Specialty Sound Entertainment

Pier 1 Corporate Cocktail Party & Announcement

admin — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:37:27 +0000

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Pier 1 in the past – namely for a conference after-party last year, which was a huge hit! This year, they asked me to come in and play a little music for an after-work cocktail hour, where the President was to toast the company on a new product announcement.

© 2012, www.specialtysound.com. All rights reserved. Images are provided with a creative commons share-alike license. Use freely for commercial or non-commercial purposes but give attribution to “Tommy Evans, Specialty Sound Entertainment” and link to www.specialtysound.com

Emily & Scott :: Arlington Sheraton Plaza on the Hill

admin — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:39:16 +0000

Going back to the Arlington Sheraton, and specifically the “Plaza on the Hill”, always brings back fond memories of childhood. Many people don’t know this, but decades ago the city of Arlington tried their hand at running a Marine Park. The history of “Seven Seas” is very brief (it was only open for a year or two), but I do remember visiting as a child. And, up until the 90′s, the Sheraton still had the Spanish Galleon ship on it’s property by the pool. If you take a look at a map of Seven Seas, you can still do a bit of treasure hunting and locate the same buildings still standing on the Sheraton Property. Their “Plaza on the Hill” is one of those!

The facility is truly unique, with a center dance floor and string lights over head. That does present a bit of an acoustical challenge – getting sound to the dance floor without overpowering the guests around the perimeter, but we’ve got that down to an art!

Scott and Emily were a fun couple to work with, and came to me because I DJ’d the wedding for Scott’s sister back in 2008.

Another bonus was getting to work with Dwayne Lee of Southern Flair Photography. Dwayne is a long-time industry friend, and truly a master at his craft. (And you’ll see from the photos below that I’m no photographer!)

NBC at the Omni Mandalay

admin — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:29:33 +0000

We’ve had the pleasure these past two years to DJ the annual Holiday party for NBC and Telemundo. This year, like last, it was hosted at the Omni Mandalay hotel in Las Colinas. The night was a mix of holiday jazz and lounge music (Kontor is one of my favorite artists for this genre), for dinner, moving into a variety of party music, Dance, as well as Latin selections of Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, and the like. We had a blast!

The evening was scheduled to conclude at 11pm, but extended to 12 midnight. Yes, it was a fun night!

Thank you, NBC!

You can view all the photos here.

© 2011 – 2012, www.specialtysound.com. All rights reserved. Images are provided with a creative commons share-alike license. Use freely for commercial or non-commercial purposes but give attribution to “Tommy Evans, Specialty Sound Entertainment” and link to www.specialtysound.com

WeddingWire Rated for 2011

admin — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 22:00:14 +0000

Specialty Sound is now WeddingWire Rated for 2011

Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas – July 5, 2011 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is pleased to announce that Specialty Sound is WeddingWire Rated 2011 for Entertainment. WeddingWire Rated is an annual award program that distinguishes wedding vendors across the country for their excellence. Based on hundreds of thousands of recent wedding reviews, WeddingWire Rated is the most recognized and trusted brand among engaged couples looking to find the best local businesses for their wedding.

Specialty Sound has 12 reviews on WeddingWire. Reviews by our newlywed clients include detailed ratings and insightful descriptions about their experiences working with our business and staff. Our reviews provide transparency for potential clients, assisting them in making the most informed decisions for their big day.

“We are delighted to unveil the 5th annual WeddingWire Rated program,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire, Inc. “Specialty Sound has made a commitment to capturing their clients experiences on the nation’s leading wedding review site.”

As the largest site for wedding reviews, WeddingWire empowers engaged couples with the most comprehensive and trusted review system available. The WeddingWire Rated program provides Specialty Sound with a simple platform to capture customer feedback from their wedding planning experience. Newly engaged couples can easily access all of the reviews for Specialty Sound on WeddingWire.com. We would like to thank our newlyweds for our WeddingWire Rated 2011 recognition.

