Couple things first….
What kind of party are you having?
80’s Party
90’s Party
Art Showcase Party
Baby Shower
Bachelor/Bachelorette Party
Bar, Bah Mitzvah
Birthday Party/ Other Celebration
Cinco de Mayo
Corporate/Company Party
Costume Party
Dance Party
Graduation Party
Holiday Party
Luau
Pool Party
Product Release Party
Retirement Party
Sports Party
Themed Party (Toga, Nerds, Black Light, etc)
Wedding
Here are the best fitting band types for these occasions with a list of what parties each one works with best!
One Man Band/Looping Artist
A relaxed, fun and familiar performance with a unique twist. Usually this is one person with an acoustic guitar, a great sounding P.A. and a mic stand performing laid back versions of songs you know and setting a warm, memorable mood for the event. The looping makes that one person sound like a whole band and people will be mesmerized at how all those beautiful sounds are coming from one person.
Baby Shower
Birthday Party
Corporate/Company Party
Graduation Party
Retirement Party
Wedding
What do they sound like?
A good one will sound like this: CLICK HERE
Where can I find one?
Gigmasters, Gigsalad, The Knot, Wedding Wire, Thumbtack, Youtube or (if you're in the Southern California area) HERE
Party/Pop/Variety Band -
High, high energy! Be ready to dance, sing and go wild. These are the loudest, most intense, move fun kinds of bands around. They are not for low budget events. Usually 4+ members, sometimes up to 15 (if they have a horn section) and they usually have HUGE song lists. Think of them as a DJ on steroids.
80’s, 90’s party
Bar, Bah Mitzvah
Corporate/Company Party (only very big events)
Costume Party
Dance Party
Holiday Party
Pool Party
Themed Party
Wedding (for large budget weddings)
What do they Sound like?
A Good one will generally sound something like this: CLICK HERE
Where can I find one?
Mariachi Band
Joyful, pleasant and traditional, Mariachi bands are a long time favorite for many cultural events and smaller celebratory events. They can perform with or without amplification and
Birthday Party/Celebration
Cinco de Mayo (also Dio de los Muertos)
Graduation Party
Pool Party
What do they sound like?
Where can I find one?
Bluegrass/Country Band:
Don’t think bro-cowboys with sleeveless denim singing “girl I want you in mah pick-up”. These bands are more traditionally themed and usually have a stand up bass player, acoustic guitars, mandolin and lots of harmonies. They can play with or without amplification and create an instant feeling of being somewhere else, far away from the non-stop to do-ing of the city life.
Art Showcase
Birthday/Celebration
Retirement Party
Themed Party (Country, Tractor Pull, Taste of the South, etc.)
Wedding
What do they sound like?
Where do you find one?
You might have noted “sports party” was left out. That is very much intentional. Sports and bands mix like cats and water. It’s generally a hodgepodge of overstimulation. The audience is generally too distracted to enjoy either when a venue is broadcasting a sports event and having live music. I have personally experienced this both as a patron to an establishment and as a member of a band on countless occasions. It just doesn't work. The sports people are annoyed at the volume of the band and the people who want to watch the band are annoyed at the sports people taking up good space. In most situations, avoid having live music during a sporting event, unless the music act is actually a half-time show or pre/post show entertainment for the event itself, but never, EVER have them both going on at the same time. It just doesn’t work well.
Dylan Galvin (Dylan like “Bob Dylan”, Galvin like “Calvin and Hobbes” with a “G”) is a singer/songwriter and live performer in Los Angeles, CA. Follow him on Instagram, Youtube and Facebook.
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