Live From the Flannel!

Jonathan and Tim, rockin' it in Harbor Springs, MI baby! Annie and Paul heard about fig at a holiday party for Kirkland and Ellis at the River East Art Center. They saw Andrew and myself (Jonathan), loved the music, and wanted us to dj their wedding 380 miles to the north. The reception was in a building that looked similar to a barn, except nicer. Rafters ran across the ceiling, the inside of the walls were exposed, plants were placed around the room with lights in them, tables were dressed elegantly, and everyone looked as cute as could be. The sun was setting across the lake during dinner and created a romantic atmosphere to an already romantic day.



Tim and I stayed in a very homey and country hotel that had the look and feel of a cabin (complete with wooden walls and ceiling, and a couple walls with plaid wall paper). The Birchwood Inn, according to their website, “is a bit like donning a pair of favorite dungarees and a soft flannel shirt.” Very true. Felt like going hunting after a few hours stay. The town was small and quaint, with the feel of the 20’s or 30’s. Main Street was the main street and downtown was 2 blocks long. Stores with an old-style front to them line the streets and at the end of Main Street was a church with a tall steeple. With the silence that was abundant throughout the town, Tim and I were waiting for two gunslingers to come out of a local bar and have a showdown. All seriousness aside, this town was very relaxed and a nice change of pace from the city of Chicago.



Dancing started off with some old big band era songs, featuring artists such as Ella Fitzgerald. We made our way into some oldies with Build Me Up Buttercup and Same Old Song, before heading into some 70’s like E, W, & F’s September, and then heading into all different directions after that. County, 80’s, pop, hip-hop, rock – it was all part of the evening as the crowd packed the dance floor at the start of dancing and continued dancing through to the end. A few down times happened during dancing. Senorita by J.T. cleared the dance floor, and then Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough brought them right back. The crowd wasn’t really into the more clubby dance stuff such as Murder on the Dance Floor and Can’t Get You Out of My Head, but the bride loved it. The crowd was more of a rock crowd, so dancing was a balancing act between poppy clubby stuff for the bride, country for the groom, and rock for the guests. Overall, I think we did a good job of pleasing everybody.




On a different note, exclusive artist gigs are tough as nails. The pressure is much higher on these gigs, especially when I’m out of state. The thought through my head is, “Better not mess up!” Of course it happens because I don’t want it to. I’ve been getting much better with recognizing the pressure and making the appropriate adjustments which typically means talking out what I’m feeling so I can concentrate on the gig. Checking in with the clients is always a good idea throughout the night and maintaining the rapport. Taking a walk around the room is another. One thing I’ve run into in the past with artist gigs is that the client is looking for someone to make people dance and have a good time. It typically doesn’t work this way. I don’t make people dance. Either they want to, or they don’t. Sometimes the expectations might be a little off when it comes to this because some clients may want me to raise the dead. If your crowd is dead and just wants to sit and stare, there’s not much I can do. Sorry. What I’ve been getting really good at lately is noticing red flags in my meetings and addressing points of concern. Typically I can weed out the gigs where I might run into this scenario. If the bride and groom are invested in their event, meaning they’ve thought a lot about it, but not so much that they are control freaks and if a little detail doesn’t happen they freak out. I don’t know how I got on this topic because this gig was SO not this. The bride and groom were a very cute couple and Annie LOVED to dance. This helps out a ton because the crowd will typically follow the bride and do what she’s doing.

I think I’m rambling at this point. I’ll close by saying that I can’t wait for my next artist gig. I’m also looking forward to doing more gigs where I’m traveling and seeing exotic places.

--Jonathan Hood leading w/ Tim Musho assisting