Broberg Wedding at Barr Mansion

It was a great honor to work Abby & Kurt putting their wedding ceremony and reception together in February at Barr Mansion. We had many special events that we put together in our planning sessions. One of the most special moments was Abby's father-daughter dance. I got together with her father and we created a medley of three different songs from LP and cassette. It was a big surprise when Abby heard her voice over the speakers from a recording she made when she was only 11 years old. This is one of the special delights I can add to your event when you book me for The Unforgettable package.

Here are some photos from Katherine O'Brien Photography.

Getting a microphone on Kurt before the ceremony:

Me doing one of my infamous Anniversary Dance interviews:

Toasting Kurt & Abby:

Hey, that's me:

Kurt & Abby's first dance:

"Music4Life DJs are extremely professional and fun. They do a lot of the "heavy-lifting" of planning a big party - so you quickly realize you have an ally. I so enjoyed working with RJ. Hey was delightful and I guarantee he will be invested in your event."

~Abby Mooney

Let me know how I can make your reception or party amazing!

RJ

Great Video of Music4Life DJs

Special thanks for Marc Brown of Digital Legacy for sharing this great video of Music4Life DJ, Jabari Warfield at The Thistle Cafe in downtown Austin.

Jabari and I did the interview together and you can see how it clearly takes this video to another level. This interview is just one of the examples of what you can have when you book with Austin Wedding DJs Music4Life.

Austin Bridal Secrets - Summer Mixer Rocks!

On Friday night, we gathered for the latest Austin Bridal Secrets Summer Mixer. I want to thank Mary Charron at Austin Custom Winery in Oak Hill for allowing us to hang out with her and have a blast.

I wanna share the highlights from our event, starting with some of the stars of Austin Bridal Secrets.

First, the wine! I had some of Vintner's shiraz and the pear riesling and they were both very good.

Nicole from Delysia brought her family and her wonderful truffles! I got hooked on the blueberry truffles! They were incredible! Her two-year-old son Sebastian was dancing a lot to the music and what a joy he was to have with us. Their 2nd child is due in August and I wish them all the best with the new baby.

I started out the evening playing some Dean Martin and other Italian-type music. Nice and elegant.


Harpist Amanda Woosley performed 2 sets and brought some sweet vibes into the room.

Linda Carter of Carter Creations had two of her original wedding gowns on display as well her portfolio with some amazing dresses in it.

Other Stars of Austin Bridal Secrets in the house were:

• Johnny Gasyna of Music4Life DJs,
• Tammie Garza, of Tammie Garza hair
• Su-Min, the Makeover Angel
• April Neubold of Petalworks
• Beth Richard of Exquisite Petals

Later on we danced and had karaoke too. My sister Lori and my mother rocked "Dancing Queen":



We also got to meet some other vendors too who came to hang out and network:

• Shannon Wine, the new Austin rep for Premier Bride magazine
• Amy & Lauren from BigDay Event Productions
• Becky Kittelman from Kittleman Photography
• Stephanie Johnson from Creative & Crafty, cards and invitations
• Betty Giannone from Gobo Entertainment

We had a great time together! Look for the next Austin Bridal Secrets mixer to be held in October. Reach out if you would like to be involved.

DJ-RJ
Music4Life

Chicago Here We Come!

Next week, I will be heading to Chicago for the ADJA Summer Conference: “Empowering Your Dreams”. I am so excited to go and see what else I can learn to bring back to my clients in Austin.

ADJA 2009 Summer Conference.

Come See us at Winfield Inn on June 24th

The Winfield Inn is hosting a Bridal Extravaganza at The Winfield Inn on Wednesday, June 24th from 4-7pm. Music4Life DJs will be available to answer any questions you have as well as the other preferred vendors from The Winfield.

Music Selection at Your Wedding

Another great video from Brian S Redd:

Top 10 Texas Songs

Texas Music Matters compiled a list of the Top 10 Texas Tunes. I love all these songs and I am fortunate that I get to play them at many events. Waltz Across Texas would be my number 1 from this list. I love to just play that song and feel good!

Texas Music Matters Top 10 Texas Songs
10. Amarillo by Morning by George Strait
9. La Grange by ZZ Top
8. That’s Right Your Not From Texas by Lyle Lovett
7. Luckenbach, TX by Waylon Jennings
6. El Paso by Marty Robbins
5. London Homesick Blues by Gary P. Nunn
4. Deep in the Heart of Texas by Gene Autry
3. Waltz Across Texas by Ernest Tubb
2. New San Antonio Rose by Bob Wills
1. Miles and Miles of Texas by Asleep at the Wheel

Wallace Hammond

I had the honor of playing at Wallace Hammond's memorial service on Friday night at Mercury Hall. Wallace and I played in local Austin band Tribal Nation for a few years and he has been active in Austin's music scene for many years, playing with folks like James Brown, Gladys Knight, Bootsy, The Killer Bees and many more.
Wallace's wife, Beth is in business with Coby Neal who did a great job putting the whole event together. His floral arrangements are some of the best in Austin and he has been working on flowers for more than 40 years. Perhaps he can help you on your next occasion.

Rest in peace my brother Wallace!

Circular Ceremony Seating

This is a great idea from Manolo for The Brides.

Read the full story HERE.

Photobooth for Your Austin Event

If you want to add some fun to your party, check out Todd Darby of Say Cheese Photobooth Rental. We did a great interview for Austin Bridal Secrets.

Come See Us at Onion Creek

Onion Creek Country Club will be holding an open house on Wednesday, February 11th from 5-8 PM. The following vendors will be available to speak with you about your wedding:

Austin Party Central

The Flower Studio

Christina Carroll Photography

Music4Life DJ's

Simon Lee Bakery

Photography by Cho

All Access DJ

Please contact Jill Benson, for more information on 512-383-2005.

Austin Social Media’s Top 100

I am honored to be recognized in the Austin Social Media Top 100 of Austin for the category of Radio! Thanks for the recognition NewMedia Lab. I really appreciate it.

RJ



If you’re living in a cave and didn’t yet know it, Austin is the Live Social Media Capital of the World and has been looked to by others as the pioneers of the new media space. Below, we’ve listed 100 innovators in Austin and encourage you to look into them all.

Austin Social Media Top 100

The Winfield Inn

I just found out today that we have been selected to be a preferred vendor at The Winfield Inn in Kyle. This is a beautiful outdoor venue and we love to play here.

Big thanks to Robyn and all the staff at The Winfield Inn! Every time I get to work with you, it is just a joy.

We look forward to doing more weddings here.

