;
• Genesa’s mom Anna for helping to make sure that Genesa did not go crazy before and during the celebration;
• And last but certainly not least, the guests, who helped to make this party very fun, lively, and elegant as Genesa & Brian wanted it to be.

To everyone who traveled near and far to celebrate with Brian & Genesa,

Thank You.

Your presence and participation made this event that much more memorable for Brian & Genesa.