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 events.
Beyond the DJ Booth
The Gig Was Half Persian. Joe Was Full Keto.
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Welcome to Season 4 of Beyond the DJ Booth ,where the weddings are wild, the carbs are canceled, and we’re just trying to survive both.
This week, we open with a musical quiz no one asked for:
Is “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly” a real song title?
(Somehow, yes. Thanks, Conway Twitty.)
It spirals from there into a hall-of-fame list of song names that make you question how anything gets past quality control in the music industry.
Then, things heat up as Joe recounts DJ'ing a wedding that was half-Persian, half-American... and 100% confusing at least rhythmically.
He's trying to mix 6/8 into 4/4 while keeping the aunties dancing and the groom’s cousin from hijacking the mic. Spoiler: He mostly succeeds.
Joe also opens up about his month-long battle with sugar, after a doctor told him he was one glucose molecule away from becoming a donut. He drops 12 pounds, avoids bread, and somehow DJed through it all with only minor rage blackouts.
Also in this episode:
- The real price of bad weather and venue flips (and why your gear deserves hazard pay)
- How to respectfully say “I have no idea what this song is, but I’ll play it” at cultural events
- And the surprising overlap between Middle Eastern percussion and Joe’s blood pressure
So grab your noise-canceling earbuds, your ketone strips, and your cultural humility.
Season 4 is here and it’s already sweating through its tux jacket.
Subscribe now and never miss an episode.
If you're a true Booth Head (super fan of the pod), join our Patreon for all the extras and one-off goodies. You can get there by going to: patreon.com/BeyondTheDJBoothPodcast
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
what's up everybody. Welcome back to beyond the dj booth podcast. Cast casket, you like that I, I love it. It's joe bunn with my guy brian b, we're back with another episode of the greatest private event dj podcast possibly in the world.
Speaker 2I'm gonna go with it.
Speaker 1The numbers are good. The numbers are pretty good, man, I'm proud of us.
Speaker 2It's been still doing it. Hey, it's consistent. You can't say we don't miss.
Speaker 1We don't miss. This is the last episode of season three, right.
Speaker 2No, this is the first episode of season four. Baby, oh shit, Season four.
Speaker 1Season four, so that means we've done 50. This will be the 53rd episode, I guess, so that's pretty good. That is, you think we'll quit or keep it going?
Speaker 2No, I'm enjoying it, I am too.
Speaker 1It's pretty fun. Would you enjoy it if I made you come here every week, though? Ah?
Speaker 2yeah, that would get old.
Speaker 1You got to batch it.
Speaker 2I got to batch it Me too. I'm a batcher, yeah, so if you're listening to this and we don't mention anything, that's currently happening, right.
Speaker 2We try not to mention those things very often because we don't want to get. We've had a couple of icebreakers where you've been a little underperforming, if I do say this myself. So we're going to move into music. I want to see how well you know music. I'm going to give you titles of songs and you're going to tell me are these real titles or are these fake titles, if you know the artist. Bonus points too, by the way.
Speaker 1Is this either real or fake? Or it's fake.
Speaker 2Okay, the name of the song is called. You're the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly. Do you think this is one of those romantic ballads that are crushing the airwaves, or do you think this is a fake?
Speaker 1I think it's real and it's either like an emo band or like a hardcore band.
Speaker 2It is real, okay, but it's kind of from the 1950s, oh shit. So this is by Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty. Wow, here's a little sample. You're the reason our kids are ugly. Little darling, oh, but looks ain't everything and money ain't everything, but I love you just the same. Looks aren't everything. Money ain't everything, but I love you still the same. Wow, you're the reason our kids are ugly.
Speaker 1And with a dog barking in the background in the office building right now is even crazier, and that just added to the country hillbilly of that.
Speaker 2Oh, that's classic North Carolina. All right, potential. Song number two why does it hurt when I pee? That's fake, there's no way. You don't think it's real? Nah, it is real, what do?
