Category Archives: General Updates

Corporate Event Entertainment Los Angeles

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(We at Rossi Music are pro musicians and corporate event entertainment specialists in Los Angeles who provide dance bands, jazz bands and wedding entertainment of all kinds. For samples of our cover bands, or of any of our corporate, or of our professional top 40 wedding bands, jazz trios, rock strings, ceremony groups and more visit our Los Angeles music agency website or call us at 818-902-1233.  

Our blog was created to provide general information about the many different kinds of events, bands and styles of music available in the Los Angeles area.)

Corporate Event Entertainment is a broad category.  It can be live entertainment like a top 40 cover dance band, dance company or a broadway show.  It can be background music like flamenco guitar, a piano duo, jazz trio or string quartet. The defining characteristics of all corporate event bands, musicians and performers are a high degree of professionalism, a high level of proficiency and a great deal of talent and training.  Whether it be a solo guitarist or a 15-piece dance band, musicians for corporate events are judged especially strictly.  They have to look great, play a wide range of styles equally well, and have a professional attitude at every event.  Showing up early, using only high end equipment and staying very current with their repertoire of music are just a few of the habits this class of musician for hire consistently practice.

Our fresh, brand new, top 40 cover band THE REPLICAS, measures up to the highest standards in corporate event entertainment.  In fact they are equally qualified for both corporate events and private social events like weddings and anniversaries.  The core group is six versatile musicians and performer entertainers and MC.  They can easily grow to a 10 orr 11-piece dance band, for clients who love a great horn section. At all sizes they play a wide range of cover songs and styles, including 70′s 80′s 90′s and current Pop dance music.

They play such a long list of Rock, Funk, Country, Rn’B and Dance Cover Hits that they could do an entire night of country, or an entire night of Rock, or an entire night of R&B.

They are also able to break down in to a duo, trio or quartet for cocktails or dinner, and play jazz, indie pop and country standards and ballads.   It is this kind of versatility along with their polished presentation, superior musicianship and quality preforming that makes Rossi Music proud to be working with them exclusively in Los Angeles.

Enjoy this video of our Top 40 Corporate event entertainment band and see for your self.  See if you think this is a great band – exactly the kind of band you would love to have at the next big party you throw!

Get more info at Rossi Music at http://www.rossimusic.biz or CALL US NOW at 818-902-1233.

 

New popularity of String Quartets for Los Angeles Weddings and Corporate Events

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The Los Angeles String Quartet and trio was hired 30% more for Weddings and Corporate Events in 2012 than 2011. Rossi Music has been booking string groups in record numbers last year and we are seeing a new popularity in strings, particularly violins largely due to the use of electric violins. Electric violins are capable of simulating rockedout guitar sounds that open up a whole new world of sounds in pop music which means that violin is the newest and freshest sounding solo instrument in pop music today. That popularity has opened up many new possibilities for all string groups and therefore we are getting a lot of requests for violin in all of our various ensembles and bands.

Violin is being used in horn sections replacing the trumpet, in ethnic groups like our “Esperanto” world music band, and in our jazz bands, often replacing the saxophone. Our most popular group this year has been our all girl group “The Los Angeles String Quartet and Trio’ especially for wedding ceremonies and cocktail hours.
The newest addition which is based on the same members of the Los Angeles String Quartet is our electric pop group called “The Electric Angels”. They are very versatile and can do anything from traditional string trio and quartet music to the most rocking current pop music.
You can sample all of these groups by going to: http://www.rossimusic.biz/strings or call us and request a custom music player that we can load all of our various string groups into and you can see videos and descriptions and we will include a quote. Call Rossi Music at 818-902-1233.

Introducing Los Angeles String Quartet Cellist Irina Chirkova

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Rossi Music is very proud to introduce the very talented Irina Chirkova, cellist of the The Los Angeles Rock Strings Quartet. Originally from Bulgaria Irina has been actively involved in many of the facets of Los Angeles’ music scene, being featured in national television, film sessions, touring bands and chamber groups, and orchestrally.