For more information, please visit Specialty Sound on WeddingWire.

For more information on WeddingWire Rated 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire, the nation’s leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives local businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. Businesses that join the WeddingWire Network appear on WeddingWire.com and other leading sites, including ProjectWedding.com, MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Weddingbee.com, and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS).

© 2011, www.specialtysound.com. All rights reserved. Images are provided with a creative commons share-alike license. Use freely for commercial or non-commercial purposes but give attribution to “Tommy Evans, Specialty Sound Entertainment” and link to www.specialtysound.com

Pier 1 Party :: Omni Fort Worth

admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:53:44 +0000

Corporate parties are always so entertaining! Some require a little bit of help to have fun, but definitely not this group! Fort Worth based Pier 1 Imports was hosting a business meeting in their home town, and contacted us for the entertainment. You’ll see in this video clip that they really didn’t need much help! On top of performing a custom version of “California Gurls” by Katy Perry, they all later hopped up and showed their dancing skills to “A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis vs JXL, complete with the Wii “Just Dance” video instructions playing on the big screen. (You can see on the video that they didn’t need the help of the video this time).

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Dorothy and Barrett :: LaCima Club

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 05:19:16 +0000

Dorothy and Barrett had a great story about when they met. Barrett is a hockey coach, and Dorothy is a figure skating coach. A friend of his had invited him to play in a senior league hockey game (something Barrett really wasn’t excited about). However, when he set eyes on the score keeper (Dorothy), he was happy to be there. How did they meet? Well, he fouled one of the players, but the referee didn’t see it. So he told the ref “Hey, you need to put me in the penalty box!”.

This photo shows their monogram gobo on the ceiling, and the uplighting along the outside columns.

[PIC TO COME]

Since the bride is a figure skating coach, we had a little bit of fun with the first dance. I printed
up some score cards for the wedding party, which they held up at the finish of Dorothy and Barrett’s
first dance. It was a huge hit! (And they scored a 5.9 out of 6!)

I love this photo!

I had a great time at Dorothy and Barrett’s reception – what a fun crowd!

Our groom, Barrett, performing a toe-touch.
I can honestly say that I’ve never seen this before (and it did make me wince a little!)

I get a cool photo every once in a while. (You should see the hundreds that I delete!)

Happy couple: Happy DJ

The Music:

Cocktail music: Classical
Dinner Music: Jazz instrumentals
First Dance: “God Bless the Broken Road”, Rascal Flatts
Father / Daughter Dance: “Half the Man”, Brad Paisley
Mother / Son Dance: “Because You Loved Me”, Celine Dion
Garter Toss: “Danger Zone”, Kenny Loggins
Bouquet Toss: “Single Ladies”, Beyonce

The Team:

Venue: Katy Boykin, LaCima Club
Photographer: Catoe Hervey
Cakes:
Floral:
Uplighting: Specialty Sound

Useless Stats:

Speakers used: Four
LED dance lights: Seven
Power Circuits: Two 20-amp
DMX Cable used: 150′
Speaker Cable used: 50′
DJ / Lighting setup man-hours: Six

More Photos:

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Secondly… I wanted to tell you this on NYE but Korby didn’t know yet, but we’re pregnant! (It was a surprise to both of us!), but we are excite

Nora and Chad :: Mira Vista Country Club

admin — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 05:38:57 +0000

Mira Vista Golf Club was all aglow at Nora and Chad’s reception. And, not just with the soft uplighting, the beautifully lit cake, the dance lighting and the gobo over the dance floor – but with a crowd of fun guests who were there for one purpose: To have a great time and celebrate with the newlyweds. Often times I’ll start mixing in some fun music towards the end of dinner, and this group was on the dance floor in a heart beat. We postponed the parent dances for a bit, so the guests could get going and have some fun for a bit.

The ballroom at Mira Vista, with soft uplighting and cake lighting.

A view of the dance floor, showing their GOBO and the dance lighting.

