I was asked to be part of a 60th birthday part at Capital Club. It has to be one of the best views to have downtown at the spot. I made sure I made more time to get my gear ready since its on the 17th floor. Best bet is to unload everything in the loading zone and take it up the elevator. Then come back to your car and move it in the garage. One of the positives is that they validate your parking with no questions asked.

  I was able to set up with 20 minutes to spare. We were playing a lot of 70s and 80s music. The guest of honor did not show up till 620. I was playing for the other guests while they waited. It was a surprise event so we all got quite when she arrived. The food we exquisite and the host took care of me and made sure I had a chance to eat.

At the end of the night, the hosts asked his family to help me put my gear away. He insisted that I take the help. It was very nice of him.

 Over all it’s a good spot to have an event. The waiters are very helpful and did everything to accommodate me. I did have an issue with the coordinator. In all the years I have been in the business I had two times I have been disrespected by staff. The first time I was at a Night Spot called Willow Den where the owner asked if this backpack I was about to put away asked me if that was my backpack and then he kicked it and said put it away. I moved my backpack and played the rest of the night and he called me to do another event but I didn’t accept it. Even though the owner disrespect me I still did my job as I was supposed to. The second time I have not been treated nicely was by the coordinator at the Capital Club. I was wearing a dress shirt and black jeans and nice Jordans. Coordinator asked me if I had other shoes and I said I didn’t it and she mentioned a dress code. I told her I was unaware of it but I will follow it next time. About 10 minutes later she mentions it again in-front of the clients and the clients told me not to worry about it. Keep in mind the coordinator did not hire me, but she was thinking I was her employee as she shoved a few chairs and told me to move them. And of course since I had a job to do I did not put up a stink but did what I had to do. But she did make me feel uncomfortable with her tone of voice. I did get a glowing review from my client. I did reach out to management but did not get a response. So please if you do do book the Capital Club please do not ask for Julee Winterbourne. Everyone there is pleasant but Julee may disappoint you.

Menlo Park- Holbrook Palmer Park Wedding Set Up

I did a ceremony and cocktail hour plus dance for a wedding. For this venue, it would be beneficial to have an assistant to help set up the equipment. For the ceremony there is a power source to set up on the corner and the bride and groom walk down the stairs. Most djs could use one speaker for the ceremony but I opt to use two.

While the wedding party takes photos after the ceremony then everyone walks over to the dinner area for cocktails. The question that arises is how many set ups would one need for the reception area. People dance inside but the cocktails and dinner is outside. There are a few choices. If you wanted to make it perfect, then a set up can be done outside. One can have one speaker but I have to have balance and had two out. I had a microphone set up for the toasts and announcements. Another option would be to set up in the dance area and have the speakers go out to the cocktail area. It would save time in setting up but the dj has to be inside or he can have an assistant manning the music while the dj can mc in the cocktail area. And of course the dance area inside would have two speakers. Venue does offer in-house speaker system.

The Park is a huge park with plenty of parking. I would recommend going to the venue before hand so you are prepared for the set up. If you organize it well then all one needs are two set ups.

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Did a birthday party on Saturday at the Los Gatos Lodge. This was an enjoyable party since the Birthday girl gave me songs that went through many generations. She had the music she grew up with and some current songs. She invited her family and friends to the celebration.

She did not want to give a speech but some folks gave speeches about her after dinner. Birthday girl was the first one on the dance floor and was dancing the whole night. It was definitely a good vibe that night and the dancing itch was in full effect. It did make the night go faster. It was a 6-hour event and cocktail and dinner only took two hours and the remaining 4 hours was straight dancing. We did not finish early and went straight to 11. I have to applaud the birthday girl and the guests who danced the night away. They were not teenagers but with their energy they seemed to be like them. I took all requests and even played some super new music then the guest realized we had to go back to the old school and we did go back to the old school. Because we know old school rules!

What birthday girl wanted was some up lighting.  She ordered 6 up lights and I spaced them around the room. Up lights do add some class to the room.

Staff was very nice and made sure I got to eat too. It was a quick set up and a quick close out. I was able to park in front of the venue and put everything away in my suv.

 Less than half a block away from the happening downtown area is a very snazzy hotel called the Los Gatos Toll House Hotel. The first time I went there I was blown away with how classy the establishment was. They have a nice outside area for ceremonies then for the reception they have a nice reception area to dance the night away. They place the dance floor anywhere you want it. The staff members are always pleasant. They are the definition of good hospitality.

I did a holiday party at the Toll House this past weekend. The group really liked to party and they started at the bar first. It was cocktail hour and they wanted some party music. Then dinner started and they still wanted some music to jam to. This was not your typical dinner crowd where you are playing Sinatra and Nat King Cole.  

The owner had some inspiring words to his staff member and he mentioned it was their best year ever. Everyone was ready to celebrate. The party started early and it went straight to closing time. It seemed like everyone was heading downtown night scene which is like a half block away.