DJ-RJ

iWedding for the iPhone

This looks pretty cool.
iWedding is a comprehensive wedding planner to help you arrange one of the most important days of your life. Keeping track of the many tasks and information usually leads to stacks of paper, but not anymore.
iWedding uses many of the powerful features already built into your iPod Touch or iPhone to help with the organization of your big day, thus keeping all the vital information at your fingertips.
iWedding
RJ

Balcones Springs / Bridal Show

I got to play for Topaz Technologies last night at a great venue in Marble Falls called Balcones Springs. The place is big and I didn't get to see all of it though from their website, it looks like they do a lot of weddings. I got to hangout with the owner Christine in the kitchen and see her team at work putting the food together. They were all having a great time and it was obvious that they all work well together. They were nice and took good care of me and all the other attendees. I look forward to doing an interview early next year with her for Austin Bridal Secrets to hear her story.

It's Sunday night and we just finished a planning session for the Bridal Events of Distinction show which is happening on Sunday, January 4th at Embassy Suites in San Marcos. We will be MCing and providing the music for the event, plus we will be available to talk to you about DJ entetainment for your wedding reception. Tickets are available now for $10 through Austin Wedding Day.

Have a great week and a Merry Christmas!

DJ-RJ

New Cards

Special thanks to Nicole with Pink Design Events for her work on creating a new logo for Austin Bridal Secrets. I recently changed my cards to include that logo on it so more people can find out about it. Austin Bridal Secrets is a podcast for Austin brides to meet other wedding vendors in the Austin area that they may want to hire. You can subscribe with iTunes to get the latest shows or just listen to the ones you want from the website. Nicole also does monograms and invitations and many other things. Design and printing was once again handled by my friends over at PrintGlobe. They do a great job for me.

Houston This Weekend - And a Wedding @ Winfield

I am excited once again to be attending the Houston Ghamma DJ Symposium this weekend. I will get see all of my DJ friends from Houston and I will also get to interview one of my DJ heroes, Peter Merry for Austin Bridal Secrets. I'm really looking forward to it.

Last night I met with my bride Andrea to do her final planning session for her wedding Saturday night at The Winfield Inn in Kyle. She lives in Houston and was without power for several weeks after Ike. We have a great party ready to roll out an I'm sure it is going to be a great weekend!

Last night I was at the radio station doing some late night production and our midnight DJ did not show up so I did midnight to 3 AM on the air and had a great time. I played old school R&B, hip-hop and some jazz also. It was fun to be on overnight again and just be able to create. I haven't done one of those shifts since my days at KUT in the 90s.

That's it for now.

Have a great weekend!

DJ-RJ

Our station recognized by Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin Critics Poll

Best R&B Dream Come True: KAZI 88.7FM
KAZI started as the dream of University of Texas professor Dr. John Warfield 26 years ago. Austin's oldest community radio station thrives under the guidance of Steve Savage, with a small staff and a team of volunteers who keep jazz, hip-hop, reggae, and gospel music alive and well in the ATX, digging deeper than your average commercial playlist: Where else do Raphael Saadiq, Estelle, Angie Stone, Sam Cooke, A Tribe Called Quest, and Honeybrowne share the air? KAZI also keeps us plugged into the real world with independent news via Democracy Now!, and it broadcasts Austin City Council meetings, making local goings-on accessible to us all. www.kazifm.org

photo by Celesta Danger

Hill-Bert's Closing

We had a great party to close the Hill-Bert's Lamar location on Sunday. I am now the "official" DJ for Hill-Bert's. Here a couple photos, courtesy of my sister Lori. These are my awesome nephews, Andrew and Nathaniel:

  

Big Weekend Coming

This will be a full weekend of DJing!

I have three DJ gigs this weekend, plus doing sound at church on Sunday.

Friday, I will be rocking Fulmore Jr High once again for the fall dance. We have been doing all their dances since 2006 and I expect this one to be rocking as usual. All the latest hip-hop, plus some reggaeton, and cumbias too. Always a blast!

Saturday, I will be at the Omni for Brad & Erica's big day. We have a great evening lined up for them.

Sunday, will be the Hill-Bert's closing party at 3303 N Lamar from 4-8 PM. Come by and say hello to me and goodbye to this Austin landmark that has been around for 35 years.

DJ-RJ

WeTV Features Austin Wedding Planners

I went to a packed premiere tonight for Austin Wedding Planners at Dave & Buster's. They were featured on 2 episodes of The Wedding Planners reality show shot from WeTV. The episodes will air on WeTV on December 14th & 28th. The show, which was shot at Angel Springs was entertaining and very funny. The couple they worked with had a budget of $15,000 and the other couple featured on the show had a budget exceeding $100,000 and had their reception in a very well decorated horse barn.  Kathie & Vivian of Austin Wedding Planners made it a great event.

Congrats to Kathy & Vivian and the whole Austin Wedding Planners staff on the success of their show!

RJ

Having So Much Fun!

I had two amazing gigs this weekend and this week has taken off!

Saturday night I did Kelly & Jon's wedding at S.F. Austin hotel downtown. We all had a great time. Their Grand Entrance/First Dance was choreographed by Kathleen Stegall from Austin Uptown Dance. They danced to Legends Of The Fall and it was just incredible. The work they put into those 9 dance lessons totally paid off. I did an interview with Kathleen today for Austin Bridal Secrets. She is a retired school teacher and is absolutely on fire about dancing in every way and it shows as soon as she talks about it. If you are looking for some dance instruction for your first dance, you owe it to yourself to check her out.

The rest of the night was incredible with the dancefloor full. We did a special dance for her grandparents, and her mother was into line dances so we did a few of those too. We had custom created scripts for the Grand Entrance and all the other special dances. We even did a special dance for a couple who was about to celebrate their 1st anniversary. We had a special announcement for everybody thet they were expecting a baby and we played their frist dance from their wedding last year. They had their own special moment and it was sweet.

The event finished at 12:15 and I was able to get a few shots of Jon & Kelly dancing their last dance. The photographers were gone already so I was able to capture a few shots.

I did the math on what we put into this event tonight:

12.5 hours pre-production/planning time, dance rehearsal, and rehearsal dinner
6.25 hours of travel time
9 hours on location day of the reception
--
28 hours total time invested in this event.

I am pretty certain that if somebody is looking to hire a $500 or $600 DJ that they will not be able to get this kind of service since most entertainers working at those rates probably need a day job to be able to pay their bills. If one is looking for somebody to just show up and play music, then they should consider hiring a lower priced entertainer.

What I love is being able to hang out the couples I work with and putting all of our heads together and creating unique ideas that people will remember for a long time.

On Sunday, I played a pool party for Michael in his back yard off of Rundbeg & Lamar. I had a great time and played lots of dance and club music. So I was able to be creative and keep mixes going for a long time. Quite different from a wedding gig and wide open to just be creative. I loved it!

