DJs: Rob Swords v. Rob Volmer

ellentravis

Hi, ladies,

We're coming from Chicago next month to interview our vendors, and we're having trouble deciding between our two DJs. Anyone use Rob Swords or Rob Volmer from Grant Hemond and have a YouTube video you wouldn't mind sharing so I can view them in action?

Thank you in advance!

ellentravis

I guess what I should say is that these guys are supposed to be the best, but I'm not overly impressed. We really want a friend to play piano keyboard for our wedding, but these guys seems to know nothing about keyboards or octaves... This can't be an unusual request. It's just very important to me that my DJ know something about music. These two really didn't.

HappinessByTheKilowatt

I thought of hiring Rob Sword for our wedding, and I was unimpressed. I scheduled an appointment with him two months in advance, then the week before I was supposed to go to Florida and meet with him, he said he booked his last DJ for our date and I had to scramble to find someone else to meet with. He didn't say that he would need a deposit or anything before meeting, or I would have gladly paid it to hold my date. There were a few other issues too.

My cousin used Grant Hemmond Assoc. for her wedding and was very satisified. The wedding was a lot of fun. I don't remember the name of her exact DJ, but they did a very nice job.

I am using Joe Lorenzo. He has been super impressive and spent a lot of time talking to me and answering questions. There was no diicking me around like with two other DJ's I spoke to.

Keep in mind though that although they are DJ's, they are not musicians. They don't have anything to do with instruments. What are you expecting them to know about keyboards and octaves?

ellentravis

I guess I figure anyone who goes into the music business must have a passion for music. A lot of reviews of these DJs speak about their "timing" and how certain songs transitioned seamlessly into one another. That takes a musical ear and some musical knowledge. The basic music knowledge would be good for anyone selecting songs to match a couple's personality in a ceremony or something. And having a keyboard on -hand doesn't seem outrageous. Just thought we could borrow one of theirs/pay a fee to have our friend play at the ceremony.

Thank you for the Joe Lorenzo tip though!

HappinessByTheKilowatt

I know plenty of very good DJ's who know nothing about any other kind of music production. Having a good ear doesn't mean supplying musical instruments or even knowing how to play them. It means knowing what kind of songs they are playing and being able to read the guests. They play these songs all the time, they know what they are listening to. It sounds like you are looking for more of a production company or event company than a DJ, so those might be something you want to look into. Another option is renting a keyboard from a rental place. Just google musical instrument rental.

ellentravis

Thank you, HappinessByTheKilowatt! Great suggestions.

HappinessByTheKilowatt

No prob, good luck!