I love this photo of Nora’s parents, Starley and Barbara.

Another great photo of Nora and Chad. Looks like fun to me!

Happy Couple. Happy DJ.

The Music:

Cocktail & Dinner Music: Jazz Standards
First Dance: “Then”, Brad Paisley
Father / Daughter Dance: “What a Wonderful World”, Louis Armstrong
Mother / Son Dance: “Have I Told You Lately”, Rod Stewart
Bouquet Toss: “Prayin’ for Daylignt”, Rascal Flatts mixed into “Just the Way You Are”, Bruno Mars
Last Slow Song: “To Make You Feel My Love”, Garth Brooks
Exit Song: “Yes!”, Chad Brock

The Team:

Venue: Julie Pearson, Mira Vista Golf Club
Photographer: King Lawrence
Cakes:
Floral:
Uplighting: Specialty Sound
Cake Lighting: Specialty Sound

Useless Stats:

Speakers uses: Seven
LED uplights: 14
Power Circuits: Four 20-amp
DMX Cable used: 50′
Speaker Cable used: 125′
DJ / Lighting setup man-hours: Eight

More Photos:

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Laura and Jonathan :: Ritz Carlton

admin — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 22:48:09 +0000

We are truly blessed to have the opportunity to work with some of the finest wedding planners in Dallas, and Laura and Jonathan’s reception was just such an occasion. Their reception would be at the Ritz Carlton, with the fantastic variety band, Emerald City, performing for the guests. I was called upon to act as Master of Ceremonies for the reception, then DJ an after-party after the formal reception.

Marsha Ballard French, of Stardust Celebrations, was the planner, and the evening was nothing short of exquisite! For cocktails, we set up four speakers in the foyer of the hotel, and put a microphone on the piano, where Luana Stoutmeyer of Encore Productions would play cocktail music. We also introduced Laura and Jonathan into the foyer for the cake cutting, then again (with the wedding party) into the ballroom.

Beautiful ballroom with uplighting and floral lighting.

The after-party.

Laura and Jonathan – our bride and groom.

The Music:

Cocktail music: piano
Dinner music: jazz standards
First Dance: “My Feet Don’t Touch the Ground”, Brandon Ryder
Father / Daughter Dance: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World”, Izzy
Mother / Son Dance: “My Wish”, Rascal Flatts
Garter Toss: “Hot Legs”, Rod Stewart
Bouquet Toss: “Single Ladies”, Beyonce

After-party music: Club, Dance, Hip-Hop

The Team:

Venue: Ritz Carlton, Dallas
Photographer: VIM Studio, Dallas
Videographer: Steve Allen, Sonrise Video
Cakes: Ritz Carlton, Dallas
Floral: Garden Gate
Linen: BBJ
Photo Booth: Booth Booth
Reception Lighting (Uplighting, pinspots): Absolute Lighting
Reception Entertainment: Emerald City
Reception MC: Tommy Evans
Dance Lighting: Specialty Sound

Useless Stats:

Guests: 275
Speakers used: Eight (four in foyer for cocktails, four in room for after-party)
DJ Systems needed: Three (One in foyer for cocktails, one for MC and music during band breaks, one for after party)
Dance lighting: Five moving heads on a truss with four LED cans
Power Circuits: Five 20-amp
DMX Cable used: 75′
Speaker Cable used: 50′
DJ / Lighting setup man-hours: 12

More Photos:

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Meghan and Tyler :: Coyote Ridge

admin — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 22:22:53 +0000

Subtitle: The one with the routine – almost!

Meghan and Tyler were truly a joy to work with. They loved being creative, and wanted their guests to have nothing short of a fabulous time.
Their original plan was to do something fun and unexpected for the guests. We discussed several ideas, and they came back with a hilarious clip from the TV show, Friends, which they had practiced to “Pop” by her favorite boy-band, N’Sync.

