A. Sure, but not here. Just think of a Celebrity or headliner you want to hire for your event. If you have multiple Celebrities or headliners you would want to choose from, that's even better because there's a good chance one of them isn't going to be available on your event date. A recent DLE wedding client insisted on having a major Celebrity pop star sing at her wedding ceremony. I told her that even if the Celebrity was free that day, she might still not want to sing at the ceremony--not even for a million dollars. I was right, and the client was devastated. I doubt she's a fan of that star now. Anyway, the point is, it can be very disappointing if the Celebrity you want for your event is unavailable for whatever reason. Some Celebrities won't perform on certain days and insist on flying in on their private jets. Others don't do keynote speeches, even if big money is put on the table. Some are very fickle and that's their prerogative. So it's always good to have more than one or two choices.

A. That's where a company like DLE comes in! That's part of the reason we were created and believe me, given the hours and hours of negotiations and planning spent on your event, we definitely "earn our keep"! We not only bring together quality clients with quality Celebrities and headliners, but we negotiate directly with the Celebrity's booking agent for our clients and keep the costs as low as possible. We also work closely with the Celebrity's road manager regarding all aspects of the event. In the event of a price increase after the initial quote, there are ways to "minimize" the increase that may be acceptable to the Celebrity and his/her agent. That is part of our expertise at DLE.

A. The answer, in our opinion, is "No". Why? It's simple. Some DLE bands (and we will tell you "which ones" as a matter of professional courtesy) have had "0" changes in personnel since the recording of their demo tracks. Why then should they have to be seen in order for the client to book them? Answer: They don't! The biggest concern of our prospective wedding clients seems to be the front line vocalists--if they would be the same fine vocalists in the bands that these shopping clients liked when they heard the bands' tracks or saw and heard on the videos at DLE. As it turns out, most DLE S.F. Bay Area Bands have had "0" changes or very few changes in front line (vocalist) personnel since their mp3 demo tracks or DVDs were recorded. One DLE So. Cal. show band, NRG, uses many different female front line combinations as they often do two or even three performances on the same evening. Of course, they're unique--they have 20-plus female lead vocalists, all of them exceptional. On NRG's phenomenal video, our clients can see and hear THREE different superb female lead vocalists, any one of whom would be available to a prospective DLE client on their event date--but not all three together.
 
Moreover, the changes in personnel that HAVE occurred in DLE bands have almost always been for the better. For example, Crush (another superb So. Cal. show band) replaced two of their three front line female lead vocalists seen on their video over the past year. Yet, their replacements are even better than the two that left the Band! They give that band a different look, but the vocal talent is even better than what is heard and seen on their video. This is almost always the case with quality bands (the fact that replacement vocalists are usually better than the original ones) and that is who we represent and offer our clients--quality bands!
 
The following is a list of DLE S.F. Bay Area variety dance bands that have the same vocalists heard on their mp3 demo tracks. The only exception is our new 80s tribute band, The S Band-SF which has no video or mp3 tracks (Their management company only allows the L.A. version of the Band's tv video as a promotion for the S.F. band). They've recently replaced their great male lead vocalist with another excellent male lead, and the one 2007 Bay Area client who hired them through us loved them.
 
The A Band/The BH Band
The R Band
The M Band
Carte Blanche
The PS Band
The KJ Band
The DST Band
The SB Band
The Tranz
 
Of these, The DST Band has had just one personnel change in over 25 years of performing at events--the drummer. The new drummer, who is superb, can be heard on their 6-piece tracks. The A Band, The M Band and The R Band have had "0" personnel changes although in point of fact, The A Band now has, when available, the top R&B male lead vocalist in the Bay Area if the client wants more of an R&B-Soul presentation. All DLE bands have quality substitute vocalists and sidemen to replace vocalists and musicians who may become ill and can't perform.
 
If potential clients are wondering if there are "thank yous" from past DLE clients they can look at, they should visit our Client Comments page.
 
Another important thing for bridal couples to consider when insisting on seeing a particular band "live". There are annual "slow" periods, such as January, February and March when some bands rarely perform if they aren't "club bands". If bridal couples insist on seeing a particular band in person that is not performing anywhere in the next 30 days, DLE cannot hold that band as this may prevent the Band from acquiring another booking on that event date. As a result, the wavering bridal couple will lose out on that band. One band, The A Band/The BH Band, has a "no holds" policy. Most DLE bands are popular bands and book early in the year.
 