Speaker 1you think is what kind of genre, what kind of what kind of feel you think this is? It's gotta be like, uh, like a white dude with dreads, but he's trying to do like a hardcore frank zappa. No, that makes sense.
Speaker 2Actually that tracks so here it is little sample. Why does it hurt when I pee? Why does it hurt when I pee? One third of what's the fun, here we go. I don't want no doctor to stick no needle in me.
Speaker 1Why does?
Speaker 2it hurt when I pee Jesus.
Speaker 1Christ dude. What the hell dude.
Speaker 2Oh man.
Speaker 1Third one here.
Speaker 2How many are there Six? My Wi-Fi left me for a better router. Real or fake?
Speaker 1I don't even know how you could put that into a melody. I'm going to say it's fake, it is fake, it is fake, okay.
Speaker 2It's too many words.
Speaker 1Number, number four, yank my doodle. It's a dandy. I'm gonna say, yes, it's real and it's really old, or country it is both by a guy by the name of john valby.
Speaker 2I don't know him. I don't know him either here's a little sample.
Joe's Sugar Detox Journey
Speaker 1Let me hear john yank my doodle, it's a dandy. It's the good old american way. Grease me up and give a handy the original p diddy bro.
Speaker 2All right, the next one on the list who let the cows out? You think somebody did a parody or decided to go down the animal? Yeah, I think it's real.
Speaker 1It is fake, my friend damn it.
Speaker 2That's two and two two and two, so the last one here. Nobody really cares if you don't go to the party. Is this a real song? Is this a title? I think, it's real, it is real. Yes, sir, do you know any idea who sings it?
Speaker 1I don't think you're going to get it, is it?
Speaker 2country. It's not Pop song, kind of like alternative.
Speaker 1Okay, but you would kind of figure who is it.
Speaker 2The artist is Courtney Barnett. No, don't know her.
Speaker 1Here's what it sounds like. I got three out of five. Yeah, I got three out of five. All right, a little over, okay.
Speaker 2So I wanted to also just check in your Joe's journey, as we talked about early on. Boy, you've been posting the clips. You've been trying. I got A for effort.
Speaker 1I'm going to wrap it up tomorrow I'll wrap it up. I mean, I'm not going to wrap up the Wow.
Speaker 2And you think it's all because of there's.
Speaker 1nothing else has changed.
Speaker 2You're not eating any less. You're eating the same, but just differently.
Speaker 1Correct, I'm not eating any less. It's just different foods than I would normally eat in a seven day week. So will this taper off? Yeah, I can't. Yes, that will be my post tomorrow, the way I've done it, and it'll be a month tomorrow. I started on the first, tomorrow's, the 29th, exactly one month the way I've done. It was too extreme, too much, too far. Yeah, I would say so.
Speaker 2I thought that all.
Speaker 1Because I can't do all sugar, all simple carbs, all at one time.
Speaker 2Cutting it off.
Speaker 1It's not sustainable. I would never be able to carry it on Like I cook probably four out of seven nights for whoever's at home that night. That's not sustainable. They don't want to eat that shit. It's not sustainable because every day I usually like to go out to lunch somewhere, right? So what's the move? I'm going on vacation Saturday, like that's not sustainable, right? The move is the move for anybody watching is start with the sodas.
Speaker 2Cut out the sodas.
Speaker 1Were you a soda guy.
Speaker 2I didn't realize you were. I was a Coke.
Speaker 1Really, I didn't know this coke guy. I've never seen you with a coke. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, like anytime I'd go to lunch, I'd either get coke or sweet tea, and I'd argue sweet tea's probably worse. Okay, I don't, because I when they make sweet tea here. I watched my mom make sweet tea this past weekend for my son and his friends at the beach. It was fucking crazy how out of a pitcher of tea she put. I remember my mom used to do it.
Speaker 1It was probably two cups, yeah, yeah, of just white sugar, sugar in it, yeah and then, while it was hot, stirred in there and then the vanilla lattes you know, with either even skim milk, but it's got all those pumps of that vanilla sugar right sweetener. So kill the sodas, the red bull at three o'clock pretty much clockwork, every day.
