Booking info
With over 55 years of experience & perfection, I am considered to be among the most experienced musicians in York county.
I have performed in many diverse situations over the years, achieving perfection in my musical talents. I was once quoted in the YC Magazine to be..........
"The hardest working musician in York County".
RATES
Please email me for your personalized quote. I will ask a few questions and gather some basic information regarding your event.
PLEASE CONSIDER
* I require electricity for my PA system. Yes, I need sound equipment. Otherwise you will not be able to hear a quality performance.
* I require no less than a 6'X6' space for myself and equipment.
* If your event is outdoors : It's nice to be in the shade or a covered area. The sun gets HOT!!
Plan to be in a covered area if rain is expected.
FAQ's
*Do you have a song list where I can choose the songs to play at my event? Yes, one can be provided to you upon request.
*What is your day job? This IS my day job.
*How early will you arrive before my event starts? I will usually arrive between 30 minutes and 2 hours prior to your start time to set up equipment and do my sound check, tuning, etc.
* Do I need to provide anything for the musician? Nothing except maybe shade, shelter if necessary and electricity.
*Do you take breaks during performances? No, not unless you request that I do so. Sometimes my clients request that I take a break during toasts or special segments of the event.
*Do you have a microphone for announcements during my event? Yes, please let me know during the initial communications so I can include the fee in my quote. This microphone is different from the one I used for singing vocals.
*Do you do private parties? YES!! Private parties are one of my highest requested gigs aside weddings!
*Do you charge per hour or per event? Each event is VERY UNIQUE! This is where answering questions and getting a quote comes in. Short answer is........ MY fee for PRIVATE functions are per hour OR any portion of an hour.
What you can expect when hiring a professional musician and why.
When you hire a musician there are a few things to take into consideration.Basic costs associated with running a business.
Experience and reputation of the musician(s) or band.
The actual number of hours they will work for you vs. the hours they are performing.
The basic costs of being a professional musician include all the costs generally associated with running any small business.
Self employment tax, Federal tax, State tax and preparer fees.
Instrument, equipment, and business level auto insurance.
Marketing and communications costs plus web site costs.
Business and/or education loan payments etc.
Many musicians, and self-employed people, have to pay for their own health, dental, disability, and life insurance. These costs alone may represent 20 to 30 percent of his or her gross earnings.
Journeymen level musicians have attained a level of education, expertise and practice equivalent to that of a medical doctor, attorney or other publicly recognized professional. Just as you probably wouldn’t choose to let a dentist that works for the State’s minimum wage to work on your teeth, you shouldn’t hire a musician at minimum wage and expect a professional performance.
You need to consider the actual number of hours of your musician’s day your performance(s) will consume. A general rule is to accept that you’ve hired a musician to work for you from the time they leave their home until they return home.
Many Journeymen level musicians also have a private practice teaching music lessons for $60 to $200 dollars an hour. Frequently when you hire them for week day or evening performances, they are giving up other income opportunities to work for you. So when you require your musicians to set up before dinner and then come back to play later, add up the time it will take them to travel back and fourth from their homes or figure the total time between set up and performance.
Also consider the time your musicians spend waiting to perform for you when these things happen.
- Your dinner is running behind because the caterer can’t get all the plates out on time.
- Your keynote speaker is running over their allotted time.
- The oral auction is taking much longer than expected.
- The bride and groom are still in the receiving line.
- The slide show and the best man's toast takes 45 minutes in the middle of my performance.
- My all time favorite is when the power went out for well over two hours due to a car hitting a sub station.
The seven basic questions you need to ask before you enter into a contract with musicians.
- What is the date of the performance and day of the week?
- What are the start and end times of the performance(s)?
- How many musicians are you hiring?
- Where will the performance(s) be held?
- What is the music for or what style of music do you expect to hear?
- How do you expect the musician(s) to dress?
- Will you be feeding the band? (did you tell the caterer?)
Setting up and tearing down sound equipment is a lot of work. When booking a performance and planning your event, please give extra thought to where you would need me to set my equipment and perform, as there is an extra fee for moving equipment from the initial setup location. For example consider the following:
1. The Weather is usually the most common reason for the relocation of musical equipment. Is there a possibility of wind or rain during your outside event?
2. Make sure I'm not set up to perform in the way of your guests or catering staff. You wouldn't want anyone tripping over electrical cords or equipment.
3. The move of equipment takes time and will take away from performance time that is not extended without additional fees.
I've always said that I sing and play for free. What you pay for is travel time, mileage, lodging, food, setting up and tearing down for a performance, equipment maintenance, bookkeeping, tax prep, office supplies, musical equipment, strings, internet/telephone service and 55 years of practice.
1. The Weather is usually the most common reason for the relocation of musical equipment. Is there a possibility of wind or rain during your outside event?
2. Make sure I'm not set up to perform in the way of your guests or catering staff. You wouldn't want anyone tripping over electrical cords or equipment.
3. The move of equipment takes time and will take away from performance time that is not extended without additional fees.
I've always said that I sing and play for free. What you pay for is travel time, mileage, lodging, food, setting up and tearing down for a performance, equipment maintenance, bookkeeping, tax prep, office supplies, musical equipment, strings, internet/telephone service and 55 years of practice.
