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From one entertainer to 10-piece combos, the band makes the party.

LISA BRODY

Special to the Jewish News

"But there are people
who use a combination of
bands and DJs because
they want the live enter-
tainment value, but they
also want hip-hop, alterna-
tive music and contests."

veryone loves a fun party,
where it's impossible to sit still
and you just have to get up
and dance.
But when planning a party, whether
it is a wedding, bar or bat mitzvah,
graduation, corporate function or a
country club event, how can you
make sure your guests will be shaking
a tail feather, instead of just tapping
their toes?
Often, the answer is to find the
hottest band in your price range. "I
have 125 bands on my roster, repre-
senting conventional bands, theme
bands, ethnic bands, novelty bands,
and duos and one-man bands," says
Joe Jelasic of Black Tie
Entertainment Agency in
Bloomfield Hills. "People like
groups that can play everything —
from easy listening to current hits
— whose play lists have a wide
range of music."
Gretchen Bachman, director of
catering at Knollwood Country Club
in West Bloomfield, concurs.
"Intrigue, Nouveaute' and Simone
Vitale are especially popular for wed-
dings because they can play all sorts of
music; they're upbeat and fun.
They're celebrato-

ry,
but can have a traditional feel.
Hosts want songs that all of their
guests can dance to, from older rela-
tives to younger friends."
A successful band is able to pick
up on what you are looking
for, whether you want more
Sinatra or Snoop Dogg. 'At
many weddings here, the
Smiling Faces Band has been
performing, and they are so
great. They do a great cata-
logue of songs to get every-
one involved, and they're
terrific people," says Nicole
Matta, food and beverage
director at Plum Hollow
Country Club in
Southfield. "They love
what they do, and it
comes across."
The band's cooperation
and enthusiasm were very
important to Beth and
Steve Margolin of
Orchard Lake, whose
daughter Rachel cele-
brated her October

The Simone Vitale orchestra

Rick and Dayna Lieder

2004 bat mitzvah at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek with the band Intrigue
and a disc jockey. They had first
worked with Intrigue for daughter
Judy's bat mitzvah 3 1/2 years ago.
"Stella of Intrigue just wants to

IT'S THE MUSIC on page 46

Joseph Jelasic

3/24

2005

45