On Monday, "Labor Day," I took most of the day off and realized how hard it was for me to not work. I just enjoy what I do and most of the time it doesn't seem like work so it's hard to stay away and stay offline. Went and hung out with mom that evening and we always have a great time talking about business, music and many other things. She is just so supportive in my life and I don't know where I would be without her.

On Tuesday, Ann Texter and I went shopping at Home Depot for some hanging supplies for our upcoming event in October called Shootenanny at The Nomad Bar. It's going to be a photo exhibit and I am going to playing classic country and honky tonk music. I'm really looking forward to it. The owner Miguel is a sweetheart and has been very supportive of what Ann and I are putting together. Here is the flier:

Later that evening, I went to the radio station and ran a replay of The Dad Show and then met a couple for a planning session. We worked an hour and 45 minutes just on music and got a lot accomplished. Their first dance of The Carpenters, "Close To You" is going to be pure cheese and we have some other great similar ideas that we are putting together in our next planning session that will be fun along with some trance music that he is into.

Today, the other interview I did was with Andrew Perkel of Belvedere's Mens Day Spa at 10th & Congress. Andrew knows his business very well and delivers what men want in a spa experience. From cuts and shaves to shoe shines, waxing, coloring, massages, facials, pedicures, and manicures. The staff is very friendly and I have enjoyed both of my visits there so far. I also took some photos of Cheryl Goldberg of A Beautiful Smile Now that came out great.

Tonight, I met with Caryn & Zach at 360 Primo. We worked on their playlist for about an hour and a half until we were all fried and ready to go home. We didn't even get to the timeline, though we came up with some great ideas for their special songs.

Tomorrow night, I will be at the monthly ISES meeting when Airstar Space Lighting will give an overview of the types of lighting available for use in the special event industry, and how to work with a lighting designer to make your events shine. They have some awesome lighting ballons.

On Friday, I will be interviewing Linda Lucas of Dream Images about her photography services for Austin Bridal Secrets and then I will be DJing and playing with my band Vida Deluxe at Ruta Maya, 3601 S Congress starting at 9:00 PM. Come say hello.

Let me know how I can help you?

DJ-RJ
512-973-8686

Another Amazing DJ Conference

I went to the North Texas Entertainers Conference yesterday in Grand Prairie, TX. I attended some great workshops and drove back to Austin quite inspired despite three hours of sleep the previous night. Three lectures were presented by Peter Merry that were excellent. Peter is setting the bar higher for many DJs by showing how great service can be delivered. His first seminar was about marketing and using web 2.0 websites to expand and share things. I am way into that already in many ways. For instance, you can follow me on Twitter if you want to keep up with my day to day runnings. His second was grand entrances and how to make them more personal to all in attendance. He told a very touching story of a widow that he introduced in a bridal party that I am sure touched everyone in attendance. My grand entrances will be different from now on. And his last presentation over dinner was the Starbuck's Effect and how their model of service and quality can be applied to the DJ profession. Erlier in the day, we had a great presentation on Latin music from Jaime Chavez that gave me a much better understanding of Mexican regional and tejano music. We also saw a great presentation on computer-controlled DMX lighting that amazing. Big props to the DFW ADJA chapter for a great show!

Let me put this some of this knowledge to use for you!

DJ-RJ

North Texas Entertainers Conference

I will be heading to Grand Prairie, Texas for The North Texas Entertainers Conference on Monday, August 25th. I am excited to be hanging out with some of the best entertainers in the Dallas-Ft Worth area and also attending some great workshops all day long including one with Peter Merry titled "The Starbucks Effect: Working With The Personalized Bride"that will be great.

It's another way that I am working hard to serve those I work with and to keep growing as an entertainer.

DJ-RJ

The Knot

I went to a great gathering of wedding vendors this week for TheKnot.com and I even got to meet the president Janet Scardino. It was a great event with food and drinks and lots of people to talk with. I met some new vendors that will be on upcoming episodes of Austin Bridal Secrets and was accompanied by Austin's favorite PR queen, Dean Lofton. Being an advertiser on the The Knot has really helped me meet some great people who I am proud to serve and be part of their special day.

Let me know how I can help you.

RJ

Monday on RJ's R&B

On Monday, July 28th on RJ's R&B from 1-3 PM on KAZI 88.7 FM, I will be interviewing Austin singer-songwriter Sarah Temple. I am quite excited to have her on the show for her to share with us her story.

RJ

Tonight at Masala Wok

I will once again be playing some awesome Bollywood music tonight at Masala Wok, 1100 Center Ridge Dr. Suite 300 (Parmer & IH35, NE corner, behind Office Depot) from 7-11 PM. Join us for dinner and dancing later in the evening to all of your favorite Bollywood Hindi songs. It is soooo cool. Great food and great vibes too!!!!! Come say hello.

DJ-RJ

Sarah Temple - Great Music!

Wow, I just discovered her tonight via MySpace and she is just awesome! She does jazz, latin, and Brazilian music. Her drummer is one of the best in Austin, Brannen Temple, who I'm guessing must have been very smart and married her. Please check her out: SARAH TEMPLE

Listen to the show here:

Music4Life Podcast

DJ-RJ

Does Your DJ Have Time for You???

I just had an initial meeting with a bride-to-be who is getting married next year. We had a great time and hung out for an hour and 45 minutes.
I was surprised when she told me about another DJ company that she had dealt with who would not let her meet with her DJ and also that they could not guarantee which DJ would be supplied for her wedding reception.
This is the most important day of her life and she needs to know who she is hiring and if they vibe well together. To my way of thinking, that is very important and is one key ingredient to the success of her event. If you have fun together hanging out at a consultation, you will definitely have fun at your reception.
If the "unknown DJ" just shows up at your event to play music, how do you know that it is going to turn out as you expected?

At Music4Life, we prefer that you meet your DJ ahead of time before you hire them and we also guarantee that they will be your DJ on your contract. You have the option to spend as much time as you need during multiple planning sessions to work out all the details from music selection to the timeline.

If you're looking for more in a DJ, contact us and we would love to sit down with you and see how we can have fun together! Because life is a big huge party!

DJ-RJ
973-8686

Inspiration

Wow, I woke up at 7:00 this morning on fire about life and my business! I had to get up and get right into some things. At the moment, I am ripping some Brazilian CDs in preparation for the gig today out in Leander. It's a 4th of July celebration and also Eugenia's 83rd Birthday Party. She is from Brazil and her daughter hired me after seeing me perform at a wedding a few weeks ago in Dripping Springs. We're going to have a lot of fun. The playlist that we built has 141 songs on it! Some things on there I have not heard in a long long time! This will be a great party that they will remember for a long time.