Speaker 1Kill that, the sodas, the sweet tea, and then, starting the day with that blueberry muffin or a scone or cinnamon bun or sticky bun at that bakery is the worst way to start the day, apparently, and I think all those things cumulatively, going into my 50s, was literally just adding up to pre-diabetic. So shout out to that function health test for being like yo, you need to pump the brakes on the sugar shit. And I was able to do that and I think it is sustainable for me to cold turkey all of that stuff. Now, cutting out, you know, a sandwich with bread or a Chick-fil-A every once in a while. I won't be able to do that, and just eating a salad every day, it's just not sustainable. So I've realized what I can do and I know I'll stick to the drinks. How's?
Speaker 2your energy.
Persian Wedding DJ Experience
Speaker 1I don't feel any different. People keep asking me that I don't feel any different. I've always had high energy. I've always slept great. I always will go to the gym four days a week, no matter if I'm on the road or in Raleigh or whatever, and give, you know, a hard 45 minute workout in some sort of group class setting. So I don't feel any different. I definitely was close to 200 pounds, which is too heavy for as short as I am. All of the last, probably two, three, four years, every time I've gone to the doctor, like right up in the 190eties and I'm like down to one 83, I've probably lost at least 12 pounds.
Speaker 2What's the expectation when you do the retest? What do you? Where are you on it? I?
Speaker 1need for these and they have. You know these technical terms for this cholesterol and this kind of APOB or whatever. Like I need these numbers to be more in range. Right, I need more numbers. I think there was 108 tests when it was all done and 18 were out of range. I need like 10 of those 18 to be back in range. Let's say I don't think it'll be, I'm gonna be, you know, superman, right, and have nothing out of range.
Speaker 1I don't think any human probably has that right but I need that to be in range and I think I'll feel a lot more comfortable well, kudos for going this far.
Speaker 2I gotta got to say I did it, man.
Speaker 1I mean, you know, I think I just should have started with the sodas and then worked, you know, backwards on more protein, less bread, less pasta stuff like that, right, and tapered that off instead of going full cold turkey. My goal really wasn't to lose weight, right? I remember you saying that.
Speaker 1Yeah, I still stand by that, but it was a natural occurrence of cutting out all that sugar. Hey, want to make more money at every single event. Let me put you onto something it's called S-Start. It's the event platform made by a DJ for DJs. With S-Start, you can offer apps like live photo sharing, real-time slideshows, song requests and even seating charts and real-time slideshows, song requests and even seating charts and you can upsell your clients like a pro. It's simple, plug-and-play, easy to use and your clients they love it. Join their membership for the best pricing and watch your profits soar. Go to sstarcom right now and book your free demo Real quick. I didn't really talk about my gigs. We had a couple gigs. We did a really small wedding at this interesting venue in Raleigh and we were on this kind of like the bottom of the staircase. Almost You've been there before, I have, and normally they put you up in the balcony. Oh, I hate that. Oh, 75, 80 feet from the dance floor, yeah.
Speaker 2I literally would like to have to send Saquon over the balcony down to the floor.
Speaker 1It's the worst it's like say go on, go out there and see if people are having fun, because I have no clue that's how far away. But they put me on the landing at the bottom of the staircase and it was kind of cool, a beautiful room flip they did for this venue. I thought we had a great party there and then we led right into last weekend another great party, brand new venue that's open, donovan manor, that my friend jill owns. Yeah, and a little bit weird where we were set up.
Speaker 2But this was half american, half persian oh, you don't get the ethnic weddings, but not a ton not a ton.
Speaker 1You know, a couple of year I'll catch and um they don't load you up blonde hair blue eyed girl, a friend of mine, that was a professional like entertainment dancer, not the wrong kind of dancer, right like she's a choreographer. She was on the uh carolina dance team.
