The Radio Record Hop Blog!

2006-09-19T16:55:00.000-05:00

Where Did Summer Go?

It doesn't seem that long ago that we were rejoicing that Memorial Day finally arrived and summer was right around the corner. We had some hot weather, then some cool weather and even some rain. We suffered through the mosquitoes of July and the yellow-jackets of August. Now, Labor Day has come and gone. The weather has gotten cold. We've turned in our tank tops and short and are dressed in sweatshirt and jeans.

I'm sure we all started the summer with lofty goals and plans. We were going to spend more time working on the yard, more time exercising to get in shape and more time relaxing with the family. Did we do these things? We probably pretty much did what we always do and the time flew by faster than ever.

Now that fall is upon us, we look forward to the fun activities that will take place. We're excited about providing music for a number of great scouting parties. Please check out our website www.radiorecordhop.com for a listing of the locations and date where we will be performing. And, as always, we invite you to stop by and check us out. Perhaps you're planning an event for your group. We'd love to entertain for you too.

2006-08-18T23:54:00.000-05:00

Which way?

An unpopular war is raging and the US is involved. Events in the decade have shocked America and it has seemed to have lost its rudder and has become a land of opposing forces. Equality was a hot topic and had in many respects become a dividing line. There was an air of "Your with us or you're against us" in the political discussions of the day.

No, the time is not today, but 1965. America is involved in the Vietnam War. It had watched on TV and JFK was shot and later told he he had died. It lost Bobby Kennedy as well and was a land of racial strife as Doctor Martin Luther King worked to get Equal Rights for people of color.

Enter The J. Blanton Belk - musical group The Colwell Brothers, and Herb Allen who assembled a cast of over 150 international talent and formed "Up With People" A choreographed performance program with soloists or small groups backed by a large chorus and a collection of songs about how hard work and clean living had made America great and were what would be needed to continue making America and the rest of the world great was meant to inspire and reinforce such goals.

In the summer 1968 they appeared in Milwaukee at Milwaukee County Stadium. The county provided a stage that was a really semi trailer with one side that dropped down. Perhaps you have seen it on the lakefront during the fireworks pre-show.

Tim of our show had the chance to see them during this performance and it is a very memorable moment in his life. The show was followed by a spectacular fireworks show in the outfield. His parents purchased the LP that evening at the show and it remains a very clear memory. He found a copy a couple of years ago at a rummage sale. (did you know he is addicted to them?)

Up With People was featured in the 1976 Super Bowl, Longtime NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle called hiring the group "my second biggest mistake, after playing the week JFK was shot". There were no wardrobe mishaps. Later The Simpsons would parody them with a group called "Hooray for Everything!"

The program toured the US and grew until it was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1968. By this time Up With People had developed into a leadership-training program (for the chorus members and others). Trainees would pay to be part of the program, and their training would in large part consist of handling logistics of the traveling show, including finding host families to provide free lodging for the troupe and doing community service. The program was well organized and met with enough success that at one point it was taking $30 million per year, with five complete touring groups. Over 20,000 students from 79 countries have participated in performances in 38 countries around the world. Several later it would experience hard times and run out of funding. It currently is involved as an International teaching and outreach organization in many countries of the world. The performance portion no longer exists.

Among the former members you would find Actress Glenn Close then known as Gleen Close and several others who have found fame on the international scene.

The show and the LP ended with the same song, one that perhaps sums up the groups and perhaps something that still lingers as a question yet today in these uncertain times.

There was a baritone soldier in the spotlight, on bended knee and he asked the following question in the song "Which Way America?"

Which way America?
Which way America?
Which way America?
Which way to go?
This is my country and I want to know
Which way America is going to go.

...
There is many a storm before us,
Many a choice to make,
I'm gonna ask the Lord above
To show me the road to take.

We are Radio Record Hop. A DJ Dance show over 23 years in the making.

Radio Record Hop is proud to be Southeast Wisconsin's most professional and affordable mobile DJ service. We serve the following counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Ozaukee, Kenosha, Jefferson, Washington and Dodge. We will travel beyond this immediate service area. As always, please check out our website at http://www.radiorecordhop.com/.

2006-07-31T17:16:00.000-05:00

Music and Memories

Whether you listen to the radio, tapes or CD's while driving in your car, truck or van, the music will often trigger memories. You might here a song that was popular while you were in grade school, high school or college. Or, maybe it's a song that was played during a very memorable dance at home coming, prom or some one's wedding reception.

Music can often bring back very vivid and powerful memories, allowing you to literally "re-live" the moment. Depending on your age, you probably have some music related memories of hearing various songs on the radio. Maybe you were traveling on a family vacation or group trip and enjoyed listening to local radio stations. Many times we would hear unfamiliar songs due to the regional aspect of radio that existed in the second half of the 1900's.

Today, with satellite radio, personal MP3 players and CD players, we find ourselves listening less to local radio and it will be interesting to see if this has an impact on the power of music related memories.

Hopefully the next time you enjoy our music at your upcoming wedding reception, class reunion or party, we will be able to rekindle a fond memory for you, or even better, create a new memory that you will enjoy for the rest of your life. Be sure to check out our website at www.radiorecordhop.com

2006-07-27T23:46:00.000-05:00

Is there Talent in America?

12 year old Caitlyn Taylor Love sang, it was a big song, was she out of tune in some places? Team Acrodunk showing a new way to slam dunk! Sonia Lee electified the audience with her hot pink electric violin. Elliot did nothing for Piers who called him a ‘wanna be’. Ten13Concept just didn't cut it with the judges, all three of them voting them down. The Rappin' Granny had every one in the house on their feet, shouting "Go Granny!". Nathan showed an incredible magic act, disappearing from the stage and reappearing behind the judges - to their surprise as you might expect! Bianca Ryan showed off all the power she had in her voice, and the panel of judges thought it was too much. I guess you can't please everyone. Kenny gave a hot performance, juggling fireballs to the delight of all three of the judges. And, last on stage was Trey Night's Stilt World, which unfortunately found that it was also their last performance on the show because one of the members of the troupe fell off their stilt and hit the stage.

In the end the judged picked the Rappin Granny as the best performer.

Who will America pick as their choice to move in to the next round? Stay tuned!

2006-07-20T23:36:00.000-05:00

America's Got Talent Update

Well, The Horn Man fell flat. N'Versity failed to diversify their personal stock by comming forth with a winning performance. Even the usually kind Brandy was tough on them. Where they trying too hard and lacking chemesty amongst themselves? Hmm?

Sugar and Spice, 8 brothers and sisters ranging from age 3 to 14 showed their stuff on stage and, well, it was sadly not a stelar performance. Their's is a sad story of great poverty and need, but the judges were not looking at that. Hopefully they will find a way out of their situation.

A young Natasha Le wowed the stage with some great piano playing, showing that Classical Music is not dead. The only 'Professional Snapper", and former star of a Fed-Ex commercial amazed the judges, but not quite enough to get into the final.

In the end the acrobatics of Realis wowed the judges who struggled to make a decision. And the pick from America's calls and visits to the NBC website gave the nod to At Last. Even if they don't make it to win a Million, look for these 4 talented guys in your nearby CD rack. Wow. Very tight harmony.

We are Radio Record Hop; a DJ providing service to Southeast Wisconsin and beyond. You can visit our website at www.radiorecordhop.com

2006-07-14T07:23:00.000-05:00

Last night the Call-in winner was annonced on America's Got Talent. Young Taylor Ware was picked to move into the Semi Finals.

Tune in again next week for another episode and see what happens. Will nerves cause props to fail? Will the wrong song send someone home with three X's to their name?

In the meantime, enjoy your summer!

2006-07-13T00:16:00.000-05:00

Yes, America Has Talent!

Have you been watching the show “America’s Got Talent”? Not since the days of Ed Sullivan has such an array of talent been part of one TV show, and the result is very entertaining.

During the auditions we were treated to everything from Yodeling by young Taylor Ware and hip-hop-meets-tap-dance by “All That” to an amazing couple that in the blink of an eye changed clothing. In between that great talent there was a 60-year-old male stripper, there was “the laughing Yogi”, who didn’t have good Karma with the judges, a man who launched a bowling ball with steak knives in the holes (blade out mind you) from his foot to the crook of his neck while he had a scorpion in his pants and a variety of folks who took to the stage and tried to sing and not get buzzed off the stage by Pier, Brandy or David.

Of course, much like American Idol there is one judge who is “Simon” (he is after all the co-producer of the show. In this case that would be Pier. He really demands a high standard of the talent. Most of the time during the audition phase he would hit his buzzer seconds into the performance. Brandy and David, would of course be more gracious. Except for a few who didn't warrent a full performance, such as the woman who was doing a 1 person show about birds, or the "Shadow Dancers."

Some the performers that appeared the first week of the semi-final have been amazing. It would be interesting to learn even a bit of how Kevin Johnson does the Godzilla bit. All that, well, they were, well. Hmm, what else but All That.

But in the end, the judges returned a verdict that put The Millers in position to advance. The Millers are a blues act and, yes, they are brothers. (Would that make them the Blue Brothers? Hmm, maybe not.)

Tomorrow night they announce who those who called into phone numbers to vote put into the next level of the competition.

Regardless of how they finish in the show, look for future stardom from Taylor Ware, Alexis Jordan, Kevin Johnson, Corina Brouder, Shawn Ryan, Vladik, Hoopalicious or All That.

Perhaps you’ll hear something from one of the singers at one of our performances in the future. We’ll all have to wait to see what will come.
We are Radio Record Hop, a DJ show that is 21 years in the making, and still going strong. We are proud to be Southeast Wisconsin's most professional and affordable mobile DJ service. We serve the following counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Ozaukee, Kenosha, Jefferson, Washington and Dodge. We will travel beyond this immediate service area. As always, please check out our website at http://www.radiorecordhop.com/.

2006-06-25T13:19:00.000-05:00

Hope...

We just finished up a very busy weekend at Radio Record Hop. We participated in an event called Badger Bash, a weekend long gathering of Girl and Boy Scout Troops from all over Wisconsin and northern Illinois. During the weekend, troops competed in a number of areas, some scouting related, others just for fun.

When the troops first arrived Friday evening at Catholic Memorial High School, they each picked a table in the cafeteria as theirs. The first bit of competition was to make up a banner that would decorate their table. It was interesting to note how they stuck to their own group during the early stages of the weekend; not much interaction was taking place. This would soon change.

On Friday night, troops had an opportunity to be part of a “Badger Bash Idol” contest, where they each performed Karaoke as a group, and also just for the fun of it. Singing everything from current music to holiday songs, they really gave it a great effort. Paula Abdul would have been proud of them. We provided the Karaoke music, sound system and acted as MC’s for the evening.

Saturday was the big day at Badger Bash. We were there taking photos for a presentation we would put together and show the group on Saturday evening.

Teams competed in games such as moving stones in the shapes of the states from one end of Gym to the other and then assemble them correctly to make up the United States map, trying to be the fastest team to do so. Another challenge was the vertical leap, testing how high you could jump, as well as a long jump competition. Scouts also could display talent in knowledge of knots, star constellations and Morse code using semaphore flags.

It was interesting to see how the different groups approached this last one with some gathering all of the dots and dashes of the code then trying to decode it, while others decoded each letter and word as it was flagged to them from the far end of the hall. It really required working as a team and thinking together.

Throughout the day, the groups started to merge. There was much more interaction. Kids started talking to one another, sitting in small groups talking and laughing between games. There was the occasional cheer for the performance of another group and high-fives between teams.

After lunch it was time for outdoor games. Here troops competed with a ‘frog’ catch, golf target shooting game, football and Frisbee toss as well as an obstacle course and weight pulling challenge. On more than one occasion, after someone hit a bad shot on the golf game, there were cheers of encouragement from the rest of the troop; “Relax, you can do this!” was shouted. And then several cheers and high-fives when they followed with a great shot.

Meantime, under a nearby tent, scouts relaxed, ate watermelon and talked. Outbursts of laughter were very common!

Some very competitive volleyball games followed in the afternoon, followed a delicious, home-cooked dinner. Here while music we had put together, which had been playing all day continued, there was once again more intermingling of troops. It was not uncommon to see kids from any troop scattered around the room, sitting at tables with kids from other troops.

After dinner, we showed our presentation that was photos we had taken throughout the weekend set to music. This was a first for us, and we were pleased that the technology allowed us to put something like this together. Computers! Gotta love ‘em!

Then, dance music. We played a wide variety of dance music and had at one point 35 requests entered in the software program we build that helps up keep track of the music we play or will play. That is an all time record! And over the 4 hours we played, we were able to fill most of them.

It was fun to see how the kids were intermingled during the dancing. Who won an award or did not, who jumped highest or was stronger did not matter. In a world where beating someone out of being first in line is held in high esteem, where teenagers of all races are shooting one another as a battle for territory, or using drugs or alcohol to escape this troubling world, it was a relief to see these young people. They were kids, they were ‘all Gods children’ to quote a song, and the treated one another with respect and friendship.

If ever you want to feel there is some hope for this world, and hope for a bright future, watch the teens of today. The one’s who are not making the headlines for getting into trouble. You will see we do have a chance for good things to happen. Scouting gatherings like the Badger Bash is such time when the masks of difference come off and our true nature of caring for one another can be shown.

Badger Bash is one such example. They are all around us. Look for them.

That we at Radio Record Hop can play for a weekend like this, and have done so for the last three years is perhaps proof that we can play a wide variety of music and provide professional DJ services for your next occasion, whatever it may be.

Please visit us on-line at http://www.radiorecordhop.com/.

2006-06-22T10:38:00.000-05:00

Badger Bash 2006

This weekend we will be making our third consecutive appearance at Badger Bash. This is an annual event held at Catholic Memorial High School in Waukesha, WI.

On Friday evening as the Boy Scout troops, Girl Scout troops and Venture crews assemble, we will host a Karaoke party. It's always a lot of fun to see the high school age young men and young women perform and try to sound like their favorite singing stars.

Saturday is filled with various completions. Boys compete against boys and girls compete against girls. There are track events, volleyball, a football toss plus some fun events. The participants will also compete in some scout skill events including compass, signaling and knot tying.

After a home cooked dinner, the day wraps up with a video recap of the weekend, the presentation of awards and a four hour dance. That's where Radio Record Hop comes in. We present a variety of today's top hits plus some country favorites and golden oldies.

No matter what your event, consider Radio Record Hop to provide the music. Check us out at www.RadioRecordHop.com. You can find out more about Badger Bash at www.badgerbash.org.

2006-06-14T23:56:00.000-05:00

Two Versus One

Today we are not talking about the latest of the TV battles, instead lets talk about a two DJ show versus a one DJ show.