Happy 4th of July to you!!!

DJ-RJ

Two New Shows Today

I met John John "The Wedding Butler" and also singer-songwriter India Taylor and interviewed them both for Austin Bridal Secrets.

Check out the shows: Austin Bridal Secrets.

RJ

Free Personalized Wedding Maps

This site is very cool:

WeddingMapper.com
RJ

Special Edits

I worked with Brandi yesterday, one of my brides who is getting married in July. She really wanted Tim McGraw's song "My Little Girl" for her Father-Daughter Dance. She told me about the song and one line from the lyrics that was not acceptable to her:

I know he'll say that he's in love.
But between you and me. He won't be good enough!

So at the coffee shop we were working at, I was able to pull up the song and make an edit and remove that verse from the song so it would work. She was quite happy about it and so was I.

On Wednesday, I was working with Jesse and Elizabeth and put together a nice medley of 5 songs for their first dance that was about 5:40 total time. I gave them a CD to take home with them so they can practice and get their moves down.

Being an audio engineer gives me other skills that I can bring to my events to add more spice to the night.

If I can help you with any special ideas you have, let me know. I am here for you.

And also, don't forget to check Austin Bridal Secrets for some great interviews with other wedding service providers around town.

DJ-RJ

What A Weekend

Wow!

Saturday, I had a wedding at Vista West Ranch in Dripping Springs that was great! Congrats to Monica and Tyler!

Sunday, had the morning off from my audio gig at Unity Center and then played for the first time at Marriot in Round Rock. The staff was fun and friendly and we all had a good time. Congrats to Amber & Taylor!

Both events featured a lot of country music on the playlist. I give them exactly what they want and have fun doing it!

I took a few pictures at both events and I have been having a lot of fun doing some photography again. I am also playing with Twitter if you want to follow me there.

RJ

Hands in The Air

A shot from Friday night at the Fulmore Jr. High School dance.

Last Night at Barr Mansion

Wow, what a great wedding last night at Barr Mansion! I started with cocktail music at 3PM, then dinner and dancing, finishing at 10PM. It was an awesome musical marathon!

Congratulations to Natalie & Andy on their big day. They gave me some ideas of what they wanted and really let me be creative and wow the people with music. Played lots of great classics and standards with some pop things through dinner and then rocked the dancers with some great rock-n-roll, country and 80s things.

It really feels great seeing people light up when they hear a song that delights them.

RJ

Tuesday

Today, I met with Nycia from Inspired Events and we had a great time together. I interviewed her for Austin Bridal Secrets.

Next I am off to finish production from Sunday's Unity guest speaker, then off to do The Dad Show and then a planning session and dinner with Monica & Tyler who are getting married on June 7th.

Another great day!

DJ-RJ

Tuesday...

The morning started out with ripping CDs and accounting. Thank you Michael & Judy for the help!

Then met with Jesse & Mylissa to begin putting the works on their May 11th ceremony & wedding at Mercury Hall. Welcome onboard! They also told me about a place in Fredericksburg called Boot Ranch that looks like a nice wedding venue. I want to go and play golf there! Golf Digest voted it one of America's Best New Courses in 2007. It looks beautiful.

After that, a quick jaunt to mix The Dad Show from 6-7 pm and then off to Dillard's for some new pantalones. Very exciting.

Tonight, reading a few tech and photog blogs and trying to wrap it up so I can sleep.

RJ

Big Weekend

Austin Bridal Secrets continues to grow and bring me great joy. I did some voicework today with Hemma Jani. She is from London and is new in town and she did a great intro and outro for the show which will be in the next episode.
One of the challenges with the show I see has been to keep interviewing people and not ask the same questions. I got a book on The Art of The Interview this week from Amazon that is going to help me improve. I have an interview in the morning with photographer Eric Hegwer that I am excited about. We worked together a few weeks ago and had a good time together, so I expect more of the same. The launch party for Austin Bridal Secrets (see flier in this post) will be held on Sunday, May 4th from 6-10 PM at Casa Chapala. All past and future clients are invited to come enjoy some great Latin music, food and fun.

I met with Debbie today to put the final touches on her wedding which is Friday. On Saturday, I will be doing Tara & Rick's wedding at San Michele in Buda. My band Vida Deluxe will play on Sunday on Sunday morning at Unity and then I plan to take the rest of the day off. It will be a full weekend.

Big congratulations to Holly & Todd and also Elizabeth & Jesse who both signed on this week for their wedding receptions.

RJ

Van Halen

I'm up way too late tonight, listening to Van Halen for the last few hours and enjoying sounds I have not heard much in quite a few years. All the stuff from the first four albums mostly with David Lee Roth. Great stuff!!!

Working on learning more about Photoshop and having some fun seeing what I can do with some of the digital images I have taken over the last 5 years.

Also, cleaning up the database online so I can get ready to send out invites to the Austin Bridal Secrets salsa launch party coming up in May.

Saturday night I played at Courtyard Marriot on 4th street for the first time. Played 5 hours! After dinner, the dancefloor was full almost the whole time until 11:30. Congrats to Alan and Tracy!

Got to see Culture perform this weekend twice. Saturday night at Flamingo and Sunday night at ARF. Kenyatta Hill is filling his father's shoes quite well I must say! He is such a dynamic performer. We were all impressed with the rebirth of Culture.

All fun and exciting stuff!

Now I must sleep... on the air in 8 hours.

RJ

Great Wedding Ceremony Music

If you are looking for something classical, yet different and modern, check out The Vitamin String Quartet. They do classical covers of a lot of different rock and pop songs which Tara & Rick and I are using for their reception on the 26th. Great stuff!

DJ-RJ

Secrets That Brides Want To Know

Stay tuned here for a new project that I am working on! It is very exciting and Austin brides will want to know about it to find the perfect vendors for their event.

Today, I just finished a planning session with a couple that is getting married in April. Everything is wrapped and ready to go except for some more music, which they will add to their playlist later.

They turned me on to Richard Cheese. His group is called Lounge Against The Machine and they do cheesy covers of rap, rock, and pop songs. The version of Baby Got Back is hilarious!

Gotta get back to the studio. Work continues on the Vida Deluxe album. So far we have three songs down and we are putting down overdubs and vocals today. We will be playing on Friday at Ruta Maya at 11PM. Come out and join us!

RJ

Salsa y Bembe

I worked with Marion Sanchez yesterday to create a demo and proposal for a new weekly show tentatively called Salsa y Bembe that will air on KAZI. She hopes to have the show on-air by May 1st. We are very excited about the show.

Today, I am working with Patrick Timpone of The One Radio Network creating some audio bits for his shows.

RJ

Weekend Gigs

I have two drumming gigs this weekend!

Friday night with Vida Deluxe at Flamingo Cantina. We recently added a new vocalist, Jah Lion, from Antigua and he is going to be great!

Saturday night, I will be performing a short set with Urban Roots at Freddie's at 1703 South 1st street at 7PM.

Hope to see you!!!

DJ-RJ

Great Bridal Show

Just finishing up at the Bridal Events of Distinction show and it was great!

Special thanks to all of you who came by to visit with us.

Let us know how we can help with anything. We are here for you.

RJ
973-8686

Pandora / Vida Deluxe / Bridal Show

So, I've been hearing about Pandora for awhile and I finally decided I would jump in and take it for a spin. It is a music streaming thing that learns what you like and gives you more. Been listening to some Drum-n-Bass and seeing how it works. Cool so far. Some things I've heard and a few new things too. Haven't had a glitch in the stream yet after almost an hour listening. And speaking of drum and bass, I finally have some ideas about the project I spoke of earlier with the 40 songs and it is going to happen at the end of the month. I am very excited about this project--on fire actually!


And one of my bands, Vida Deluxe will be opening for the Mau Mau Chaplains on the 21st at Flamingo Cantina. That came out of nowhere, thank you Angela! That is up pictured above at Aster's on February 18th, 2008.

And of course, the Bridal Show this Sunday at Austin Convention Center will be great fun too!

So many good things happening--Music4Life is my life and how great it is!

RJ

Quite A Weekend

Did a lot this weekend and made some new friends too.

Friday night, went to the grand opening for Rozone Productions. They are a new provider in town for Versatube lights which are used in concert and stadium productions. Graphics and video can be shown on these LED lights with huge screens. They had some set up and I took my camera and got to take a lot of amazing pictures of people using them as fill light as they cycled through the colors. Met a sweet couple from Australia who have recently moved to town, Tracey & Andy Seymour. Andy is a singer and one of the things he does is called The Gospel According to Elvis. Great renditions of Southern gospel as Elvis would have done.

On Saturday, I went to the Texas Media Summit at the Texas Union at UT. It was an all day event and for the first time brought together those of us involved in community media from across the state to see what we can do to come together and address common concerns while networking. Made some good contacts and earned a lot about SB5 and the effect it will have on cable systems across the state.

On Sunday, did audio at Unity and then went to Fast Frame for a wedding event. Met some real sweet people who were wedding vendors. Brides looking for frames for their wedding pictures should go by and talk to Candice Rush about options for framing and also shadow boxes. I met two of Matt's sisters from Matty Cakes. The white raspberry cake was yummy! I met Steve Armstrong, a photographer who also has taught photography at ACC for 25 years. He showed us some amazing books that he had put together for clients. I met Jennifer Smiley, a mom of three who has recently started her calligraphy business and is able to address invitations and cards with calligraphy (512-301-6227). I met Jaime Arevalo from Circle C Cafe & Catering. They have a cafe at the Wildflower Center and also do catering for weddings and events. And I also met Renee Dahl with A Bed Of Roses. She is a Tx Master Florist and has been doing flowers for more than 20 years. She also does invitations. All great people and a fine day it was!

It is Monday morning and I am off to do my radio show.

Let me know how I can help you with anything!

DJ-RJ
973-8686

Bridal Showcase & Fashion Show Monday

Fashion Show And Vendor Showcase

Rare Weddings is HOT! Whether you're a bride-to-be or just someone who LOVES free food and drinks (and who doesn't), Rare Weddings is where you should be on Monday, March 3.

The event is from 6:00 - 9:00 pm at Laguna Gloria. Picture a Rare-style fashion show against the mansion featuring your favorite local boutiques and salons. Also, check out the vendor showcase featuring free food from Austin's best caterers and an open, FREE bar (yep, free booze).

Monday, March 3, 2008 (Rain Date: March 10, 2008)

Amoa - Laguna Gloria

Bridal Showcase 6:00 Pm - 9:00 Pm

Fashion Show Promptly At 8:30 Pm

Free Food And Bar (Yep, Free Bar)

Drum 'n' Bass 2008

I am up way too late tonight! Just so excited about a new lil project I am doing with DJ Soultrain. We are putting together 40 fresh new Drum 'n' Bass tunes for the podcast. Not sure how we are going to put it together just yet. Just trust that we will figure that out as we get there. I found some killers and I can't wait to see what he is going to bring. I hope to have it done before I got to Vegas in 2 weeks. It shall be exciting so stay tuned!

DJ-RJ

Sunday - Soca Time!

Inviting you to tune in this Sunday, January 20th on KAZI 88.7 FM from 3-5 PM for the latest Soca music from Trinidad & Tobago for 2008 carnival. Some really great stuff!!!!

RJ's R&B - New Podcast

I posted the 2nd half of my radio show yesterday to the podcast site. There is some great new R&B and neo-soul on it. Get it while it's hot:

Music4Life Podcast
DJ-RJ

Reggae Evolution - Best of 2007 Show

Jah Ray and I have joined forces for the Best of 2007 show and it will air on Tuesday, January 1, 2008 from 7-10 PM on KAZI 88.7 FM. We have picked out the very best tunes for the year so I hope you can tune in.

If you missed it, you can download the full show here: Music4Life Podcast.

DJ-RJ

Duran Duran

I got to go to the show this week at Austin Music Hall and it was awesome! They announced that their new single Falling Down, which was produced by Justin Timberlake was #1 on Mix 94.7 FM. They played it and it sounded great along with all of their obvious hits. My favs: Notorious, Wild Boys, Rio, Reach Up For The Sunrise, and Girls On Film (encore). For some reason they did not do Hungry Like The Wolf. Amazing that they can still be relevant and great after so many years!

First Dance Idea

This is great!



RJ

New Pictures Coming

We finally did a team photo shoot tonight with Jenny Rhea and enjoyed ourselves. Look for them on the website soon.

RJ

More Latin Vibes

My renewed passion for salsa continues daily.

Finally got a chance to see El Cantante with Marc Anthony & J.Lo on DVD this week. It's the story of Hector Lavoe. The music is great! Get the CD or check out the video.

Got turned on to Cortijo y Su Combo today from a friend and been checking out some of his songs via iTunes. He was popular in the 50s and 60s and incorporated the plena and bomba rhythms of Puerto Rico into his music.

Found that Andy Montañez was in his band in the 70s. He released an album called Salsaton in 2006, where he merged salsa with reggaeton that is very good. Nice that they kept most of the acoustic vibes of salsa as opposed to the same cliched reggaeton beat. Check out Se Le Ve.

All for now!

DJ-RJ

Great Weekend

I had two great gigs this weekend.

