damomoo

Bring That Beat Back is gettin' busy!

Man, in this month of December, I have had gig after gig after gig. Thank God too because with this house comes a huge property tax and half of it was due this month as well. And with me not working as much and the hotel pay being what it is, it's a welcome dj schedule for me.

On Dec 1st I had a gig for the San Pablo Police dept. At the Sevilla wedding I did in the summer an officer was there and liked the work we did for them so he hired us for their X-mas party. It was on a friday night and it was scheduled from 6pm to 12am so we were going to be busy. The PD had a nice ceremony for awards that they gave out, including officer of the year. The Chief was the emcee and he really had his officers clinging to his every word. The winner was a female cop who was also a martial arts champ. When the dinner was over we started the dancing but apparently someone had a couple suites upstairs with a ton of alcohol so a lot of the officers went there instead. It was all good since we still had a good crowd, mostly administration, who hung out and danced. One thing that did surprise me with SPPD, not a lot of black cops. Hmmm...

The next day I had a wedding reception in SF for a nice couple that knew Ledge, who referred us (thanks man!). The bride is a nurse and the groom is a doctor trying to finish up his residency. Also, she was Pinay and he was Vietnamese. The reception took place at Yank Sing in the Rincon center and I was setup in this corner spot with my huge Mackie speakers. I was cramped but it worked out anyways. They had the huge 12 course meal with all kinds of food but I had a vendor plate, one that could have been from Panda Express. It was actually perfect because I was busy doing things throughout the night but seeing those honey walnut shrimp... man. When we finished up the ceremonial portions of the reception we had just over a half hour of dancing. It was cool for me because I could just quick mix my way through the night and get all kinds of music out of the way. Overall, the reception turned out nicely and the couple was happy with the work.

A week later I had offered to dj for my aunt's church function and she invited our whole family. So the wife and kids joined me as we made our way to the Coast Guard facility in Alameda. It was pouring that day. The guard needed both the registration and proof of insurance and I couldn't find the current insurance paper. She was going to make me park in the lot and walk my ass and all my equipment over to the hall a block and a half away. Thankfully, the wife found our current one and we made it in. The gig was easy as the ladies gave me a cd with their favorite line-dance songs. Amazingly, they did the same line-dance to all different songs. Go figure. It was a cross between the electric slide and Saturday Night Fever.
Sunday, I played for the Likha X-mas party but with it being a Sunday night, most people left pretty early. We hung out for a little while with the usual suspects and ended the weekend. Oh, the next day, I had orientation at my new job.

Again, the next Friday I had a gig for the X-mas party of Catholic Healthcare West. We did their party last year which was accompanied with a Monte Carlo night. Most people gamble last year but this year since it was just dinner and dancing the pressure was on me to keep the party going. By the way, I was back at the Rincon center at Yank Sing. That's where they held their party and I got another vendor plate. I got the crowd going with a little Michael Jackson and moved from genre to genre, swing to cha cha to hip hop. By the end of the night, it was mainly hip hoppers and old schoolers and they stayed till the end. Another good gig overall. Thanks Marilen!

Saturday I deejayed a wedding over in Palo Alto on the 280 side. This was a Korean American couple who saw us at another wedding as well. This reception was more chill as the hall itself fit around 110 with a X-mas tree in the room as well. It was mainly eating and speeches but they did stick around a little for some dancing. One touching moment was seeing the father of the bride play saxophone for his daughter. She had a hard time keeping the tears from flowing and he played very well. The bride and groom were very gracious to me and they showed their appreciation with a really nice tip. I was shocked but very grateful.

I still have one more gig, a wedding for one of the wife's old co-workers. This one is on the day before New Year's eve. I don't have a New Year's gig although I would have like to have played somewhere. I think my mixing and music selection has improved and that I could hold my own in a big event. But with December being as busy as it is, I can use the break.

posted by DJ John @ 8:37 PM