You best bet is one with two equally talented DJ’s. Matters not how they are paired, but given the choice between hiring one with 1 person who does the show or 2, hire the two person show.

v Odds are better they will show up and play. Cold as that may seem, it’s true. A one-person show has exactly that to rely on in case there is a problem like illness or an accident on the way. By the way, we’ve never missed a show, sprained ankles, sore backs, bad colds, snow, sleet hail and so on has never stopped us! We’ve covered for one another and still put on a great show. One time Tim had laryngitis, so, Ernie did all of the microphone work and Tim was, well at the time spinning records and
v Two heads are better than one. We can’t speak for other shows, but during a dance, we collaborate on much of the music we play and when to play it. Most times one of us will have an idea and pass it by the other person. We’ll toss it around a bit and then we find the perfect song to play.
v The cumulative talent of two is better than the talents of one person. In our case, we both share microphone time equally most of the time. We both have equal engineering skills; such as cueing and starting CD’s. One seem to work magic with the lights and the other is really good at picking music than the other. One is good at getting out in front of the stand and leading games or things like the Chicken Dance, the other works well from the microphone at driving the crowd on with things like shouting “Yeah, Yeah!” during Mony Mony. Between the two of us we do a, dare we say it, great job of making every dance we play for fun. One person just can’t work like that.
v The most for your money. Being ‘On Stage” for four hours is a lot of effort and sometimes tiring. With two DJ’s, at least in our case, we play non-stop all event long. Unless you’d like us to take a break while you do something like serve desert or the like, we keep the music rolling along. One of may take a short break, leaving for part of a song or so, but most of the time we are both there. Either way we make sure that CD’s are pulled out and ready to play, and everything is perfectly ready before one of us walks away. If you have one person playing, they may need a break or to leave the stand for a while. It’s understandable, DJ’s are human.

We have played our music and used our lights as a one person show, playing for friends at a party. The result; it makes playing as two people even sweeter. It’s so much better having two people paying attention to what type of music is working or not and suggesting adjustments. It helps having someone to bounce ideas off of and work to make every dance a success.

Plus we have been working together a long time. 21 years. We know the moves of one another. We know when each other tends to stop speaking and it’s our turn just by the subtle tone change in the person’s voice; something that the casual listener would not hear.

We’ll write about working together for that length of time in a future blog entry.

We are Radio Record Hop and we play for dances in Beaver Dam, Belgium, Beloit, Big Bend, Brookfield, Brown Deer, Burlington, Cedarburg, Cudahy, Delafield, Delavan, Eagle, East Troy, Elm Grove, Fox Point, Franklin, Fredonia, Genesee, Germantown, Glendale, Grafton, Greendale, Greenfield, Hales Corners, Hartford, Hartland, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Kenosha, Lake Geneva, Lake Mills, Lisbon, Menomonee Falls, Mequon, Merton, Milwaukee, Mukwonago, Muskego, Nashotah, New Berlin, Oak Creek, Oconomowoc, Ottawa, Pewaukee, Pleasant Prairie, Port Washington, Racine, Richfield, St. Francis, Shorewood, Slinger, South Milwaukee, Sturtevant, Sussex, Thiensville, Vernon, Walworth, Waterford, Watertown, Waukesha, Wauwatosa, West Allis, West Bend, Whitefish Bay, Williams Bay and more. You can visit us at www. radiorecordhop.com

2006-06-13T09:42:00.000-05:00

Fear Factor…

We’ve noticed a trend in the mobile DJ business and that is that many of the others play music from a laptop computer they bring with them. While the idea is a slick one, we are not rushing out to jump into this new technology.

Perhaps it’s because we’re older and we were taught by our parents never to put “Put all your eggs in one basket.” While that may conjure up images of someone at Easter, or a farmer collecting eggs from the henhouse, it is also a great metaphor for why we are reserved about going this route.

We have both had the experience of computers just deciding at any given moment to take a dirt nap. Emit a puff of smoke that would make the Vatican wonder if another vote was taking place, and call it quits. And, usually when something is critical. It would be a horrible thing to be at a dance and discover the chips are down. We never want to let our clients experience that, or anything like it.

Perhaps it’s because we’ve been in this business so long that we like the tactile feel of loading up a CD in the player. Back when we started, it was 45’s and LP’s that we were setting on our turntables and setting the needle of the player on. We’d listen for the first few seconds of sound. Find that first blip of it and then back spin the turn table a short distance. Then when we wanted it to play, flipping a larger toggle switch. Our turntables were pro-level and required very little time to get the record up to speed. By the time you had the switch moved the full distance of it’s ‘flip’ the music was playing. We could build segues (Transition between music selections) that were ‘nice and tight’, meaning no gap in the music.

We can still do that with our three CD players.

Pardon us for a touch of bragging here, but we’d rather do our own segues than let some software designer decide how it ought to sound. These packages ‘listen’ to the song that’s playing and then start playing the next one when the sound volume goes below a certain level. We think that a skilled DJ ought to be able to determine when to start the next piece of music. It’s basic DJ stuff. Telling a piece of software what the next song is and letting it start it is, well, cheating, taking the easy route and a heck of a lot less interactive and uninvolved in the dance.

Sure, we use a computer for our dances. We run a software package written just for us named “Playtrac”. Playtrac lets us find songs by a number different of ways, including name, artist, style, and year. We can then add them to an on screen list of songs we want to play. Requests are marked so we can pick them out and give them proper priority. We can move the order of songs on a list, so we keep track of what styles of music we are playing or are going to play. As we play each piece of music, we mark it played and the information for it is displayed in large letters on both that computer on our stand and another computer off to the side. This remote computer is hooked up via a network we set up at the dance. (Takes a few seconds to do) This way if one of us is using the microphone on the side of the stand, as we sometimes do, they can clearly see the information as well. We can also go back during the dance and look at what we have played and when we played it. This lets us make sure we are covering the styles of music our client preferred and that we are playing a good variety of music. We think this is a great use of computer technology, for it assists us in doing our job, but does not really do the work of being a DJ.

And, we think it is so much more fun. We get to challenge one another to do the perfect transition and cheer one another when we do a great one. We also feel this is a more interactive way to work.

Lastly, there is the fear factor. Not the TV show, but a great fear we have of showing up for a dance only to find that the computer is dead, or perhaps not playing music properly, or needs to be re-booted during a dance or any of the hundreds of other things that a computer can do to foul up your day. Putting all of our musical eggs in one basket, or even with a backup computer is scary to us. We like knowing that with only a few exceptions, CD’s will play when we need them to, letting us create the best dance environment we can for our clients and their guests.

Music is a very important part of our lives and our business depends on it. Depend on Radio Record Hop for your next event. Our show comes with over 21 years of experience playing the best music from the 40’s to today’s top hits. Visit us on line at www.radiorecorhop.com

2006-06-07T12:40:00.000-05:00

Created or born that way?

Today’s topic asks the question; Is a great DJ born that way or created?

Perhaps a mixture of both.

Looking at the lives of Tim and Ernie, the guys who are the DJ’s for Radio Record Hop, you see early on glimpses of how they might come to be mobile DJ’s.

At a young age, they both were very interested in music, with Ernie collecting records in Grade school and Tim starting his own collection sometime in High School. Ernie studied music and took accordion lessons, an instrument he still plays from time to time.

At that same young age they both have a common lacking of being performance. Ernie was in a show as part while in Scouting, as was Tim. Different shows, different roles, but the idea is the same.

As we told you a few days ago, both of them were tinkering with electronics in their youth.

Later, as adults they would both hold Class C Broadcast Licenses.

So, while the ‘born’ part of the equation can be seen, how about created?

It was not like we just went out and bought a couple of turntables and became great DJ’s. Like most everything else short of instant Mashed Potatoes it took time. Our first shows were, well, lets put it this way; we can now look back and have a good chuckle about them. We tried some things that we quickly put aside and decided to never do again and others that we still do today because they work so well, and continue to do so.

We recorded to and listened to our shows, critiquing everything we said and did, finding better ways to introduce ourselves, the music, explain how the ‘Chicken Dance’ is done and so on. We still listen to the shows, still looking for one thing to do better than we did. Continuous improvement is important to us.

We slowly added a few more lights, not too many so we scare anyone away from the floor, but enough so that we can set the mood for most any piece of music.

Everyone referrers to a doctor as a practicing physician, perhaps practicing DJ would apply as well. Something to ponder.

We are Radio Record Hop, a DJ show with over 20 years of two guys working together to bring our clients and their guests the very best in dance music. You can learn more about us at www.radiorecordhop.com

2006-06-05T11:27:00.000-05:00

Variety is the spice of life

Sure this is an old saying but it's true. And it's a philosophy that we at Radio Record Hop follow as well.

Whether we're playing for a wedding with a wide age group, or we're playing for a group of high schoolers, we don't just play one style of music all night long. We mix it up.

We believe in variety on many levels. Tempo allows us to keep dancers on the floor for an extended period of time. For instance, most people can't dance to more than two or three fast songs in a row. That's why we follow up a set of fast songs with one or two slow songs. This allows dancers to stay on the floor longer.

In addition, we will switch between styles or genres of music. We will play new, Top 40 songs and follow that up with Country. We also mix in some Oldies and maybe even some Big Band or Swing music. No matter what the age group, people like a variety. And each of these various music styles will feature both up tempo as well as slow songs.

The volume level is another way of varying the music. Slow songs can be played somewhat softer than a hard-hitting rock tune. Typically, we start the evening at a lower volume level than at the end of the evening. Throughout the night, we gradually build up the volume and the intensity of the music. Again, we mix it up to spice up the variety for the guests that are dancing.

So, for a wide variety of music for dancing, you will enjoy the performance by the professional DJ's from Radio Record Hop. Find out more about Southeast Wisconsin's finest and most affordable portable music show. Visit our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-06-01T08:58:00.000-05:00

Turn it up!

When we started this business, one thing we wanted to be sure of was that we never played the music too loud. If you’ve seen some of the shows around, well, they take a cue from a Dean Koonz description of a band in a singles bar; “They made up in volume what they lacked in talent.”

True, when music is played louder it is very involving, but there is a limit to that as well. The term is listener fatigue. You have experienced this yourself. When was the last time you got in the car and when you started it you were met with a very loud radio/CD/tape? Now, if your teenager was the last one to use the car, this does not apply. But if you where, and you respond by turning it down, ask yourself, what changed? That was a great volume when you parked?

That is an example of ear fatigue. As you drive, your ears get more and more tired, between road noises and your sound system they work harder and harder and grow even more tired. So, what do we do? We turn up the sound. Then they grow more tired and we turn it up more… you get the idea.

When we are playing for dances, we do three things that help us to keep an even level of sound. First off, in the first few minutes we rely on our ears and a sound meter to establish a good sound level. One of us, usually Tim, walks out into the middle of the seating area and listens. Can he hear conversation around him? Are people shouting over the music? Can he hear the music and is it loud enough to draw people in to the dance floor? Yet, not too loud. Next, he’ll consult a sound meter. It measures the sound in Decibels (Db).

Sound level (dB) Typical Environment
140
130 aircraft takeoff
120 loud discotheque
110 thunder, noisy factory
100 pneumatic drill
90 truck, heavy lorry
80 noisy office
70 vacuum cleaner
60 normal conversation
50 average office
40 quiet suburban home
30 quiet countryside
20 whisper
10 sound proof room

Typically, we run our show about 90 Db in the middle of the seating area. We play a bit louder if folks are asking for it, but that’s rare. It’s a bit louder that you would hear sitting in your office.

Then, during the dance, we consult that same meter occasionally but mostly focus on two other meters for our volume. One is a power output meter, which measures the output of the amplifier. Like our Amp and speaker system, this is in stereo allowing us to monitor the function of the system to assure all is well.

And finally, we track our volume with our tape recorder. We record all of our shows, sometimes as reference for us to listen to and refine our show, other times we them them away to the folks who hired us. We watch the meters on the recorder and make sure they are ‘hitting’ the same spot.

We feel it is important to be consistent in our volume, and work to make sure it happens.

It is this attention to detail that we feel sets us apart from other DJ’s who show up, set up and start playing.

We are Radio Record Hop, a dance show DJ 21 years in the making. You can visit us at www.radiorecordhop.com

2006-05-31T16:12:00.000-05:00

May, the month of weddings

Years ago, they used to call "May, the month of weddings." With spring, romance was definitely in the air.

There were many reasons for the link between May and marriage. First, as a transition month between spring and summer, May usually has nice weather with moderate temperatures. In addition, there is an abundance of spring flowers available at reasonable prices.

Many couples take advantage of the beautiful May weather and spend some post-ceremony time outdoors taking photos among the budding trees and colorful landscape. Parks and parkways are alive with lush green grass as well as crimson, magenta and lavender blossoms. Combine this with the backdrop of a deep blue sky and you have a magnificent opportunity for capturing a keepsake wedding portrait.

But eventually, with a growing number of brides and grooms competing for the available churches, halls and DJ's, gradually, September and October also became very popular months for weddings. And quite honestly, other than perhaps December and Lent, weddings are held pretty much any time of the year.

And depending on the time of year, couples use the unique aspects of various months, seasons and holidays to help tailor the theme or color for their wedding ceremony and reception.

So, as times change, we have changed as well. Be sure to check out our photo page for a potpourri of images from the various weddings and other events that we have played for. Visit us at http://www.radiorecordhop.com

2006-05-28T16:33:00.000-05:00

Last Night we played for a Wedding

It was a very fun party. The Elks Lodge in Waukesha was a DJ's dream hall; our set up spot was about 10 feet from a very wide door with out steps in the way. So, we pulled the van up nice and close and had it unloaded very quickly. We went about the business of getting set up and we were ready with plenty of time to spare. We'd prefer that over other way of setting up.

The bride and groom arrived to a waiting crowd of guests and before dinner there were some very nice looking snacks set out. We played some background music for dinner; a combination of classical and piano. They were kind enough to let us have dinner, which we truly appreciate as we get hungry too!

Once the table were cleared we went from table to table, introducing ourselves and leaving request cards and pencils.

Then once the dance floor was cleared of the buffet table, the lights were turned down and we went to work on the dance portion of the evening. The couple, a beautiful bride and handsome groom danced the first song together. Then we introduced our selves and started the event off with a well received Polka!

The requests started pouring in and were kept busy entering them into our software, Playtrac, lining them up in play order and pulling CD's. The crowd was really dancing!

The bride and groom had purchased some Glow Sticks for the guests to have fun with and have as a nice party favor. Ernie was kept very busy activating them and putting them together while Tim kept the crowd going with hit after hit of great music.

Then we gathered the bridal party, making sure that the bride had her throw away bouquet and everyone was in the hall ready to go. They looked fabulous with their blue dresses and black tuxedos!

