We had a fun event at the middle school. I do love playing in the South County area since I love the energy. As I drove close to the school all these young players were getting ready to play their softball games. This area takes their sports serious so it just made me happy to see the youngsters playing a fun sport.

  I pulled up by the cafeteria\ gym to unload my gear. It was so convenient since I was right by the door. Students were preparing for a play so I could not set up on the stage but I was plenty enough early to not stress about it. The students left the stage and I was able to set up with 20 minutes to spare. A few of the girls wanted to practice the Cupid Shuffle but after that I was playing all pop music before show time. As most Jr. high dances the girls were on one side and the boys were on one side. Everyone was pretty much dancing with their group of friends. I was following the playlist they gave me but students wanted specific songs so they would write them up on a notepad. (Lots of Spanish was requested) If I had it then I would play it and if I did not have it then I would make a note on the notepad. I did take a picture of the notes to see what I would bring next time. School dances are so fun for us to do please contact Black & White Affair to make your party epic.

We did a beautiful back yard wedding in Hollister which had a beatiful view of the country side. We were able to get pages of Country hits and we did mostly country the whole night with some classics thrown in the mix. During cocktail and dinner hour we did lots of country. The biggest requests had to be Morgan Wallet As the night progressed bellies full of food and glasses full of wine., Guest started getting eager for the dance portion of the night. After some emotional speeches, we let it whip with some top 40, classic funky  hits from 70s and 80s, Hits of the night included Too hot by Kool and the Gang ,Cupid shuffle by Cupid, September by Earth Wind and Fire and slow song of the night was  Waiting for a Girl like You by Foreigner. The night kept going and people danced for the last 2 hours that remained at the event non stop, up until the last minute that we had to go! Glad we could be part of such a beautiful night full of fun memories! 

What made it magical was the bride and groom. They made the party happen with their energy and their ability to host a fun party.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival has been around for 41 years. It has been a pretty famous food event in the Bay Area for many years. It was the place to stock up on your Garlic flavored Ice Cream or Garlic dishes. Last year due to Covid, the festival and the rest of the world was shut down. But this year it has manifested to a new event. Years past it has operated at Christmas Hill Park. It is a huge park that could maintain the thousands of visitors. This year it is divided into three locations.

It included a drive by alley at Gilroy Presbyterian Church and a Farm to table dinner at Fortino Winery. And finally the Garlic Festival Golf Classic will be held July 30th. The festival has taken a new look and feel.

I was able to provide music at Fortino Winery. They had a little stage next to the vineyard where the folks were able to eat and listen to old school music. We decided the classics you can not go wrong. I went with 80’s new wave,  then jumped into the 90s. It was a fun atmosphere. My intention was just to play background music but the Gilroy folks wanted to dance and they did. The awesome Fortino staff were so accommodating to their patrons that the folks were happy. It was a good feel good vibe. Grandparents were with their grandchildren and couples were all there. It was a perfect mix.

It was a nice touch to have live music with great food. I was happy to be a part of it. When in doubt in choosing the music you cannot go wrong with going old school.

One of the reasons folks live in the bay area is because of the consistent good weather. People love to be outside. At times, its not too hot or too cold so they want to be outside. 

There is a big difference when you are setting up an outside or inside event. There is way less to think about when you are setting up inside. One does not have to think about the weather when you are inside. The main concern about being inside is how close are they to a power source. 

Outside, one has to think about the power source also. Does the dj need a generator or do they provide it themselves. How much extension chord do they need?

Also they need to provide shelter or will shelter be provided for them. The sun can damage gear and also prevent gear from working correctly. I learned that certain brands of speakers can not handle the heat and turned off with the heat when playing at an event in Gilroy. In Burbank in southern California the controller would turn off and one when it got to hot. 

 Since outside has more space of course then indoors the dj has to consider bringing more speakers to cover a larger area. Would 2 speakers work or would a few bigger ones be needed? For my main speakers I carry weather resistant covers to play in the hot sun or in the rain. 

So in the outside events, make sure your dj carries extra gear for the unexpected. As a client, it makes it easier to get them close to a power source and provide shelter for the dj and the gear. 

