Here we are in the midst of another weekend in Charleston; a weekend that happens to be the first one of fall, albeit it certainly does not feel like fall, oh and it would not be Charleston in late September without the threat of a hurricane. You know in the time since I left terrestrial radio, there has not been a week that has gone by that I have not thought about the indelible impression that radio had on me as an individual. I tell people all the time, it may have truly been the most fun time of my entire life. While AI continues to shape how we will operate as a society in the years to come, I've noticed some amazing uses of this technology that have allowed me to dream of a simpler time, one WITHOUT social media and smartphones, but a time where we lived in the moment and in person with friends and relatives.  While it may sound like I am talking about the 80s, I am. But we don't need to go back to 1989 or 1986 or 1983 for that matter. All we need to do is remember an 80s music novelty period on the radio that had us all stocking up on extra Aquanet hairspray and putting on the parachute pants every Saturday night. Enter Totally 80s Weekends.

Hello Gen Z. You are probably looking for a wedding DJ, but not just "any" wedding DJ. I want to take this time to congratulate you on your recent engagement. You've probably got a lot going on right now and the last thing you need is misinformation.  I want to take this time to cut through all of the crap and noise that is probably being thrown at you right now.  You need a reliable source to help you find the right wedding DJ for what will become one of the most special days of your life.  Having been in the wedding industry for close to 15 years, I've seen all types of weddings and know a thing or two when helping modern brides and grooms achieve the vision on their wedding day as it pertains to their wedding music.  I've come to know Gen Z very well over the past several years.  You guys are very smart and savvy, and probably even used AI to find me. Did you know that can use AI to help curate and assemble your wedding playlist? Be sure to bookmark my blog as there will be a post coming on how to use AI for your wedding playlists.  There's a reason why my wedding DJ blog is one of the visited on the internet. I provide my current and future clients with reliable information on how to find the best wedding DJ that fits them as a couple. Listen. I know you are smart. I know you are intelligent. I know that you probably take longer to make decisions as it pertains to your wedding day. It's totally ok. I completely understand. If I were in your shoes, I would be very skeptical, especially with some of the outlandish information coming from wedding DJs in my own market recently! The biggest takeaway I'd like you to get from reading this post is to keep it in the back of your mind to find a wedding DJ who is focused on "quality".

You know I've heard rumblings recently that Gen Z brides and grooms may not be able to find me soon because of AI putting Google out of business.  Well, if that's true, I'm gonna ride the coat tails of my substantial SEO investment over the past decade into the sunset, and focus my messaging and thought leadership into getting in the minds of the Gen Z bride and groom.  After all, Gen Z is getting married right now, correct? It's hard to believe that a lot of uncertainty has been created by tariffs and inflation would not steer the Gen Z couple in their decision making as it pertains to their wedding. After all, you may be making a decision to spend thousands of dollars on a single day. Uncertainty about finances appears to be affecting all generations these days, and we'd all be naive to believe that it's not boiling over to couples planning a wedding, especially in the increasingly affluent wedding destination of Charleston, SC.

Since the merger of my production website and my professional wedding DJ is still ongoing, I wanted to take this time to talk about some more about radio, specifically a format that was near and dear to my heart. You know my attention these days is constantly divided by my day job and the sole ownership of my professional wedding DJ company. Yes, I am an owner-operated (boutique-style) wedding DJ service whose primary focus is making sure each one of his clients has the best mix of music for their wedding day.  For more information on why you should hire me to be your wedding DJ, you should click over to my website and visit the main section of this blog.  What is it that separates some DJs from the other more typical "average" DJs?  I believe it has EVERYTHING to do with their musical vocabulary, how it was formed, how it's maintained, and how it continues to grow. I know that I won't be the first to tell you that I believe something is missing from music today. Something is missing that I experienced as a kid, and something we may never see again in the world of music. The golden era of adult contemporary music on the radio.

In a recent discovery call with a future client, I had a very bright couple asking me a lot of questions. A quick discovery call is usually my second form of communication with a future client after they have visited my website and completed a contact form. Based on the types of questions this couple asked me, you could tell they had been doing their homework, on not only how to hire their wedding DJ, but to also hiring all the other wedding vendors for their big day.  One of the questions asked turns out to be one of the most popular questions that modern brides and grooms ask me prior to signing a contract. The age-old question; "How do you handle song requests at your weddings?" Back in August of 2023, I put together a post that explained some of the viewpoints on requests. I will post that link inside this post, but in order to properly answer a question about requests, the couple needs to know who is in charge (overall) with their music? Hint! It's actually not the wedding DJ.