We hope the above information is useful in our clients' decision making regarding bands for their events.

A. A variety dance band has little or no front-line choreography or costume changes between sets. A show band is a "show" band because choreography and costume changes are an integral part of its performance. Corporate dance show bands perform all dance styles and "tailor" their performances to the client's (often, a conventioneer's) event theme needs and tend to be "audience participation" bands (where various front line band members will go out into the convention or party and get those on the dance floor to do line dances, etc.). Variety dance bands perform a variety of dance styles, such as R&B, Disco, Standards, Jump blues, 80s, 90s and some 2000s covers.

A. They are in demand in Los Angeles and especially in Las Vegas, where they get most of their corporate and convention bookings.

A. This is a very interesting situation. There has been a real demand for 80s, 90s and Current cover bands in Northern California over the past three years, and while there are still superb R&B, Funk, Disco and variety dance bands in the Bay Area, there are now three quality 80s tribute bands--including the super high energy headliner 80s and 90s show band, The S Band whose partial video can be seen on this site's Dance Party Bands page--plus a superb late 70s, 80s, 90s and Current cover band, The R Band. The S.F. Bay Area has come "full circle" for talented cover bands of all periods (we've always had the strongest small swing band market), and we here at DLE would like to take some credit for this! With the increase in the number of Bay Area clients requesting bands that perform 90s and Current dance hits, we have acquired the services of one of the Bay Area's best Top 40 bands, The T Band. The Bay Area has always been strong in R&B, Funk, Variety dance bands and Latin rock bands. It has also been noted for it's excellent small swing bands and ethnic bands, including the more recent and interesting world fusion bands. San Francisco has had the reputation of being a "sophisticated" city and Swing is still popular not only in San Francisco but also in Marin, Sonoma and Napa Counties. There continues to be, however, a growing demand for more current covers from the younger Bay Area wedding clients in particular, and DLE is at the forefront in fulfilling those demands.

A. Actually, you have just hit upon a similar question that we are hearing about nearly every day from clients--"Does the band have female lead vocalists?" or the comment, "We prefer that the Band has a female vocalist." Because of the popularity of female singers in 80s and 90s Alternative and Current Pop and Rock music, there seems to be at least one female lead vocalist--and sometimes two or three--in almost every L.A.-San Diego cover band. This is in part because of the "competition" which is fierce in So. Cal. One band puts up three female vocalists--and their competitors do likewise! Our newest show band, The C Band, has three front line female lead vocalists and no front line male lead vocalists. But don't forget--a lot of songs require more than one female vocalist, harmony-wise. Also, many show bands travel to Asia and other parts of the world where American female lead vocalists are required for a band to get a touring contract. To give you an idea of how important female vocalists are in the San Francisco Bay Area, the cover band with the most recent "Bay Area Best Band" awards has two female lead vocalists, so given this and the popularity of our Southern California corporate dance show bands (all with at least one female lead vocalist), it would follow that female lead vocalists are necessary to the success of California dance cover bands.

A. We completely understand and sympathize! So, let's show what a super planner and cost-cutter you are by breaking it down together, okay? The catering will eat up the majority of your wedding money--that's a given. This is why wedding couples generally plan the music last and have the least amount of money to spend on it, which is unfortunate. They either go with a DJ (boring!) or a second or third-rate low-priced cover band (worse, yet) and their family and guests have a less than enjoyable time! There are things you can do, however, that will allow you to afford a quality dance band. Our suggestion is to "trim the fat" out of the catering--opt for salmon and chicken instead of lamb--and consider either a buffet style (self-serve and much cheaper by requiring fewer wait staff) or a simple three-course, sit-down dinner--and consider planning the wedding yourself! If you can't wear your mother's or grandmother's wedding dress (as many brides wish to do), buy a reasonably priced one. Since you'll never wear it again, why waste $5,000 or more on a dress? Now, hopefully, you've got some extra cash for either a string quartet, harp and flute duo or a Modern classical concert guitarist as well as a fun variety dance band...or perhaps even a nationally ranked show band! The point is, there are many areas of the wedding you can visit for cost cutting. Just remember this--the reception-dance is going to go on for over 4 hours. The quality of the performance of music played and sung is what is going to make the wedding a total success or an unenjoyable event (if the music fails). The dinner is only a portion of the evening. Ask yourself this question: Are your guests going to remember the fried calamari and the duck pate they ate--or are they going to remember the hot dance band that kept them on the dance floor the entire evening?

