Perhaps if  the Dj had played Israel Kama’s “Over the Rainbow” – you probably wouldn’t have even noticed it. Well, not until the splendorous insides of the egg roll had begun to rush over your taste buds! Next thing you know you ARE over the rainbow! Yummy. Well, at least in theory.  Had your intention been to stage an improvised food fight; a couple well garnished projectile appetizers  and the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s “Give it Away” would be surefire to spawn quite the delectable melee. Either way, we can all agree – it’s about context, preparation.

This is the essential meaning behind “the perfect song for the perfect moment.” Also, it is a mark of expertise you should expect when hiring a premier DJ. You wouldn’t want the Master of Ceremonies to just up and play “what’s my age again?” as your wedding march… WOULD YOU?! And if you did – you should definitely expect to hear it as you march playfully up to the altar. After all, it’s crucial attention to detail that keeps your event moving smoothly. And besides, who doesn’t want their own entrance music?

Blur’s “Song 2″ perhaps?

A new wedding information resource has launched this month. Proposal Magazine has all the information for the Bride’s and Groom’s and their families- or anyone planning a wedding and involved with the wedding industry. They are keeping things up-to-date and already have amassed plenty of interesting articles. Check em’ out!

Downtown Ventura, CA – from the Mission to Palm Street,  as Mayor Bill Fulton’s Blog states, 62 pay stations are to be installed as part of a system of paid parking. The system gives you the option of  ”tracking”  your car via cash or card – the cost of which is based on current demand. Essentially, you park the car, crack the wallet, break out the cash or card, and go about enjoying your convenient access to downtown Ventura’s shops and businesses. The price will be decided by the computer you give the money to. As reported by the VC Star, the system will be turned on from 10a.m. to 10p.m. starting Sunday through Thursday and from 10a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. As Palm, Oak, California, Chestnut, Fir and Ash branch out further from Main Street, parking will be initially free, with charges being added the longer you park. Residential zones further east and Poli above Main will also be subject to parking licenses that will cost between $10 and $20, which, as one Ventura Star user “lag factor” put it: “sounds like LA or hollywood, which Ventura is definitely not.”

Ventura City Council (Monahan and Andrews dissenting, per ritual) passed the $800,000 plus purchase of the system on Monday as part of “procedure.” As Mayor Fulton puts it: “The online responses were not universally negative…”, which means the online responses were largely negative. The system was voted in on the City Council’s “consent agenda.” Which means that the concerns regarding free-parking overflow, extinction of the “stop-on-the-way-to-work,” and thrifty shoppers parking in thrifty spaces, will all be answered after the system is installed. Fullerton projects the project will be paid off in four years.

An extrapolation has been made based on the “Downtown Parking Management Plan” which was provided by Mayor Fulton. to clarify using satellite imagery from Google Earth, Luke Madrid illustrated where approximately paid parking would be instituted.

No matter how many paid advertisements, sexy websites, and internet directories you find yourself bombarded with, there really isn’t an obvious way of knowing that $250 DJ “Cracker Jack” from Craigslist is going to show up on time… or at all – let alone, put together the kind of experience you’ve been dreaming about. So here are a few tips that I’ve come up with to judge if you’re choosing the right DJ through the web.

Make a list

When searching through various sites try to find as much pertinent information as possible and write down pricing and the features the company includes. This will be very useful when choosing your DJ online.

Does the company list pricing?

Often times, DJ companies will not list any pricing in an attempt to get you to call in for a quote. Although it is certainly important to at least speak with your DJ prior to booking, if you have to call in to get a price quote, be prepared for a high pressure sales conversation. The representative on the other end will attempt to determine how much money he/she can get out of you for the least amount of service given, which, in my opinion, is unethical. Like most reputable businesses, DJ’s should not discriminate in their pricing significantly for similar events and in fact an honest company should help you find the most amount of service they can give you for your hard-earned dollar. For instance, if a client called in to me and said “I have $800 to spend on a DJ for background music at my 40-person BBQ” I would not take the $800 and give them the $425 package, because they don’t need to spend $800. It’s a 40-person event and our base package can handle about 100 attendants at a basic event. Their price is $425… and that’s it. UPDATE: Now, of course there may be variances in price for numerous reasons, but when you’re hiring a DJ online, based on the information on their site, you should have a fairly good idea how much you will be spending.

Pricing does not always indicate quality

This is a common misconception. Although it’s a good bet that a DJ costing less than $300 will likely be below par, a DJ that costs a little more than another doesn’t necessarily denote a “good” DJ. Pricing is based on a number of choices the company makes, and one of those is a trade off between having lots of competitively priced events booked for a year, or a few less frequent but more lucrative events per year. If you’re choosing between two seemingly equal DJ’s at a different price, why not see if they will match the lower price?

Check reviews carefully!

