Review Centre: Musical Acts

"Craig brings back the sound and enjoyment of yesteryear...no canned music..no backing tracks...no music stand... Craig entertains and interacts very professionally with his audience. Add in some trivia. .give aways and great sound...you will be very happy to have hired this musician."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"There's no denying it. This is truly a top-notch performance, and it's nice to see the smiles on these guys' faces. Read more at: https://biletyna.pl/koncert/LED-ZEPPELINI-SHOW-by-Zeppelinians"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The entertainment provided by Flora was incredible, she was absolutely perfect for our event and added a real touch of class to the evening. As both a singer and a harpist, Flora is amazing and we would definitely give her a 5 out of 5. Everyone at the Wedding commented on how brilliant Flora was and we would not hesitate in booking with her again. Flora was extremely polite and a really lovely person to be around, she added even more happiness to our special day!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"On a beautiful August night JSJBF member band The Gumbo Gum bas, a project that grew out of leader Joe Grillo and his late brother Alfie's love of all things New Orleans, played to an appreciative crowd at Bands on the Beach. This was the second of two shows held on the beach for this summer-long Sunday night concert series, sponsored by the City of Long Branch in association with the JSJBFT. his show gave the band a chance to play live much of the material that can be found on their new CD, "Zydeland," with our own Jill Baskind donning the rub board for a couple of tunes. For those of you who may not get the reference in the title, Zydeco is a southern Louisiana dance music featuring the accordion, rub board and in this case horns. The music on the CD was dedicated to Alfie, who passed during the pandemic, and their mixing engineer, Tim Gilles, who left us during the making of the CD. All of the band members who appeared on the beach are on the record, including Dave Anthony on drums, Vinnie Borselli on trumpet, Joe on tenor sax and vocals, Steve Munter on baritone sax and clarinet, Greg Novick on bass, Steve "Big Squeezy" Rice on accordion and piano and Lars Wendt on trombone. All tunes were written, arranged and produced by Joe except as noted below. The opening title track "Zydeland," begins with the measured beat of the drums and is joined quickly by the accordion, with the horns kicking in as the lyrics invite you to join the band on a journey to this magical, musical place. As with any good Gumbo, it's flavored with local ingredients, in this case a dose of the Jersey Shore sound spices up the mix. "Dance With Me" picks up the beat and is reminiscent in tempo and style to one of Joe's major influences, Louis Prima. If this tune doesn't get you out of your seat, nothing will. "Waiting for the Cane," is dedicated to the crazies who choose not to evacuate, but start the party in anticipation of a hurricane, and party they will to this number. "King Cake" includes lyrics by Joe and music by Steve, was explained to the uninitiated that night as the legendary dessert of Mardi Gras which is said to bring luck and prosperity to whoever gets the plastic baby in their piece. It's a high energy number that gives each member of the horn section a chance to stretch out and strut their stuff, and they made it a highlight of that night and the CD. The recorded version of this song literally jumps out of the speakers. "Can't Go Back To New Orleans" is a moving tribute to Joe's brother, envisioning an ode to the city they both love through the sound of Tom Waits, one of Alfie's favorite artists. I got the chills listening to what starts out as a somber tune but ends in an upbeat fashion, finishing with Frank Rein's tuba. Joe and Vinnie collaborated on the lyrics to the tall tale of "Gumbo Parmesan," a song that's lyrics are as much of a fun dream its title implies. "By the Water'' has that infectious "Congo Square" beat, which is highlighted by Dave's opening drum pattern with accompanying percussion and conjures up a scene of the locals doing a NOLA style tap dance. With lyrics by Ken Morrison and music by Steve Rice, "Drifting Off and Dreaming of You" is a mid twentieth century style ballad, complete with strings, and has Joe in the role of a crooner which he does quite eloquently. A welcome respite from the nonstop party to this point, he sounds like the last man at the bar, smoke curling up from that final cigarette, with drink in hand, thinking about the woman of his dreams. The penultimate song, "Drinks On the House," is another fanciful flight of fantasy which would be loads of fun as an MTV video. Bring on the aliens, it's party time! The final tune, "Why Can't Everyday Be Mardi Gras?," is a fitting end to this party with Steph's clarinet leading the second line followed by the rest of the band with a chorus children along the route singing out the refrain. For this band, every time they start to play it's Mardi Gras. If these songs don't leave you smiling and dancing I don't know what will. Mission accomplished in the fun department as far as I'm concerned."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"John was fantastic, really made our whole event! Thanks so much!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I listened to Jack's Soundcloud account and was massively impressed at his music selection. I was already confident he'd do a good job. I cannot recommend Jack enough for Djing at my wedding. A face to face meeting way before the date was great. Explained lots about setting up and options previous clients had made and we could copy. The setup we chose was great. The lights and DJ booth looked fantastic. The giant LOVE letters became a backdrop for the first dance and made us look wicked. I was allowed the confetti cannon, but that woulda been an amazing feature to impress the guests! I could have given him specific tracks to play but I just gave him a list of artists and bands and let him choose. His music choice was important to me as I didn't like the other wedding DJ's that played the cheesy wedding music but I'm sure he can do that well too. The man is a legend for playing some of my favourite tracks without even being specific! Great intuition! I was really happy on the night and so were my guests. He's a great guy and would hire him again if I ever needed a DJ for any occasion. Thanks mate"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"An awesome EDM DJ! Knows how to rock the crowd and amazing track selection. Would recommend!!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Alison stepped in last minute when previously booked musicians cancelled and was an absolute delight. She understood the vibe of the group from the start of the night and changed her set accordingly. Got everyone up dancing and really made the atmosphere wonderful. She has a beautiful voice and is so friendly and accommodating - just fantastic!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Nadia rounded off the evening at my birthday party perfectly. She took my music requests into account and even played an extra long encore. Thank you very much! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I have gone to see By The Order on dozens of occasions now and I've never seen the same show twice! I've seen them play intimate venues for birthdays, rowdy student nights, engagement celebrations, "pubs" and entertainment for restaurants. They have such a distinct sound which is driven by the incredible front woman, who always seems to know exactly what the room needs to kick it up a notch. Her take on such a wide variety of songs is what keeps me coming back. It's not just rock songs either, there are some excellent versions of more modern classics which blow me away and always leaves me hoarse trying to sing along. TL:DR - They're great, go see them!"

Reply by Bto
Thankyou so it means the world Hope to see you on the dance floor soon A million thankyous BTO

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Great performance that added a lot of atmosphere to our party thanks a lot "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Casamiento Vladi Sax Muy profesional, buena música y buen humor. Da el 100 por ciento, la actuación fue animada, variada e interesante Muchas gracias"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Highly recommend Kabelo! He brought a touch of class to our corporate function. Our guests were impressed by his skill and stage presence. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"They were great! High energy and played allot of good dance music. Thank you!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you so much for being our wedding band! Everyone had such a great time; your energy is infectious! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: