All About 2011

2011 was a very successful year. We stayed very busy with our karaoke shows around the Muskegon area, as well as with weddings throughout Muskegon, Newaygo & Oceana Counties. Many of our clients came from recommendations from other satisfied clients. This is great news for me, because not only does it tell me that I’m doing something right, it also means that I don’t have to work very hard on marketing the wedding side of my business. Marketing is not only very time consuming, but it can also be expensive. Not having to buy booths at Bridal Shows or print ads means that I can pass on the savings to my clients.

Bryon Pollack: Wedding DJ

Another major development is the evolution of Bryon Pollack as a Wedding DJ. Bryon started working as a Karaoke Host/DJ, but took on several weddings when frantic brides called when their DJ either didn’t show up or canceled at the last minute. I continued to work with him throughout the wedding season to improve his skills, and I am confident that anyone that needs a reasonably priced DJ for their next event will be very satisfied with what Bryon will bring to their special day. I know this because not only did I train him in all aspects of the role of the wedding DJ, but I followed up with each and every client who had nothing but good things to say about him.

Part of Bryon’s success is due to the fact that it is me that works with clients to plan the reception. This is a very important aspect of ensuring the success & client satisfaction. I feel that if we know every detail of what our clients expect, then all we have to do is deliver. I type out a very detailed “Timeline of Events”, which includes the play list, for both Bryon and our clients. At this point,  Bryon will then become involved, and will communicate with both myself and the client to ensure his understanding.

A little more about him: Bryon is the Quality Manager for a large manufacturing firm in Grand Haven. He is married, with two young sons. He resides in Lakewood Club, near Whitehall, MI.

Kyle Hardie The Karaoke Host

Kyle Hardie came to us early in 2011. He was hired because of his musical background. He is an accomplished guitar player, plays in a band “The Wednesday Night Experience”, and also participates with the local symphony. Most people look at Kyle and wonder if he is even old enough to be in a bar. They do not expect to hear what comes from his pipes when he sings. Some of his favorites include many of Mowtown’s biggest hits, or if he feels really funky, you might hear him do “No Diggitty”. He has been working mainly at OneMore Bar And Grill (Formerly known as Fisher’s Pub of Holton). The customers, as well as the employees, rave about him. We are trying to get Kyle more shows in Muskegon, so stay tuned!

$500 Karaoke Contest

We put on Muskegon’s largest karaoke contest in the Spring of 2011. Over 200 of Muskegon’s finest singers competed at several Muskegon Karaoke Bars for the $500 Grand Prize. In the end, Melissa Kempf took it home. Samantha Gilmore was 2^nd. The Top 8 singers also took home trophies.

Karaoke companies cringe at the mere thought of running a karaoke contest. Most will tell you that it is not worth the hard feelings that come from telling singers that they just weren’t good enough to win. And, it’s not that they aren’t good enough, most times they just weren’t good enough that night. Our contest was not without some hard feelings, but in the end, the vast majority of those in attendance agreed with the unanimous decision by a panel of 3 judges, which consisted of some of the most prominent figures in Muskegon’s business community.

This year, we will institute a couple of rule changes, but for the most part, everything will stay the same. The contest is slated to get started on April 2, 2012. Stay tuned for more developments.

Thank You

Thank you to everyone who has had a hand in our success. Thanks to our singers who show up ever so faithfully at our shows. Thank you to the bars who hire us. Thank you to our wedding clients who put their trust in us, and a big thank you to those clients who pass on our information to their friends & family who are looking for a professional DJ for their event.

We are optimistic that our 2012 will be even better than our 2011. We pledge that we will work hard to make that happen, and not rest on our laurels and simply hope that it will happen.

Thanks again, to everyone!

Holiday Karaoke Schedule at Tim and Tom's Place

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting the show. We have had a tremendous response from the community. We owe our success to you!

We will not be doing the karaoke show on Thursday, December 24th due to the holiday. We will be back on Saturday as normal. The following Thursday is New Years Eve, and we will be hosting karaoke and DJ Dance Party from 9:30 until close. Closing time will depend upon business, but we will be happy to go until 4AM if there is sufficient business.

Thanks again everyone, and we hope to see you at Tim and Tom's of Twin Lake soon!

How to Choose the Right Muskegon Wedding DJ Service

Choosing a Muskegon DJ for your wedding or special event is one of the most important decisions you can make to insure the success of the special day. Everything else can be perfect, but if the music isn’t good, the party will fizzle. Selecting the right Muskegon Wedding DJ or other special event can be confusing. There are over 15,000 DJs in America, all promising they’ll do a great job for you. So how do you pick the right one for you? This article will provide some guidance to help you make the decision easier.

The best and easiest way to find a DJ you’ll like is to hire one you’ve already seen. If you’ve been to a wedding or a party where the DJ was great, find out who he or she was. If you didn’t get their card, ask the host or the manager of the function room where the party was held.

If you haven’t seen a good DJ recently, ask your friends. Your friends probably have the same taste in music as you. Maybe they’ve been to a function you missed. Let them know ahead of time you’ll be looking, and ask them to keep their eyes and ears open.