The rest of the night was a blur of a wide variety of music, lights and a little fog just to set the mood. We played everything from Lawrence Welk to Pink and everything in between.

Once again, we were privileged to be part of a very special day for a very special couple. Congratulations!

Radio Record Hop is proud to be Southeast Wisconsin's most professional and affordable mobile DJ service. We serve the following counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Ozaukee, Kenosha, Jefferson, Washington and Dodge. We will travel beyond this immediate service area. As always, please check out our website at http://www.radiorecordhop.com/.

2006-05-25T08:37:00.000-05:00

When I grow up I want to be…..

Ask most any kid what they want to do for work as an adult and you typically hear firefighter, doctor and so on. If you asked Ernie or Tim, you would have heard DJ. Yes, really.

Early signs of their leaning toward the profession are quite evident.

Ernie set up a small recording studio under the stairs of his parent's basement. He had been collecting records for sometime and was recording tapes there. Later, he moved out from under the stairs and built a nice size room with plenty of shelving for the collection and counter space for his turntables and a mixer. Before the start of Radio Record Hop, he and Tim recorded a few tapes there for a youth group they were both involved in.

At age 10 Tim turned an electronics set he was given into a bit of a PA system and hooked up his father's tape recorder into it. One end was in the family rec room where Tim stood at a shelf changing tapes and a speaker was in the shop where his father was working on a project. Later, with a different electronics set from Radio Shack, he built a 10 watt AM transmitter and hooked it up to a large antenna that was in his parent's attic. This was quite effective and well, a problem for the neighbors when they discovered that his audio was also coming across on TV channel 4. Needless to say, he was taken off the air shortly after that.

Time marches forward. Ernie goes to Marquette and works hard to get a degree in Communications and after a relentless pursuit lands a job on-air, working for WGLB–AM. A bit later he moves to WBCS, a country music station working overnights. Per the way these things go in radio, he later takes a job working for WEMP and survives a format change.

In the mean time, Tim finds that the career he had chosen of print communications was not working for him and he was called back to his original goal in life. So he takes lessons at Broadcast Services, a school of broadcasting. There he learns the finer points of being on the air. A few times he worked as producer for Ernie at WEMP during the “Friday Night at the Oldies Show”. A bit later WEMP changes format again and Ernie finds himself unemployed from the radio industry. Tim looked at this and decided that he didn’t want to try to get into a competitive industry where you can do little to affect your standing. It really is as one on-air DJ said, “Read the cards and shut up.”

While Ernie was working at WEMP, a listener contacted him and asked if he played music for Weddings. He figured he could, so he said yes. They hired him and he played the first Radio Record Hop event solo, while sitting behind a table. A few bookings later, he had a stand made with turntables mounted on it and a good sound system. He hired Tim to work with him, basically pulling music and handling requests. By the second dance, Tim was more comfortable with the equipment and acted like a full fledge DJ. Since then, they have shared the microphone time during every dance.

Now, along with other daytime jobs, we are both doing the job we started out in life wanting to do, Disc Jockey. We’ve been working together for over 21 years, playing a variety of music for the finest people in the world, our customers and their friends.

You can visit is on-line at www.radiorecordhop.com

2006-05-18T08:57:00.000-05:00

When you say nothing at all….

(With apologies to Alison Kraus)

This next weekend Tim will be leaving town, no big deal you say. Heading to Door County, Wisconsin. Nice, but still nothing odd. Wait a minute. Why is he going there? For a silent retreat. Ahh. Wait a second, a Silent Retreat. Silent Retreat? What the heck is that?

It is a block of time where no speaking is done. None, not even a whisper. And, no TV, Internet, telephone, cell phone, fax machine and so on. (Now the eyebrows raise.)

Why would anyone do that to themselves? Is he a very religious man? Well, the answer to the second question is that Tim would say he is a very spiritual person, so something like this fits well in his life.

The answer to the first question begs another question, or least a visualization.

Picture this. Two days where your cell phone never rang, no one asked for answers to questions, or wanted to read a reply to an email they sent. Two days where the world events, which these days seem to be filled with war and tragedy and strife of all sorts were outside of your concern.

This is something Tim has organized for the past 5 years and been going to for about 6 years before that. A rough estimate puts this at about the 25th time he has done this sort of thing. He will not be alone. There are 24 other people going.

Mostly folks spend the time walking the 144 acres of farmland, reading, listening to music and contemplating their lives.

Amazing things happen on a silent retreat. Decisions about life such as marriage or divorce have been made, coming to terms with a terminal illness or a need to get help for one’s health. Once we remove the day to day distractions we can get at that “Still small voice” inside of us, that for some that is the voice of God, which guides us, but we are too busy to stop and listen. When we stop the need to hold conversations, to communicate, we can hear that voice. It can be a deeply moving experience.

Some take the opportunity to relax and de-stress and recharge their ‘batteries’. Not having obligations for a few days can do that. You need only show up for your meals if you want them and take one turn at running dishes through the dishwasher (with 3 other people). It’s not like a vacation where you go somewhere and do something, but here, you go someplace and don’t need to do anything. Take a walk when you like, watch the clouds roll past, listen to music, take a couple of naps.. The time is yours.

It’s a nice break from day-to-day living.

Some do find the idea intimidating, including one future Minister Tim spoke with recently, who said he could never picture himself not saying anything for 3 days. Meals are taken in silence and for many reasons that is the part that scares a lot of folks, including Tim on his first silent retreat. But, you know, when most of us eat we are reading the paper, watching TV or holding a conversation with someone. The food is secondary. Eating in silence can be an opportunity to realize all the people who are involved in bringing food to our table and, yes, even the chicken that laid the egg.

While today’s blog entry may not at first blush have anything to do with music, or holding a party or holding a successful event, go back and re-read it again perhaps, with this thought in mind; if life were a party, what would I need to do to make it happen? Would it be great to take a moment or two and appreciate the party?

Life is a party, an event, a occasion. We are only here for a blink of any eye in the full length of time, we need to make the most of it.

To make the most of your next event, let us, Radio Record Hop play for you. We are experienced professionals with over 20 years of time working together. Something not many others can say. You can visit us at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-05-17T14:02:00.000-05:00

Lyrics or Melody?

When you listen to a song, do you focus on the words and the meaning that they deliver or are you captivated by the melody, the beat and the tempo? In some respect it's kind of like a greeting card. You find a nice looking card but the words don't quite hit the mark. You really need both to feel like you've captured the moment.

At a dance, we usually choose the music based on the tempo and "complexion" of the music. Some songs may be slow but they carry a very powerful arrangement. Other songs might be fast pace but don't have the same dynamic punch.

We don't discount fully the lyrics of the song. For example, "Release Me" by Engelbert Humperdinck is considered a dreamy, romantic song. But actually the words are just the opposite. Similarly, "Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin has very gruesome lyrics; however it remains a very popular song for dancing.

Lyrics are very important for "special" dances. The bride and groom will want to choose just the right song for their first dance and their bridal dance. Also, the Mother/Son and Father/Daughter dances can be a challenge as you try to find the right lyrics to express how you feel about your parents and your relationship with them.

So, the next time you're out there dancing the night away, are you just bopping to the beat, are you crooning along with the singer or are you somewhere in between?

Radio Record Hop is proud to be Southeast Wisconsin's most professional and affordable mobile DJ service. We serve the following communities: Beaver Dam, Belgium, Beloit, Big Bend, Brookfield, Brown Deer, Burlington, Cedarburg, Cudahy, Delafield, Delavan, Eagle, East Troy, Elm Grove, Fox Point, Franklin, Fredonia, Genesee, Germantown, Glendale, Grafton, Greendale, Greenfield, Hales Corners, Hartford, Hartland, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Kenosha, Lake Geneva, Lake Mills, Lisbon, Menomonee Falls, Mequon, Merton, Milwaukee, Mukwonago, Muskego, Nashotah, New Berlin, Oak Creek, Oconomowoc, Ottawa, Pewaukee, Pleasant Prairie, Port Washington, Racine, Richfield, St. Francis, Shorewood, Slinger, South Milwaukee, Sturtevant, Sussex, Thiensville, Vernon, Walworth, Waterford, Watertown, Waukesha, Wauwatosa, West Allis, West Bend, Whitefish Bay, Williams Bay. We will travel beyond this immediate service area. As always, please check out our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-05-15T10:59:00.000-05:00

American Idol

So, are you one of the millions of people that watch American Idol each week on FOX? As season five is about ready to come to a close, how about a look back at some of the past winners that have gone on to successful recording careers.

Kelly Clarkson is probably the most recognizable past Idol winner. This winner of season one was born in Texas. At age 24, she’s really been catapulted to stardom. She released her first CD in early 2003. Her second CD entitled Breakaway has several singles still on the Top 100 charts.

The winner of season two of American Idol was Ruben Studdard. Born in Alabama in 1978, Ruben was in one of the most heated finals. He beat out another singer that has had a great post-Idol career, Clay Aiken. Like Kelly Clarkson, he too has release two albums, “Soulful” and “I Need An Angel.”

Fantasia Barrino was the winner of season three. Known to her fans simply as Fantasia, this Idol winner released her first CD in late 2004. This raspy voiced diva was born in North Carolina. Be watching for her singles on the charts.

Last season’s winner has been very successful with her country sounds. Carrie Underwood, born in Oklahoma, has the number one song on the Billboard Country Singles Sales Chart with “Inside Your Heaven/Independence Day”. And her CD “Some Hearts” is number five on the Top Country Albums Chart.

So, who will win season five? Will it be Taylor with his soulful energy? Will it be Katharine with her sultry looks and powerful voice? Or, will it be Elliott with he emotional ballads and smooth delivery? The season finale will be next week, May 24^th.

At Radio Record Hop, we keep track of the latest and hottest music on both the Top Pop and Country charts. We only add “danceable” music to our collection, and we base the songs we add on the requests we receive from guests at our dances. You can find our entire music list at http://www.radiorecordhop.com/.

2006-05-14T22:09:00.000-05:00

Everybody Dance now!

We carry about 2000 titles of music with us to every dance, 99 percent of them are tunes that in general folks can dance to. The other 1 percent (or less) make up novelty dances like the Chicken Dance and “Daddy’s Little Girl”.

So, why do people dance? What started it all.

Throughout all of time since the long ago classical era, folks have gathered to dance. They danced to celebrate a good harvest, the raising of a farm building, the mid-winter celebration of Christmas or a wedding.

Going back in history, way back to what is now called the Classical era of Music, when folks like Mozart and Beethoven were penning some of the music now played in fine concert halls like Uihlein Hall in Milwaukee, dancing was a popular way to socialize. In fact, it quickly became custom that if you wrote a symphony, you wrote one section (movement) usually the third, in a Polka or Waltz or Minuet style. That way it could be performed at dances. Imagine dressing in puffy laced shirts with laced cuffs and a wig, and that was just the men, and dancing to the latest music written by these classical giants. Back then there were formal steps done for certain dances. Some of us recall being taught them as part of Gym class. (Yes, hating it at well.)

Moving forward in time to the old American west when Square Dancing was the biggest thing. The town could get together and dance in groups to the sounds of local musicians while they played a minor melody and a good beat. While these pioneers of the west were busy tending to the farms and cattle, they didn’t have time for learning fancy dance steps, yet wanted to follow some of the traditions of dancing within the modesty of the times. Back then a couple dancing close by with one another was, well, how shall we say it, un-heard of. So, with square dancing, by learning a few basic moves which were done with someone calling them out and getting couples all mixed around and then – somehow – back with the person they started out with everyone could have a lot of fun. Tim was really into Modern Western Square Dancing at one point in his younger days, having moved to the top, advanced skill level and was in study to be a Square Dance Caller. He went to a couple of National conventions and found that Square and Round dancers (dancing as a couple using slower steps to slower music with a caller) are very friendly folks.

In the 50’s there was a new beat on the Juke Boxes. It was Rock and Roll, and leading the way was Sam Phillips. No, Sam was not a performer, but he owned Sun Records, where a young man by the name of Elvis stepped in one day to record something he wanted to give his mother. Sam had been in search of someone who could cross the racial borders between the soulful music of African-Americans and appeal to whites as well. Elvis had a sound that just did the trick. He signed Elvis to a contact and well, the rest as they say, is history.

A few years later, this new sound would be coined Rock and Roll by New York DJ Alan Freed. (You can learn more about him here: http://www.alanfreed.com/biography.html

Kids were dancing to the new sounds that were being played on the radio and demand grew for more of it. New groups were being discovered daily and new talent was pushing the edges of music ever onward.

Of course along the way there were novelty dances like the Twist, Jerk, Monkey, Pony, Swim, Mashed Potato, Skate, Hitchhiker, Egyptian, Shimmy, Temptation Walk and Locomotion that were popular in the 50’s and 60’s.

Throughout all of time since the long ago classical era, folks have gathered to dance. They danced to celebrate a good harvest, the raising of a farm building, and the mid-winter celebration of Christmas or a wedding.

We play music from the 40’s to today’s current hits, so people can dance and have a lot of fun. We are Radio Record Hop, a DJ show that is over 20 years in the making. You can visit us on-line at www.RadioRecordHop.com.

2006-05-12T23:39:00.000-05:00

Now, a bit about why we don’t use a computer to play our music.

We know that there are several other DJ’s that come into a dance, perhaps set up a few lights and then on the stand they put a laptop, maybe two and after running a few wires, they start the show.

Everyone once in a while someone will ask one of us if we play our music from the laptop we have on the stand, or just from a laptop.

Actually, mostly no, we don’t. We play our music mostly from CD’s we created. They contain about 20 tracks and every one of them is a hit piece of music. They all reached the charts at some point in the era that they were released. Most of them were at least top 10 hits, some were not so well charted, but their history or popularity makes them tunes that folks want to hear. Songs that were on movies and hold memories or were one’s that we all watched over and over.

We have played a couple of pieces of music from a laptop, but they were things we happened to have on there rather then having been moved to an MP3 player. But, there are a number of reasons we don’t make it a regular staple of our playing.

The big one is reliability. With CD’s can have several backup systems, and on some occasions have had to go to them, and we did it without interruption to the dance. Our guests and clients never knew that we had pulled out an old CD player when a new one didn’t fire correctly. That one went back to the store and we used it the next dance. Best of all, we didn’t have to stop the fun they were having! Our thought is that with a computer, if it fails, we are in trouble, needing to stop the dance and sort out the problem.

Honestly, there is something about taking out a piece of media, putting it into a player. We did something like that for so many years with 45’s and LP’s and then cassettes. The idea of stopping that ‘feel’ is so strange to us, that we are remiss to go there.

Our biggest concern is that we know when we push play, the next piece of music we want to play will play. Our clients and guests and we are counting on it.

