Beyond the DJ Booth
Brian B and Joe Bunn tackle questions about the private event DJ industry, share music, gear/gadgets, and stories from their gigs.
Beyond the DJ Booth
The Ultimate DJ Dilemmas: Mixing and Musing
Step into the world of DJing with our latest episode, where we explore hilarious and relatable "Would You Rather" scenarios designed just for DJs. Join hosts Brian B. and Joe Bunn as they navigate through wild hypothetical situations, from last-minute playlist changes to handling the unconventional requests of excited wedding guests. This episode merges laughter with real-world experiences in the unpredictable realm of DJing, offering both entertainment and valuable tips for navigating common issues.
We delve into the importance of preparation in DJing, sharing personal stories that highlight the challenges professionals face on the job. Whether it's managing drunken bridesmaids or working with challenging equipment, our hosts reveal their thought processes behind each dilemma while delivering laughs along the way. Beyond the humor, we shift gears to discuss the art of gifting in the DJ industry. Learn how personalizing thank-you gifts can foster strong relationships with vendors and clients, turning a simple gesture into a meaningful connection.
This playful yet insightful episode shines a light on what it truly means to be a DJ while offering takeaways that can enhance your career. Tune in for the laughs, insights, and expert advice that will help you excel in your role as a DJ. Don't forget to subscribe, share with your fellow DJs, or leave us a review to keep the conversation going!
RESOURCES & LINKS
Our website. Please leave a review! - https://www.beyondthedjbooth.com/
To book Joe Bunn: https://bunndjcompany.com/
To book Brian B: https://djbrianbofficial.com/
Joe’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djjoebunn
Brian’s Gear Finds on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/djbrianbofficial
DJ Event Planner free demo: https://www.djeventplanner.com/signup.php
Brian B's Coaching Options: Https://www.thdjscreativeedge.com
Welcome to Beyond the DJ Booth Podcast. This is episode 12 of season 2. Welcome to Beyond the DJ Booth Podcast. This is episode 12 of season two. I'm Brian B. This is Joe Bunn.
Speaker 2:Welcome, buddy.
Speaker 1:Hey buddy.
Speaker 2:I was confused, so 12, one away from the season ender.
Speaker 1:That would be true.
Speaker 2:I wonder if we do a cliffhanger at the end. Ooh, that'd be good Of number 13. But then, technically, we just go right into the next season. It's not like when they film Yellowstone and there's like a two-year wait. That is true. Anyway, go ahead.
Speaker 1:Wanted to do another icebreaker with you, man.
Speaker 2:Okay, I like icebreakers.
Speaker 1:How do you?
Speaker 2:come up with these. Do you Google? This one came about with my daughter actually you ever talk to Chet GPT like voice function though I have not dead serious, I have not. It was scary the other day. I had to shut it down and go back to typing.
Speaker 4:I don't have that option and I was like, and now he said did you give her a?
Speaker 2:name. I didn't go down into the you know to the personal thing, but it was like it started as a business conversation. But it got kind of scary, man, because I forget.
Speaker 4:Now she knows who I am yeah and like wait, so she remembers you yeah.
Speaker 2:Nah, yeah, cause I even this morning I was, I was, I was like she's like, but your pants. I was asking about a question, about an offering. I was trying to do something about education or whatever, and the first thing I go is hey, just making sure you know who I am. She wrote like three paragraphs yeah, you're Joe bun, you're an educator in the. You have these companies. You have six offices in five States with Bundy Wow. Like it was like and she was like how can we get started?
Speaker 1:And I was like oh snap, this shit's getting real anyway, so go ahead Well this one came from me for my daughter, cause we were on vacation during the holidays and I was at a restaurant.
Speaker 2:I had an entertainer.
Speaker 1:So I went down the. Would you rather? Oh, yeah, yeah yeah, you know rabbit hole.
Speaker 2:Yeah, me and my sister used to play that game in the car on road trips where I'd be like, would you rather have that beat up Ford pickup truck or that like punch bug? Totally Like you had to pick the car. That's how we used to. So this is the.
Speaker 1:DJ edition. Okay, would you rather have a client who emails you a completely different playlist the night before the wedding, or one who sends you a hundred song requests but tells you to just read the room?