Again, if you want a classy place to have a wedding or an event then the Toll House in Los Gatos is the place to go. They have excellent service and a good venue to have a monumental event. And one of the coolest things about it, folks can walk half a block to continue the party if they want to or able to go upstairs to their room if they need to rest from all the fun they just had.

  So I was fortunate to be at two different Marriott’s in two different cities and I was equally impressed with both Hotels. On Friday, I was in San Ramon Marriot. I had to park in the back in the dock of the hotel to unload my equipment. I was greeting by multiple workers. Most of the time I am ignored but it feels good to be greeted. In the back of the hotel they have rules to remind the employees. It just reinforces the concept of good customer service. On the sign, it mentions to smile to customers and also greet them. When I was unloading some employees asked if I need a bigger cart to help unload. Through out the night, I had to stay close to my mixer to make sure there was no feedback so I could not go out to eat but one of the employees asked if I need a drink and made sure I was hydrated.

  To have good customer service helps a venue become great. They hotel had 3 sources of entertainment going on at one time consisting of a band and two djs. In the room we were at we had a few chrismas trees that were decorated. They had outlets for power but also had power boxes incase I need more juice. Only a few places I have seen have that option of getting more power from the power box so it is good to have rather then not to have.  

   We had two events in two different Marriott’s and both of them excelled in customer service. Both places were elegant and the wait staff was very cheery. It was also nice that at the end of the event the staff was not trying to eagerly have me leave the premises with my equipment. Overall a top notch experience with a very good hotel chain.

Menlo Park Wedding Venue Holbrook Palmer Park

Up the 101 there is a pretty park that can hold weddings and private functions. Included is a ceremony area that includes trees and stairs great for pictures. One can hold a small intimate wedding at the venue. Then they can walk about a 150 steps to get to the dinner slash cocktail area which is an outside area. It would be an ideal for a summer gathering. There is shade for the outside the dinner slash cocktail area. 

I was part of a beautiful wedding celebration this past Saturday. I set up in the corner of the ceremony in the shade which I was so grateful. Classical music from Bach and Beethoven was the pre-ceremony music but the rest of the music was so unique. It was by far a very custom event and not your cookie cutter ceremony.  In the procession, a dancer gave her interpretation of a catchy muppet song. The officiant was a friend of the bride and groom and he said great insights about the couple. The couple had touching vows that they shared with their guests. 

There were many highlights of the night but one that stuck out was the bride wanted to dedicate a song to her new husband. She was able to arrange an instrumental and sing a beautiful song in front of everyone right after the thank you speech. It was a big surprise for everyone. Everyone knew the bride can sing but no one knew she was going to give them this treat.

Best load in in the business! It is so easy for outside vendors to park in 20 feet way you can unload everything. Staff is on it and make sure they get the door open and they are always readily available in case I needed anything. Recently we had a birthday celebration. The Birthday girl wanted the night club theme with karaoke. Dave and Busters catered the event buffet style. The main venue area had a nice bar area also The karaoke was available the whole night and folks were able to partake on it. Behind the Dj area there is a huge screen with a projector up high so in case the dj wanted to mix videos or show the karaoke above that could be an option. There is a good size stage and a good sized dance floor. They had these tall round tables on the side of the dance floor so guests can leave their drinks there and they did have some party games they can get involved in. What was cool was the tables were not there then someone told staff in within in 3 minutes all the tables were out. That is what I call service.

This is a great place to throw a party. You have you own private area then guests can go outside to the main arcade area and shoot free-throws, take out zombies, or race your fellow party goer in a race car. It is the best of both worlds.

Great staff and many options for fun at Dave and Busters in Milpitas.

Deep in South South San Jose is a beautiful golf course, Cinnabar Golf Course but it is more than a golf course. They have an event area to throw elegant parties. Last Saturday, I was at a wedding that was pleasant to the eye. The staff really did a good job setting up the tables and the décor. The wait staff was so on it. They were serving appetizers and made sure everyone had water at the table. It was a big wedding so they had a lot of work and handled it perfectly.  Cinanabar has an outside area where they can hold weddings or it can be the cocktail area. During the party they had managers to make sure the buffet line was not too long and they communicated to make sure the tables were released at their appropriate time. It was very efficient. Managers also introduced themselves to me and kept me in the loop of change of events. Cinnabar has a nice long bar to serve their guests. My favorite perk of the bar is they have fruit infused water that is self served in case the bartenders are serving others and you just want some water.

Cinnabar has had some new upgrades to the event area. They have a new white dance floor which stands out. It does feel more spacious than before. I was there last February and It has a fresh look. What I like about Cinnabar are the windows. They have windows everywhere so you can see wonderful expansive greens outside. I have done 2 weddings and a private party here and it has been phenomenal experiences. I look forward in playing her again soon.