Being a top wedding DJ in one of the most desirable wedding destinations in the country comes with it a lot of perks. I would have to say the biggest perk is meeting all different types of couples coming to the Holy City from areas like Philadelphia.  While the inquiries are down as it pertains to Northeast brides and grooms desiring a destination wedding, I've been truly moved over the years how modern brides and grooms have been able to create some of the most epic celebrations I've seen in my career as a wedding DJ.  With all of the musical artists who have originated from Philadelphia, it should be of no surprise to me that brides and grooms from that area are going to bring with them some of the most eclectic mixes of music you could imagine at any wedding.  So many musicians and bands have had the pleasure of calling Philadelphia over the years. My dear friend Mitch Zatto grew up in the Philadelphia area and it was radio clips like you'll hear on this post that formed his musical tastes, as well as inspired him to become a radio broadcaster. I truly believe that modern brides and grooms who grew up around the Philadelphia area may have formed their diverse musical tastes from the tremendous amount of musical talent originating from the city of Brotherly Love.  1340 WHAT-AM played a pivotal role in Philadelphia radio back in the late 60s and early 70s playing some of the best R&B and soul music on the radio. Enjoy this trip back time over 50 years to some of the best classic and vintage radio of Philadelphia

You know I am asked all the time what the catalyst was that got me into becoming a successful wedding DJ. Well, for one, it was the intrigue and mystery of being behind the microphone and blending songs together while on the air that allowed my interest to peak. The overall catalyst to get me into radio and DJing was Mitch Zatto.  If you clicked over to my About page, you may have read more about this amazing broadcaster, who became a great mentor to me.  I am here to tell you that it can be extremely difficult to predict how your life may actually end up. You may very well meet someone unexpectedly who could alter the course and trajectory of your life.  What you are about to hear is an outstanding piece of production that represents a small, but influential piece of Charleston, SC radio history created by a guy who would forge a path for my life. It would become a path in my life that I could never have imagined or predicted as pre-teen kid.

Long before I made the transition into a being a top wedding DJ, I was enjoying every little bit of time I could behind the microphone on the radio.  Over the course of the next several weeks and months, I will be spending time in my studio editing down some of my favorite moments as an on-air radio talent. After all, if not for my time on the radio, I would never have begun this amazing journey that I've experienced as a wedding DJ over the past 14 years. WRFQ signed on the air back in 1996 in Charleston, SC and has become the top choice for classic rock of the 60s, 70s, 80s through today.

Happy New Year! Yeah, yeah I know. It's Super Bowl Sunday. Why is he publishing a new blog and wishing everyone a happy new year! Well, due to time constraints as I wrapped up some personal goals of mine early in January, I've been enjoying some down time on the weekends.  I've been out of commission as it pertains to the blog.  The good news is all of the work I've put in over the past 8-9 months that took me away from the wedding business is in my rearview mirror.  The bad news is the wedding industry remains the same as it has been over the past year, which is a new normal that has developed since the end of the pandemic.  While I've been on other projects, the wedding industry continues to "oversaturate", making it even harder to find your clients than it was 5 short years ago. 

In case you missed it in my last blog post, I am in the process of consolidating my audio production portfolio and my existing wedding DJ website into one entity. Consolidation of these two entities will not only save valuable resources, but it will also allow me to get more content up online in a more timely manner. During my radio career, I learned how to produce audio, and as is the case when learning how to ride a bike, you never forget how to do it. I will be sharing some of the audio production I've produced over the years, as well as projects I've put together in the past year. It is my belief that when searching for a wedding DJ, you'll want to hire someone with exceptional production skills. Being a wedding DJ is so much more than loading a bunch of expensive equipment into a venue and playing music. Over the years, I've been tasked with creating special edits to songs, as well as mashups for songs. that were used for some of the most special moments on my clients wedding day.  In addition to some of the projects I've put together over the past several months and years, I will also be sharing some of the reasons why you need to hire a professional wedding DJ who has the attention to detail to design and produce audio.