After your special event, your guests will most likely focus on whether the music and food were good or not, so you need to ensure that your entertainment fits your needs and impresses your guests!

Live Band or DJ

Whether you choose a live band or DJ ultimately comes down to your personal preference. We suggest you think about the most memorable events you’ve been to and think about which form of party music you enjoyed the most.

First consider your guests and whether they’ll enjoy the same music as you. Generally, reggae, jazz, big band and universal groove songs are performed best by live bands, if you’re on the same page as your guests. If you want a large variety of music genres to please everyone, DJs usually deliver that better.

No matter what, both a live band or DJ, should command the crowd and get your audience involved. Sometimes a live band knows how to interact with guests more easily, but a great DJ personality can also seal the deal.

Interview more than one entertainer so you have the ability to shop around and compare apples to apples. You also want to make sure to watch your contenders perform a few times to make sure they play smoothly and interact properly with guests.

Budget

Because you’re just paying for one person, a DJ generally costs less than hiring a live band. With a live band, you’re paying for each band member and his/her individual talents.

Venue

Check with your chosen venue before hiring party entertainment as you might have restrictions in the way of number of musicians and amount of equipment allowed.  Also keep in mind the room’s acoustics and access to outlets.

Make sure to book your party entertainment as far ahead of time as possible once you’ve decided on your entertainment!

If you’re ready to hire a live band, contact Brian Sax Allen for reggae bands, jazz bands, groove bands or any other live entertainment: Brian@briansaxallen.com; 772-336-7517.

Reggae music is a passion of mine and a passion of many others. It was created in Jamaica in the early ’60s, and it was developed from ska, mento and R&B music.

According to Piero Scaruffi: “It also made explicit the relationship with the underworld of the ‘Rastafarians’ (adepts of a millenary African faith, revived Marcus Garvey who advocated a mass emigration back to Africa), both in the lyrics and in the appropriation of the African nyah-bingi drumming style (a style that mimicks the heartbeat with its pattern of “thump-thump, pause, thump-thump”). Compared with rock music, reggae music basically inverted the role of bass and guitar: the former was the lead, the latter beat the typical hiccupping pattern.”

Bob Marley popularized reggae music with his band The Wailers and with his outspoken religious and political beliefs. The Wailers os perhaps the most recognized Jamaican band.

The Golden Age of Reggae fell during the heyday of roots reggae, which is a spiritual type of music praising God and involving themes of poverty, government resistance and racial oppression.

Reggae really hit mainstream music when Neil Diamond recorded Red Red Wine, and it was featured in the film The Harder They Come.

My reggae band, Island Therapy, offers you and your guests happy island music with beats from reggae, calypso and soca music. Contact Brian Sax Allen to book your next Treasure Coast island experience: 772-336-7517.

References: Wikipedia.org; Piero Scaruffi

Brian Allen is really impressive with his multiple bands and comprehensive instrument knowledge. He works all over South Florida and performs jazz, reggae and groove for any occasion.

Had a great time playing  this weekend. Shuckers on Saturday was a hoot with the crowd helping us out with some tamborine work. We then played at Mulligan’s in Stuart alongside Dancin in the Streets. A great crowd that was dressed to the nines and looking fine.  George and Steve were in rare form and tearing it up. Played Sunday at Mulligan’s again with a slower placed crowd. We wowed them with some of our prettiest stuff. Looking forward to next weekend. Come on out to hear us.