Hiring a Dance Band

Together Band

Peterson PM Productions, Inc has been providing corporate and social entertainment since 1992. For more information on hiring dance bands visit our website at www.pmproductions.com

So many options, so many styles, so many price points. Where does one start when looking for a dance band for thier event. Certainly one of the most reliable sources is a referal from a friend or colleague. If you don’t have a referal or band is already contracted the internet is a great source.

Here are a few tips on finding the right band for your particualar event.

1. Define your goal. Determine who you are entertaining and what styles of music would be appropriate for your guests. Often personal preferences come into play and you end up with a band that cannot perform genres from various era’s leaving guests disappointed.
2. Be realistic. Don’t expect a three piece band to be able to pull off an entire evening of dancing and sound just like the records. Each instrument a band includes is an important factor in the final sound. A lot of bands will tailor the size of the band to help with budgets. But again, don’t expect the smaller size band to sound like thier demo.
3. Instrumentation. Most bands use a four piece rhythm section consisting of piano (or keyboards), bass player, drummer and guitar. Adding from there is the horn section: saxophone, trumpet, and trombone. How does one determine which pieces are necessary? Talk with the band leader. Understand what he needs to perform certain styles of music. Rock and disco music is very difficult to perform without guitar as is swing music difficult without horns.
4. Vocals. The more vocals the better. Most bands will have what they call “plus” one or “plus” three. What this means is the plus “x” is the amount of vocals that do not play an instrument and will front the band. In other words, the band size 5+2 would be five instruments (keyboard, bass, drums, guitar, sax) and the “+2″ refers to two stand in front vocals. Always ask if any of the musicians sing as well. Again, the more vocals the better.
5. Performance time. Ask how many hours the performance consists of. Usually a band will quote on their union minimum time for example three or four hours. Find out how many breaks they take and how long those breaks last. Let them know you are concerned about the break time and that you’d like them to stick to their schedule.
6. Experience. Fnd out how long the band has been performing and in what arenas. If you find a club band that normally only performs club dates that may be a red flag. Private events and club dates are two  completely different performances.
7. References. Ask for references. A good dance band should be able to give you several references from social clients, corprorate clients and event from production companies. If the only references you receive are from club owners, beware!
8. Contract. When you believe you found the right band for your event a contract should be signed by both parties. A fifty percent deposit is usually required with the balance due on that evening. Credit card payments is a great way to know that you can receive your money back if the band breaches the contract by any means. Otherwise, check are usually accepted. If you find a band that only deals in cash, it is one more red flag to consider.
9. Songs. Make sure that after you’ve secured the band with a contract and deposit that you relay your song requests as soon as possible. Don’t expect a band to learn ten new songs but they should be accomodating in learning a couple.
10. Use a reputable entertainment company. They usually will have serveral options in different price breaks and offer only reputable bands that are professional. Dealing with an entertainment company usually will get your questions answer quicker and leave you more at piece that the band will be on time and do a great job at your event.

There are a lot of factors in hiring talent for an event. The above ten tips should get you moving in the right direct. One more tip: ask as many questions as you’d like and always see the band live if possible.