Speaker 2:instead I'm going to take the hundred and then just kind of dissect it into the stuff I know that are going to work Too much work, man, if they're giving me a playlist the night before.
Speaker 1:I'm scrambling to do it my day's too organized. I can't, that would be stressful. I've had it happen. You and I are very similar. Yeah, you ever notice that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then Janna is just like a hurricane.
Speaker 4:And he'll be the first to tell you. Oh, he'll tell you.
Speaker 3:I'm not speaking.
Speaker 2:I'll speak it right here on camera. He will call himself Hurricane Janna.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right, number two queue or a wedding where no one seems to know what anything is supposed to happen god, this is tough.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna go micromanage same. I think we're both gonna be.
Speaker 1:The other one is just like I feel like I'm, you know, wearing seven hats.
Speaker 2:Yeah, then I've become the everything yeah, like everybody's coming to me. To be fair, man, when we started and again, this was 20 years ago and in this market right here where we sit, you know, and it was just me, randy and this guy greg years ago, and in this market right here where we sit, you know, and it was just me, randy and this guy Greg Ramsey we were in this price tier where there was no planner. We did so much crazy shit.
Speaker 1:We used to do a ton of them at beach houses. Yeah, they don't have the money for a planner.
Speaker 4:They're doing it at a beach house. They don't even have it at a venue.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's probably not going to be doing it. Those were the biggest. Just goes, oh, I've unloaded chairs.
Speaker 1:I've been helping move furniture, moving cakes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, it's crazy shit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm with you on that one. All right. Number three would you rather have a guest keep reaching over the booth to adjust your settings, or a drunk bridesmaid who won't stop trying to help you DJ by dancing next to you all night? Jeez you all night.
Speaker 2:Jeez. This one's probably the hardest one is the rise made hot that's what I was saying.
Speaker 1:Like I think I can get it. I think I would probably deal with that part. I don't want anybody touching my stuff, me neither I, just no, I can't have that. Then they get confident yeah, then they're like oh I, I can't touch this right. No, no, hands off no, no, no.
Speaker 2:Somebody did it to us at scotty style's wedding and saquon was like what the hell I was and I was like I kind of knew the guy. He was a.
Speaker 4:DJ. It happened that other time too, when we was in Durham and we went to go eat.
Speaker 2:We went to go eat.
Speaker 4:And then we came back and this guy was behind the booth.
Speaker 2:Just standing there. During dinner we went upstairs to eat, you know the planner was like hey, we got you guys a vendor meal up here. We walked back down there just standing there like fake DJing. I mean, the sun wasn't even down yet.
Speaker 1:It was crazy A little early for that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, then he kept calling me Joey Like he wanted to fight, he got kicked out.
Speaker 4:He got kicked out. He was calling me Joey.
Speaker 1:Yeah, All right, let's get into technical issues. Would you rather be forced to mix using two iPads, running YouTube with ads or MC with a microphone that cuts out sporadically?
Speaker 2:I'm going broken mic.
Speaker 1:Are you yeah?
Speaker 2:I don't think I could do it, bro. You're mixing it and then all of a sudden it's like Viagra the way to the great boner.
Speaker 1:Like what if you're doing toast and it just cuts out completely? You said sporadically though yeah, that's even worse If it sporadically is cutting backup.
Speaker 2:Yeah I don't know. Ads are playing all this stuff like, and the ads are based on what you're watching. Bro, what if it's like, that's true, only fans, only fans. And you're like, what the hell?
Speaker 1:there's a great ackers ad all right, right, the worst in the middle, jeez would you rather have a speaker go completely dead during the first dance or have your laptop freeze right before the open dance set? Speaker dead. Speaker dead, absolutely.
Speaker 2:During the first dance. It's just one, though.
Speaker 1:You said a speaker.
Speaker 2:Okay, you said a speaker, because I can limp on one and I'm just going to leave the other one open.
Speaker 1:I think there would be too many eyes on me and I feel like I'd have a backup of like an iPad if my computer froze.
Speaker 2:I mean, I definitely had that.
