Jason Weismann and the ‘Q’ Live at Crooners

Tucked away in Fridley, Crooners www.croonersloungemn.com is a beautiful new music club featuring some of the top Jazz artists in the Midwest and a chef crafted menu that stands on it’s own.

This club does host receptions as well, so it is worth a look.  They also feature 2 very large dining areas and a new outdoor patio that is brand new, and absolutely beautiful.

Opened almost a year ago, this club was the brainchild of Larry Dunsmoore and Mary Tjosvold.  They have taken great care to make sure the fine menu compliments the artistry they host on their stage.

maryandlarry

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jason Weismann and the ‘Q’ were the featured artist last night and the show was electrifying!

The group consisted of Phil Aaron – Piano, Pete Hennig- Drums, Jeromy Boetcher – Bass and Jason Weismann on Sax and vocals.

Everyone had fun and we wanted to thank all the wedding couples that had come out to check out the group for their event!

IMG_8465 IMG_8531 IMG_8517 IMG_8508 IMG_8500 IMG_8498-2 IMG_8496 IMG_8490 IMG_8489 IMG_8479 IMG_8476 IMG_8473 IMG_8470 IMG_8468 IMG_8467

 

The Jaztronauts perform at the Fulton Festival – A Good Cause for a friendly neighborhood

On Saturday September 12th the Jaztronauts performed as part of the Fulton Neighborhoods ‘Fulton Festival’.

http://fultonneighborhood.org

With face painting, a marching band, food stands, a bouncy house and even a small home exhibit, this festival had charm and character in spades.. and honestly made anyone a little jealous that wasn’t a home owner in the Fulton Neighborhood.

The Jaztronauts got to take off the vintage suits and let their hair down.  Known as the ‘it’ band for Vintage Weddings in Minnesota and energetic fun swing, they usually are crafting their music to the wedding couple.  At the Fulton festival however, they just had fun with the crowd and interacting with the kids.

Great show, fun and free to the public!

IMG_8223 IMG_8236 IMG_8256 IMG_8273 IMG_8276 IMG_8283 IMG_8284 IMG_8297

Four Seasons Dance Studio – Class on the cheap! – 9/12

Wedding Bands in Minneapolis

Lali Silva and Dillon Hodapp Wedding 9/12/15

Are you looking for a classic, romantic location with tons of charm on the cheap?  Take a look at the Four Seasons Dance Studio www.4seasonsdance.com .  As you are looking at venues for your event, take a look at this little gem.   As you approach the venue, your first impression is that of being tranported to a cobble stone street somewhere in Italy or France.  The buildings look as though they were designed to bring the international allure of romance with vintage accents all around.

As you enter the studio you’ll see that the thousands of passionate flamenco dancing steps have left their mark throughout.  The floor is perfect for dancing and though small, worked as a dining space.  Again this might be a little bit of a fixer upper for a couple as they might want to add their own accents, but for $120 an hour, you can’t beat the price.

The Dap Squad www.thedapsquad.com Minneapolis Variety Wedding Band performed as an 7 piece power ensemble that fit nicely into this space.  Using some of the space that would normally hold cafe tables and chairs, the band used that space as a mini 1/2 stage that worked beautifully presenting a very visually appealing effect.

The Dap Squad featured some of the top talent  in the Midwest.  Ray’s voice was warm and soulful and perfectly matched to Germain.  Germain showcased class, soul, and fun.  Germain even hosted a battle royal of the Wedding party shaking what God gave them during Taylor Swifts hit ‘Shake it off’.  Although the men ‘technically’ won, everyone would agree everyone left the battle with smiles on their faces and stories to share for years.

The front of the room has a few comfy couches and accents that are almost shabby sheik at first glance.

The back room of the house served nicely as food serving area and wedding stuff hiding area.

Now for the huge upside, you can bring in your own food and drink!!!  So the food is what you like, probably much cheaper and if you’re a beer/wine fan, you can bring in whatever you’d like as well.

Lali and Dillon worked with their own food providers, but found a wonderful service called Avail Event Services www.availeventservices.com that feature ‘same day’ event experts.  So if you are catering your own food, or whatever, they will serve you, setup the prep tables, even clean up the entire event center and deliver the food to your door later that evening!  Jodi Homestad was my contact that evening and she turned any wrinkle we ran across into a smile.  She was amazing!

