Time again for another Vendor highlight. I met Carl back in 2007 at a wedding he was doing at the Engineers Club in Baltimore. As a wedding photographer, we get to know a lot of DJ’s and bands, some good, some not so good. When I met Carl I knew that he had communicated well with the Bride and Groom about their big day. The music he played just “fit” with the couple and their style, to me that showed that he really took time to interview the couple and work hard to pull off the “feel” that they were going for. Another event we did togther was Brandon and Julie’s wedding back in 07. Again you could tell he went the extra mile to get to know the couple. My favorite part of this reception was when he busted out the vinyl for a few songs….I think I recall a good ole stevie wonder song on vinyl that got the crowd going! YEAH, it was WAY COOL…
Here is a shot of him working at Brandon and Juliet’s wedding. This image is one of my favs of the couple, you can see him hanging in the back ready to play his next record
Check out what he has to say about his job:
How did you get started in the DJ business?
I have always loved music and would listen to my parents and older sibling’s music as a young audiophile. I was always the guy at the party who was at the stereo playing whatever set the right mood for the party and keep it rolling. After graduating High School, I went to my first college dance and found my mailman moonlighting as a DJ. I decided then that’s what I wanted to do. I got a small loan and bought my first set of equipment, mixer and turntables (this was 1984). For the first few years I actually lugged about 12 crates of records around with me when I worked. 25 Years later I still love what I do and instead of toting crates of records, I have about 40,000 songs on a hard drive (with my CDs as backup). I did have a few brides hire me recently to bring my turntables and some vinyl to give an old school aesthetic appeal to their event.
What has been the most exciting part of the job?
I love watching people react and have fun to the music that I play for them. I usually know what the reaction will be to a song before I play it from my many years of experience but I still get that energy rush when the crowd literally shrieks with joy at the beginning of a song. I worked for about 12 years as a club DJ so I have a good gauge of the energy in the room at any given time and that really helps to format the next songs to take the party in the right direction. I have also met some very interesting people in this field. Having done parties for many types of events I’ve had the opportunity to meet celebrities, politicians, sports icons and have made many friends talking with people about similar music interests. I am lucky to have such a great job and blessed that I’m good at it.
What one piece of advice do you have for a bride looking to hire a DJ for their big day?
Indeed it is quite difficult to find a good Disc Jockey that has the experience and restraint to deliver a tasteful presentation and won’t turn your event into a show about him or her. I recommend that you ask any DJ’s that you may interview open-ended questions such as, “Can you describe your performance style?” or “How do you handle requests from guests that are not in line with our music preferences?”. These types of questions will give you insight into what they plan to do at your wedding. Also, don’t be afraid to give a DJ a good deal of input regarding your music preferences and tell them that you would rather they not bring any music that you have put on your “Do Not Play” list to your event. (That will help ensure that they don’t play anything that you don’t want played or they won’t be tempted to resort to any inappropriate music that might be requested.) A good DJ will welcome this input from their clients. Someone who does not reply to you or call you back in a reasonable amount of time may not take their responsibility as seriously as you might like and that should be a red flag to you. As with most anything in life, you can rely on your good instincts when making your vendor selections. I have made myself available to other brides who could not hire me because I was already booked. I am always willing to help them with song selections, music atmosphere and creating a great format that reflects their tastes and is guaranteed to wow their guests.
You can find out more about my services at www.classicdjs.com or call me at the phone numbers listed on my site.
Cheers, Carl Jr.
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