Saturday night, I did a Sweet 16 party for Paige. Played almost all hip-hop all night over at Chez Zee's Gallery Room on Balcones. I spoke with Mary Frances after the event and was surprised to find out that the place is quite affordable to rent. Great for cocktails or a small party. They can comfortably feed 70-80 people.

On Sunday, I did sound at Unity and then hustled over to Pfluger Hall for a wedding. It was an Indian-Filipino union and we had a great time. Played some bhangra music and lots of other Top 40 hits. Also did the ceremony earlier in the day at her parent's house in Pflugerville. The ceremony was an hour long and was so beautiful. They had Filipino and Indian rituals. I had a great time and feel so fortuante to be part of their special day. Big shout out and congrats to Venu & Liezl !

DJ-RJ

Persian Reggae?

What next?

These sisters have some sweet music!

ABJEEZ
RJ

Two New Interviews

Two great reggae artists, one from Germany and Kris Brown from Ohio plus you can hear me playing drums too on one of them. Hope you dig these:

Music4Life Podcast

Here is a shot from Saturday night doing the hokey pokey:

Bless You in all that you do!

DJ-RJ

Excited

I am working this morning at Sacred Shelf bookstore and excited to be getting back to full speed in my life! So many good things happening.

Been updating the website and scheduling a photoshoot for the whole team. Tonight Lori and I will attend a dinner with ISES memebers. Have a new print ad for Austin Wedding Day that I am quite excited about. Got a great image and design that I think is going to grab people's attention.

And then of course there is music. The new Annie Lennox Sing is great. Interesting also to me is the return of the Spice Girls and their new single that seems to making some noise, as well as their tour and other deals.

Had two nice interviews on my Tuesday night radio show. One with Umberto Echo from Munich and also Kris Brown from Austin about his CD release which I was fortunate to be able to play drums on. Look for them on the PODCAST very soon (today hopefully).

This weekend I have a 14 year-old birthday party at Chez Zee and a wedding at Pfluger Hall.

Life is good!

DJ-RJ

Wedding Folks

Last night I performed at a wonderful wedding at Great Hills Country Club. The dancefloor was full almost the whole night. Got a chance to play some cumbias for a change and enjoyed that. They also had Mariachi Garibay and The Texas Dragon Dance Team that were very cool. The officiant who did the service was Larry Todd with Austin Wedding Chaplains. We got to hang out for awhile during the evening and he told me about their organization. The money they collect to do weddings helps out veterans, police and firemen and their rates are pretty affordable, plus you get to write off that expense as a tax deductible donation. Great deal for everybody!

Great Swing Music

Mom, Lori and I went to see A Ride With Bob last night at Paramount Theatre. It was a play that told the story of Bob Wills written by Ray Benson of Asleep At The Wheel. The music was incredible and the actors were great too. Learned a lot about Bob's life and what he went through.

I was really impressed by The Quebe Sisters, who my sister had seen a few weeks ago in Ft Worth. These 3 young sisters play fiddle and sing like The Andrews Sisters. Simply amazing! We go to meet them and buy a CD. Quite impressive to see so much talent! Check them out!

RJ

October 13th - Salsa Time!!!!

I am really excited about this show!!!!! Come out and celebrate with me and dance your butt off!!

RJ

On Saturday October 13th, Flamingo Cantina continues its exploration of international flair as Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca fuses an entire diaspora’s worth of influence to a chassis of Afro-Cuban origin. Born in the Congo of Angolan ancestry, Ricardo Lemvo formed Makina Loca 17 years ago in Los Angeles and the 10-piece band quickly attracted worldwide attention with their seamless blend of Cuban son montuno and Zairean soukous. With Lemvo fluently singing in each of Spanish, Lingala, Kikongo, French, English, and Portuguese, a Makina Loca set conjures exotic travel as an escape route from American cultural isolation. Promoting its fifth album titled Isabela after Lemvo’s newborn daughter, Makina Loca expects to open the hearts of those long-due for the Cuban clave’ rhythm to act as their Afro-Latin tour guide.

DJ-RJ opens the show with a hot mix of salsa, merengue, bachata, reggaeton and more.

Doors at 8:30 p.m. Cover is $12/$14; tickets are available at End of an Ear Records located at 2209 S 1st St and Flamingo Cantina located at 515 E. Sixth Street, venue phone 512/494-9336. www.flamingocantina.com.

Amazon selling downloads now!

I just tried out Amazon's new digital music downloads and I'm impressed! There is no copy protection on the files and they are at 256k bitrate which is higher than iTunes. No copy protection means I won't have to burn them to CD and then rerip them to run them in my DJ software. Their price is the same as iTunes at .99 cents a song. Amazon also has things that iTunes does not have. So I know where I might be buying a lot more of my music now.

iTunes does offer some of their music without DRM copy protection, though those are $1.29 each.

DJ-RJ

I Know You Got Soul

That record had a lot of influence on me and many others who sampled it.

Rest in peace Bobby!

RJ


Funk/Soul/R&B/Gospel musician and songwriter,Bobby Byrd past today in an Atlanta Hospital
Bobby Byrd was best known as James Brown's longtime sideman and co-vocalist on songs such as Licking Stick - Licking Stick, Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine and Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved. Byrd also recorded many solo funk tracks, most famously I Know You Got Soul (1971), which have been sampled by musicians including Public Enemy, Eric B. & Rakim, Ice Cube, LL Cool J and A Tribe Called Quest. He was the original leader and founder of The Famous Flames, the vocal group with which James Brown first became famous. Byrd is actually the man who discovered James Brown.

Bobby Byrd and James Brown met in a Georgia youth detention facility. Brown was an inmate, Byrd was not. Byrd's local baseball team played the prison team of which Brown was a member. It was Bobby Byrd's family that sponsored his release and took him in afterwards.

Byrd was leader of a vocal group called The Avons when Brown joined in the mid-1950s. The Avons later became The Flames, then The Famous Flames, before they were repackaged with Brown as the frontman. James Brown and the Famous Flames, with Byrd as a member, recorded many hit songs, including Please, Please, Please, Think, Bewildered, Oh Baby, Don't You Weep, I'll Go Crazy, and many more. Brown and The Flames were also known for their powerful on stage performances across the United States in venues such as the Apollo Theatre in New York, the Regal in Chicago,and The Royal Theatre in Baltimore (where they recorded the 1964 Top 10 Pop live album "Pure Dynamite: Live at the Royal}, among numerous other concert venues, and on film in the 1964 concert film the T.A.M.I. Show, where Brown, Byrd, and the other Famous Flames (Bobby Bennett and "Baby Lloyd" Stallworth) upstaged The Rolling Stones. Byrd also appeared with Brown and the group in the 1965 Frankie Avalon motion picture Ski Party, Dick Clark's American Bandstand, and twice on The Ed Sullivan Show. Byrd was the only member of The Flames to remain with Brown when the group disbanded in 1968.