Radio Record Hop is proud to be Southeast Wisconsin's most professional and affordable mobile DJ service. We serve the following counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Ozaukee, Kenosha, Jefferson, Washington and Dodge. We will travel beyond this immediate service area. As always, please check out our website at www.radiorecordhop.com

2006-05-11T09:26:00.000-05:00

When you have a lot to get done, the first thing you need is a good nap.

It’s an old joke line, but like many things, there may be some truth to it. Today, lets talk about stress.

Getting ready for a party can be very stressful. A wedding is one of the most stressful events to prepare for because not only is there the actually day and all the details that need to be taken care of for it, but the actual idea of getting married. Many studies rank it as the third most stressful thing we do, right under work and parenting.

So how can you make the best of this time and not drive yourself crazy? (And perhaps others?)

Webmd.com recommends the following as ways to deal with stress:

Exercise. Regular physical activity is one of the most effective stress management techniques.
Writing. Research shows that expressing yourself in writing can be a very effective way to reduce your stress level.
Expressing your feelings. Talking, laughing, crying, and expressing anger are normal parts of the emotional healing process.
Doing something you enjoy. A hobby or other healthy leisure activity that is meaningful to you can help you relax.
Body-centered relaxation. This includes breathing exercises, muscle relaxation exercises, massage, aromatherapy, yoga, and the traditional Chinese relaxation exercises tai chi and qi gong.
Mindfulness activities. These include learning how to relax your body through self-hypnosis, meditation, imagery exercises, listening to relaxing music, and using humor to reduce stress.

Both of us exercise on a regular basis, Ernie on a Nortic-Track and Tim by “Power Walking”. Exercise is perhaps one of the best ways to deal with stress. It’s a great time to ‘take time for your self’. Listen to some music, watch something fun and do nothing for anyone else but you.

Having a hobby is another great way to deal with stress. Time doing something fun is time away from it all, doing what you like to do.

Tim has taken classes in Tai Chi and found it to be not only good exercise, but helpful in dealing with stress.

Sure everyone has to deal with stress, but it can be dealt with.

When it comes to party planning and stress, here are items that help:

Break it into small pieces: Like any big project, breaking the process of party planning into small, manageable pieces can help it not seem like such a big deal, thus less stress ful. If you can break the process into something that can be done in a day or less, you will a list that does not seem overwhelming.

Make a plan: We do this with events we need to put together for our regular business lives. Write out the pieces (from the items above) you need to do to get the job done and the dates they need to be done on. Check off this list as you go. Seeing that things are being done and working toward your goal can help make doing the plan less stressful, as you will see progress being made. One place to get blank calendars is http://www.incompetech.com/.

Delegate: Find people you know who would be willing to take on a part of your plan. Bridemaids or groomsmen who will do things such as pick up folks at the airport or other items on your list. Often times friends are very happy, even honored to be able to be part of something. Especially when it is a joyful occasion like a wedding or a birthday party.

Find the right people for the job: Hire the professionals you need such as caterer, photographer and of course DJ by picking people you can have trust and confidence in.

Part of what we do to help couples feel confident and less stressed out with an event is to make ourselves available to meet with them and answer any and all questions they may have. We show up on time and we do our very best to provide you and your guests with the best dance possible.

We are Radio Record Hop, a show that is 21 years in the making. Our experience helps us provide professional DJ service to the finest people in South East Wisconsin. You can visit our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-05-10T15:12:00.000-05:00

Four Hours of Music

Most events that we play for feature four hours of music for dancing. But what goes into making these four hours happen? Let’s take a look.

First, we have to pack the van. We transport our equipment in a mini-van. With the seats removed, we carefully pack our gear. Most the “loose” items are packed in stackable plastic containers. We bring two tables, one for our stand (mixer, CD players and computer) and one for our light controller, CD’s and other items. We also bring along two dollies for hauling our equipment into the hall.

When we arrive at the hall, we go in and meet with the hall manager. We determine where we will set up our equipment and then select the best route for bringing in our equipment. Next, we bring in the gear.

Once everything is brought into the hall, Tim begins work on the lighting system and Ernie works on the audio hook-up. It takes teamwork to raise the light tree and also to elevate our speakers. After more than 20 years, we have a pretty efficient system.

There are a lot of connections to be made and cables to be run. We make sure that everything is properly plugged in and tested. We then secure all the exposed cables to the floor so that no one will trip on them. This also “dresses up” the appearance of the equipment.

About 45 minutes after arriving at the hall, the set up is completed. We change out of our set up uniform and dress in our formal attire for the dance. We then circulate among the guest tables, introducing ourselves and setting out request cards and pencils.

It’s now time to start the show. We have the hall lights dimmed and we’re ready to go. All at once our show lights come on and we introduce ourselves.
“Good evening everybody, my name is Ernie Bottom.”
“And I’m Tim St. Thomas, together we’re known as Radio Record Hop.”
“For the next four hours, we’ll be playing music for your dancing and listening pleasure.”
“We carry more than two-thousand titles with us, and if there’s anything you’d like to hear, please let us know and we’ll try to find it for you.”

Next, it’s four hours of music chosen specifically for this evening’s audience. The selections are made from suggestions given to us prior to the dance by the party that hired us. We take requests from the guests at the party. And we supplement with music that we choose based on our years of experience.

The dance is now coming to the close. It’s time for the evening to end.
“I’m Ernie Bottom.”
“And I’m Tim St. Thomas.”
“We hope you had a great time this evening. Thank you for having us. We’re going to close like we do all of our Radio Record Hop dances.
“With the Spaniels, ‘Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight’.”

As our final song ends we turn off our lights. After a few moments the hall lights are brought up and the dance is over. We make our way over to the folks that hired us for the evening and give them our personalized album with the audio cassettes of our performance. Everyone is very excited about receiving this keepsake recording. We feel that this special touch really helps to set up apart from other mobile DJ’s.

The take down and pack up begins. Again, Tim focuses on the lights and Ernie focuses on the audio. There are a lot of cables to wrap up. Everything goes back into its specific container. We cart everything back out to the van, load up and off we go. It’s roughly one hour from the time we stop playing to the time that we pull away from the curb and head home.

As you can see, a typical four hour dance takes a minimum of six hours plus several hours of prep time. You can find out more about our service by visiting our website at http://www.radiorecordhop.com/.

2006-05-07T23:51:00.000-05:00

50 years.. wow

Saturday evening we played for a50th Anniversary party, in Hartford, Wisconsin. It was a very fun event.

Before we started, the granddaughter of the couple showed a video she had put together. It was really a well done production. We saw events from when they met, up until the present day. She had some great music that matched the pictures and movies they were showing. She rented a video projector from us; we let them out for a nominal fee. We were served dinner, which let me tell you , we always appreciate!

We played a variety of music, ranging from the 1940's to some hits from today. The crowd was very fun and we had lots of requests.

We had a lot of fun that evening!

What's funny about out job is that we get to have fun and get paid... can you beat that?

Aside from Hartford we play in Beaver Dam, Belgium, Beloit, Big Bend, Brookfield, Brown Deer, Burlington, Cedarburg, Cudahy, Delafield, Delavan, Eagle, East Troy, Elm Grove, Fox Point, Franklin, Fredonia, Genesee, Germantown, Glendale, Grafton, Greendale, Greenfield, Hales Corners, Hartland, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Kenosha, Lake Geneva, Lake Mills, Lisbon, Menomonee Falls, Mequon, Merton, Milwaukee, Mukwonago, Muskego, Nashotah, New Berlin, Oak Creek, Oconomowoc, Ottawa, Pewaukee, Pleasant Prairie, Port Washington, Racine, Richfield, St. Francis, Shorewood, Slinger, South Milwaukee, Sturtevant, Sussex, Thiensville, Vernon, Walworth, Waterford, Watertown, Waukesha, Wauwatosa, West Allis, West Bend, Whitefish Bay, Williams Bay.

Radio Record Hop is proud to be Southeast Wisconsin's most professional and affordable mobile DJ service for over 20 years. We serve the following counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Ozaukee, Kenosha, Jefferson, Washington and Dodge. We will travel beyond this immediate service area. As always, please check out our website at http://www.radiorecordhop.com/.

2006-05-05T13:31:00.000-05:00

Who can keep up with the latest trends in fashion

To help you out, we've done some research on how to decide what to wear to the next wedding that you'll be attending. And we found some suggestions on what are the latest and greatest trends for 2006.

What to think about when picking a wedding-guest outfit

Consider the location of the wedding and the person who is having it. Is it in a garden, at a country club, on the beach?
When trying to decide what's appropriate to wear to a wedding, thinking about fabrics can help you. Cotton or linen is less dressy (for casual or afternoon weddings); Silk (suit or dress) is appropriate for a more formal afternoon wedding; chiffon, silk or metallic touches (i.e: a top, cardigan sweater, shoes) are good choices for casually dressy weddings; satin, charmeuse, chiffon, silk are fabrics for formal weddings (also look for details like beading on gowns or shoes).
Only wear long gowns when the invitation says, Black-tie or Formal
Wearing black to an evening wedding is acceptable
When in doubt, it's better to be underdressed than overdressed

What’s hot this summer – and suitable for a wedding?

Color, especially pink, peach, lime green, blue
Ribbon details. as belts or on empire waists
Floaty, feminine chiffon fabrics; charmeuse dresses
Asymetrical hemlines
Metallics (clothes and accessories); especially gold and silver
Ruffles on dresses or skirts and ruching on dresses
Polka dots, floral designs
Knee-lengths and, for younger girls, shorter skirts, including tennis-inspired skirts with pleats
Pants are either cropped (just above the ankles) or longer and flowy
Cardigan sweaters worn with dresses
Hats for afternoon weddings

Radio Record Hop is a mobile DJ show that has been providing music for wedding receptions since 1984. Here are some of the communities in which we've performed: Beaver Dam, Belgium, Beloit, Big Bend, Brookfield, Brown Deer, Burlington, Cedarburg, Cudahy, Delafield, Delavan, Eagle, East Troy, Elm Grove, Fox Point, Franklin, Fredonia, Genesee, Germantown, Glendale, Grafton, Greendale, Greenfield, Hales Corners, Hartford, Hartland, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Kenosha, Lake Geneva, Lake Mills, Lisbon, Menomonee Falls, Mequon, Merton, Milwaukee, Mukwonago, Muskego, Nashotah, New Berlin, Oak Creek, Oconomowoc, Ottawa, Pewaukee, Pleasant Prairie, Port Washington, Racine, Richfield, St. Francis, Shorewood, Slinger, South Milwaukee, Sturtevant, Sussex, Thiensville, Vernon, Walworth, Waterford, Watertown, Waukesha, Wauwatosa, West Allis, West Bend, Whitefish Bay, Williams Bay.

As always, please check out our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-05-05T00:09:00.000-05:00

Over Served….

That’s the term sometimes applied to folks who have had just a little too much to drink at an event. (Or more than a little) We’ve seen it, lets face it. It’s not pretty.

We had one event where the bridal party was leaving on a school bus as well pulled up. We waited a bit beyond the time we were contracted to start. No one was around to really guide on when we should start, so we kicked off the dance at about 15 minutes later than the contract. The Bridal party pulled in about an hour later. They had gone bar hopping, paying a visit to several of the local tavern owners who were also friends of theirs. Well, you can guess the drinks were free and they partook of them and arrived at the dance on the, how to put this kindly, tipsy side. We did the traditionals about 15 minutes later and the groom was swaying while one of us was trying to explain blindfolding the bride with his hands when she was throwing the garter. Getting it off her leg, well, that was a little like hand-to-hand combat. You get the idea how bad it was. I have no doubt that they might not look fondly on their memories of that evening – if they have any.

Another time, an overserved guest of the party tried to tip our stand over. We were playing from 45’s and LP’s at the time, so it made a heck of a noise when the needle went flying across the record surface. The party ground to a halt while some of the other guests escorted him outside.

You can have fun, enjoy the flavor of a fine drink or beer and be social. There is nothing wrong with having a drink or two at a party. As long as you know your limit; legal and otherwise. On the other side of the coin, we have played for events where no one was drinking. Not just for youth dances, but a dance for adults. And they were fun occasions.

So, what about us? Do we drink at dances. I mean, the beer is usually free at weddings, and perhaps a drink or two would loosen a DJ up and really get them into the party. The answer is no, we don’t. Soda, maybe, mostly ice water or the like, but no drinking.

You might be wondering why? Well, we think that a sober approach to being a DJ is best.

One of us was at a friends wedding, and there was this very long delay between the end of dinner and when the DJ’s, who were set up already, arrived and started. It became apparent very soon after that how they were killing time. They were across the street at a bar drinking the evenings profits. It showed in their speaking, their delivery, the music they were playing, the slobbering method they did the traditional dances. Their clients were very unhappy. (I knew they hired another DJ. They wanted me to attend and enjoy the evening and not work)

We always want to give our clients our best at every dance. So we keep clearheaded and save the drinking for when we get home, if then. We work very hard to make every dance a stellar performance. After all, our clients are paying us to work for them and they in turn deserve our full attention, and our best effort. We think that being altered to any degree would take away from that ability.

Yes, we know, this is Milwaukee, Brew City, home of the Milwaukee Brewers. Some of the finest beers are brewed right here in Milwaukee, and we hope our guests enjoy them safely at every dance we play for. We’ll toast them with water. Our best to them, our best efforts for them.

Radio Record Hop is proud to be Southeast Wisconsin's most professional and affordable mobile DJ service, a show that’s over 20 years in the making. We serve the following counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Ozaukee, Kenosha, Jefferson, Washington and Dodge. We will travel beyond this immediate service area. As always, please check out our website at
www.radiorecordhop.com

2006-05-02T11:02:00.000-05:00

Mariah Carrey… Frozen Orange Juice... Nickleback…Golf...

And the question is… what do these 4 items have in common?

The answer: Audio, music, sound recordings as we know them today.

Wait. Frozen OJ and Golf play a part of music recordings? Yes, actually, they do.

You see, modern recording methods can be traced back to a performer by the name of Bing Crosby. The 1600 records he made during his 51-year career as a pop singer have never been equaled in number or influence. Bing sold 500 million copies during his career and only Elvis would sell more. His song "White Christmas" was the No. 1 recorded song in total sales (35+ million) for over 50 years. He sang on 4000 radio shows from 1931 to 1962 and was the top-rated radio star for 18 of those years. He appeared in 100 movies and was the first popular singer to win a Academy Award for Best Actor ("Going My Way", in 1944). He appeared in 300 television programs from 1948 through 1977, ending with his 42nd consecutive Christmas special taped before his collapse and death Oct. 14 after 18 holes on the La Moraleja Club golf course in Spain. The show was broadcast on CBS Nov. 30, 1977.

