2012

I haven't blogged in quite a while, which is why I am blogging now.  2012 has been a nice year and the brides we've met have been absolutely terrific.

Eastern Long Island was our longest ride so far this year, but next year we're headed to North Carolina.

If you've been to the site and seen the testimonials, then you know we're being appreciated very nicely as always. 

The MLA sound rig is better than ever.  Keeping a bunch of wireless mics cooperating is a lot like spinning plates.  The solution, it turns out, is buying new ones and this I have done.  We also have a pair of 1500 watt JBL main speakers, and these are very impressive.

While I used to combine MLA with regular employment, I have now embarked on a fully self-employed life.  Now I can spend more time with brides and grooms and prepare them for how great their party is going to be.

Speaking of that, I'd love to take full responsibility for the outcome, but I have some caveats to share with you prospective brides:

1. Always have the party at a place with good air conditioning.  You can't keep people in the party if the room is not well climate-controlled.
2. Make sure the lights are turned down after dinner.  People prefer to dance in the dark, and the fancy, flashing MLA light rig is only pronounced in a darker setting.
3. Invite enough drinkers.  No crowd at the bar almost will always equate to no crowd dancing.
4. Smokers are tricky.  They leave the party room to smoke.  I don't know what the solution is, but for each smoker you have to invite, also invite a pile of people who don't smoke.  That's partly in jest, but there's truth behind it.

As always, if you want your party to be great, then visit www.mainlineaffair.com and get signed up with us.  We pass a low-overhead price on to you, and we are frankly better than many of the bands which charge double our fee.

Did you know: the median age of a member of Main Line Affair is 27 years old?  All the other bands who can do what we can do are......not 27 years old.  Maybe that's why there are 8 people rocking out at our gigs for 3 hours and 40 minutes out of every 4 hour gig we do.  Think about that!

Is it live...or is it BS?

From day 1, every sound that has been produced by Main Line Affair has been 100% live. I've never worked with sequencers*. My 7 colleagues and I are vulnerable to making a mistake at any moment, and I suppose that is what makes good performance exciting. If there was no way for a trapeze artist to err, and to go plunging into the safety net, would it be as interesting? The most compelling view is of the acrobat working with no net, and that is what Main Line Affair and other 100% live bands are all about. Once I worked as a substitute with another well-known local wedding band. Unbeknownst to me before arriving, their instruments were fully 'sequenced,' meaning that I was supposed to stand there with my fancy keyboard and pretend to play. That was pretty lame. I feel like our clients pay for 100% live music, and if they didn't want that, then they'd just settle for a DJ.

The other problem with sequencing, I would guess, is that it would take away our spontaneity. I usually figure out what song we will play next, and the other people in the band find out about 20-30 seconds before we suddently change into the next song. I don't see how a sequencer could keep up, but then again I am not a sequencer user.

I'm sure some folks don't mind if the music is partially pre-recorded, but if you do prefer that it's totally live, then visit www.mainlineaffair.com. That's how we do it.


* A sequencer is a fancy musicians word which refers to a machine that is producing pre-programmed music.

Tunes for the Young People, Tunes for the Old People

Indeed, my sister Wendy is right. The blog is for good feeling.

"Dog Days Are Over" was added by Main Line Affair, the premier Philadelphia Wedding Band, at last night's practice. Anne Marie sounds both great and authentic on it and she promised that the young folks will like it and dance with enthusiasm.

An upcoming bride, actually a personal friend, has appointed "All I Ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera as her first dance. Bobby, with his theater background, will no doubt enjoy the 4 minute casting as Raoul.

Google caused some confusion recently, so if it pleases the public and my friend Carmen, be clear that Main Line Affair is not, nor does it represent itself to be a part of CTO! We respect them immensely, but we are completely independent of them.

As always, visit www.mainlineaffair.com which has been updated since my last entry!