He was married to soul singer Vicki Anderson, another James Brown collaborator. His step-daughter is Carleen Anderson.

In October 2004 Bobby Byrd's songs I Know You Got Soul and Hot Pants were featured on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack, playing on fictional radio station Master Sounds 98.3. Also, in September 2005 his song Try It Again appeared on the soundtrack of Indigo Prophecy.

Blood Diamonds

I watched Blood Diamond with Leonardo DiCaprio last night and learned a lot about the issue of conflict diamonds and how they are used to fund civil war in Africa.

I want to encourage all of you who are buying diamond rings to ask the people you are buying them from if the diamonds they are selling you are certified "conflict-free." The Kimberly Process was put in place in 2003 and it requires governments to certify that shipments of rough diamonds are free from blood diamonds. Apparently it is not working totally and diamonds are still being sold that have not been certified.

Here are some more links to get more information: Global Witness, Democracy Now.

DJ-RJ

On The Air

I am doing my first live show tonight on KAZI 88.7 FM from 7-10 PM. The new studio is awesome!

Tune in and enjoy the vibes!

RJ

The O'Neil Brothers

If you need music for your wedding ceremony, then there is a great resource that you should check out. The O'Neill Brothers are from Minnesota, and they have produced a large selection of music that is ideal for Wedding Ceremonies. You can order their CDs online or download the music in DRM-Free MP3 format through their website.

O'Neil Brothers

Updates

I discovered a new artist from Jamaica who is mixing rock with reggae and doing it quite well! So, thought I would post a link so other folks could check her out. Her name is Tessanne Chin and I am amazed at her voice and the production. The whole thing!

Check her on MySpace: TESSANNE

Anne and I have booked another live show for Vida Deluxe on Wednesday, June 27th at Flamingo Cantina. We're also working on another date for Irie Bean the same week (we hope).

Anne and I were vendors at the BiGAustin Idea Day last week aty The Hilton and it was awesome! We provided music for the awards show, which was MCed by Ron Oliveira. Big thanks to DJ Ted who did an excellent job running the tracks. Next week we are doing the Seton Nurses Week show at Doubletree Hotel for about 800 nurses! Should be cool with a fashion show focusing on the history of nurse wear. Anne will have some of her scrubs and t-shirts on sale and Music4Life will be providing sound reinforcement and music for the show.

Renovation continues at the KAZI studios, so no live shows until that is finished. We're doubling our space and it should be a real nice to have more room to work in.

All for now!

DJ-RJ


When you can find joy where there is nothing, you can find joy in anything. Place no conditions on happiness, and it is always yours.

Embrace the uncertainty of the future, for within that uncertainty is limitless, fertile ground for creating beauty, joy and fulfillment. When you no longer need security, you will indeed have it.

Accept that you do not know, and there is no limit to what you can learn. Let go of the need to possess, and there is no end to what you can have.

There is a universe filled with beauty in each tiny grain of sand. There is a lifetime of experience in every small moment of the day.

Be true to your purpose and fulfillment will find you. With what you have to give, you can reach all you could ever imagine to seek.

See the joy where there is nothing, and everywhere else as well. Live the beauty that is now, and truly know the abundant richness that is life.

-- Ralph Marston

Great Food for Your Event

I attended the ISES monthly meeting yesterday at Whole Foods and the food was excellent and fresh! Contact Hannah Moore for more information at 542-2209 on how they can help you with your event.

Austin's Green Wedding Venue

The Barr Mansion is about to be certified as Austin's only green wedding restaurant serving only organic food. I think that is great news for those of you who are looking for higher quality meals at your reception. Check out the article for more info.

DJ-RJ

The Aloha Spirit

Tuned in to Hawai'i 101 tonight while hanging out with my mother and it has been wonderful vibes. Not quite as good as being there, though the spirit is in the music for sure!

Check it out and relax:

Hawai'i 101

DJ-RJ

New Wedding Planner

I received an email from a sweet woman named Marsha Jack today who was very excited about her new business. I gave her a call and we spoke for a few minutes about her new company called A Gay Affair. She is Austin's first wedding planner catering to the GLBT community and I'm sure she would be delighted to help you plan your event.

DJ-RJ

Building The 50-Year Marriage

In these times with so many marriages ending in divorce, it seems like a great idea to make an investment in the relationship you are building so you can go the distance. I met Julie Darby at the Bridal Show last Sunday and she is offering a course on how to build a 50-year marriage on Saturday, April 7th at the Rennaisance Hotel.

Check out her website for more information: Block Out The Noise.

Wishing you the best this weekend!

DJ-RJ

Join Us at BiG Austin Marketplace 2007

Every day more things happen that bring me an immense amount of joy and show me that I am exactly where I am supposed to be in life. I just found out I have been one of the 20 businesses picked to participate in BiGMarketplace 2007 at The Hilton on Friday, April 27th. I am just elated!

Special thanks to Anne for kicking my butt to register. Her unwavering support continues to inspire me every day!

DJ-RJ

Bridal Show

Special thanks to all of the couples who came by our booth today at The Convention Center and spoke with us about the reception. Ted, Lori and I had a great time and we look forward to making some more new friends to celebrate with. Special thanks also to Dan at PrintGlobe for the awesome banner and next day delivery too.

RJ

New Venue in Dripping Springs

A client turned me on to an awesome new wedding venue today in Dripping Springs called Vista West Ranch. The venue is owned and operated by Cindy Pearson and her husband and has a capacity of 350. They are booking now and in the final stages of construction. They open at the end of May and they are currently running special pricing at $2,000. That's a great deal if you are looking for a nice place away from Austin.

They also have a floral business called Petal Pushers.

DJ-RJ

Bridal Show - This Sunday

Hope to see you this Sunday at The Austin Convention Center from 12:30-5pm. The whole team will be there to answer any questions you may have about the services we provide for weddings. We are in booth #606. More info and tickets are available online.

Recent Photos

Here is one from the Vida Deluxe gig on Sunday at Flamingo Cantina:



Congratulations to Jeff & Nikki! From Saturday night out at Creekside Pavillion:






And last weekend at Trevor & Victoria's birthday party:



Having fun!!!

Tomorrow and Wednesday I will be recording the kids for UIL competition during the day.

DJ-RJ

Pflugerville Flag Article

Very happy to have this come out in the Pflugerville Flag last week!

Beats for Pizza

I booked a wedding tonight with Naddy & Tanner that I am very excited about. Naddy is from Trinidad and we will be playing lots of soca and calypso music along with American music at Plantation House in Pflugerville. This one is going to be hot!