So, how did he revolutionize recording, since he was a performer, not an engineer? By 1935, the year Elvis was born, Bing Crosby had become a star in several media outlets. Among them he was earning $5000 per week for producing and performing on "The Kraft Music Hall", a radio show that like many shows of the day were broadcast live. NBC radio refused to broadcast anything but live performances. It was a long standing tradition. Bing wanted to get away from that for several reasons, so in 1943 he changed over to a new network, which became the ABC network. Keep in mind that several of these old radio networks became TV networks we still enjoy today. ABC permitted him to produce his own show under his own company; Bing Crosby Enterprises.

At that time, about 400 radio stations broadcast the show that was sent to them every Monday on three 16-inch aluminum discs that played 10 minutes per side at 33-1/3 rpm. Bing enjoyed the ability to pre-record his show so that he and the engineers at his company could perfect the timing of each part of the show and get microphone placement correct - a hotly debated issue of the day among recording engineers then and still is today. He could also pre-record commercials for his latest investment; the worlds first Frozen Orange Juice – Minute Maid. (I told you frozen OJ was part of it.) Rumor was that he also like the flexibility to run his business and still play golf, but the truth is that he preferred to start work early in the morning and worked till late at night, playing golf only on the weekends. But, he was a perfectionist, always looking for better sound, one more laugh, a perfect riff.

The technology of the day for recording had many shortcomings. The only available technology was to record on 16 inch aluminum discs which spun at 78 rpm and could only hold 4 minutes of audio The quality of the recordings were, well, poor.

In June of 1947, an employee of Crosby Enterprises saw a demonstration of the German Magnetophone that had been brought back from Radio Frankfurt along with 50 reels of tape at the end of the war. The 1/2 inch ferric-coated tape could record 20 minutes per reel of very high-quality sound. Crosby hired the man who gave the demonstration to work for him, and they recorded his shows on the those same 50 reels of tape. It had many advantages. It could be edited by actually cutting the tape and re-attaching another piece of tape to remove the jokes that didn’t work well or performances that needed editing. It allowed Crosby and his guests to present the very best show they could.

By the way, for better or for worse, we can also credit Bing with the ‘laugh track’, (fake audience laughter used for some TV shows) . Seems one day in a recording session a guest started telling a story, which was very, shall we say, not-family or air-time friendly. The tape kept rolling and later in editing the story was removed from the show. However, Bing requested that the sound of the audience that was recorded in his studio be saved and set aside. A few weeks later when they were recording a show, some of the jokes did not work and there was not much laughter from the in-studio audiance. So, the recording engineer brought out the reel of recorded laughter and inserted it at the appropriate places. Thus was born, fake audiance laughter.

Crosby invested heavily in the new company AMPEX which was starting to make the recording machines. His infusion of cash helped them develop new technologies and the company is still very much alive today. A company named 3M started making the tapes.

Recording to tape remained the standard method even on the advent of digital up until a just a few years ago when the process moved to recording to computer hard drives.

Editing music these days is very much like doing word processing in how you can cut and paste sections of music. And the clarity of the sound is unsurpassed by anything yet created.

So, when Mariah Carrey or Nickleback go into the recording studio, they can thank a Crooner from many years ago; Bing Crosby.

We hope you have enjoyed learning some of the history of recording.

We are Radio Record Hop, a Mobile DJ service playing the best music from the 40’s right up to today’s favorites. You can visit us at www.radiorecordhop.com

2006-05-01T09:48:00.000-05:00

Do you play records?

No. Do you drive a Model-T? Quality and technology has moved well beyond vinyl records. You can’t beat the purity and ease of use available with Compact Discs. So, here are some reminiscences of playing records at dances.

When Radio Record Hop began in 1984, we played a mix of 45-RPM and 33 1/3-RMP records. We had two professional quality direct drive turntables which pretty much had an instant start ability to them. When playing off vinyl, we would put the record on the platter, but the needle down and cue it up by manually spinning it forward and back to find the exact start of the music. We only have to roll it back from the start about an inch or two so the music started the very second we flipped the toggle switch on the player. We had some very tight segues by using records. We had full control. One drawback of the vinyl was that this cueing action would tend to cause excessive wear at the start of the record and eventually degrade its quality.

Another problem we had was that in certain halls, the floor was somewhat “spongy.” If the dancers did a lot of hopping or jumping, the needle on the record would bounce around. Obviously this was not a good situation.

Playing outside was another challenge. During the day the bright sun would shine. Records are black and black absorbs heat and hot vinyl warps and well I think you get the picture. One time we had to create a shade to put over our turntables so that the tone arm on the turntable didn’t look like a snowboarder going down a top mogul course.

At night it was dark and we have lights on our stand and lights attract bugs and bugs land on things and when they land on the record and the needle hits them, well you get the picture. We were constantly blowing bugs off of the records.

So, all in all, we enjoyed playing off of records, but we were more than happy to retire them in favor of newer technology. Do you know anyone that would like to buy some records? Check out our website for more information on Southeastern Wisconsin's choice for professional and affordable DJ's, www.radiorecordhop.com

2006-04-29T17:52:00.000-05:00

The following dance is brought to you in living Stereo….

Time was when music was distributed only in Mono, that is, one channel. Even movies and TV where that way. The producers had to do everything they could to make the most of the sound coming out of one speaker. Some of you may remember small portable radios and listening to music on AM radio, such as on WOKY and WISN and WRIT on in the little white plastic ear plugs that came with a radio.

FM was this little used part of the radio spectrum that, because of the way the stations were spaced, allowed for the broadcast of two channels at the same time by the same station. Also known as Stereo.

As time progressed more and more stations popped up on FM the demand for more Stereo music grew.

Back at the recording studios, technology was a bit slow to move with the times. Listen closely to some music from the 50’s and 60’s and you hear some very interesting things. For example; the voices of the Beatles coming out of only one channel and all the music on the other on “I Saw Her Standing there”. We’ll start our story after the advent of magnetic tape, of which the invention of is a whole legend itself, involving of all things, Frozen Orange Juice. (Another blog entry on this in the future.)

The reason for this was simple, there were only two channels of recording space on a tape at that time. The technique as simple – frustrating - but simple. They would record the drummer on channel 1 of the tape, if they got a great take, the engineer ‘bounced’ or moved the recording to the second channel. Then they played that back, listening for timing etc. and record on the first channel again, usually base, If the take was successful, the ‘bounced’ that on the second channel on top of the drums. And so it went with each instrument. Each time taking care to balance out the volume levels of each part of the music. If you think about it, it was quite a feat to capture a performance on tape. Once all the music was recorded and of course then mixed on the second channel from all the dubbing that was done, the singer or singers went to work in the studio and performed. Of course, if something went wrong along the way, the entire performance could be lost.

In the mean time, classical music was enjoying the advent of Stereo, because the musicians were very accustomed to all playing at the same time as a group. To record them all one needed to do we to position a pair of microphones in a good place, say near the conductor and maybe add a couple of other microphones for good measure and then press record on the tape recorder. In the mid 1960’s a majority of sales for open-reel tape was of Classical music, in high quality, high fidelity Stereo.

So, when Stereos were selling fast, and demand for something in Stereo to play on them was rising, the studios used some of these two track masters and made records directly from them.

As technology marched on, and thanks to Wes Paul the invention of the multi-track recorder moved up to 4 then 8 channels, more content was available in stereo and the quality of the productions improved. A performer could make an error and the entire song was not lost. Engineers had the ability to adjust the balance between track better and other sonic improvements became available.

Still some artists such as Barbra Streisand preferred to perform in the studio with the full band or in some cases orchestra playing, but others enjoyed showing up with a full recorded song and added their voices when they were in the frame of mind to do so.

So, how does all this relate to any event that Radio Record Hop plays for?

From the beginning we decided that we would always operate our show in stereo, using both channels of our amplifier. We know that some folks did, and still do to this day ‘bridge’ the channels, playing in mono, so the same sound is coming from both channels. One explained that he didn’t like the idea of the folks on the left side of the dance floor hearing something different than the right side folks were hearing. Our philosophy has always been to play the original artists performing the original songs they made in the way they were released and became hits. Sure we have a few songs that are mono, but they were released that way. Others are wild with stereo content and we play them exactly like that. The theory of bridging is also that you combine the power of the two channels to one louder sound, so two channels of 100 watts each becomes 200 watts of power. We never have seen a reason for that amount of power anyway. Our amp has that amount of power and we enjoy that amount of ‘headroom’ which allows for music to have the nice quality of sound even at our average lower level volume.

We just think stereo sounds better too. Mono tends to take the edge and punch out of music, making it sound somewhat flat, like old AM Radio. Listen to AM for a bit, compare it to the quality of FM, and you somewhat get the idea what we mean.

The quality of our sound has always been important to us at Radio Record Hop. We play for Milwaukee’s finest events, for Milwaukee’s finest people – our clients and their friends.

It’s a show that is 20 plus years in the making. You can visit us at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-04-28T11:41:00.000-05:00

Wedding Songs for Parent Dances

One of the things that seem to be the most puzzling for a bride and groom is what song to play for the dance with the parents. The groom wants to dance with his mother and the bride wants to dance with her father.

Over the years we've had a wide range of songs chosen for these special dances. Of course we offer suggestions, but it's really up to the bride and groom to make the final decision for this special dance.

Here are some of the more popular choices:

A Song For Mama - Boyz II Men
Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler
Because You Loved Me - Celine Dion
Through the Years -Kenny Rogers
Unforgettable - Nat King Cole
Butterfly Kisses - Bob Carlisle
Have I Told You Lately That I Love You - Rod Stewart
Hero - Mariah Carey
You're the Inspiration - Chicago
Greatest Love of All - Whitney Houston
I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston or Dolly Parton
I Wish You Love - Natalie Cole

These special dances are in important part of your reception. After all, both you and your parents have waited your entire life for this moment. You want it to be memorable and you want to cherish it. However, you still want to keep it simple so that the rest of the people at the reception will enjoy watching you dance, but will have an opportunity to get back to dancing themselves.

Radio Record Hop is proud to be Southeast Wisconsin's most professional and affordable mobile DJ service. We serve the following counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Ozaukee, Kenosha, Jefferson, Washington and Dodge. We will travel beyond this immediate service area. As always, please check out our website at http://www.radiorecordhop.com/.

2006-04-25T23:14:00.000-05:00

Looking for a better mousetrap

When we first started as DJ’s, we played all of our music from LP’s and 45’s. These vinyl discs presented all manner of problems, from warping when we were playing in bright sun to becoming ‘cue burned’ meaning the first few seconds had this slight sizzle to them from our playing the first few seconds of the record, then turning it backwards to the start to cue it on the turntable. Another example; the song “Shout” by the Isley Brothers was played from two 45’s (once we bought a second copy, otherwise we had to quick flip it over while folks stood around and we kept them somewhat active....) because it is a long song and part 2 was on the second side of the disc. So, as soon as you started playing the first part, you cued up the second side and then waiting until the exact correct second, started the second copy playing so it was one seamless song. It was actually a fun challenge to do that, one that we sort of missed when we went to the next phase of technology. The other problem was one of levels. We have always been very careful to make sure that we keep the volume of our show at a continual level, once we establish a good volume to play at. We adjust as needed, but records were produced at a variety of sound levels, so one would be loud, the next very soft and we had to anticipate that. After a while we could get some handle on the difference we would have on the next song.

At one point we converted to all custom – made cassettes. We bought a bunch of 5 minute and 10 minute per side cassette tapes from specialty supplier and then recorded everything on to them. They worked well in that they never warped, We could get them to cue exactly where we wanted them and they could take a lot of abuse- such as a child pushing all of them off the table at a dance - and still play. And, they took up a lot less space than all the LP’s and 45’s we used to carry, plus neither of us complained about the weight difference! The problem, be it minor, was the half of our music was on the second side, so we had to fast forward the tape to play the second side. We had this little devise we put on the cassette that had a wheel you spun and that engaged the tape and ran it fast forward. Believe me, this small inconvenience was worth it.

Always keeping on top of advances we started playing from CD as soon as they came on the market. Well, almost as soon. Remember the first price of a CD player was close to $1000.00, and CD’s were selling for close to $20.00 each, with few titles available. We waited for the price and value to come around to something worthwhile. And, well, yes, we were waiting to see if the technology would actually stick. It might have gone the way of the Videodisc, mini disc and other similar technologies. But eventually, the price came down to under $200.00 and CD’s were selling for around $10.00 each. So, Tim bought one, a portable CD player that ran on 6 C cell batteries or a large wedge like devise if you wanted to play it plugged in.

The first piece of music we played from CD was “Dancing in the Ceiling” by Lionel Richie from his then brand new CD “Can’t slow down.” We were playing for a group of kids in the lower level of a hall in Racine, while their parents were upstairs watching “The Kids from Wisconsin.” These were teenagers from all over the world, as this was an event for exchange students and the families involved with them here in the states. A few minutes later a young man came up to us and asked if we would play something he brought. He brought us a CD, which we played something from, so our second piece of music from CD was not even our disc.

At that time, Tims CD collection consisted of 2 CD and we had just played the one, the other was something lite Jazz.

Later, as technology allowed it, we recorded our own CD’s. Some tracks from our old 45’s and LP, and others from our own CD’s. We truly challenge anyone to tell the difference. We very carefully recorded them and cleaned them up if they needed anything like a major popping sound removed and so on and got them all at the same volume. And, every single song in our collection is very danceable and was or is a charted hit.

Now, we sometimes purchase our music on-line and download it, burning it to CD or even playing it from an MP3 player or laptop.

Technology keeps moving along, and we keep pace with it. The quality of our sound has always been important to us. That is why we are always looking for the next best way to bring great music with great sound to every dance.

Oh, yeah, and we always play in Stereo.. but that’s another blog entry.

We are Radio Record Hop and we play in Beaver Dam, Belgium, Beloit, Big Bend, Brookfield, Brown Deer, Burlington, Cedarburg, Cudahy, Delafield, Delavan, Eagle, East Troy, Elm Grove, Fox Point, Franklin, Fredonia, Genesee, Germantown, Glendale, Grafton, Greendale, Greenfield, Hales Corners, Hartford, Hartland, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Kenosha, Lake Geneva, Lake Mills, Lisbon, Menomonee Falls, Mequon, Merton, Milwaukee, Mukwonago, Muskego, Nashotah, New Berlin, Oak Creek, Oconomowoc, Ottawa, Pewaukee, Pleasant Prairie, Port Washington, Racine, Richfield, St. Francis, Shorewood, Slinger, South Milwaukee, Sturtevant, Sussex, Thiensville, Vernon, Walworth, Waterford, Watertown, Waukesha, Wauwatosa, West Allis, West Bend, Whitefish Bay, and yes, Williams Bay. You can visit us on-line at www.radiorecordhop.com!