A. Ouch! You've touched a raw nerve. We could "take the Fifth", but we'll try to answer this delicate question which we've unfortunately heard for years. In part, it is the law of supply and demand. The "in demand" bands generally charge the highest rate--another given. So do the most talented, but not always. A lot has to do with the agency, if any, involved. And, some prices include referral fees. As everyone knows, the cost of living is extremely high in California, far higher than most places in the U.S. so California bands have to charge more than, say, Midwest bands--there's no way around it. Most bands and ensembles we work with have not increased their fees in years. What has happened is...clients who have contacted DLE have had to reduce what they spend on their events, be they weddings or corporate events. They contact us, then, with "a different frame of reference", thinking that bands and other kinds of entertainment have also lowered their expectations--and thus, their rates--for what they charge for performances! Such is often not the case. The ensemble musician or band musician has rent or mortgage to pay, too. We often bring up "the plumber comparison"--where a plumber keeps faithful to his union scale and charges a certain price for a certain kind of work or for a specified number of hours. You don't find plumbers lowering their rates! They keep going higher and higher. You can go with a non-Union plumber, but will you get the same quality? Perhaps. It's a gamble. The logical question, then, is: Why should musicians, acts or bands be any different than plumbers? They're highly skilled workers, too! Can't they raise their rates just as everyone else does when the cost of living goes up? A less obvious reason why many musicians and bands will not reduce their rates--or will do so only very slightly--is the fact that, like plumbers, they have wives and husbands to come home to, and if they don't bring home the bacon...Anyway, modern as we have become, rolling pins are still very popular in many musicians' homes, and we're not referring to their use for bread or pizza dough!

A. In part, it's a "regional" thing. For instance, very few bands in the San Francisco Bay Area have video demos, though more have come out in the past year. Most use CDs or mp3 tracks as demos. However, So. Cal. bands have a hard time promoting themselves without a video--clients "expect" it from L.A. bands. Lip synching--instead of "live" video and audio recordings--is done because the audio portion of a video is almost always done in the best audio surroundings--in the studio, just like an audio CD should be done. The video portion, whether it is "staged" (lip synching) or natural, allows the viewer to at least see the band. The audio portion, if done right, is studio-recorded, edited and produced. It is no different than a CD in quality and is often even a higher quality sound. Have you ever rented or taken a videocam to a musical event, where the band is a city block from the camera's (cheap) stereo microphone? All you get is noise from waiters and guests and perhaps some drums and "floating vocals" but no bass and very poor overall quality. Now you can see why a "live" (non-staged) video is virtually impossible to get a quality audio and video from and why bands almost always opt for the studio or "staged" event, doing the sound in the studio. On "how a particular band looks today", you don't know unless you've seen them live. People change and their looks change with age. An honest agent or bandleader will tell you, "This video is 10 years old", "...has a different male lead vocalist", etc. The question for this paragraph is a valid one, though when you think about it, a band member's different appearance--thinning hair, weight around the middle or a graying moustache--doesn't necessarily have anything to do with his or her actual performance or sound. But then again, it might!

A. At DLE, the proof is in the pudding. Just like high quality dance bands, high quality string ensembles and solo musicians are in demand and charge accordingly--as are other performing artists who have been told (and who know) that they have exceptional talent. DLE has at least four Modern classical concert guitarists who make very good money playing concerts, but have to reduce their rates to accommodate wedding and party clients. Their rates may still be higher than others in their field, but considering that they are concert artists, like concert pianists, their rates are quite reasonable. They are "the best of the best", in the top 15% of concert artists, worldwide.

A. Good question, and thanks for the compliment! We are first-class performers in our own right (cabaret duo, jazz trio and swing-jazz band). David is a longtime bandleader. He lived and performed as a musician for 14 years in Southern California (including Los Angeles and Santa Barbara), then back in the Bay Area (for 19 years) as well as two years in New York (part of it at The Rainbow Room) and Connecticut. He has also managed restaurants, was a maitre d' and captain in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara and knows how an event should run--smoothly and efficiently.