Musicians and Food!

Hello!

Today I'm going to share a simple insider tip on how to get the most from your hired band!
It's so simple and yet can be so frequently overlooked, but it's true that if you want your band to be all it can be on stage, all you really have to do is...yes, you guessed it....feed them!

Now, when I say feed them, obviously this can be interpreted in many different ways. If you ask a typical band what their least favourite titbit is, most of them will say 'stale sandwiches and chips'!
And I'm sure you would agree that it doesn't sound very appetising! Yet this is fayre that crops up alarmingly often in the world of the gigging musician!

Ok, I hear you saying..."We're paying them, why should we feed them too??"

Good point, and it does need expanding upon.

Let's take this scenario. It's your wedding and the band have arrived. It's about 5pm. At this point they will have probably had a spot of lunch earlier followed by loading up vehicles etc and driving to the venue. Perhaps the drive was a couple of hours so they would have had to leave about 2 30ish. After arriving the band unloads the equipment and sets it up. All strenuous work you will undoubtedly agree.

At this point there will probably be a little wait for the band between setting up and starting the first set. After the first set it's pretty much all go, carrying on with the evening's entertainment, finishing somewhere around midnight. Then they will be packing up and loading their equipment away before doing the drive home and unloading again (no one leaves equipment in a vehicle overnight), so perhaps they get back to their home about 2.30 - 3am.

So about 12 hours straight and importantly, lots of energy required because thats 4 loads and unloads plus the performance itself - which one would hope would be energetic - and then let's say your venue is a beautiful stately home in the middle of the english countryside with your caterers providing the only food source for 20 miles around.....oh and not to mention the delicious aroma of your wedding breakfast constantly wafting around under their noses! Those guys are HUNGRY!

So there we have a typical scenario. Most catering companies are used to providing the band with a hearty meal. Between setting up and the first set is absolutely the best time to feed the band, plus it will give them the energy required to give you a great performance!

Let me tell you from personal experience that there is no single more important thing for a band than feeling you have been looked after in the food department!

So do this small thing for your wedding band and they will repay you tenfold on stage - it's a promise!!

Check out our lovely wedding bands at www.bandsrus.co.uk

Welcome!

Yes, welcome to the first Bands R Us Blog!

If you're planning the music for your upcoming wedding, we wanted to share a few ideas with you for first dances! Not every couple have a particular song that jumps out as the obvious choice, so what to choose!

For those of you who are tired of the 'old classics' like 'Can't Take My Eyes off You' what about some of these...

Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars
All I Want is You - U2
If I Aint Got You - Alicia Keys
Love Story - Taylor Swift
Rule the World - Take That
Greatest Day - Take That
Your Song - Ellie Goulding
Better Together - Jack Johnson
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
Everything - Michael Buble

and a particular favourite we were asked to play this year was

You and Me - The Wannadies

Of course if you want something more traditional, why not go down the jazz route. There are a lot of great songs like

Fly Me To the Moon
My Baby Just Cares for Me
Let There be Love
The Look of Love
We Have All the Time in the World - Louis Armstrong
Come Away With Me - Norah Jones
I've Got You Under My Skin - Sinatra
Let's Face the Music and Dance
At Last - Etta James

You should also decide whether or not you want your band to play the song for you or perhaps you would prefer the original version. If you have a choreographed routine worked out you should let your band know exactly what version you need to be played. Most bands do offer to play the first dance as part of their service as long as it's possible, but it's worth bearing in mind that if you pick a song that is heavily orchestrated, say a Frank Sinatra classic like Fly Me To the Moon, your band wont be able to reproduce the original sound so if that is important to you perhaps you might consider using the recording.

However, if you can have the band play your first dance it is a fantastic way to kick off the evenings entertainment, going straight into the first live music set at this point is a good time as everyone will be gathered around the dancefloor.

So have fun choosing and we'd love to hear your comments on the subject!