They decided, last minute, to give The Routine “the boot”, but we still had a fantastic time. We also had a wonderful team for this event, working closely with Barbara at Coyote Ridge, as well as our photographer, Hillary. They had a family friend shooting video, and we kept him in the loop as well so nothing was missed.

Enjoy the photos!

This lady sure loved to dance!

In this photo, you can see the LED wall up lighting at the back, which gives a great background for the party.
Also showing is the dance lighting.

Meghan and Tyler’s monogram GOBO, with a bit of a fancy border.

Here we are at the end of the night.
No, those aren’t blue halo’s, that’s just the dance lighting hitting our heads!

See below for more photos!

The Music:

Cocktail music: Instrumental jazz
Dinner music: Jazz standards
First Dance: “God Gave Me You”, Dave Barnes
Dance Floor Opens: “Dynamite”, Taio Cruz
Father / Daughter Dance: “Cinderella”, Steven Curtis Chapman
Mother / Son Dance: “What a Wonderful World”, Louis Armstrong
Garter Toss: “Fox Sports Theme” into “Texas Tech Fight Song”
Bouquet Toss: “Wishin’ & Hopin’”, Ani DiFranco into “Single Ladies”, Beyonce
Last Dance: “Magic Carpet Ride”, Steppenwolf

The Team:

Venue: Barbara Trotter, Coyote Ridge Golf Club
Photographer: Hillary Anne Photography
Videographer : Family friend
Cakes:
Floral:
Uplighting: Specialty Sound
Dance Lighting: Specialty Sound

Useless Stats:

Speakers uses: Eight
Uplights used: Six
Dance Lighting: Four moving heads on 15′ truss with two LED cans
LED dance lights: two
Ellipsoidals: One (for monogram GOBO)
Power Circuits: Four 20-amp
DMX Cable used: 75′
Speaker Cable used: 200′
DJ / Lighting setup man-hours: six

More photos!

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Morgan and Jay :: Westin Stonebriar

admin — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 21:07:03 +0000

Morgan and Jay were such a fun couple to work with! Both Aggies, having met on campus at Texas A&M, having their first date at a local Aggie hotspot, and later becoming engaged Aggie-style – this reception had maroon blood running in it’s veins!

Nearly 400 guests attended the celebration, and were treated to a mix of Texas Country, Classic Country, and current Hip-Hop and Dance music. The room was up-lit all ’round, and the pipe & drape on the back wall made a great background for the party. And, in true Aggie style, they drank the hotel completely out of Michelob Ultra!

The groom’s cake was something to see (as was Morgan’s cake) – it was Bevo standing on the famed UT Austin football field, with his horns cut off!

The Music:

Cocktail music: instrumental jazz
Dinner music: jazz standards, classic rock, alternative
First Dance: “Who I Am”, Wade Bowen & West 84
Father / Daughter Dance: “It Won’t Be Like This for Long”, Darius Rucker (mixed into a 15 second clip of “Baby Got Back”)
Mother / Son Dance: “Forever Young”, Stoney LaRue
Garter Toss: “Wild Thing”, the Troggs into “Danger Zone”, Kenny Loggins
Bouquet Toss: “Single Ladies”, Beyonce into “Girls, Girls, Girls”, Motley Crue
Last Dance: “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love”, Usher & Pitbull

The Team:

Venue: Ann Flatt, Jill Price, and Chelsea (intern) at the Westin Stonebriar Resort
Photographer: Robert L. Walker, Robert L. Walker Photography
Cakes: Frosted Art
Floral: Sheila Johnson, Floral Concepts
Pipe & Drape: Westin Stonebriar Resort
Uplighting: Specialty Sound
Dance Lighting: Specialty Sound

Useless Stats:

Speakers uses: 10
Uplights used: 20
Dance Lighitng: Five moving heads on a 20′ truss with four LED cans
Power Circuits: Five 20-amp
DMX Cable used: 350′
Speaker Cable used: 250′
DJ / Lighting setup man-hours: 12

More Photos:

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