THE MOD DEAL FILES: Cohen/Cherkasov @ Temple Shalom

As I type this entry, I have Haprvarim's "Hava Nagila" playing in my head. Could you fathom that this could considerably be an entry about a Jewish wedding? Well, my little detectives, it is!

Seven of Fig Media's finest team members of the deejay, photo and video realms recently provided the vibrant sights and sounds for the grand wedding of Danny Cohen and Bernard Cherkasov, held at the majestic (and pretty darn big!) Temple Shalom on Lake Shore Drive. Both of these fine gentlemen in question are from multiple backgrounds; the similarity being that they are both of part or whole-Israeli descent. Their special day was definitely not going to be a typical Hora-fest, but that of an international party that would honor their many American, British, and European guests. The festivities of the night included two—count them—two Hora sessions (one lasting over 25 minutes, believe it or not!), a plethora of delightful toasts, a number of Jewish/European traditions (such as Benigoru, an event in which everyone sits in a circle while henna is passed around and a special song is sung), and, last but not least, an incredible dance party complete with colored lights. "Typical" is definitely not the key term for this wedding.

The greatest high I got out of this was being the deejay for this event. Music was definitely the core of the evening, as it is with all deejay gigs. This gave me an opportunity to increase my knowledge of how a traditional (or "modified traditional") Jewish wedding is run, and to see how the celebration is not solely celebrated by those of related ethnicity or religion—it is all-inclusive. Here's the ultimately cool thing about this evening: There was dancing virtually all night—even during the food courses! That's tradition for you! Dinner was graced with the sounds of Azerbajani, Russian and Turkish music, coupled with the awesome sounds of Doug and Kalyan, who were the two talented drummers who played alongside me for the first three hours of the event. Although I was a little shaky at first with the coordination, we locked in very well and simply jammed. Giving the drummers space to solo was a very cool sight; I felt we were definitely heard individually and together. Later on in the evening, we pulled out the star-ball and had Danny and Bernard dance to Glenn Medeiros' "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You." (Come on—you remember that late 80's ballad! You know you do!) After that, I went into a number of great 80s dance songs (i.e. Erasure, classic Whitney Houston, the Buggles, Human League) and body-rockin' dance tunes. I blushed when Emma, one of the emcees of the evening, stated, "Let's give a 'woop-woop' to Brent, the deejay!" in her utterly, utterly charming British accent. "Woop-woop". Delicious.

My two favorite musical moments are the following:

1) Looping the end of Justin Timberlake's "Like I Love You" while I waited for the next event to happen—and watch people continue to dance to it! Lordy!

2) Hearing Danny sing the song he wrote and composed for his husband Bernard. (Yes, this wasn't a deejay-related thing, but it was downright elegant listening and watching Danny's song to Bernard. There was not one closed ear or eye in the huge

Having Tobey as my assistant was a joy. She was a powerhouse during the night, making sure that I was fed and that all lighting cues and such happened at the right times during the night. Her gift of being a people person was put to fantastic use, as she made sure to get to know the other vendors and people working at the Temple. We had a ton of fun dancing behind and in front of the deejay table, as well as on the dance floor with the guests! I even remember us doing "laps" around the table as well…but I am sure the message is well-received here. We both ended the night by getting on the microphone and honoring the couple, their guests, and the awesome toastmasters that were there as well. Not only that, we exited by playing Danny and Bernard's fave song, Elton John's "Are You Ready for Love?" And yes, they were ready.

I thoroughly appreciate all the gigs I go on and perform at; the ones that are truly enjoyable are those that deal with a multi-cultural crowd. The music, mood, and atmosphere is more broad and inspiring, as it draws energy from different backgrounds to make for one big collaborative party—kinda how the team and I of Fig were at this event. Being there was an honor beyond words, and there was not one moment where I did not feel like I was separated from the rest of the crowd. This gig was something to be super-conscious about, but I focused myself on being calm and having a great time. As stated before, this was not your ordinary or straightforwardly traditional wedding, and to tell you the truth, I like it that way.

- Brent Rolland, resident deejay

THE MOD DEAL PLAYERS:
Deejay: Brent Rolland and Tobey Geise
Photo: James Gustin, Lauren Pollock, and Brian Carey
Video: Carl Wiedemann and Melissa Martens

Drummers: Doug Brush and Kalyan Patek (from the Stitely Orchestra—thank you guys!)

Toastmasters: Ilona, Mark, Emma, and Paul (Fabulous job, all of you! Thank you!)

Special thanks goes out to all the vendors and everyone at Temple Shalom. Thank you for making this event shine!