Now this venue is not right for everyone, it really shines as a small event location as it does have limited space, but the 7 piece powerhouse sound of the Dap Squad fit in the room nicely.

If you’re shopping for a special place that will impress your guests but won’t break your bank, check out this location.

  • $120/ hour
  • Use your own beverage and catering service
  • Natural cool french themes and accents throughout.
  • The alley way that serves as the entrance has a ton of cool built in possibilities you could use.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8298 IMG_8301 IMG_8302 IMG_8303 IMG_8304 IMG_8307 IMG_8308
IMG_8322 IMG_8325 IMG_8326 IMG_8328 IMG_8334 IMG_8337 IMG_8346 IMG_8353 IMG_8358 IMG_8367 IMG_8369 IMG_8370 IMG_8376 IMG_8377 IMG_8383 IMG_8385 IMG_8387 IMG_8390 IMG_8391 IMG_8392 IMG_8398 IMG_8408 IMG_8420 IMG_8421 IMG_8441 IMG_8442 IMG_8445 IMG_8446 IMG_8448 IMG_8451 IMG_8452 IMG_8460 IMG_8464

The Stutz on Loring, a new Reception Wedding – 9/6

Variety Wedding Bands in Minneapolis, Top 40 Wedding band in Minneapolis Party Wedding Bands in Minnesota

Brett Alstad and Kiersty Bolling planned a unique wedding where they found a wonderful reception location in the Stutz across from the Basilica and used it’s unique quirks to tweak the night and make sure that every guest left with a little envy that they hadn’t had the same wedding ideas.

Brett said, “I’m so glad I chose you guys, you were so easy to work with and made this night sound amazing!!  I keep getting compliments on the Dap Squad Variety Wedding band!!! You were the perfect wedding band!!     I’m so glad we found the Dap Squad!!

I just have to say how impressed I was with the beautiful space and decorating of this new Gem reception hall in Minneapolis.

Although, the Stutz on Loring is new to the Minneapolis Wedding Scene, it’s also the former home of Kruskopf Olsen Advertising (Now known as Kruskopf & Company) www.kctruth.com

This beautiful young couple (the shots below were taken from www.dettesnaps.com to show the ally) was not only kind and thoughtful, but very open to non-traditional ideas.

They used the access to the ally as a bonus.  As the night moved, they would open the sliding doorway outside to feature cool kitchy food trucks that pulled up just in time to take everyone’s order.

Ice Cream, Chicago Style Hot Dogs, and the Cupcake Wars food truck, and other treats were among the many that came surprising  each guests with each new surprise visit.

For their entree, they featured fresh roasted a pig, cooked that day in the ally and smelling amazing!

The Alley also looks as though you’ve wondered on to a cool alley in France or Italy with an international allure that longs for some beautiful french Jazz and a glass of wine.

If you are considering options for your wedding, keep The Stutz on your list.  At this event they featured New Glarus Wisconsin Beer .. yum… so the Stutz may have a more relaxed policy, if so this is a very cool consideration.   Many places have a very very strict policy on what can be served and by who.  If they are more relaxed, this could save you a lot and put more smiles on beer fans.

Congratulation Brett and Kiersty on a beautiful wedding, with Great music by the Dap Squad and a lifetime of happiness together!!

the Stutz on Loring the Dap Squad Variety Wedding Band in Minnesota french themed wedding
the Dap Squad Variety Wedding Band at the Stutz on Loring

Screen Shot 2015-09-07 at 2.53.25 AM

 

 

 