Speaker 1:And I have it always like with a backup ready to go. So I think I could probably do that, because I feel like that. All eyes on me and all of a sudden during the dance, it just like cuts out. You're hearing it in stereo and all of a sudden you're down to like one speaker. You're like what the? I think I'd lean towards the iPad. I and bad speaker. Okay, last one. Would you rather have to end every wedding with closing time, no matter the vibe, or have the couple force you?
Speaker 1:to play three separate times throughout the night.
Speaker 2:Sorry, I didn't even let you get to the end.
Speaker 1:Do you?
Speaker 2:rather have to end every wedding with closing time, no matter the vibe, or have the couple force you to play Macarena three separate times throughout the night Closing time. Somebody dropped the Macarena the other night during that Drew and Fuse set. Oh, they did.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you were there. Yeah, I was. Were you drinking? I think so. Yeah, you were drinking. I believe I had a little couple of beverages Adult beverages yeah.
Speaker 2:Somebody dropped a Macarena in it. Now, it could have been a mashup, but I have a video of people doing the Macarena. Oh yikes, I was telling.
Speaker 1:Saquon, that I had a couple who this guy used to work at a gym and he's like, hey, dude, I have this song, I want you to play this song. It was Automatic, is the name of it levels versus no hands, okay. And he's like we used to play this at the gym on YouTube, it was like a YouTube mix, yeah. And so he got me the song, I played it and it went over. Okay, it's not a great song, okay. And then he came up three or four more times that night Say hey, can you play that song again? I'm like bro, like you know, but our crowd is he the groom he's?
Speaker 1:the groom. Oh, so I'm playing it by the fourth one. Even his bribe is like okay dude, this is enough yeah, you know, but I brought a sample of this song. You got to hear how bad this is wait, how long was it?
Speaker 2:how long? I mean it's like three minutes long, it's a full, I just made a small cut, but right this is how it starts.
Speaker 1:How did what made you even think of this? Because of this question, oh playing macarena three times imagine playing this song. See if you can place the vocal sample.
Speaker 3:That's on this sometimes I had too many beers, which I gladly do and which I fully embrace automatic still is. I liked beer. I still like beer automatic still is. But I did not drink beer to the point of blacking out. When I was in town I spent much of my time working out, lifting weights or hanging out and having some beers with friends. Sometimes I had too many beers, which I gladly do and which I fully embrace. Working out automatic. Blacking out. Automatic Catholic, all-girlolic, all girls, schools, automatic still is.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the madhouse three times I had to play that song with that vocal you know who that is? No, the whole time I kept thinking it was owen wilson, from like one of those old school movies, but it doesn't sound like his voice. It's justice kavanaugh from like the supreme court during his confirmation hearings when he was getting like grilled about drinking, like when he was like in law school as a teacher, and all this no totally is who it is it's a real thing.
Speaker 1:That sounds like it sounds real it is real, it's not a movie. I'm like I don't get it. Like what is the big deal? So, anyways, I had cam reeves from utah. It was a wedding that he was doing tech for before and he's seeing this guy come up to me like five times play a song. I'm like, I never do this like I never play me neither like. I barely repeat one me either so now it's a troll thing where anytime someone mentions me in a comment, he just writes automatic Wow.
Speaker 2:Just to go back to this particular song.
Speaker 1:Wow, can you imagine playing that? No, and the other thing I like levels it gets mashed up with a lot of things. But no Hands is like one of those songs you don't touch.
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 1:That one is like Same.
Speaker 2:You know you don't need to bastardize certain songs no, not good. Speaking of bastardize, I was riding in the car this morning and Spotify it says like suggested for you or new releases for you. So it's based off like stuff I listen to. And there's this country artist named Riley Green. He's pretty good, but it was Slow Dancing in a burning room, which I think it's a masterpiece song yeah mayor.
Speaker 2:Is god like to me? I love mayor and you know it's literally first thing in the morning. I'm like this is a good way to start the day to start the day I think it's gonna be good. Nah, man, you can't touch that song. Sometimes it's just better not to cover a thousand percent. And he effed it up.