Tips for your Bay Area Quinceanera (San Jose, Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, Oakland)

Plan the event close to the birthday and be warned that Saturdays may be busy especially now since weddings have been held back the past year and a half. Sundays and Fridays may be options and be open to that. Lots of venues are getting booked so get this done asap to secure the location. 

Figure out the budget and decide what is most important for your event. You would want to splurge more on what you find important. Is it the venue or the food or the entertainment?

Search for the venue to hold your event and base it on the amount of guests you plan to invite.

Spend the time to find the right Quinceanera dress. 

Look for the right entertainment. Do you want a Banda or a Mariachi plus a Dj? At the very least, always hire a dj since they can play multiple genres of music and make announcements and they know what happens at Quinceanera

Consider getting a videographer and a photographer to film the event. Lots of memories that need to be captured. Plus images can be shared with the Quinceanera so they can share with their social media. Quinceanera can be just as monumental like a wedding so it does require just as much planning such as a wedding. 

Black and White affair has been in the event business since 2004. We specialize in Spanish music and have do many English Events across the Bay Area. We help planning the right music at the right time. Let us make the event an easy and stressfree event. 

Do it Yourself Music versus a DJ

Weddings are not cheap. It is one of the most special days of a bride and grooms life and they want to share it with the special folks around them. Weddings can be very intimate and have under 50 guests or they can be extravagant and have over 200 guests. The hosts have to provide the food, the venue and the entertainment. Location is something people can not skip on since it’s a must to have the physical reception. All these guests got to eat so food has to be in the wedding budget.

After everything has been paid for its time to see if there is budget for the entertainment. Oh brother Steve has an awesome cd collection and he likes the same kind music that we have. Or maybe someone can stream music off their phone.

A dj is more than just a dj and a button pusher. They follow a timeline and make announcements to keep the guests in the know.  They see the crowd and keep feeding them what they want to hear to keep the dancefloor filled.

 Maybe you don’t want to have a dance party then having a friend play off their system. If one goes that route then make sure you have a timeline. A wedding planner can get you one or if you reach out to a dj then they can give you a sample template.

Which is better to have a friend doing music or having a professional dj?

 To have a good party is like a good business, you need good marketing. Usually it’s the folks who were in the student leadership spearhead the whole event. It would be ideal to form a committee since it is a lot of work and they can cover more ground in numbers. They can reach out to the school and advertise it on the marquee. They can create a facebook reunion class page to let folks know of the event. It would be great to send save the date notices by snail mail or by emails.

Plan to have the Reunion on a Saturday since it gives folks an opportunity to come to town  and not have the feel to rush back to their place of residence.

They find a dj that knows music for their high school period. Typcially the dj looks for the top hits the 4 years the students were at school.

There is no such thing as the older the class the less chance of them dancing. With a good playlist, people will be dancing. A good dj will keep the soft hits for the dinner portion of the night but save the floor fillers for the end of the night.

A good host will reach out to guests and ask for their favorite songs of their high school years and record the list and give it to the dj. Its best to send that list at least a week in advance so the dj has enough time to organize the music for the event.

How to Pick the Best Dj in the San Francisco Bay Area

In the San Francisco Bay, many folks plan all different kinds of events such as private events, weddings, and corporate events. Maybe years ago, you may have had buddies who dabbled in the dj field but you don’t know if they still are in the field. But you are throwing an event and you want a professional so who do you turn to?

Check previous experience

These days everyone loves looking at reviews. Check out the Yelp Reviews and Google Reviews. Take a look at their Facebook Business Page to see if they are doing events currently and if they post consistently.

Talk with them

Ask them how busy they are. A good dj is a busy dj. Yes, there are loads of djs out there but the ones that are working are the ones that are sought out. Communicate with the dj to get a sense of their professionalism. Ask them what is included in their dj package. Does the dj bring their own lights and microphones? How many speakers will they bring to the function?  How is their response time? Does the dj respond quickly or does it take days to email or call back?

Look at their Website

A good dj should have a website that talks about what they do and who they are. Does it look professional?

Listen to their mixes

A dj will have example of their mixes either on their website or a page dedicated to their mixes. You will get the vibe of the kind of music that he plays and style of mixing. Some djs can give out usb’s with their mixes and some can even give out cds.