Local recordings and TV appearances include a film session with Andrea Morricone, American Idol, Latin Grammy awards, MTV and CBS performances with Kanye West, and BET Awards with P. Diddy. Irina was also active in the Boston music scene and in Bulgaria. In live concerts, she has performed for Bill Clinton, Mitt Romney, and at an awards ceremony for Meryl Streep. Since 2011, Irina has been a featured cellist for Celine Dion’s Las Vegas shows.

An avid chamber and orchestral player, Irina has toured to Greece, Dubai, and Qatar with the eclectic string trio “CCbones”. She has also performed with the jazz group “MystiQuintet”, soloed with Houston’s “Orchestra X” and the Kolsice State Philharmonic, and performed as principal cellist with the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, along with numerous national and international festival and orchestral appearances. Irina is a multiple prizewinner of competitions in the United States and abroad, as well as a fellowship recipient of several organizations.

Irina holds a Bachelor and Master’s degree from Boston Conservatory.  We are extremely proud to have her as part of the Los Angeles String Quartet.

If you are interested in having a Grammy Award winning team help you to find wedding musicians in Los Angeles, please call us at 818-902-1233 or fill out your request by visiting http://www.rossimusic.biz/contact.php

Hybrid Dj Band for your Wedding, Private Party or Corporate Event

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It’s nearly impossible to mistake the energy and authenticity of a live band, but in today’s troubled economy it’s become a real challenge to fit live entertainment into the budget of many events including weddings and private parties. A live band exudes the charisma and intensity that is such a necessity for so many events. Not only is it interactive, but it brings a human element to the energy in the room. Though a live band is an attractive option for many events, sometimes the budget is not. As the budget dwindles, so do the number of musicians, and ultimately so does the sound.

On the other side of the spectrum lives the DJ. With today’s technology it’s not uncommon for a dj to have tens of thousands of songs to choose from at a moments notice. As a popular choice for many of today’s events, they keep up to date with the latest material and artists much easier than a band, and can deliver a well mixed full sound that is easily adjusted in volume. Although a dj offers plentiful options, it still misses the intensity and interactive human nature of a live band.

What if you could have both? On the forefront of today’s entertainment resides a new surge of energy called Hybrid bands. That’s right. Bands working with DJs. With less musicians involved the cost is cut down considerably while they captivate audiences with a live appeal. At the same time, they utilize the vast repertoire and the thunderous frequency response of a DJ. Flexible in size, Charismatic in nature and residing on the cutting edge of technology and style, the Hybrid DJ band is the best of both worlds.

If you would like assistance booking live entertainment or DJ services for your next event please call our office at 818-902-1233

The Los Angeles String Trio Performs in a beautiful private home in Encino, California

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This past Saturday, October 6, Rossi Music’s “The Los Angeles String Quartet” played a ceremony in a beautiful private home in Encino. As usual, the bride requested the string quartet to play more traditional classical music for the pre-ceremony portion of the wedding. But for the actual ceremony the bride insisted on having her most favorite rock tunes be arranged and performed for the processional and recessional. The Los Angeles String Quartet had the pleasure of being joined by vocalist Windy Barnes, who is as comfortable in jazz as gospel and R&B and has performed extensively in Los Angeles, CA and Asia. Her touring credits include Julio Iglesias, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Bolton. Julio said she ‘sings like heaven’ and has ‘one of America’s most beautiful voice.’

Arranger Rick Rossi wrote special arrangements for ‘You are the Sunshine of My Life’, an instrumental for the bridal party entrance, and ‘Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now’, the recessional choice. ‘Let’s Stay Together’ with vocals was used for the bridal entrance, and Camelot’s ‘The Prayer’ was softly played for the reading. Adding vocals to some of the ceremony songs was an excellent choice, it added just the right touch. The bride was very happy with the result and personally expressed her satisfaction, along with the groom.  Congratulations to the newlyweds.  The Los Angeles String Quartet and Rossi Music always feel privileged to be a part of these important events in people’s lives!