A couple of the Guests enjoying the Dap Squad at the Stutz on Loring

Variety Wedding Bands in Minneapolis, Top 40 Wedding band in Minneapolis Party Wedding Bands in Minnesota
Sam Burning on some Country. Yes, The Dap Squad, is also an amazing country wedding choice!!
Variety Wedding Bands in Minneapolis, Top 40 Wedding band in Minneapolis Party Wedding Bands in Minnesota
Sam bringing his guitar to life on Sweet Home Alabama.
Variety Wedding Bands in Minneapolis, Top 40 Wedding band in Minneapolis Party Wedding Bands in Minnesota
Brian is one of the few keyboardist you’ll see that can play several keyboards completely independently of each other. He sounds like a one man orchestra some say.
Variety Wedding Bands in Minneapolis, Top 40 Wedding band in Minneapolis Party Wedding Bands in Minnesota
Looking for a Soul Band Wedding, A Funk Wedding Band, a country wedding band, a variety wedding band.. the Dap Squad contain studio musicians that make these albums.. they are amazingly authentic!!!
Variety Wedding Bands in Minneapolis, Top 40 Wedding band in Minneapolis Party Wedding Bands in Minnesota
The Dap Squad were on fire at the Stutz on Loring tonight!!
Variety Wedding Bands in Minneapolis, Top 40 Wedding band in Minneapolis Party Wedding Bands in Minnesota
Charles the elder statesman of the Dap Squad, with one of the best feels in the business.
Variety Wedding Bands in Minneapolis, Top 40 Wedding band in Minneapolis Party Wedding Bands in Minnesota
Sam putting everything he had into tonights performance at the Stutz on Loring!!
Variety Wedding Bands in Minneapolis, Top 40 Wedding band in Minneapolis Party Wedding Bands in Minnesota
Brian laughing as Sam amazes everyone with his unique Soulful sound.
Variety Wedding Bands in Minneapolis, Top 40 Wedding band in Minneapolis Party Wedding Bands in Minnesota
A couple of the Guests enjoying the Dap Squad at the Stutz on Loring
Variety Wedding Bands in Minneapolis, Top 40 Wedding band in Minneapolis Party Wedding Bands in Minnesota
A couple of the Guests enjoying the Dap Squad at the Stutz on Loring

Creating Magic! Steps to get the kind of wedding you envisioned

Many times I will meet with a client, only to realize that they feel completely lost in the shuffle of organizing this massive wedding.  Don’t worry if you are in this category, you aren’t alone.

The tips I’ll share have come from hundreds of wedding over the last few decades.  Some of them may seem obvious, but it’s sometimes the obvious items that we neglect to think about.

Create your team:

Is your wedding coordinator mirroring the wedding you had envisioned??  Make sure that the people being hired, share a team mentality.  Don’t be afraid to remind your team of details that you don’t want them to overlook when your big day comes.  I’m not saying call your people a hundred times, but a gentle “I’m so eager for the moment when you” or this is great, we are really looking forward to …..   It’s important they mirror confirm key points and are open to discussing details, they are always in the loop, and that everyone knows where they should be at any given time.  Your wedding coordinator may just be that team lead that you expect them to be, but realize communication gets dropped often and with all the weddings they do, details get lost.  Be your own advocate!!

Realize your vision:

Your wedding day is the most important moment of your life.  You’ve thought of this moment since you were small.  Your personal vision of Magic!  The fit of your dress, your wedding day, looking into your partners eyes as you say ‘I do’…

Your first dance together sets the tone for the rest of your life.  

We understand this isn’t a one size fits all world, so let us know what YOUR vision is.  What makes magic for you.

Take out a piece of paper and write down what this vision is.   Make sure you express it to every person on your team

 

Establish your priorities

You let us know what your limitations or expectations are and we’ll come up with options.  Let us know if you need a big band, high energy top 40 to fill up a large hall, or something unique and romantic for a quaint gathering.

 Do you want the chicken dance, or to request we avoid it if someone asks.  This is your vision… make this night be remembered the way you mentally paint it.

Also, making up a bullet list of items the band should be mindful of is always a good idea.

– 7pm dinner is served Play

– 7:45 BREAK

– 8pm Speeches

– 8:30 resume dinner music as we eat dessert.. etc

(typically it’s much easier if each team member is given just the items that involve their piece of the puzzle)

Pick 1 person that will be the point of contact for each service!!

You don’t want the band leader coming up to ask you when you want the first dance, if Beer Barrel Polka is appropriate, or when you want to do the Hora?
Make that be the best mans job.  Give his cell number to the band leader and a good band leader can magically turn around and quietly text big questions to a contact and no one will be the wiser.  You get a whisper in the ear and no one watches as the band leader trounces across the room to find you.

When you do organize your communication, your event appears to be seamless.

HAVE FUN!!!

Look, a wedding coordinators job is to calm you down and create organization… but you need to decide what kind of memories you want to create.
Do you and your partner just want to have fun and just not care what happens as long as your together, or do you want to stress over pictures taking 15 minutes too long.

If you need to be rigid because it’s a Sunday and grandma needs to leave by 9 and you want her there for the first dance, then that’s your priority, but if you can, I always recommend a few high points (Dinner is served at 7, first dance between 8:30-9:30 – best man will cue you, 11 last call) will give you the best results and keep things simple and fun.