Ok I know this sounds a little suspect coming from a wedding band.  I mean, we’re obviously biased right?…

The truth is that it’s in our best interest to help you find the right band quicker so that we don’t waste each others time figuring out that we are not the band for you. There are a lot of great bands in Toronto and we all offer something different so don’t settle for something that isn’t the right fit.

Here are some things you should try to figure out to make your decision process easier.

1. Pick a date before you talk to the band. There really is no point is talking to bands until you have a date set in stone.  The last thing you want to do is get all excited about a particular band just to find out that they are already booked.
2. Figure out your guest list. This is something that gets totally over-looked at most weddings.  Who do you have to cater to?  I know, I know, the music should reflect the couple…  But really consider how great of an event you want to have.  I know you might really love the Grateful Dead, but a Grateful Dead cover band might not be the right decision for your guests.  You want a band that will have everyone dancing… not just you.
3. Have a really good idea of how much you can spend. Ok, I’ll be honest, this one might be more for us than you but it really helps if you can be transparent about your budgetary constraints right from the beginning.  It just makes the process more enjoyable for everyone.  We can’t speak for other bands, but we’re always happy to work within your budget as long as it’s reasonable and it’s always easier to do that when the expectations are clear from the onset.
4. Make sure you hear the band.Always go out and hear the band live before you hire them.  I can’t tell you how many times people have come up to us as weddings we’re playing and say “My band sucked, I wish I knew about you guys”  The only thing we can really say is, “we wish you did too”.  So shop around and go have a listen.  I would seriously advise against hiring a band based solely off a recommendation.  Who knows how good your friends ears really are at picking up on musical quality.  Especially if they are recommending the band from their wedding.  Trust me, they were so busy talking to all the guests and being on an emotional super-high that they didn’t even know there was actually at band at their wedding.

So there you have it. And, if you are at step 4 then feel free to contact us for a free live showcase so you can find out first hand if The Elevation Band is the right Toronto wedding band for you.

When did Jewish music become synonymous with cheesy, groove-less and boring?

If someone who was used to attending Jewish weddings in Toronto were to go to Israel with the goal of crashing 20 weddings that person could hear 20 different bands, each one playing a different style of music, and each one rocking a serious fantastical groove.

One night you could hear a bluegrass band, another night you could hear middle eastern music, and on another evening you could be dancing to reggae all night long.  And each of those bands would be playing Jewish music infused with all these exciting styles.

So where did this Toronto horah sound come from?  I don’t know why but all the bands here play the same square songs and they all play them the same way…  WHY!!!.  It’s so boring.

The strange part is that they are all really good bands that play pop music with lots of groove and soul, but as soon as it’s time to play Jewish music they think they have to sound boring to sound Jewish.  As soon as it’s horah time they start playing choppy, bumpy and square.  It makes you envision a 90 year old man rolling around in his wheel chair at Baycrest (no offence Zaidy).

So when you’re planning your live Jewish wedding music here in Toronto, remember that the horah set doesn’t have to be the short painful thing that you have to get out of the way.  It can actually be the highlight of the party.  As an example, check this video out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ567aF-KEw

I have to admit, I like the flash mob thing. It’s really cool and it can make an event very memorable and it seems to have hit the Jewish wedding scene in Toronto in a big way.

They can be great!

That said, if they aren’t done well it’s super crappy. I can’t tell you how many weddings I’ve played at lately where friends and family have a segment of the night for the now standard flash mob. The problem is that most people are not dancers and have no coordination to boot. So as with anything that has the potential to be so great, it has the potential to be so horrible too. The reason most of these poorly planned mobs fall apart is that they are poorly planned mobs.

But ask yourself this… Would you allow your friends and family to prepare and serve the food at your wedding? Would you let your friends and family go rent a bunch of sound gear and instruments and try to form a band for your wedding? Of course not, you hire professionals.

If you want to stop your entire wedding for 15 minutes and make a group dance a focal point where everyone’s attention is zero’d in on this really cool flash mob then please, for your sake, hire a choreographer to make this happen.