2006-04-25T10:15:00.000-05:00

Wedding Statistics

Here is some information. You will find this interesting.

The average American engagement is 16 months.
Every year an average of 2.4 million weddings are performed in the U.S.
The Wedding Industry is a 50 billion dollar a year industry
Average age for first-time brides is 25 years, for grooms it's 27.5
Median age for remarriage is 34 for women and 37 for men 175 guests are invited to an average wedding
One third of engaged couples retain a Wedding Consultant
An average honeymoon vacation is one week
The average household income of a newly married couple is $60,000/year
Tuxedoes are typically purchased 5-6 months after the wedding gown
Bridesmaids' gowns are general purchased 3-4 months in advance of the event
Average size of wedding party: 12
Most brides (30%) plan their weddings for 7 to 12 months
Most (about 75%) first-time brides will receive a diamond engagement ring (67% of repeat brides)
About 15% of weddings include ethnic customs
35% of weddings occur in the summer; 29% in the spring; 23% in the fall; 13% in the winter.
11% of winter weddings are Christmas weddings

COST STATISTICS
$22,000 is the average amount spent on a traditional American wedding
The average amount spent on a bridal gown is $800
David's Bridal accounts for 20% of all bridal-gown sales, and that percentage is increasing
The average ring costs $2,000

TOP WEDDING DESTINATIONS:
Las Vegas (100,000 weddings/year)
Hawaii (25,000 wedding/year)
Bahamas (5,000 weddings/year)
Jamaica (5,000 weddings/year)
U.S. Virgin Islands (4,000 weddings/year)

OTHER WEDDING STATISTICS
80% of traditional weddings are performed in churches or synagogue.
Four out of five brides are employed.
There is a 43% chance of a marriage ending in divorce.
35% of Brides and Grooms have a valid passport.
Percentage of couples living together before marriage: 64%
Percentage of engaged couples who’ve known each other longer than 3 years: 69%
Percentage of brides who say they’ll be changing their surnames: 60%
53% of weddings occur in the afternoon; 31% in the evening; 16% in the morning.
30% of receptions are held in churches; 20% in hotels; 20% in country clubs; and 10% each in fraternal halls, private homes, and other locations.
38% of weddings have a buffet; 34% have a sit-down dinner; 28% serve only cake and punch.
62% of weddings have a flower girl.
56% have a ring bearer.
Brides 18 to 39 receive 85% of all wedding cards.
More than 4.2 million unmarried couples live together.
67% of women continue to wear the same fragrance they wore on their wedding day.

MARRIAGES BY MONTH
January 4.7%
February 7.0%
March 6.1%
April 7.4%
May 9.8%
June 10.8%
July 9.7%
August 10.2%
September 9.6%
October 9.4%
November 7.4%
December 7.8%

WEDDING COSTS BY CATEGORY*
Reception 28.3%
Consultant 15.0% (if hired)
Wedding Rings 11.5%
Photography/Video 6.6%
Bridal Gown 6.1%
Music 5.2%
Flowers 4.6%
Bridal attendants' apparel 4.5%
Rehearsal dinner 4.2%
Men's formal wear 3.2%
Invitations 2.8%
Attendants' gifts 2.1%
Mother of the bride apparel 1.7%
Bride's veil 1.6%
Clergy and ceremony fees 1.2%
Limousine 0.9%
Groom's attire 0.8% Source: Association of Bridal Consultants*

HONEYMOON STATISTICS
Among couples who choose a traditional wedding, 99 percent take a honeymoon.
Couples spend an average of $4,000 on their honeymoon. That's three times as much as the average U.S. adult Spends on a vacation.
The length of an average honeymoon is seven days.
45 percent of honeymoon trips are to domestic locations; 55 percent are foreign.
The Honeymoon Industry is a 12 billion dollar a year industry.

Most Popular Honeymoon Activities:
Visiting a new place for sightseeing, restaurants, entertainment and nightlife- 75%
Beaches and lakes - 45%
Casinos - 20%
Cruises - 15%
Golf/sports vacations - 10%
Skiing trips - 5%
Destinations that are most frequently chosen
Aruba 8%
Bahamas 20.2%
Bermuda 3.1%
British Virgin Islands 7%
Caribbean 34%
Caribbean Islands 6.3%
The Cayman Islands 10.5%
Europe 4%
Hawaii 33%
Jamaica 17.1%
Mexico 7%
Puerto Rico 3.8%
St. Marten 5.6%
US Virgin Islands 7%

Places To Stay While On The Honeymoon
46.1% Hotel/Motel
35.2% Resort
20.1% Boat/Ship
8.2% Bed and Breakfast/Inn
8.9% Other

Transportation Used for Honeymoon
76.2% Airplane
60% Rent Car
16.4% Their Own Car
27% Boat/Ship
2.7% Railroad

SOURCES
Association of Bridal Consultants
Condé Nast Bridal Group
Mediapost.com National Bridal Service
National Center for Health Statistics
Greeting Card Association
National Association of Wedding Ministers

Radio Record Hop is proud to be Southeast Wisconsin's most professional and affordable mobile DJ service. We serve the following counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Ozaukee, Kenosha, Jefferson, Washington and Dodge. We will travel beyond this immediate service area. As always, please check out our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-04-24T13:32:00.000-05:00

50th Birthday Party

This past weekend we had the pleasure of playing for three people who were all celebrating their 50th birthdays. This is certainly a milestone accomplishment.

The birthday folks rented a VFW hall in West Allis. They had a variety of appetizers and snacks for their guests. Plus some great music for dancing.

We were hired to play from 7:30 PM to 11:30 PM. There were a fair number of children in attendance and of course they were the first ones to hit the dance floor. As we try to do at most events, our first 30 minutes included a pretty wide variety of music.

It wasn't long before some of the guests started brining us their requests. Prior to starting, we had put request cards and pencils on all of the tables. This makes it easy for people to let us know what they'd like to hear. In addition, we have a pre-printed business card right on the request cards so they have that if they'd like to contact us for a future engagement.

The birthday folks also had provided us with a list of suggested songs that they would like to hear. And, they made up a CD with some special songs that we played and for which we made various dedications.

To give a little something extra to the party, we compiled a list of sports events, news headlines and celebrity births from 1956. And we treated the birthday folks to our special rendition of "Why Must I Be A Teenager In Love?".

It was a very enjoyable evening. We played a wide variety of music from polkas to country to oldies to disco and even some of today's top hits. There was a lot of dancing and many people stayed until we played our last song.

We really enjoy DJ'ing. It's great to see people having fun and it's great to be a part of it. For more information on hiring us for your event, please check out our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-04-21T15:07:00.000-05:00

Why hire a DJ? - continued

So, you‘ve decided to hire a DJ to provide music for dancing. Take it from us, it’s a great idea! People have been enjoying dancing to music for many, many years.

There are several components that will contribute to the success of dancing at your event. This includes the music, the lighting and the dance floor.

We at Radio Record Hop can handle a couple of these. We bring the music for dancing. We carry a wide variety of music, everything from the big band era up through today’s top hits. In advance of playing, we get some input from you as to specific songs and artists that you’d like us to feature. And we can indicate the styles of music that we should concentrate on and those that we should only play a minimal amount.

In addition, we put out request cards for your guests to provide their suggestions. We try to intersperse a nice mix of up tempo and slow songs as well as music from various styles and eras. This keeps things fresh and exciting, rather than the same thing over and over again.

The lighting is another thing that we can help with. We bring a variety of lights to provide different scenes or moods for dancing. We change the lighting depending on the music we’re playing. However, our ability to control the mood for dancing is very limited if the lighting in the hall is not turned down to the point that we provide a majority of the light.

We try to work with the hall management to turn down or dim the lights that impact the dance area so that the mood is ideal for dancing. Another negative impact on lighting can be the result of having a videographer using an auxiliary light. This again will spoil the mood for your guests who are trying to dance. Fortunately this interruption is usually short lived. But, you should still be aware of the potential negative impact.

The dance floor will play a large part of the success of your event. Most halls have a hard surface floor, either wood or tile that will be used for dancing. The dance floor should be large enough to accommodate your guests. However, the dance floor should not be so big that there is not “intimacy” for your guests to dance with other couples. For example, a large gymnasium is ideal if you have 250 or more people dancing. But, if you only have 50 people, they will feel lost and intimidated by this huge area. You’re better to artificially shrink the dance floor by positioning tables or partitions to make the dance floor smaller.

Conditions don’t need to be ideal for your event to be a success, but it sure helps. For other suggestions about how to help plan your up coming wedding reception, class reunion, birthday party, anniversary party, family get together, corporate function or non-profit organization fund raiser, please check out our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-04-20T16:46:00.000-05:00

Why hire a DJ?

Most likely there are only two reasons to hire a disc jockey for your event, either to provide music for dancing or to provide music for background. It’s important to carefully think about your intention prior to booking the DJ and making your music selections.

Sometimes music is only to be played as a background for dinner or perhaps while people are talking at a class reunion. When this is the plan, we offer a number of different styles of background music. You can choose light but popular classical music. Or perhaps you’d like some light jazz or solo piano music. Other people prefer to have vocal standards by artists like Dean Martin, Barbara Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Harry Connick Jr. and others.

At a class reunion, many times we’ll feature music from either the specific graduation year or also include songs from the high school years. This helps to bring back memories for the guests. If requested, we can also interject news, sports and entertainment highlights from the graduation year.

When background music is chosen to be played, keep in mind that the music is designed to be just that, background music. Your guests will most likely not feel like dancing to this type of music and that’s fine as long as that is your intention.

Tomorrow we’ll look at the decision to play music for dancing. You can find out entire music list on our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-04-19T23:02:00.000-05:00

DJ vs Band....

No, sorry, this is not a new version of American Idol or a battle of the bands. It's a question that plagues most every couple that is planning a wedding; DJ or band. Other types of parties have this dilema, but maybe less so than a wedding.

Here are the two distinct differences between having a DJ or a band. A Band plays music, some tunes you know, maybe some you don't, and they are playing their interpertation of the tune. While a DJ played exactly the song you know, the way you know it. They really can't do anything else but. The exception being when a DJ plays a version of a song other than the original.

OK, we admit, our opinions are a bit slanted on this, but we think a DJ is your best bet. Here are some reasons why.

Get the music you want, exactly as you want it. Hire a DJ that only plays the original versions of songs, not a party mix version or "Hit Crew" version. The song will be exactly as it should be. Unchained Melody will be at the perfect slow dance tempo with Bill Medly singing so soulfully.
Volume. It is very hard for a band to play at any variance in volume other than loud. We are able to establish a good level of volume where your guests are able to get involved in the music and yet not walk away with their ears ringing.
Style. Lets face it. Not every musician can play every style of music. Same for a band as a group. They are constrained by what they know and can play.
Breaks. Band stop for a break. And, then your party stops. We never take a break.

and the list could go on.

So, the final decison is yours truly, but consider the above items and perhaps you see how a DJ is a better value for your money.

For over 20 years Ernie and Tim have been playing the best music, the hits you know and love, they way you want to hear them. Radio Record Hop is proud to be Southeast Wisconsin's most professional and affordable mobile DJ service. We serve the following counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Ozaukee, Kenosha, Jefferson, Washington and Dodge. We will travel beyond this immediate service area. As always, please check out our website at http://www.radiorecordhop.com/.

2006-04-19T08:22:00.000-05:00

Where do you guys play?

Since we began back in 1984, we have traveled near and far to entertain. We have performed in traditional restaurants, banquet halls, hotel halls, VFW Posts, church halls and so on. Each type of hall has its own advantages and disadvantages. And in many cases the hall and the decorations which you provide really set the mood and the atmosphere for the event. Will it be formal, informal, festive or have a particular theme?

We’ve also done a number of outdoor events. We’ve played under big tents for church festivals. We’ve provided the music for collector car shows. We’ve played at back yard pig roasts. And there have been a number of graduation and birthday parties that were held in people’s back yards. Of course you really need to have a back up plan if the weather decides to throw you a curve ball. Where will your guests go if it starts raining, if the wind kicks up, if the mosquitoes suddenly go on a feeding frenzy.

One constant is that no matter where we play, big city, small town, elegant ballroom or in a tent, people want to have fun. We bring the music to get them moving and the lighting to put them in the mood for dancing. And certainly every crowd is different. That's why we bring a wide variety of music with us to all dances. And if necessary, we have enough music to play the entire evening in just one genre.

Below is a list of some of the area communities in which we’ve played over the years. We will travel beyond this immediate service area. As always, please check out our website at www.radiorecordhop.com

Beaver Dam, Belgium, Beloit, Big Bend, Brookfield, Brown Deer, Burlington, Cedarburg, Cudahy, Delafield, Delavan, Eagle, East Troy, Elm Grove, Fox Point, Franklin, Fredonia, Genesee, Germantown, Glendale, Grafton, Greendale, Greenfield, Hales Corners, Hartford, Hartland, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Kenosha, Lake Geneva, Lake Mills, Lisbon, Menomonee Falls, Mequon, Merton, Milwaukee, Mukwonago, Muskego, Nashotah, New Berlin, Oak Creek, Oconomowoc, Ottawa, Pewaukee, Pleasant Prairie, Port Washington, Racine, Richfield, St. Francis, Shorewood, Slinger, South Milwaukee, Sturtevant, Sussex, Thiensville, Vernon, Walworth, Waterford, Watertown, Waukesha, Wauwatosa, West Allis, West Bend, Whitefish Bay, Williams Bay.

2006-04-17T23:38:00.000-05:00

How can you remember every request?

Before we start a dance we like to go around to each table, introduce ourselves and leave a few request forms on the table, (Along with pencils so everyone can write) We encourage your guests to let us know what they want to hear, and most likely will dance to as well.

We do this so we are sure to play music your guests will enjoy and it helps us get a general sense of where the group is. More oldies, less disco? Or perhaps just the opposite. Or perhaps it’s a country crowd. We try never go just go on appearances and pick music based on that. Heck, take a look at us. Do we look like two guys who both appreciate both Mozart and some music by Salt N’ Peppa? Like your mother always told you; don’t judge a book by it’s cover. We work by that motto.

So, what if on your pre-dance sheet you asked us to avoid a particular style of music and your guests are really asking for it? Then what? We ask you, of course.

Here’s something to think about when emphasizing or excluding a style of music. You may not like it, but your guests might. If someone was a guest at your home, you would afford them every comfort and perhaps even, well, watch a TV show that was not your favorite just because that’s a nice thing to do for guests. We think that the same applies to dances. Let your guests dictate what is played and trust us not to go too far. We always appreciate comments on the pre-dance form that tell us that any given style is not preferred. Still, we fell it’s best to leave room for your guests to ask for what they want to hear and will stay around in your celebration to enjoy.

