Category Archives: Bands/Disc Jockeys

Honey Train – Boston Wedding Band – Wedding Professional Spotlight

We love working with new bands each and every year. In 2015, we were introduced to a new band from Boston named Honey Train. They were the entertainment at Clare and Jake’s spring wedding at the Glen Manor House in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

We truly appreciate when bands bring the same cooperative, “whatever is best for the couple” attitude to the wedding day. That was the immediate feeling I received from Honey Train’s band leader Jason Felitto. Additionally, one important part of the wedding day for us is that we need great audio for our wedding films. To accomplish this, we always work with the DJ or band to try and capture the best audio possible from the reception, especially for the toasts. Honey Train was super cooperative in this respect. The experience was the same when we had the pleasure of working with Honey Train again in October, as they played for Robyn + Joe’s wedding at the Hermitage Club in West Dover, VT. We captured the following footage for the band at that wedding.

Why else do we like them? First of all, we love a band that gets a crowd moving and dancing. It obviously makes our wedding films better and Honey Train has passed the test multiple time here. Secondly, they create a great live and interactive experience as they will get out on the dance floor and engage the wedding couple and their guests. Finally, they bring that cooperative attitude. Joya, Ryan, Jay, Dennis, Kyle, Jordan, Brandon all work hard and want what is best for the couple and it shows. Enjoy two quick clips from one of our latest Boston Wedding Films.

https://vimeo.com/148778405

Leave your commentPosted by Jamie Pod on July 8, 2016No Comments

Bands/Disc Jockeys, Vendor Spotlight

Vendor of the Month – Brian Nicks Productions – Professional DJ

It seems that one of the consistent vendors in the wedding industry is the disc jockey. The premier DJs tend to remain as the premier DJs. So, when a new disc jockey moves into that premier group, it is rare. This month’s Vendor of the Month is one those DJs that has risen into the premier DJ category over the past few years.

Brian Nicks Productions has burst onto the scene in multiple ways, but Brian’s bread and butter is being a great disc jockey. Brian has the main elements of a great DJ, which is threefold. First, he really is a great communicator, as he invests into his couples learning all about them and their wedding day. He is also is a great communicator on the wedding day keeping vendors up to date on all the formalities of the reception, so they can capture it the best way possible. Secondly, he is very good emcee. Brian has the perfect voice for the microphone and he really knows how to get the crowd going during introductions. Finally, Brian can read a crowd. That means he knows the right music to play to keep different crowds dancing all the time. The right music choices and mixing of songs will tremendously affect the reception experience and Nicks just has that knack of reading the crowd.

In addition to his role as disc jockey, Brian and his Project Manager Sam Moniz are busy as bees working on the Brides Tell All events, which allow future brides to hear from three former brides about their experiences on their wedding day. Brian gets the nod for being one of those vendors who is passionate about the business and that’s why he is August’s Vendor of the Month.

Leave your commentPosted by Jamie Pod on August 10, 2012No Comments

Bands/Disc Jockeys, Vendor Spotlight

Vendor of the Month – Men in Black – Boston Wedding Band

For June, I had to highlight a wedding band that I had the pleasure of working with recently, as they just stood out from the crowd. My June wedding Vendor of the Month is the Boston band, Men in Black.

Men in Black caught my eye right away as we both set-up for the reception. It was clear to see that this wedding band wanted to perfect each of the special moments that evening, as every instrument had to be precisely tuned for every formal dance. Before the reception started, the band’s leader, Jeff, coordinated with the facility, the photographers and the cinematographers to make sure everyone was on the same page and that doesn’t happen all that often. Jeff emceed the introductions and did a fantastic job getting the crowd rocking early on, as the family, bridal party, and bride and groom entered the tent at Gore Place in Waltham, MA. The dance floor was packed from start to finish with a little band-crowd interaction mixed into the evening to keep the energy at its highest.

The band comes with plenty of credentials, as they have earned three straight the Knot – Best of Wedding awards and two straight Wedding Wire Bride’s Choice Awards in the Boston wedding market. Men in Black was chosen by Dropkick Murphy’s Tim Brennan to play at his wedding and the band was also chosen to be the wedding band in the movie “The Proposal” with Sandra Bullock.

