In my part of Maryland, I know of a half-dozen, and every one of them has more work than they can handle. The bands and DJs, well, they work a few jobs a month - THAT'S IT!
Gary ... Having been to a number of 'young couples' weddings the past few years, I am hard pressed to believe that arranger players are covering the same types of weddings in Baltimore ... From MY experience, the young people of today are looking for high powered bands or DJs that can sound JUST LIKE THE ORIGINAL RECORDING ... even with professional backing tracks, one person with a KB cannot replicate that ...
When I was doing weddings, most of the locations I worked had their own announcers and light show systems, and most of the light systems could be operated either remotely by an individual at the console, or interfaced with the music output and timed with it. I never had any trouble keeping a dance floor packed to capacity and keeping the action going nonstop. There are lots of lounge players that I knew said they could never keep up that pace.
As for one person doing ALL the singing - well, if the singer's good, then it has never been a problem. However, if the singer is marginal at best, it's DJ time!
Sure glad I'm semi retired,
Gary
I don't know when you were doing weddings last, but again, in the last 20 years or so, I don't think a KB player, playing in a metropolitan area, could keep a dance floor going all night, playing what the 'young people' want to hear ...
And for today's weddings, I don't think one singer - no matter HOW good - can cut it because of the demands for variety - some standards; dance/disco; TOP 40; perhaps some hip-hop; etc., etc.; and of course, the need to MAKE IT SOUND LIKE THE ORIGINAL ...
I have said it before - I, and some others here, had bands during the 'best of times', when you could play the top 40 tunes in YOUR style, and people were happy because they hired you BECAUSE OF your style ...
I know that if I were young enough to have a 'wedding band' it would probably have 8 to 10 pieces: 2 male and 2 female vocalists who doubled on instruments, a couple of horns, and/or keyboards/synths, guitar, bass, and drums, and augmented with backing tracks... expensive?, yes, but in a metro area, when people are paying $200+ for a dinner and dropping $75,000+ on a wedding, the price of the band is just part of the whole package ...
Be happy you are semi-retired, and remember, "We did it during THE BEST OF TIMES' ...
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