Speaker 2:It was bastardization yeah man and the guy's a good singer, like he's talented artist, but, like bro, just leave well enough alone. You know what I mean? Totally don't touch something so great she shitted it up well, I got a gear corner piece.
Speaker 1:Oh interesting, this packaging is pretty interesting. Yeah, this is called the pink stuff. I actually had trego the dj shop trego from az yeah he had messaged me like hey, dude, what do you use to like clean your gear and the things that like whatever, this stuff is incredible. It can basically get any dirt or anything out of any surface. Hold on what have you used it for so far. So I've used it on DJ booth or the speakers, where they're kind of a little dirty or whatever.
Speaker 1:I have used it on sneakers With rag Just a rag, so you dampen the rag here. I'll open this. It is pink inside.
Speaker 2:It looks like this it looks like spackle, a little paste. Yeah, you know what spackle is. Yeah, like if I punched a hole in that wall Caulk, caulk.
Speaker 1:What kind?
Speaker 4:of caulk, do you like?
Speaker 1:Sorry, I had to go there. Anyways, essentially you take a damp rag, okay, and after that then they say to dampen on the other side just to wipe it off, right, but you don't even have to do it. It kind of just dissipates once it's doing it. Amazon, any guess on price $7.99. You're getting good at this, you're close, it's actually cheaper. It actually kind of smells good. It's $5.97 for that thing. But you should have that in your Gig bag at all times. 100%. It's uncredible.
Speaker 2:Sauce pans, cooker tops, sinks, Anything. Barbecues, ceramic towels, glass showers, garden furniture, paint work, boats, brass, rust the list is endless.
Speaker 1:I spilled some marinara sauce on the couch and I'm like I'm going to see if this will work. It did, Cleaned it up. I'm not joking.
Speaker 2:This stuff is surprisingly really good and it didn't take the color out of the couch, nope.
Speaker 1:And the other thing too with this is, if you've ever scuffed it up where it's not dirt, it actually does a pretty good job of almost like buffering it out. Yeah, I don't say it's kind of like a magic eraser to an extent. I'm not gonna go that crazy and over promise that, but it's pretty good in that case. So, anyways, I keep a little bit of this in my gig bag at all times. Damn, you're good at this. I don't travel with it. Obviously, right, right, right, you gotta have it local, but this stuff is incredible and it's vegan.
Speaker 4:So it is. It's kind of funny. We used to have this stuff when I was doing screen printing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:And it was also pink. You spray the screen to get the image out. It would get rid of the image I wonder if they're using the same chemicals or something.
Speaker 2:Interesting. That's what it reminds me of. It looks like that stuff you wash your hands with.
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 2:It's like Gojo or something like that. Is it gritty like?
Speaker 1:that it is gritty like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, In the YouTube video you'll see the link to my Amazon shop. You'll get it there.
Speaker 2:We always put the description of the podcast, yes, and then there's like a dotted line, and then, right under that line, you'll see all of the resources, the link to our website where you can leave us a review, by the way we don't ask for reviews.
Speaker 3:We need to Leave us a review, man.
Speaker 2:It bumps us up in the algorithm. Then you're going to see our Amazon shopping, shopping. You're going to see how to book Brian.
Speaker 3:You'll see how to book me.
Speaker 2:There's some other links there, but anyway, make sure you check that out. That's under the YouTube video, if you're watching this on video.
Speaker 1:Hey Brian B here. Sorry to interrupt your regularly scheduled podcast, but let's be real. You're here because you actually care about your DJ business and if you've been nodding along like yeah, I should totally step up my game, then let me make it easy for you. I've got a coaching platform, the DJ's Creative Edge, where I help DJs like you stand out, raise their prices without feeling guilty and actually get paid what they're worth. We're talking one-on-one coaching, a killer course option to help you define your uniqueness and a group coaching option with other DJs who actually get it. The website, thedjscreativeedgecom. That's thedjscreativeedgecom because you know repetition works. And if you want to just lurk, for now, hit up Instagram at the DJ's creative edge.