What about planning every song, or a majority of them for an event?

We think this is a bad idea for a number of reasons.

Like we said above, your guests have things that they would like to hear. A planned or even partly planned music list does not leave room for latitude.

If you planned an evening of Jazz, for example, because that is your favorite style of music and your guests have no interest in spending the evening listening, (you can’t really dance to jazz, can you?) they will just go home. So much for the party. The same thing applies to every other style of music. Time and time again, we have had events where someone wanted to plan every piece of music, to the level of giving us CD’s with the music in order, and as sure as our name is Radio Record Hop, the crowd quickly thinned, they gave up, let us work from our playlist and requests and we kept the folks who stayed around there for a while. What went wrong? Well, I know that my personel music collection is not something that everyone would want to listen to or consider dancing to. Were I picking what was to be played, wanting all my favorites, well well you get the idea.

We hope you hired us not only for our sparkling personalities, but our ability to research and accumulate a great music library and an ability to pull from that library to find music that is perfect for the moment. Otherwise, well, sadly, you’ve spent money on us and not have used what we have for abilities. We bring our custom CD collection and we know that every cut on every CD has the ability to get a good crowd dancing, no matter what the occasion. You can save a lot of your party planning time by hiring us and letting us handle the music end of things.

OK, so, how do we keep track of all the requests we get from your guests? Easy. We have a custom made software program, used only by us at Radio Record Hop which we run on a laptop on our stand. On it we can search for any piece of music in our collection and mark it as a request.

Radio Record Hop is proud to be Southeast Wisconsin's most professional and affordable mobile DJ service. We serve the following counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Ozaukee, Kenosha, Jefferson, Washington and Dodge. We will travel beyond this immediate service area. As always, please check out our website at http://www.radiorecordhop.com/.

2006-04-17T10:03:00.000-05:00

Customize the dance

Weddings are weddings. Reunions are reunions. And, parties are parties. From a very high level this may be true, but every event is unique. The people planning the event have specific tastes and preferences. The guests in attendance are distinct as well.

Since we began Radio Record Hop back in 1984, we’ve learned a lot about how to entertain at wedding receptions, class reunions and birthday or anniversary parties. However, we’ve also learned that no two events are exactly the same.

When we start to plan an event, we start with the information sheets that we have received from the party that is hiring us.

As you can see, these forms are fairly simple, yet they give us the basic information and we can build from there.

Each bride and groom have certain songs that hold a special meaning for them. We want to be sure and include these during the reception. In addition, the bridal couple has certain tastes or preferences in styles of music and favorite performers. We make sure that we have a nice variety of these before we arrive.

In addition, once the dishes have been cleared away after dinner, we put request cards and pencils on each table. This gives the guests an easy opportunity to help us play the music that they’d like to dance and listen to. It also gives us a chance to circulate through the crowd and introduce ourselves to the people.

Radio Record Hop is proud to be Southeast Wisconsin's most professional and affordable mobile DJ service. We serve the following counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Ozaukee, Kenosha, Jefferson, Washington and Dodge. We will travel beyond this immediate service area. As always, please check out our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-04-16T23:24:00.000-05:00

A Milwaukee Tradition...

The Bird Dance as the actually dance is called is also known as the Chicken Dance. Those who live outside of Milwaukee may not know about this dance. Let's first see if we can try to exlpain how this it is performed.

Everyone stands in a circle facing in. Everyone stands in a circle facing inward. There are specific movements involved. Anyone who's not chicken, stand in a circle facing each other.
When the music starts, hold your hands out in front of you and open and close them like a chicken beak four times.
Put your thumbs in your armpits and flap your wings four times.
Place your arms and hands like the tail feathers of a chicken and wiggle down to the floor four times.
Clap four times.
You do this three times through, then you wait for what Tim has in mind next. Most of the time you hold hands with the person next to you and walk in a circle to the right, or left.

OK, now that you know how the steps are done, how about a little history of the dance.

The tune remained in obscurity for years after being written in the late 1950s by a Swiss accordion player named Werner Thomas when he was in his 20s, who at the time tended a flock of ducks and geese so the tune was first named "Der Ententanz" (The Duck Dance.) Mr. Thomas began performing his song at his Davos restaurant around 1963 and got an immediate reaction. People spontaneously "began to move with the melody." A leg here, an arm up there and suddenly Thomas thought of his animals.

Sometime in the late 1970s, the song acquired the name "Vogeltanz" (bird dance) or "Vogerltanz" (Little Bird Dance or Birdie Dance), although these names never caught on seriously in Germany. On some sheet music and recordings it is called "Dance Little Bird." It appears that no one in Germany uses the term "Kükentanz" (Küken means chicken).
It migrated to America a few years later, when New York publisher Stanley Mills acquired the U.S. publishing rights. Mr. Mills, whose September Music Corp. consisted of himself and an assistant, hawked the song relentlessly, "As soon as I heard someone was doing a dance album or a polka album, as soon as I even smelled it, I called them up," Mills said.
The words never really caught on, but Mills did line up several recordings. Band leader Jimmy Sturr says he put the tune on a 1982 album called "Hooked on Polkas!" after Mills badgered him to "record this, it's going to be a big hit." Sturr still performs it in his live shows, yet the song failed to dent the pop charts.

Things started to change in the late 1980s. The dance began showing up at Oktoberfests and other events. Mr. Mills got his first personal experience of the burgeoning phenomenon when he heard the song played by a band at his son's bar mitzvah. Then a record label called to ask about using the "Chicken Dance." Mills had never heard the name used for his song before. But an informal survey of bandleaders he knew revealed that many of them were performing the tune at weddings and other events, always using the "Chicken Dance" name.

(From: http://www.oldworld.ws/chickenhistory.html)

So, how did it get to Milwaukee? Here is where the story becomes legend. Several people brought it about into Milwaukee. One of them was Radio Record Hops very own Tim.

You see, he heard the song when a friend played it for him at her home one evening. She had been to Germany and was at an Oktoberfest where she saw it done and learned how the steps were done. She bought a copy to bring back home and showed him the dance steps. While it was very silly, it was also very fun.

It took quite some time for Tim to find a copy, but he found out that Bob Kames, the owner of a local Piano and Organ company in Milwaukee had recorded a version of it. Tim bought a few copies and took them with him when he went to Square Dances, something he was into at the time. There, during a break in the dancing he would show everyone there how it was done and then of course, the would do the dance.

OK, flash forward a few years. One evening at a wedding, after some discussion Ernie and Tim agree that Tim should move away from the stand and try leading the Bird Dance from the floor. Ham it up and have fun. And, thus a routine was born.

Since we were one of the first Moble DJ’s in Milwaukee, we may have had a good part in the Chicken Dance becoming a Milwaukee Favorite.

Since 1983 we have been playing Milwaukee’s Favorite dance music for all sorts of events. Come visit us at http://www.radiorecordhop.com/

2006-04-14T10:26:00.000-05:00

How did this whole DJ thing start?

Jimmy Savile launched the world's first DJ dance party in 1943 by playing jazz at the Loyal Order of Ancient Shepherd's in Otley, England. There were over 200 people at the party. Clubs began to open in other areas of the UK as well as in France and other parts of Europe immediately after World War II. Many of these discotheques (French word for record library) either couldn't afford live bands or wanted authentic American music. Thus, they relied on records to entertain the patrons. According to Dick Clark, "the first disco was probably a little dive that couldn't afford a band." However, some DJ historians believe that the first disco was the "Whiskey-A-Go-Go" in Paris (1947).

During the 1950's, American radio DJ's made live appearances and took on the role of a human jukebox at "sock hops" or "platter parties." These DJ's would usually play 45's on one turntable while talking between songs. In some cases, a live drummer was hired to play beats between songs to maintain the dance floor. In 1955, Bob Casey, a well-known sock-hop DJ, introduced the first two-turntable system in order to have continuous music.

Nightclubs and discotheques continued to grow into the mid-1960's. However, by 1968, the number of dance clubs started to decline. In 1969, Francis Grasso (though not the inventor of the beat-mix) popularized beat-matching for an extended period of time at New York's Sanctuary nightclub. That same year, most American discos either closed or were transformed into clubs featuring live bands.

There seems to be several reasons why the first-wave of DJ’s came to an end. First, the sound and lighting of the 1960's disco environment was not sophisticated enough to maintain interest. Second, the Vietnam War changed popular music in favor of socially conscious/protest rock and folk music. The early-1970's was a period of social, political, and economic uncertainty, and many people weren't in the mood to dance.

By the mid 70’s DJ’s went mobile. They packed up their vans or station wagons with turn tables, records and a PA system. It wasn’t until the mid 80’s that affordable and portable lighting was developed and many DJ’s added light shows to their traveling discos.

Check out our equipment list to see the latest innovations in mobile DJ gear. You can find it on our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-04-13T06:44:00.000-05:00

Why be a DJ?

Why would anyone want to be a DJ? A love of music? Like to be the star of the show? Enjoy going to parties? Whatever the reason, it has to be something that you enjoy doing, it isn’t just a job.

We enjoy DJ’ing for a number of reasons. It first started with a deep interest in radio. Not just the announcing but also being able to pull off a great segue from one song to another. Then there’s the flow of music from one song to the next.

Radio is a lot different than playing for a wedding, reunion or party. In the radio studio, you really don’t have much interaction with your audience. Sure, you may get some requests or phone calls, but other than that, you’re pretty removed from the people that are working, driving or playing while you’re sitting in the studio.

At a dance, you’re right there in the heart of the action. When you play a song, you can immediately see the reaction from the crowd. People come up with requests or just to chat. It’s a much different and much more interactive experience.

We still enjoy the great segues but it’s so much fun to see how the crowd reacts to the music choice. You lull them into a romantic mood with a great slow dance and then you hit them between the eyes with a powerful rock or dance tune. It’s a lot of fun.

You’ll hear us talk quite often at a dance, but we try to make sure that it doesn’t detract from the music. We try to compliment the music by the style and energy of our delivery. Plus it gives us a chance to interact with the audience.

In addition to announcing, we’ll lead various specialty dances, MC the traditionals at a wedding, and play along with the music on a tambourine, maracas, cowbell or other percussion instrument. It’s all part of participating with the music and trying to liven things up.

So, why be a DJ? For us, it’s a lot of fun. We really enjoy it. You can see how much we enjoy it. Check out our website at http://www.radiorecordhop.com/.

2006-04-11T09:04:00.000-05:00

Top 40 Radio

Yesterday we took at look at radio station WRIT AM 1340. Today we’re going to look at their chief competitor WOKY AM 920.

“Fun Lovin’ WOKY, or the “Mighty 92” broadcast from the Bartell media building on the corner of Fond du Lac and Sherman. The morning man for the station was Bob Barry. He was an aggressive promoter. In fact in 1975, Billboard magazine selected him America’s best Contemporary Radio Air Personality. He had a slogan “Bob Barry Calls the World.” And he did talk to celebrities every day on his program. In September, 1964 he had the privilege of introducing the Beatles at their only Milwaukee concert. For this, he earned the name “the fifth Beatle”. In 2001, Bob Barry was named to the Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Another air personality of note was Jack Lee. Although he was born in Tennessee, he spent time in Detroit when his family moved there. It was in the motor city that Jack got his first brush with radio. From there moved to other stations in the Midwest before he settled in Milwaukee. He had a very successful tenure at WOKY before moving to take over the reins at a new FM radio station, WKTI. From there he became the general manager at WEMP-WMYX. Although he’s retired, you can still hear Jack’s soothing deliver as the voice of the ADAMM automotive radio commercials.

Another WOKY DJ that also went on to station management was Mitch Michael. Later, using his real name of Terrell Metheny, he became general manager of WMKE-WBCS. He enjoyed much success at WBCS, during the “Urban Cowboy” era and bringing in the husband and wife team of Dick & Ellen.

Other DJ’s of note from WOKY’s heydays were: Bob White, Barney Pip, Bob Collins (although we knew him as Robert L. Collins) and Gene Johnson

It was a wonderful time of rock and roll, great radio DJ’s, AM radios with reverb to simulate stereo and 45 RPM records. It’s still great music to dance to and listen too. You can find our entire play list on our website at http://www.radiorecordhop.com/.

2006-04-10T08:41:00.000-05:00

Top 40 Radio

Back in the 1960’s and early 1970’s the battle for teens and the blooming rock and roll era was waged between two Milwaukee radio power houses. WOKY AM 920 and WRIT AM 1340 were on the cutting edge of Milwaukee stations. Today and tomorrow we’re going to spotlight these two top 40 radio stations.

Most people were die hard fans of either of these radio stations. Loyalty ran deep and there wasn’t a lot of “button pushing” with people going between stations. The DJ’s were part of our lives and we tuned in as much to listen to the jocks as we did for the music.

WRIT was located at 1340 on the AM dial. This frequency is now held by WJYI a Christian station. But, during the 1960’s and very early 1970’s, WRIT was my favorite station. The photo you see here is from the station’s weekly Top 40 survey from November 14, 1965. The station had a great on-air line up. Many of these “jocks” went on to other broadcasting careers here in Milwaukee.

Lee Rothman was the morning guy. He later went on to host the Bowling Game, which aired for many years on Channel 18. Eddie Doucette was the first play-by-play announcer for the Milwaukee Bucks. Everyone remembers Eddie’s colorful and exciting calls, “Bango!” Jack Gallo was the long-time PA announcer for the Bucks. Bill Erickson went on to be a Catholic priest.

As far as the music goes, everything was played off record. In fact WRIT and WOKY were always “battling” each other to see who would play more music each hour. I later found out that WRIT actually slight sped up their turntables so that they could play more songs per hour. In later years when “oldies stations” began playing this music again, the songs sounded draggy, that’s because we grew up listening to them at a faster speed.

WRIT also had their “Silver Dollar Jackpot”. They would place jackpot calls and if you knew the amount, you’d win. I remember my mom always listening and writing down the jackpot. I remember the WRIT “name it and claim it” weekends. I won quite a few 45’s, paying the price by having to put a bandage on my “dialing” finger.

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at Fun Lovin’ WOKY. Please check out our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-04-07T06:51:00.000-05:00

What’s In A Name?

Our DJ service is called Radio Record Hop. Of course there’s a story behind the name. When we began in the mid 80’s, Ernie was the evening DJ on WEMP AM 1250. This was an oldie station. That’s where the RADIO part came.

RECORD came from the fact that when we began, all we played were records. We brought 45’s and albums with us to each dance. Later we converted to single song – double sided cassettes. This greatly lightened the load (records were heavy to haul around). And today, we play custom recorded CD’s. Not only is this a great improvement in sound quality but every song we bring is “danceable”.

