Looking for the perfect San Diego bands for hire, so you have some great options for your upcoming event? Great! Here are some ways to connect with the one that will suit the occasion best – be it for a school dance, wedding, party, bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah, quinceañera, or any type of celebration:
Know Your Audience
First of all, it’s crucial to know the style of music that the guests will most enjoy! If there are guests of honor at the event, you should do your best to accommodate their particular musical taste and possibly even compile a list of their favorite songs, so as you audition or interview San Diego bands for hire, you can include those requests to make sure they can play them at the event. In other words, the same band that would be an instant hit at a 50th wedding anniversary party may not have the repertoire your guests at a high school dance would enjoy dancing to.
How to Locate the Best Band for Your Event
There are a number of options here, and you may have to give them all a try in order to find the best option out of the many San Diego bands for hire. Here are some ideas:
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Place a free ad on Craigslist – Head to the Community section and click on Musicians for a good starting point. You can also place your own free ad looking for bands; just be specific about the style of music you want, the date you’ll need them, and so forth. Under that same Community category, you’ll also find a heading labeled Events. Don’t forget to look under the “Gigs” category as well – both to post and see if bands have posted their own descriptions and contact information.
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Ask friends who have organized events and hired San Diego bands for referrals or websites they went to when they were searching for local acts.
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Perform a search on YouTube for “San Diego bands for hire” and check out the videos that come up. This is an excellent way to audition a band’s sound prior to coordinating a meeting or waiting for a demo. Plus, you can visually check out the band’s appearance, as well as their sound, to determine whether they’re a fit for your specific event.
Myspace.com is another option, but is less common nowadays with the growing popularity of YouTube. But it used to be a top site to find musicians, so is definitely worth a try.
Check out Yelp reviews that pop up when you search San Diego bands for hire.
Check Out Other Live Events/Parties with Bands Performing
If you’re out and about at another event, or a live performance by a San Diego band, such as at a street fair, casino, wedding, or corporate party, make sure you go up and request a business card. Most professional bands will have these readily available, as well as CDs for sale, and possibly even a free demo CD you can take with you. If they don’t have a card, ask them for their website, or at the very least a contact number; if the timing is right, tell the band leader or their agent (if that person is in attendance) the date of your upcoming event, and then get an estimate from them on the cost involved. Any band with experience should have a demo audio that you can share with anyone else involved in making the hiring decision.
It’s a good idea to create a “go-to” list of second- and third-choice bands, too. That way you’ll have a backup plan already in place should your first choice have a sudden change of schedule, band member personal emergency, etc. Besides, you’ll have other bands you like already filed away for any future events, too!
The Benefits of a Signed Contract/Agreement
For everyone’s protection – yours and the band’s – it’s smart to draft a simple contractual agreement that states the length of time the band is to play, what time they will be expected to start and stop, and the amount you’ll be paying them. Many professional San Diego bands for hire may require that you put down a deposit to lock in the performance date. That’s pretty standard procedure. If everyone agrees to the terms and signs a contract, that’s great. This prevents any last-minute surprises.
With these tips, you now have the beginning of a game plan to build upon as you search for San Diego bands for hire. Good luck and have fun planning your event!
Photo by Canadian Film
Suzy S.