Reviews are a good way of gauging the talent and reliability of a particular DJ, however they are very easy to fake. Testimonials within a DJ company’s own website can be made up very easily (we keep a written record of every single one on Loud DJs if you’re wondering) and reviews can be spoofed with nothing more than creating multiple accounts on review websites. I won’t point fingers but I have even seen a company with over 500 reviews and suspect most of them of being absolutely contrived. There are several ways of getting an idea (but not being certain) if a review has been faked by the company itself:

• Did the reviewer only post for that company?: Click on the reviewer’s name, did they only post for that vendor? This doesn’t immediately mean the review is fake, but take it into account. Additionally, see if the reviewer posted for an affiliated company, this would be very suspicious.
• Do any of the reviewers have head shots?: many review websites allow for a picture of the reviewer, look for those!
• Are reviewers connected to personal accounts?: For instance, almost all our reviews on Insiderpages are connected to Facebook accounts. Sometimes reviews can also be connected to Gmail accounts and so forth. Anonymous reviews should usually be ignored.
• Are reviews written in a similar fashion?: People tend to write in different ways, read all the reviews and judge if they seem to be written by the same person.
• What dates were reviews given on?: It is very unusual for more than one client to review a business on the same day unless the company is quite large and has plenty of reviews. If for some reason I asked 20 past clients to write a review today, it would probably take two weeks to hear back from all of them. This is probably the biggest red flag in searching for local DJs. It’s better to hire a DJ with no reviews than one with all fake ones.

Are There DJ Bio’s?

Any DJ website should contain a short biography and photo of the disc jockey you could be working with. See if they sound appropriate for your event. If for any reason a particular local company doesn’t sound appropriate for you, this may be a good outlet to call for recommendations of other DJ companies. We all work in the local area and know which DJ companies do it right or wrong.

Is there an online booking system?

Probably the BEST thing about searching for an entertainer online is the opportunity to use online booking forms. These are no-obligation tools to getting quotes and availability information from several businesses very quickly and without the hassle of listening to a sales pitch. Also, we DJ’s love these systems because they allow us to prepare the best options for you before we get back in contact with you. For instance, if you are looking to get a DJ for your Boys And Girls club, we can have already made certain our best youth DJ and appropriate equipment are available. In general providing a phone number and email address is a good idea, you should never hire a DJ without at least speaking to them on the phone and hearing what they are like. Online forms are great but your DJ should certainly be good at talking to people!

Sexy websites and tons of photos mean nothing!

Content, content content! Gone are the days of websites being static digital business cards. A good website is not always one covered in photos of brides and grooms, lighting equipment, and plastered with sales pitches. When you read through a site you should be able to get a good idea of the character of the company you are hiring. You should be able to tell that the company is active and keeps up-to-date information without any question. Anyone with a couple hundred bucks can get a nice Flash website designed professionally, or download templates for free that look just fantastic. Professional stock photos can be purchased from websites like iStockphoto and you would never know. Additionally, Adobe Photoshop is an amazing program, to say the least. And it’s important to consider that it is often taboo for a DJ to take pictures at a private event and post them on their website. We perform for celebrity events and cannot take pictures! My point is that a company that has never previously performed could trick you into thinking they have done tons of events. When you look through their website, can you tell how much time they are investing into their business and the industry? Are they a part of it, or are they selling you a broken down car… but with chrome rims and a nice paint job?

Still not sure?

Get references. If you ask a company for references they usually will have a few recent clients and one or two other vendors they work with. If the DJ gives you email addresses use that form of correspondence instead of the phone number. It is much more courteous! If you’re still not sure, shoot us an email, and we’ll try to help you out!

Splashing together drinks with the speed and style of Jackson Pollack, Erik Myles is likely to help you discover your new favorite cocktail. For instance, have you ever been served a “Gonzo’s Revenge?” No? If you haven’t – you’re missing out. And once you wash down some fine drink – you’ll no doubt be swept up by the live music and mixing by Ventura’s most skillful artists and Local Ventura DJs.  Dancing is a must, and if you can bring a little rhythm to those feet of yours you’ll be dancing in a pool of pastel colored lights to the vibratory joy of the best local Ventura entertainment. And who knows? You might even have an interesting conversation, or ten. This is made all the easier by an elegant and spacious, heated patio that connects to the accessible back parking lot. It’s easy to move inside and outside. And because the bar is an island and the staff is swift, service is available from just about anywhere inside. Dirty Vinyl is a dive bar with soul and a diverse crowd of regulars, both young and old, from every walk of life.

That cozy, cool beat-poet atmosphere may just be haunted by Alan Ginsberg. How else could a little Ventura establishment just off of Main be so seductive? Red lights glowing and pulsing, the heart of Dirty Vinyl pounds through the night – electrified with spirit.

More from Dirty Vinyl, Ventura DJ Venue and Art Gallery

Dirty Vinyl Info

Erik Myles Artist and Bartender
Dirty Vinyl on Facebook

For the evening Loud Hollywood DJs was placed in one of several studios located on the mezzanine floor, overlooking the busy and colorful downtown Hollywood scene. Each of these studios is multi-purpose. They have hardwood floors, carpeted sections (which can be moved), large conference tables for corporate events and even a stylish iPod dock for using your own music. For presentation purposes they have professional A/V inputs for the ceiling PA system.

The party itself was a fun and obviously classy cocktail crowd. The entire far wall of Studio 4 at the Andaz was met with a full bar. The very courteous staff regularly kept the attendees fueled with a good selection of hors d’oeuvres and drinks. I kept to my diet soda w/lime of course. Music for the evening included tracks from one end of my library to the other, scanning hits meant to listen too, not force everyone to dance. All in all, I’m very happy to have DJ-ed Matt’s birthday party and hope for more opportunities to DJ at The Andaz Hollywood again!

More Photos in Hollywood DJ ing at the Andaz Hotel