Leave your commentPosted by Jamie Pod on June 4, 2012No Comments

Bands/Disc Jockeys, Vendor Spotlight

Vendor of the Month – 5 Star Events

The vendor of the month for March is not only one of the top DJs in the Boston area, but in all of Massachusetts. Greg Hodges of 5 Star Events is a vendor that has the three must haves of a good disc jockey – great Master of Ceremony abilities, the ability to read a room, and a commitment to his clients.

I got the opportunity to work alongside Greg just a few weeks ago at the Four Seasons in Boston. He set the mood right away as he introduced the wedding party with an energy-building pace that got the reception rocking with the entrance of the bride and groom. Early in the evening, we had a conversation of what type of crowd was in the ballroom that night. His music choices got people right out of their seats after dinner, and now I have a great dance section for my wedding film. Finally, it was easy to see the care he put into the couple and their wedding reception as his 4-page information sheet was extremely detailed and organized.

Greg has also earned the respect of a few of my cinematography colleagues as well. We have had conversations about who the top vendors are to work with at weddings and Greg’s 5 Star Events is right at the top of the list. Greg was also voted Boston’s #1 Disc Jockey by Boston’s A-List in 2011. In addition to their DJ services, Five Star Events offers uplighting services.

Leave your commentPosted by Jamie Pod on March 7, 2012No Comments

Bands/Disc Jockeys, Vendor Spotlight

Vendor of the Month – And The Beat Goes On DJ

With the new blog, I knew I would have to bring back some of the best vendors of the month to receive the honor for a second time. There is no better vendor to start the two-time honorees with than And the Beat Goes On DJ out of West Springfield, Massachusetts.

If there is one vendor that I would say is the ‘must have’ vendor in this area, it’s Dan Cavanaugh from And the Beat Goes On DJ. Dan is pound for pound, across all areas of the wedding industry in Western Mass. and Connecticut, the most complete vendor available. Dan has the experience (over 1500 weddings), he has the passion (his energy is contagious), he has the professionalism that I truly connect with, and he has the ability to keep every party rolling all night long.

I get paired with Dan on several occasions every year and I thoroughly enjoy working by his side. First of all, he makes all of my films so energetic during the dance segments. Secondly, Dan is always so well prepared, as he will meet with couples up to three times before their wedding date. Brides and grooms always come into their wedding day with the utmost confidence in their DJ for good reason.

Once the reception begins, Dan is phenomenal as the Master of Ceremonies. The energy level he creates as the newly married couple enters for their reception is just awesome. As the night continues on, Dan has the ability to read a crowd and play the right music to keep the dance floor packed all night long. There are only a hand full of DJs that truly have this ability and Dan is one of them. Reception Coordinator. Master of Ceremonies. Top notch Disk Jockey. Dan Cavanaugh does it all at every wedding reception.

Posted by Jamie Pod on June 2, 2011

Bands/Disc Jockeys, Vendor Spotlight

Vendor of the Month – Beantown

It was in February that I met this month’s vendor of the month at Hilary and Jesse’s Valentine’s weekend wedding in the Berkshires at the Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club in Lenox, MA. I was simply blown away by the sound, energy and professionalism of the band Beantown on that Saturday evening and they have earned my vendor of the month honor for April of 2011.

The band consists of 10 members including three dynamic front vocalists, a rhythm section of keyboards, bass, guitar, and drums plus an outstanding saxophonist, trumpeter and trombonist. An on-board sound engineer ensures terrific sound at all times with their state of the art sound system. They also can light the reception’s major events with great spot lights which gives your wedding a professional feel, not to mention that it makes the wedding film sparkle. Their music collection was dynamic and each and every song had a great sound. One of the highlights of the night for me was their rendition of the Devil went Down to Georgia which capped off their second set of music. I added the video clip below of that song.

The band demonstrated great master of ceremonies skills which is a must if you do not have a DJ. The band interacted with the crowd on several occasions which only infused energy into the room, as the dance floor was never bare on this February night. How the band interacts on their dinner break is always a good indication of character and Beantown’s members got a long really well (which is not always the case) and they were, honestly, anxious to get back on stage once they had finished their meal. Click on this link to learn more about the band and to see a live concert performance sample of their work.

http://www.vimeo.com/19949544

Posted by Jamie Pod on April 2, 2011