Speaker 1She cheered for the wizards like yeah she's a real dancer, she's in the wedding party, she's the bride. Oh, she's the bride. So she was out there just killing it. And then the groom is, uh, iranian. I mean it was 160 people and saquon, wouldn't you say it was about 50, 50 like yeah, maybe not 50, 50, 60, 40, 60 40. There were 40 people that were of persian descent like, so does that and I'm not saying they flew over for the wedding.
Speaker 1They've been living in the united states. Their children were second generation, whatever, whatever. But did you have to go heavier? Yes, oh yeah, and they want to hear.
Speaker 2Oh, they do, they want to hear that shit.
Speaker 1So I I luckily been been given the music and I'd listened to it and figured out kind of where it went in. But my set got shortened, the timeline ran long, the speeches were too long, the blah blah blah dinner too, yeah, and I felt like I really had to shove like 83 songs into like 90 minutes. Wow, and I probably got through 60, but you know, it's like I needed it to breathe a little bit more and I felt rushed.
Speaker 2Were there any they?
Speaker 1were super happy man.
Speaker 2That's amazing. Were there any songs that, like I notice a lot of times these ethnicities they like do covers of American songs?
Speaker 1There were none of those, no there were none of those, but it was like there was two or three types of Persian songs, just like.
Speaker 2There are like like.
Speaker 1Hispanic songs. There's salsa merengue, there's bachata, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 2What was a good mix? You did that. You can in or out of one.
Speaker 1There's a dude named S-A-S-Y I don't know if that's Sassy or Sassy. His songs were good, but there were some that sounded older. Yeah and the time signature. The time signature was crazy.
Speaker 2Saquon was like what the fuck is happening? I was trying to groove with it.
Speaker 1It was like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
Speaker 2It wasn't like that boom, that boom that boom, but the way they were dancing it was like Persian. Yeah, they're like moving around the room. They were feeling it, bro, but me and Saquon were like something's crazy with this beat right now, like how am I going?
Speaker 1to get out of it? I think I just let them play out.
Speaker 2You know what I mean. Just move on to the next song.
Speaker 1It was a wild ride, man, but they, she had a blast. We had the sweetest Instagram DM yesterday about how everybody was complimenting her, how I've just kind of moved magically between the two genres, right, you know what I mean. It wasn't like I played two Persian songs, I mean, I probably played 10 or 12. It was good, man. Did you have those nerves though? A little bit, yeah, like right, when I started, but I just like I said, I listened to the songs.
Speaker 1I was prepared. I just kind of felt like I had to rush a yeah A little bit.
Speaker 2It's good stuff, all right, yeah, man, it's good. Yeah, I played with the band.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah yeah. Brian texts me. He sends me a picture of the band he goes. I love playing with bands. I'm about to bury these fools. It's like cause they go on and they do the my girls and the bullshit they did. Yeah, and sun goes down. Brian B just goes crazy yeah.
Speaker 2So took one song yeah and put the energy and it was on.
Speaker 1So it was great. The death of the cover band is near. Yeah, sorry, not sorry.
Speaker 2So we got a gear find. Yes, sir, we do. What do we got?
Flip Fees and Rain Contingencies
Speaker 1Yeah, this one's good. We shoot this podcast with a vlogger camera in the center and then two of the Pocket Osmo 3. You've heard me talk about it. It's made by DJI the same people that makes the drones my favorite camera. Every wedding video you see on YouTube of our gig logs most of the stuff we shoot here in the studio. We've gotten rid of all of our DSLR cameras. Like we use these Pocket Osmo 3. Now Brian has bought one as well. So this and the beauty of it is you can self-shoot. It's like a little handheld gimbal. You can flip the screen vertical and shoot reels.
Speaker 1You can flip it sideways, like it is right now, and shoot wide. This goes on the bottom of it. This is a thing I got from Amazon, so it's got a quarter inch screw on the bottom. You screw this on the bottom and then you put your phone there and if you look at the camera, brian, you can see exactly where it would go under the lens, right, I'm sorry, I'm not like showing it to y'all with it on there, but basically I can put my teleprompter app on this now and walk around and look like I'm talking to the camera, right, but I'm really reading a script. Or even just put it on a tripod. Put this on the bottom of it. Still be able to put the tripod, see that right.
