Here's some commonly asked questions about hiring us for your wedding.
Do you play top 40 music as well as swing?
In order to be really good at something, you've got to devote all your time to it. That's what we do with swing music, so we haven't spent any time learning modern pop music! For couples who want to include an element of top 40 music at their wedding, we recommend booking a DJ to play before and after the band and during our breaks. That way you can have some amazing live music at your wedding and your grandma can still get her Cardi B fix on the breaks!
Who provides the equipment?
We provide all of our own equipment; all you have to do is connect us with the venue and let us know two things in advance: 1. How many people you're expecting and 2. Whether the venue have a piano. We'll take it from there.
Up to 250 people our in-house sound system will get the job done. For larger weddings we'll include in our quote the cost of an outside sound company. If the venue doesn't have a piano, we'll include the cost of a piano rental in our quote. We will coordinate the set-up with your venue or event planner, and manage any outside sound/piano vendor so you don't have to lift a finger!
Do you take requests?
We can often accommodate 3-4 requests so long as they're given at least a couple of weeks in advance. Shorter notice requests are VERY difficult for a big band because it means procuring an arrangement we've never played before, hoping there's no mistakes in the parts and giving it a dry run at your wedding!
If you request something that we don't have the personnel to play (for example a swing song that has a string section on the recording) or something that's outside of the style of music we play, we'll be honest and let you know if it's not something we can do.
Will my friends dance to your music?
We've found that everyone loves to get up and dance to swing. Many times when people dance to "club" music, they feel self conscious - what if they don't look cool enough? With the music we play, people can feel free to just let go and have fun. And of course, the slow ballads are perfect for couples to have a romantic dance - and who knows, maybe two of your single friends will even find love on the dance floor at your reception.
If you think a fun addition to your reception would be to have a 20-30 minute dance lesson, we are pals with all the top swing dancers and would be happy to book a pair of instructors to come with the band to your wedding to give a 101 lesson!
Do you travel?
You bet! We're based out of NYC so our driving radius from the city is about 6 hours. For gigs farther out and for destination weddings, we're happy to fly!