If you would like assistance booking live entertainment or DJ services for your next event please call our office at 818-902-1233

The Los Angeles String Trio Performs at Shutters on the Beach

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Yesterday, Oct. 13th The Los Angeles String Trio played a wedding at the beautiful oceanfront Shutters Hotel in Santa Monica. The wedding ceremony and cocktail hour were set up in the third floor by the pool and facing the ocean in an idyllic setting. The wedding ceremony was simple but poignant, with the bride and groom choosing a close friend to conduct it, making it immensely more personable. The ceremony song selections were MacDowell’s “To a Wild Rose” for the bridal party, Wagner’s “Wedding March” for the bridal entrance, and “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles for the wedding recessional. Even though the cocktail hour was in the same location, the bride and groom still exited, and returned only several minutes later, to a roomful of applause. The Los Angeles String Trio then switched gears and became the Rossi Music’s LA Rock Strings for the cocktail hour and performed a vastly different set of pop and rock arrangements. In making sure the bride’s requests were honored, among the selections were Viva La Vida, Lady Gaga, Elton John, The Beatles, and Frank Sinatra favorites. As usual, numerous guests gathered around and were delighted to hear a traditional string trio rock out to these tunes! Photographs were taken of the Los Angeles String Trio as the sun was setting and they were setting the mood at the cocktail hour. Congratulations to the new bride and groom for a beautiful wedding!

If you would like assistance booking live entertainment or DJ services for your next event please call our office at 818-902-1233

Introducing “The Los Angeles String Quartet”

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A New Contemporary Approach to the “Classic” String Quartet

Early this year, Rossi Music saw the demand rising for more than just the standard classical string quartet for the Los Angeles weddings and corporate events that we book. Young brides and grooms have been requesting their favorite pop songs for their wedding ceremony in record numbers.   So we started to put the word out, looking for talented young female string players interested in playing rock and pop standards in a string quartet format. Meanwhile, we collected arrangements of rock tunes for string trio and quartet to add to our repertoire. In a few weeks, we had a list of the hottest players in town – freelance musicians who actively play in movie scores and on screen in shows such as American Idol, America’s Got Talent, The Voice, and numerous talk shows and primetime television. In April, the Los Angeles Rock String Quartet was formed, rehearsed, video taped, and already performing and trying out the new groups arrangements at wedding ceremonies in the area.

We found arrangements from several prominent Los Angeles composer-arrangers of excellent rocking string trio and quartet arrangements from the 60′s to current pop hits. Songs like “My Sharona”, “I’m Yours” (Jason Mraz), Michael Jackson tunes, Led Zeppelin, Lady Gaga (Poker Face, Papparazzi, Bad Romance), You Belong to Me (Taylor Swift), Beatles, Elton John, Rolling Stones medley, Sting, and many others too numerous to mention. We have already produced several video clips of many of the songs in the Los Angeles String Quartet‘s repertoire that you can view at at http://www.rossimusic.biz/weddings-ceremony-demo.php

Please give us a call for a free quote and to develop a customized playlist for your event!  call 818-902-1233 or contact us at http://www.rossimusic.biz

 

The Best Wedding Bands in Los Angeles and 10 Tips for Finding them

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In my previous post on how to find the best wedding bands in los angeles, (or anywhere else) I gave you five strategies. Here are five more ways to find the best band for you.

1. Watch out for agencies that are not local to your city. There are many agencies that book bands that they have never seen or worked with. You are paying extra fees for a good music agency to vet your band so make sure you get what you pay for, so be careful of agencies that have a roster of over 25 bands.

2. Recommendations from your friends who have recently been married and liked their musical entertainment. Or remember the last wedding you attended and ask yourself if the wedding band was one that you want to hire or avoid.

3. Call and ask for their video demo and songlists to see if they’re right for you. You can find a lot out about a band by looking at their song list and ask them if they will do a few special requests. Most bands will agree to learn a couple of tunes at no extra charge.