Speaker 1Yep, nub in the bottom and I can sit there and put my screen on any one of 3 000 probably app store teleprompter apps and literally sit there and read a script and make it look kind of, or even walk around with yeah, and I think nate acosta might have put me onto this, so shout out, nate acosta, down in dallas, but this thing is I think it was like ten dollars I love on Amazon. We'll put it under the video on YouTube and we'll also put it on my Amazon store link.
Speaker 2And you're two for two. Yeah, two for two on these Good stuff. Good stuff, brian B here. Yes, interrupting yet another stellar podcast episode, but don't worry, this is a value add, not just me rambling. Have you enjoyed the music finds I share on here? You know the ones that Joe pretends he discovered first. Well, if you didn't know, I've got a Patreon where you can grab not only song lists but also exclusive edits of mine. Yep, custom tracks. That'll set you apart from every DJ still rinsing the same tired wedding set. Want fresh music suggestions every month? Go to patreoncom. Forward. Slash DJ Brian B official. Again, that's patreoncom forward. Slash DJ Brian B official. You'll be the DJ.
Speaker 2Everyone's trying to figure out how you keep your sets so fire and planners will start nudging their couples your way. And if that's not a hard enough sell, I don't know what is All right. Back to the episode. Before Joe tries to convince us that Sweet Caroline is actually a banger. Let's hit this question. I think it's a two-parter. Our boy's back Al-al Al-al From Pensacola, so this is a two-part question. Actually, this is funny because I think you just talked about a flip. Do you charge a flip fee for certain venues and layouts? Or, in the event of rain? If you do have to move inside, do you have to move or disassemble, reassemble your setup?
Speaker 1Number one do we charge a flip fee? No, we don't. We try and load in as much as we can or either pull the van. We pulled the van right up to that side door last time.
Speaker 2What if they tell you it's hey, it's looking like it's going to rain, we want to do it outside, we're going to wait. And then all of a sudden they're like dude, it's going to rain and you've already set up. Now you got to pull it in. Are you charging for that?
Speaker 1We're not charging for that either. I will say, though you also have to remember that everything that I run now for the ceremony is on one stick one tripod, e-verse 8, battery-powered mics stand that we've clamped to it, with the mic pack sitting on it, no cables.
Speaker 1It rained on us three, four weeks ago at Farrington and we looked up at the sky. We had just set up. It was a gorgeous day. And then, as we were kind of finishing up in the reception, we walked back out and I go, bro, it's coming Like this. Look at your radar, it's getting ready to get biblical.
Speaker 1And I'm telling you, he went and grabbed the rock and roller cart and the bags for the stuff because we just had them under a tree hidden in the back. He ran those under a shelter and I grabbed the thing and kind of ran in part of the hotel and just set it down and not 60 seconds later it was a downfall, white squall just pouring, and luckily it only lasted 15 minutes, cleared up, they wiped the chairs off. They were still able to get married outside. But back in the day, man and I'm talking about back in the day as in five years ago I had a table right, a rack, two speakers, all the cables run, all the power run those shark fin paddle antennas like you see on the side of an nfl game. Yeah, like it would have been a shit show to break that down and maybe I would have charged back then now man no, no to to either one of those't what?
Speaker 2if it was the reception that was outside. And this is the case and they're like dude, we're going to move it in. We wanted it outdoors, you got all your stuff out there.
Speaker 1I don't think anybody's that dumb down here, man. I don't remember the last time we did something quote unquote under the stars, oh don't remember. Yours has always been. The weather is so volatile here I mean, look at it right. Yeah, it is the end of may, it's 65 and raining. Yeah, that makes no sense, right for this time of year I agree it's crazy.
Speaker 2Yeah, it should be 85 90 today and gorgeous, yeah, yeah something right?
