Frequently Asked Questions

What You Need to Know When Hiring a Band

Questions to Ask When Hiring a Band

What equipment do you provide?

You don’t want any surprises on the day of your event! So don’t forget to ask exactly what the band will provide in the way of equipment. As for The Grooves, we always come with instruments, sound equipment, and lights. 

However, we can also provide extras such as microphones if needed. Virtually anything you could want for your event, we’re able to provide. Just ask!

Can you play music continuously?

Generally, we do three one-hour sets with breaks in between during which we DJ fun upbeat dance music so that the music never stops over four hours. We can also DJ a custom set of your favorite songs that we don’t perform live, that way you get the best of both worlds, a DJ and a live band.  If you want more continuous live music, then the band also offers a two hour set of continuous music with no breaks instead of three sets lasting one hour each with breaks in between.

What do you typically wear?

Imagine a band showing up for a wedding reception in shorts and flip flops. Cringeworthy, right? We’re not that band. We dress for the occasion. If there are no specific requirements, we select outfits appropriate for your event type, but we’re also glad to dress according to your requirements. We even accept costume requests for theme parties!

How do you make sure you play at the right volume?

We have years of experience with all kinds of events and we know the perfect comfortable volume for different venues, event types, audience sizes, and age groups. You can always easily converse with each other at our shows, and, of course, we listen to feedback from our clients and we can adjust our volume as loud or quiet as you want.

How do you choose the right songs?

You need to get a feel for whether or not a band will be able to entertain your guests. So you must ask this question.

As for us, every song in our repertoire has stood the test of time and is one that we know people respond well to. We’ve got that going for us. But we also narrow down our set lists based on the information you give us or on your own selections from our catalog. We consider the age groups that will be present, the type of event, whether you’re looking for a dance party or a show, and so on to choose the right songs.

How extensive is your repertoire?

If a band only has a handful of songs in its arsenal, run for the hills! Do the same if you’re looking for a good mix of genres and they can’t offer it to you. The Grooves’ song list of over 170 hits span the country, Motown, pop, classic rock, and Latin genres just to name a few. Learn more about what we play.

Can we see you live?

We encourage everyone who’s thinking about booking us to come see us perform if you want to. Just ask your agent and we can provide a list of dates and locations.

Is The Grooves a franchise band?

Imagine their shock when some people find that they’re getting a completely different set of musicians than the ones they wanted and thought they were getting. This happens a lot with franchise bands. Many franchise bands have musicians that are thrown together to play the event having never played together before and have no idea who is singing what harmony or what arrangement or key they are doing the songs in and you can imagine what they sound like having never rehearsed together before.   Avoid this type of band all costs.

The Grooves band is not a franchise band. The musicians you see in our videos are the ones that’ll be playing your event (depending on the band size you choose) and we’ve been playing countless shows together for years and sound amazing!

Can I trust you to come through for me?

This is the biggest question of them all and has many questions wrapped up inside it. “Will you be professional?”, “Will you be entertaining?”, “How do I know you’ll show up?” Our track record and our many happy clients speak for us. What do they say? You bet you can count on The Grooves to come through for you! Read our reviews and find out for yourself.

How long have you been playing?

Some weekend warriors start gigging for fun or as a way to cut their teeth performing, and it shows in their quality, their poor customer service, and their disorganization. The Grooves have been playing for 29 years, loving every minute of it, and learning and improving along the way. Before you’ve ever signed a contract, you’ll realize The Grooves are the cream of the crop and have thought of everything to your event a blast and even make the planning process a delight.

Do you have liability insurance?

This one is often overlooked by bands who don’t do this as their full-time gig (and passion). If something goes wrong, you want to make sure the band has insurance. While The Grooves’ events consistently go off without a hitch (other than weddings, where there’s always one hitch), we’re covered with full $2 million liability insurance policy just in case.

Things to Ask When Hiring a Wedding Band

Are you just another cheesy wedding band?

This is one of the most important questions to ask when hiring a wedding band. There are plenty of wedding bands out there that are just cheesy and even plain boring. But not us. We are true entertainers. We perform authentic, soulful covers of iconic songs and bring an infectious, positive energy to every wedding reception we play.

Can you be the master of ceremonies?

Need someone to make announcements? We’ve got you covered. We provide free MC services with every booking.

Can you provide mics for the ceremony?

Not all wedding venues have microphones needed for the ceremony. If you need mics, let us know and we can provide an additional sound system, mics for your readers, a wireless lapel mic for your officiant and a sound engineer to make sure everything goes smoothly for a fee that is a fraction of what a separate sound company would charge.

Can we see videos of previous weddings you've played?

The proof is in the pudding. Videos of previous weddings will tell you what you need to know about any band you’re considering. Want to see videos of some of the receptions we’ve performed at? There are plenty here on our website!

Can you recommend other wedding vendors?

Some bands who aren’t as experienced and entrenched in the band-for-hire scene won’t be able to recommend venues and other vendors. We absolutely can and are happy to make recommendations to make your wedding a smashing success (and an easier-to-plan one!)

Do you have a musician who can perform at our ceremony?

Yes! Our star vocalist Jessica Parke performs and sings playing piano at ceremonies for an extra fee and can learn a few songs for you. She also performs for cocktail hours where you need a live entertainer to add that extra touch of class to your event. All our brides and grooms rave about her performance.  See her live video here.

Things to Ask When Hiring a Band For Corporate Events

What type of music do you play? Will it work for my event?

Not every band or every style of music is right for every event. Is yours a casual party where you want people to let loose and dance? Will there be a formal dinner? Are there any genres you’d like to stick to? The Grooves band is extremely versatile and plays music that creates the right atmosphere and leaves guests thoroughly impressed.

I have VIP guests coming. How do you make sure you impress them?

We put a lot of care into the way we present ourselves because we know it reflects on you. From the band members’ attire to the songs we choose to our choreography and beyond, we consider what’s in good taste. And, of course, we always bring musical chops to the table.

Questions to Ask When Hiring a Band For Private Parties

Can I make song requests?

Everybody’s got that one song that they’ve just got to hear before the party’s over. Got a request? Let us know! If we play the song, great! But even if we don’t, we won’t leave you hanging. We’re happy to DJ requested songs and can even play custom playlists of any songs you want in between our sets.

Things to Ask When Hiring a Band For Fundraisers

Are you confident that you can sell tickets and raise a ton of money for my organization?

It’s no secret that the whole point of a fundraiser is to raise funds. So you need to know before you commit if the band you choose can help you do that. Time and time again, our clients have gotten great results and increased ticket sales from encouraging people to watch videos of our live performances. So, yes, we are confident that we can help you raise money for your organization and make your event the most fun it can possibly be.

Your event will be such a great time, it’ll be the perfect opportunity to capture videos, photos, and quotes that will help you sell tickets to your next fundraiser!

Watch The Grooves perform! 👇

Watch us perform below! Like what you see? Reach out to your booking agent with questions or to book us. We’d love to rock your party!

👆 Call us anytime with questions or to book!