4. Know what kind of music you want and be able to describe it to an music agency or wedding coordinator. That will save you a lot of extra time getting what you want. Many wedding bands are variety bands that can play many, many different styles, but if you are looking for a specific style of band for eg. R&B band, Rock and Roll band, Reggae band, etc.

5. Finally, If you can actually see the wedding band live, at an actual wedding reception where you can see how they interact with the audience that is the ideal way to test a band and to see if they deliver the kind of performance that you would want for your own wedding.

If you would like assistance booking live entertainment or DJ services for your next event please call our office at 818-902-1233

The Best Wedding Bands in Los Angeles-10 tips on how to find them

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Here are a few strategies to help you find the best wedding band in los angeles for you. LA is filled with great musicians and has some wonderful bands to offer – all you need to do is find them

1. First thing you should do before you start a search for a wedding band (and probably most important) is to take a look at your budget and decide what portion of that you can afford for your band for your wedding reception in Los Angeles.

2. If you’re budget is under $1000.00 then you may want to save yourself some time and go to Craigslist or hire the bar band down the street. Professional wedding bands are between $3,000 to $10,000.00 range.

3. If you are not limited by budget it may be best to hire a wedding band through a wedding coordinator that can recommend bands that they have worked with. Wedding coordinators know some of the best wedding bands

4. On line search for Wedding Bands Los Angeles.

5. There are so many wedding bands in Los Angeles that you may save time and headache by finding a reputable music agency and getting their recommendations.-

If you would like assistance booking live entertainment or DJ services for your next event please call our office at 818-902-1233

Professional Wedding and Event Bands vs. Bar Bands for your next event?

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These days there are are a lot of misconceptions out there about  the difference between professional wedding and event bands and your neighbor’s friday night jam band which always seems to “rock the crowd” at the Coconut Grill or the yearly block party.    Many people don’t realize that there is a lot more to performing for a special event like a wedding, anniversary party or corporate event.

Professional wedding and event bands interact with and integrate the actions of all of the vendors at an event.  They announce the grand entrance, announce and play the first dance song, introduce the toasts, the bouquet toss – in short, they are in charge of moving the entire event timeline forward, from start to finish.  They coordinate what is happening on the page – their timeline, with what is happening in front of them at the event.  If the timing of the meals or the pouring of champagne for special toasts is off, the band has to be flexible and cover.  So it is extremely important that they be experienced with handling timelines and with co-ordinating with multiple vendors at the same time.

In addition to being in charge of the timeline, they are also creating the musical soundtrack for the important moments. They will play the play-ons and play-offs for award presentations,  the special dances and  traditional presentations.   They are the music and the energy of the evening as well as the glue that holds a timeline and event together.  Professional wedding and event bands are expected to be on their toes, delivering talent, experience and professionalism at every turn. They are expected to be poised at all times, while complementing the theme of the event’s production.

If you hired your friend’s band, you might discover that hawaiian shirts were not what you had in mind for your big event.  However when you hire a professional wedding or  event band you will discover that you have a choice of two or three upscale matching outfits  which will complement the level and the style of your event.

Aside from training, professionalism and experience, what truly set these types of bands apart is mentality. The mindset of the working professional event musicians are focused on delivering the highest quality of entertainment with the ability and willingness to be flexible and conform to the event producer’s needs. These specialized entertainers are usually comprised of seasoned studio musicians, touring professionals, and other world class musicians.  Not only to they exude the highest professionalism, but they are also capable of delivering a huge variety of styles of music with studio quality perfection.

 

Perhaps there is a reason that your neighbor still plays at the Coconut Grill. It could be because “The Grill” is  a little less demanding when it comes to requiring important announcements,  supplying a professional sound system, 2 million dollar insurance policy, appropriate attire, long breaks, drinking on the job, and matching the swanky decor of the venue.  Different bands match different venues. So when it comes to finding a band for your big event, make sure you find the shoe that fits.

If you would like assistance booking live entertainment or DJ services for your next event please call our office at 818-902-1233