Speaker 1uh, what about you? I feel like you're gonna charge for one or both.
Speaker 2We don't, okay, man, we don't the way it's worded in our contract. I wish I had that with me. I don't, but it's something along the lines we will do everything in our power to accommodate if there's rain. But I have had people go hey, listen, we want to still do it outdoors because it's Florida man, they want to those markets that I'm in. They want to have it outdoors because that's where they come from.
Speaker 1But when you say outdoors, you're meaning there's no tent, it's just raw dog in it Sometimes.
Speaker 2Wow, yeah, I had one. It was at a hotel they have. What do they call it? It's not like a pergola maybe, no, not a pergola, but it's almost like a topper, like a pavilion, but it comes through no sides Rains. It's meant for sun, so that, basically, but if it's rain, it comes through. Okay, I see what you're saying and they have to make the call so early because this is a rooftop.
Speaker 2People are bringing up tables the floors, all the stuff so they called it at 10 o'clock, so we're still doing it outside. 10 am 10 am. Okay, florida's the most volatile place you can possibly be it's like yeah, I'm like what are you doing? Why are you making that call? It's a terrible idea. At four o'clock so the whole day it's pouring. The florist had to call in someone to bring her a new set of clothes because, like she's literally setting up in the pouring rain with this like arch and doing all the stuff or whatever I can't set up because literally there's no covering, right right.
Speaker 2So I'm having to wait till the very last second, which I absolutely hate. Yeah, because then I'm like I can't do my full checks, all that kind of stuff, and I go up there, set up, and so it cleared. It did clear. However, the wind starts, oh shit, and I don't notice that I am by a roof gutter. So all of a sudden I feel this downpour of water all over my stuff.
Speaker 2I'm just like on the gear on the gear like when was this? This is like about two weeks ago. Oh, recent, recent. I'm like what just happened. I'm like I didn't see this coming because it's sunny. I'm like what happened, but the wind was coming and blew it out of like yeah and so I'm like, oh, I can't stay here, this is not gonna work, I gotta move. So look, I moved to a place that was. I had never even looked up to even notice I was right there no, I had a helper, so thankfully I had that.
Wrapping Up Season Four Episode One
Speaker 2But I have had it happen a few times. Where they go, hey, you know, tell them, listen, if there's any gear that's wet, I have to stop. It's like an electrical issue and for health I don't want to get electrocuted myself, that's not a good gear. So we always try to make them make the call. But I do everything I can to stay out there if it's at all possible. Disassembling, reassembling all my stuff's pretty much put together. So it doesn't take much to reassemble.
Speaker 1I mean and again, man, we both have assistants. I don't know, al, I don't think you would be completely out of line based on where your price is. Look, if you're charging $5,000 plus for your show, then it's part of your show, right. But if you're getting $1,500 to do a show and you feel like you are by yourself and you need a little bit extra money, put another $150 in there for a flip fee. If you have to strike your stuff and reset it up, put $300 in there for that and just write it in your contract. Make sure you're upfront with it, with the planner and the client. I don't see anything necessarily wrong with it, unless you're charging premium pricing, then it's kind of the cost of doing business.
Speaker 2Right, I totally agree. You said it just a second ago. But it's important to have as much of this dialogue as early as possible and continual as possible, because if you live in an area like he does in Florida, where it's potentially going to happen and they're not from there they need to be aware of, like how you operate, so that there's no gray when you get to the event and something like this happens.
Speaker 1Absolutely Good stuff. Let's wrap it. Let's wrap it Everybody. Thank you so much for watching. Shout out to our sponsors DJ Event Planner, your favorite CRM for keeping track of your leads, following up, and all that good stuff. They can even do their planning there inside the portal. Also, s-start, a full suite of apps for your clients. You can either upsell them or just add them on and make the experience even that much better. So thank you guys again for watching, for listening to the Beyond the DJ Booth podcast we drop every single Wednesday morning. This is episode one of season four and we appreciate you guys. Leave us a review and we're out Later.