Speaker 1:All right, back to the show. Before Joe starts yelling in his extra thick North Carolina accent about how back in his day DJs used CDs and still had to walk uphill both ways to a gig. So we're going to go DJC mentoring call style two minutes on the clock because we're running against the gun here on time. But this is coming from Billy Rears, our question of the day. He's in Derry, new Hampshire. This is a good one. I know it's going to be tough to get in two minutes, but can you chat about how you gift and thank you. I'm guessing this is going towards vendors or venues, not necessarily clients. Did you do any this year? Did you do any gifting to planners?
Speaker 2:I'm sure we did. You mean last year, 2024? Yeah, okay, okay, two minutes, here we go. I'll say this Billy Mass appeal and mass marketing is out. It is Personalization is in.
Speaker 2:So, in other words, we used to literally have like a pre-written thank you note I think I signed them was about the most I did and we would just send them out to past clients and wedding planners.
Speaker 2:Now if I genuinely want to thank somebody, I would probably get some sort of a branded stationery, literally with a blank inside. I'd write about two or three sentences, a genuine, real thank you note and stick it in the mail Old school Mail it. The gifting again used to do mass quantities of gift baskets, koozies, yeti cups, whatever, and they just ended up on a pile, you know, especially during the holidays with all the other gifts that these wedding planners or vendors or venues were getting, and it was just frustrating and stupid. Now it's about meeting with somebody, listening to a conversation, picking out something that they love or that their kids love or their husband or wife loves, and somehow integrating that into a special once a year gift. And again, I'm speaking about people that generate a ton of business for your company, whether it's a venue or a planner or whatever. How about you, brian?
Speaker 1:I am in full agreement on the personalization piece.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, you're really good at this.
Speaker 1:The one thing that I would take away from this is maybe like lean into what's popping off in the current trends. So, like last year, we saw a huge influx of people wanting especially females wanting those Stanley cups, yeah. So we got them all bedazzled and they looked awesome. We got them all kind of rockstar out. Basically, it was kind of our thought and where do you get that done, etsy? Etsy is the place to go. You're supporting small businesses and if you have the lead time and you're doing small quantity runs, I think that's the move. They will love the business and they'll take extra special care of you, including writing the note for you in a way that actually is handwritten, doesn't feel fake or whatever the case may be. And what's cool about that is they'll ship it directly to them. You don't have to be the middleman to get them all and now deliver them if you don't want to do that. The other thing, too, is that we don't put our own logo on any of those gifts anymore. We used to do that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we did too.
Speaker 1:Now, we don't, because I think it's better to put the planner or the venue's person's name on it, personalize not just the type of gift but the gift itself, with their name on it, or whatever. When people ask them, where did you get that? They're going to remember you anyways. If it's memorable, hell yeah, they'll remember it. So I don't really need my. It's not like, oh, all of a sudden they're going to think of me when they see this gift because it's got my logo on it.
Speaker 1:I think they'd be more apt to use it if it's got their own name on it and they don't feel like they're having to play favorites because somebody gave them whatever. So that's another tip. And then the third tip, with one minute left on the clock, would be when you do these things, try to find something that is going to be something that they will use long-term Like, not something that's just like a piece of candy that's going to be gone tomorrow and it's done. There's one other gifting type that I would recommend, which is the they call it the year round flower.
Speaker 2:It's like a small little flower that looks.
Speaker 1:We used to do them all the time and we'd pick a color that would make sense, for somebody can mix it up, so it doesn't always have to be whatever. Those things don't have to be watered. They can last a year long. I bought one for myself just to see how long if it would really last a year more than that, and 39 bucks something crazy cheap.
Speaker 2:So it's not expensive it was real.
Speaker 1:Yeah, comes with a handwritten note. The packaging is everything. It's really done, super chic. You remember the website. It is, I believe, le fleur le fleur. Yeah, a little french spot, la. Okay, so those would be my tips on gifting To your point. It's got to be people who are generating serious revenue for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And you think will help move the needle. I love it, man Good stuff.
Speaker 2:Well, let's put a bow on it. We will put a bow on it. Thank you everybody for watching Beyond the DJ Booth Podcast, that's Brian B. We have a brand new episode every single week, so keep on listening, leave us a review and support our sponsor, dj Event Planner.
Speaker 1:Thanks y'all.