Just finished working with Mark Brown on a demo for a commercial for Mangia Pizza. We came up with a cool beat and laid the vocals in about an hour.

Just got an MP3 on email from Nick and a new mix of the DnB track we are working on and it is coming along quite nicely. We set the lifeline to have it finished on April 1st and then we will release it digitally to iTunes and probably also Beatport and see what happens.

RJ

Creating Music

I did my first session with Booof 7 tonight and we have some great vibes coming together with a funk tune we are working on together. I'm very excited about it. You can hear an early demo of it on MySpace. Looking forward to getting it out into the world and seeing what happens with it.

I sent an MP3 of the Workie Workie riddim to General Levy (at his request). He is a ragga MC from London and he wants to voice a song on it. Next I will see about licensing the rights to the riddim track from Steely & Clevie.

Work continues on a drum-n-bass track that I have been working on with Nick Little. I think we're calling the project 10 Cents Mofo, which is what it costs Nick every time I send him a text message. LOL!

My sweetie and I are putting together a new band project called Vida Deluxe for a benefit for my friend Yellow at Flamingo Cantina on Sunday March 4th. Yellow is in the hospital and needs a heart transplant. The lineup is going to be great with Grimy Styles and Mau Mau Chaplains and more. Also, just found out Mad Professor will be in town Saturday night at Flamingo with his Dub You Crazy show. Should be cool.

Sent my application to ASCAP last night to start publishing the songs I have been writing under the name Music4Life.

Have been booking lots of shows with the DJ business too, so life is great!

Let me know if I can help you in any way and don't give up on your dreams.

DJ-RJ

Podcast Launched

Woohoo! I have posted the first episode of the Music4Life podcast today:

Music4Life

You can leave comments and feedback there.

DJ-RJ

Great Vibes Today

Dad and I got out in the ice today and did 2 hours of great 50s R&B (see playlist in the comments). Got lots of calls from folks who were digging it.

Had 2 awesome weddings this weekend also.

Life is great!

DJ-RJ

New Music Moving Me!

A couple CDs I am excited about today.

James Hunter's album, People Gonna Talk is like taking a journey back to the 50s when RnB was quite different from how it is today. All live instrumentation and crisp recording. James is an English soul singer and I can't wait to turn my father on to it. Very nice!

Another new thing a friend turned me on to is a French artist named Jehro (pronounced ZHE-ro). His self-titled album is really a breath of fresh air for me. He is a Frenchman who moved to London and soaked up the sounds of reggae and soul around him and his created his own sound from those influences. I hear Bob Marley influences, with sweet vocals, some in Spanish too. Acoustic soul vibes!

One of my MySpace friends posted some new songs to iTunes today and I quite like them as well. The group name is Ror-Shak from Brooklyn and their sound is smooth pop and electronic with Julee Cruise on vocals. Similar sound to Zero 7.

Check them out and enjoy some fresh new sounds!

DJ-RJ

Recording - New Year Vibes - Pops

Been in the studio more lately it seems. Did some vocal overdubs with Jye-I on Sunday and today recorded demos of three songs for Lissie Connelly and also got her up on MySpace. Check her out and say hey.

Had a great show on Monday (see comments for playlist). The new What It Is! funk compilation from Rhino is fantastic. Played some tracks from that and also excited about Omar's album called Sing (If You Want It). Since the new year turned over I have had a lot to sing about.

Later this week, my father is in town again. Tune in to my show next Monday from 1-3 pm when he will sit in with me agin. Last time we played 50s R&B and got great response from listeners.

This week Austin Wedding Day magazine will premiere their first edition for 2007 in a new format and size. I'm looking forward to seeing it as well as the new ad in it for Music4Life... then two weddings this weekend that I am excited about.

All for now. Seattle's Best just asked me to turn off the open sign so I guess I gotta get out of here.

All the best to you this year!!

DJ-RJ

Vinyl is Alive

Did my reggae show tonight and played almost all vinyl. It was so nice to revisit those times. I just don't get to play much vinyl any more. Really enjoyed those pops and ticks!

Happy New Year!

DJ-RJ
ps: click the comments for the full playlist

New Orleans Vibes

Stumbled onto WWOZ radio out of New Orleans and they play/stream all the best music from New Orleans!

Check them out if you enjoy NO music: WWOZ

RJ

Mom Rocks!

Tonight I got to hear my mom play with New Horizons Band at Bates Recital Hall on UT campus. I was blown away by how great they sounded! They did 8 or 9 songs and brought all the kids on stage to play jingle bells at the end which was great too. Check my nephews Andrew and Nathaniel on stage.
More on the weekend later when I get some time. Gotta get some rest tonight.

DJ-RJ

Updates

First off, congrats to Chi & Ben who got married last Saturday night at Villa Antonia. The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was fun. Special thanks to Michaya at Villa Antonia for all her help with coordinating and making the evening flow smoothly. They have a beautiful venue out in Lake Travis and I can't wait to play there again.

Had a cool video shoot at the beginning of the month at ACC Pinnacle. We were on the sattelite live for 5 hours. I assisted with audio and ran camera. Special thanks to director John Breed and floor manager Pam Harper for doing a great job holding it together. Here's a picture of the whole crew:
I did a great party for Midway on the 1st at Iron Cactus on 6th street that was a blast. Played so many different styles of music and they loved it all.

Special bigup to Yolanda B who has been working with me doing radio spots for her comedy shows at Texas 1115. She is becoming quite an announcer!

Over at KAZI, we are training for a new computer system that is to be implemented next week. It is going to be very exciting as we will be able to voice track our shows in advance if we want to. I know it is going to take the station to another level too. Special thanks to our manager Steve Savage for making it happen and also to James Davis for putting all the gear together.

Other projects happening lately: transferred Adrienne's website to a new server, continued production with Sister Lissie on her album, recorded a new song with my sweetie Anne called Breathless, rehearsing with the Unity choir for our performance this Sunday morning, getting ready to announce the date and location of the next Austin Breaking Ground. Here is one of the pictures that we got in this week from the fall edition, special thanks to Emily for her great work:

Friday will be another dance for Fulmore Junior High. Coming up this week: Thursday, my 2nd Christmas party for Work Source Career Center. Later that night, Catch A Fire at Flamingo Cantina...the Final Bash as this will be our last time to do this at Flamingo. Saturday, a party with the folks from Austin All Natural. Congrats to Anne who is featured in this month's edition which you can find at Whole Foods and different places around town.

Look for the new podcast launching this week too! We will link it here, so check back here for more info.

Hope your holiday season is going great! All for now!!!

DJ-RJ