If the first two suggestions don’t work, your job gets tougher. You might have to go to the Yellow Pages. Look under Disc Jockeys, Music and Entertainment. You may find DJs listed any of these categories. However; today’s best option for finding a quality Muskegon DJ is to do a search on Google and find a reputable DJ that has a quality website or at least a website. This will let you know that they are usually professionals and care enough about the DJ services to invest into modern technology. You’ll probably find several DJs whose sites look good.

Another place to find a quality DJ that offers wedding DJ services is to check you’re your local night club that hosts Karaoke and similar live entertainment. Many DJ also offer wedding DJ services in addition to other DJ services. This gives you the perfect opportunity to see your DJ in action.

How do you tell which one is best? Probably the worst way to choose a DJ is on price alone. Some Muskegon Wedding DJs are more expensive than others. Prices can range from $100 to $1,000 for a 4 hour event. That’s quite a difference, and it would be very tempting to choose the cheapest alternative. If that’s all you can afford, than you have no choice. But, consider the law of supply and demand. There is a reason some DJs charge more money than others. They are usually worth it. Generally, the DJs on the lowest end of the price scale are new to the business, and trying to get established. They could do a great job, and might be worth a shot if your party is on the informal side. But there is probably more risk with a less experienced person.

As you speak with ant of the DJs, pay attention to their professionalism over the phone and see how they present themselves. It tends to spill over into their DJ style. The most important thing to ask about is their experience with your type of event. If you are planning an event like a wedding, school dance, or company party, it would be normal to expect a professional DJ to have performed for at least 20 of these events. A number in the hundreds is actually common for a DJ who is well established.

DJs with less experience might also do a good job. And they’ll usually cost less. If you talk to one who sounds interesting, ask them for references. Get 5 or 6 names and phone numbers of people who have recently hired them. Call these references and ask about the DJ’s performance. Any DJ can easily give you 2 or 3 names. Getting more names is a better test of the quality of their performance.

You might also ask the DJ if they are performing in a location where you could see them. If so, make a visit, unannounced. Observe how the DJ interacts with the crowd. Are people having fun? Are people dancing? Is the music too loud? Is the DJ dressed appropriately? These are all good clues to the DJ's skills and personality.

Always ask the DJ about their request policy on requests. The best Muskegon DJs will take requests from the audience and work them into their routine. However, do not expect the DJ to play every request. Many requests are simply inappropriate for the mood of the event. A good DJ is not a jukebox, he will blend requests with songs he feels will properly motivate the crowd. The art of DJing is timing, and this takes experience. Forcing a DJ to ignore his or her instincts by making them play every request will result in an "uneven" (and less fun) party. On the other hand, the DJ should try to play as many of your audience's requests as possible. Try to get a feel for their philosophy of requests as you interview them. It is also appropriate to give a DJ a list of 5 or 6 songs you "must have". Just don't make that list 15 or 20 songs long.

Many DJs boast about the number of songs they have. While variety is great, the fact is that they will only be able to play about 60 to 70 songs in a four hour show. Having the right 60 songs is a lot more important than having 5,000 songs your crowed doesn't want to hear. After you tell the DJ what type of party you are having and who the audience will be, ask them what type of music they'd suggest. You should feel comfortable with most of his or her selections.

Many DJs also boast about having great equipment. Unless you are familiar with professional audio gear, you probably won't know the difference between which brands are great and which are budget. However, your Muskegon DJ should at least have professional grade equipment. If they brand names you are familiar with at the local electronics retailer, which is cause for further questioning. Home stereo equipment is not designed to stand up less than 4-5 hours of high volume use. It could fail in the middle of your party! For example, typical professional DJ power amplifiers usually have 300 to 1000 watts per channel, where consumer amplifiers that are considered powerful may only have 100 watts per channel.

Some DJ companies have more than one DJ working for them. In this case, it's important to get references on the particular DJ who will be assigned to your show. Even if the company has been around for ten years, they might have hired your DJ last week. He might be a pro himself, or he might be newly trained. Be sure who you're getting.

The perfect Muskegon Wedding DJ for you will be affordable, experienced at your type of event, and has great references. There are probably a lot of Muskegon DJs out there who fit that description. As you search, remember that above all, you want your event to be fun.

About the author:

Troy Vanderstelt owns Showtime Karaoke and DJ Services, a Professional Muskegon Mobile DJ Service based in Twin Lake, Michigan. Showtime Karaoke and DJ Services serve the entire West Michigan area for your special wedding. He can be reached for questions or information at 231-638-3724

Karaoke Show Tonight at Tim and Tom's Place

We started doing karaoke at Tim and Tom's Place on October 3rd, 2009. Due to the popularity of the show, we have since added Thursday nights. The customers have thus far been very impressed with our song selection and our sound. It was during the 3rd week that we added our Bose karaoke sound system. It has worked very well. Thank you to everyone who has supported the show.

Obviously, we will not be doing a show on Christmas eve. But, we will be back on Saturday, December 26th. The following Thursday is New Years Eve, and we will be there doing our Karaoke and DJ Dance Party. There is no cover charge, and reservations are not necessary.


"Mikey-P" and "Dick" enjoy karaoke on Sat
December 12th.

In the future, we hope to begin offering a Trivia/Karaoke Night and/or Guitar Hero.

If anyone is interested in information about our shows or hiring us for Weddings, Karaoke, Corporate Events, etc, please call us at (231) 638-3724; or email TroyVnd27@aol.com; or check out our website at www.muskegondjservices.com