We added the HOP to our name because that is a slang expression for dancing to oldies music. Even from the very beginning, we have played all styles of music, so hop is a bit of a misnomer.

Over the years we have evolved but we’ve kept the same name. People have come to know us as Radio Record Hop, even though we’re no longer on the radio, now play CD’s and play all styles of music, not just oldies.

We still use a radio style deliver with our music. We know the length of the instrumental intro to each song and pride ourselves in tight segues and great timing. The music is the centerpiece of our show but we pull everything together with our radio announcing and technique.

To find out more about our Southeastern Wisconsin mobile DJ service, please check out our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-04-05T09:38:00.000-05:00

The Hills are Alive…

Something most people don’t know is that Tim is a movie music fan. Most of the time he can tell you who was the music composer for a movie after watching and hearing just a bit of it. He is a regular contributor to IMDB.com.

Consider this; how dull would any movie be were it not for the music? When you walk out of a theater, are you more likely to recite lines or hum the music? (The exception being the movie ‘Airplane’ where just about everyone was saying “And stop calling me Shirley” after that one. )

Music adds a lot to the movie experience. The two bass notes from Jaws warning of sharks on the prowl. The screeching violin sound from the Psycho shower scene. Without the music, these scenes would be lifeless and very much less interesting. John Travolta walking down the street carrying two cans of paint is not much to look at, add the BeeGees singing 'Staying Alive' and you have a great scene. Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore throwing pottery together is a great scene. Add Unchained Melody to it and you have one very interesting, romantic, memorable scene.

When the movie “The Big Chill” was out in theaters and later on Video, we were often asked if we had the soundtrack. Honestly, we never have, but we didn’t need it. We had just about every piece of music they used on the soundtrack in our collection already.

How about “Animal House”, another classic movie where the music was really a star as much as John Belushi. There was, "Shout", "Louie Louie", "Tossin' And Turnin'" “Wonderful World", "Twistin' The Night Away","Let's Dance","Who's Sorry Now", and "Hey Paula" highlighted the soundtrack and we have them all in our collection.

And yes, the opening line for this blog entry is from the Movie“Sound of Music” in case you were wondering. And, yes, it too was the opening line for the movie.

Often times when we meet with a couple who are planning their wedding, they will site a movie where they heard a song that they thought would be something they would like as ‘their song’ at the wedding dance.

Take a look at our complete music listing on http://www.radiorecordhop.com/ and you can find plenty of music from movies you know and enjoy, and your bound to find a favorite song or one you want as “Your song”.

2006-04-05T09:06:00.000-05:00

Disco!

Back in the late ‘70’s or early ‘80’s, you couldn’t listen to the radio or go to a nightclub without hearing the thumping beat of disco music. I'm not sure if the music spawned the movie or if it was the other way around

Saturday Night Fever was one of the most popular movies of the time. Many guys sported the white suite and black shirt made famous in the movie by John Travolta. The Bee Gees were one of the hottest acts around after the soundtrack dominated the charts for months.

Disco style music is still a popular choice for dancing at any type of event. People who experienced the disco era first hand recall all the various dance steps and Dance Fever type TV shows. Those who are “new” to disco get in to the dance beat and full sound.

Some of the more popular disco tunes are:

Turn The Beat Around – Vickie Sue Robinson
Brick House – The Commodores
That’s The Way I Like It – KC & The Sunshine Band
Stayin’ Alive – The Bee Gees
I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
Play The Funky Music – Wild Cherry
YMCA – The Village People

To see our entire music list, please check out our website at http://www.radiorecordhop.com. And keep on dancing!

2006-04-04T10:07:00.000-05:00

How to "audition" a DJ – Part 2

You're in the process of planning your big event and now you're trying to select a DJ. What's the best way to "audition" them? Continuing from yesterday’s post, here are some suggestions.

4. How do the DJ’s interact with the guests? Do the DJ’s just stay in the background playing one song after another? Hopefully not. Again, it’s a fine line between not participating at all and talking too much. We prefer a “radio” style in which we introduce many of the songs, help to bring music styles and lead special dances. Our philosophy is that we participate in the event but let the music be the star of the show. Let’s face it; most people are there to dance.

5. Do the DJ’s have lights? Again, it is a fine line between having no lights and having too many. Lighting is an important part of setting the proper mood for your guests in making them feel comfortable with dancing. By having the lighting in the room turned down, this gives the DJ a lot of control over lighting the dance floor. We have a nice assortment of lights and can change the mood from one song to another and from one style of music to another. One pitfall that some DJ’s all into is that they turn on all of their lights and just leave them run all night long. Pay attention to how the DJ’s that you audition handle their lighting.

6. When you stop by to audition a DJ, you should be able to approach them and ask any questions you might have. This is one of the reasons that we feel it’s important to have two DJ’s. We are able to field questions from guests as well as someone that might stop by to “check us out.” Most people won’t mind if you “hang out” in the back of the room and stick around for 20 minutes or a half hour and listen to the DJ’s.

As always, please feel free to contact us via phone, email or the form on our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-04-03T09:43:00.000-05:00

How to "audition" a DJ

You're in the process of planning your big event and now you're trying to select a DJ. What's the best way to "audition" them? Here are some suggestions.

1. How do they sound? Listen to the quality of the sound. It should be clear and understandable. The music should sound bright and not murky. How's the volume? Is it too loud or too quiet? It should be appropriate for the situation, loud enough for dancing but quiet enough for conversation. It's a fine line. And the volume should be consistent. One song should not be noticeably louder or quieter than another.

2. How is the crowd reacting? Every audience is different and your guests may react much differently than the one that you're witnessing during this "audition." If the DJ's play Old Time Rock & Roll or Celebration and no one is dancing, chances are it's not the DJ's, it's the crowd. And the styles of music that are played vary from audience to audience. Just because the DJ's are playing an eclectic mix of country and big band, this doesn't mean that's what they're play for your event. We always allow the folks that hire us to provide input as to the type of music that they'd like played. And we encourage your guests to make requests. The music played should reflect the tastes of those attending, not the personal preference of your DJ.

3. Can you see the DJ's? Although the guests are there to dance, the DJ's should be active participants. You should be able to see them; they should not be in the dark or appear as silhouettes. How are the DJ's dressed? They should wear attire that is appropriate to the occasion. We wear formal attire to weddings and more "dressy" affairs. If we're playing for an informal or festive party, we may wear Hawaiian shirts or other casual dress. As always, we have the folks that hire us give us their suggestions on what to wear.

Check back tomorrow for more on this topic. Or, visit our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-03-31T16:28:00.000-06:00

Where, oh where should I put my DJ....

One of the challanges that often presents itself at a dance is the location for the DJ. Some halls have set themselves up the right way, others are very wrong.

Take for example one place, where the dance floor was in the middle of the room, and the stage for the DJ/band was in a far corner, with tables all around the dance floor.

We had a hard time working the crowd that evening because we were by virtue of our location out of sight, out of mind.It's not that we like to be the center of attention for our ego sake, but as your DJ, we need to be.

We hope you have hired us not only for our great musical skills and ability to put together great sets of music, but our sparkling personalities and our ability to connect with your party goers.We do this by way of direct contact with them on the dance floor, by interacting with them and letting them see us having fun and know someone is playing music for them. Otherwise, we really would just be a Boom-box playing in the corner of the room.

Remember, you've payed us for our time and performance skills. Why not make the most of them?Plus, we do bring a nice amount of lighting equipment and a fog machine with us and that needs to be near the floor (and us for controlling it) to be effective.

Admitingly, for us, it is a lot more fun to be right near the dance floor. There we can best judge what music is working and what styles to discontinue because your guests are just not that kind of group. (We'll explain how we pick music in another blog entry.) There is something, we think for folks who are dancing to be near the folks who are playing the music. For a DJ there is an interaction and energy that comes off a dance floor and we think inspires us to new levels of a fine tuned show. Some of our very most successful dances have been when we have had the front of our stand right on the edge of the dance floor, and yes in some cases where it was bumped by those who were dancing... all part of the energy of close interaction.

After all, would you ask a band to play quietly in the corner while your guests tried to dance?

We have proudly been at this for over 20 years and look forward to providing another 20 years of great DJ service to the South Eastern Wisconsin area. You can visit our website at http://www.radiorecordhop.com/

2006-03-30T14:08:00.000-06:00

Halls

When it comes to choosing a setting for your special event, there are many options to consider.

Restaurant - Many restaurants have banquet facilities. They usually have a special although limited menu available. Typically the food at these establishments will be of the same quality as that served in their restaurant. The trade-off is that you may end up "mixing" with the restaurant patrons in the bar or other common areas of the restaurant.

Private Hall - There are many establishments that fall into this category. This would include a VFW, Church, School, or other location that has a hall for rent but does not provide catering services. The advantage here is that you can bring in your own food to save money or you can hire an independent caterer for more variety or specialized menu.

Hotel - Most hotels and motels may have halls for rent. Similar to the restaurants, they will typically want to provide the food and beverage for your event. One advantage with a hotel is that guests will be able to get a room on site. This is especially important for those guests traveling from out of town or for people that don't want to have to worry about driving after the party.

Outdoor - Although we have a somewhat limited number of months to have outdoor events, it can make for a wonderful experience. You'll want to make sure to have a tent in case the weather doesn't cooperate. It's often a great idea to rent a portable dance floor as well. Grass or asphalt isn’t very conducive to dancing.

<>Whatever setting you choose for your special event, keep in mind that we’ll need an area of at least 15 by 7 feet, with an adjacent power outlet. Ideally, the dance floor should be right in front of where we set up. Don’t worry, what ever your limitations, we’ll work with you and make things nice.

We have other suggestions available for you on our website at www.radiorecordhop.com. Please check it out.

2006-03-30T13:50:00.000-06:00

Class Reunions

We usually gather with our high school classmates once every five years. These special get togethers often include dinner and dancing. It's fun to see who has changed over the years and who looks exactly as they did when they were in school.

Music for class reunions usually runs the gamut. Early in the evening, many of the selections are from the graduation year. This brings back memories from our school years. It also gives us time to visit with the people we haven't seen in many years. That's why at a class reunion, it's important to keep the sound level in check so that people have the opportunity to talk to one another.

At many of the reunions for which we've played, we have assisted the reunion committee by acting as MC's for the various announcements or raffle drawings. We're more than happy to help in the capacity. Or, if you choose, please feel free to use our sound system and handle these duties on your own.

When the dancing picks up later in the evening, we will intersperse a wide variety of dance tunes. People's taste will range from country to oldies to disco and the top songs of today. It's important to mix it up so that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy themselves. You definitely don't want to just play songs from the four years you were in high school. Let's face it; everyone's tastes are broader than that.

Please feel free to check out our entire music list on our website at www.radiorecordhop.com. We'd like to hear from you.

2006-03-28T08:06:00.000-06:00

Setting the Mood

To achieve the proper atmosphere for dancing, it's important do a couple of things to help set a mood that's condusive to dancing.

Lighting - First and most importantly is the lighting in the room. You'll want to turn off or turn down most of the hall lighting. There should be plenty of light from the DJ to illuminate the room. This gives the DJ more control over the dance floor. You'll want bright, pulsing light for hard driving dance songs and dim, intimate light for slow romantic numbers.

Dance floor - You need a nice sized dance floor. It's better to have a little smaller dance floor than one that's too big. If there is "too much" room for dancing, people feel lost or intimidated. People feel much more comfortable when they're in a crowd and not isolated or alone.

Sound - You need the music to be loud enough to drown out the conversation. People that are dancing should hear the music, not everyone around them talking. This doesn't mean that the music should be so loud that no one can talk. It is a delicate balance to achieve the right sound level. Our experience has show that gradually throughout the course of the dance, the music gets louder. This is the result of more intense dancing and less conversation.

Help create the ideal mood for dancing and you and your guests should have a successful and memorable event. For more information, please check out our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-03-24T08:33:00.000-06:00

Movies and Music

Over the years there have been a number of movies that started large trends in music. The Urban Cowboy was released in 1980 and so began the "new" craze in country music. The setting for the movie was Gilley's Nightclub. We all enjoyed seeing John Travolta and Debra Winger do the Cotton Eyed Joe and Texas Two-Step. Of course Debra Winger's sexy bull riding stole the show.

Some great songs came out of this movie, many of which remain top dance tunes:
Could I Have This Dance - Anne Murray
Don't It Make Ya Wanna Dance - Bonnie Raitt
Lookin' For Love - Johnny Lee
Stand By Me - Mickey Gilley
The Devil Went Down to Georgia - The Charlie Daniels Band

Make sure to include some of this "classic country" music. For our complete music list, please check out our website at www.radiorecordhop.com.

2006-03-23T08:03:00.000-06:00

Just take those old records off the shelf !

One of our all time favorite songs, and one we seem to play just about every dance is the Bob Segar Classic "Old Time Rock and Roll."

The song hit the height of popularity after it was used in the movie "Ricky Business" where Tom Cruise made dancing in a white dress shirt, white socks and underware popular. Which by the way happened one evening at a class reunion. A man came up to us early in the evening and asked if we planned to play it, which of course we did, more so if someone requested it. We try very hard to play every request. He was very excited about it, and sometime in the next half hour we played it. No more than a few seconds into it, he came sliding out onto the stage, ala Tom Cruise, sans pants. The crowd screamed with delight. He was dancing about the stage and had a great time. It was something we had not see before or since.

By the way, he was / is the husband of someone who was in the graduating class. If your out there guy, keep dancing!

We play for class reunions and all sorts of events. To find out more about us, including the music we play, why not pay a visit to our website and www.radiorecordhop.com

2006-03-22T12:10:00.000-06:00

And So It Begins!

Today we launch the Radio Record Hop Blog.

Lets start with a bit about us. We are two guys who will share this blog for our DJ service named.. you guessed it.. Radio Record Hop. We have been working together on our business since 1984. Yes, way back in when the options for playing music were 45's, LP or Cassette. Now, in the age of Digital we play from CD or a computer or even an MP3 player.

This weekend we will play for Habitat for Humanity when they hold their annual dinner. This is the third time we have had the honor to be part of this great organization and to help them do the great work they do.

It will also mark the debut of a new CD player. We spent all day last Saturday installing it into our stand and testing to make sure it was ready. Like the launch of any good ship, it's always a moment when we try a new technology or piece of equipment. We have back up just in case, but we honestly don't think it will be a problem. This new CD player will has more control over how the CD plays over what we had before.

We have tried very hard to always be on the cutting edge of technology, launching one of the first, if not the first Milwaukee DJ website, when you can find at www.radiorecordhop.com.

Have a great day and keep watching for our updates as we add items to our new blog!

Tim and Ernie