Hello. Jim here.

You know, we have the pleasure to provide our services to a broad range of clients. Some are very experienced at purchasing entertainment, while some folks are seeking a band for the first time; and may never have to do it again. I’ve been in this business a long time, so let me address some of the questions that tend to come up time after time. Hopefully, it will be of some help to you. If I do not answer a particular question, heck, give us call.

Can you play something other than country?
We present ourselves as a country group, but the fact is we play a little bit of everything. We try to provide a variety of music to appeal to a broad range of people. It could be contemporary country, classic country, some rock, oldies and bluegrass. We just kind of watch for what the audience responses to and go from there.

How long do you play?
That depends upon the venue and what the client needs. Anywhere from one to four hours tends to catch it. Sometimes a five-hour show comes into play, but the truth is, most people are partied out after four hours.

Will you learn a special song?
Some song productions require about a million musicians to make them sound like the record, but if we can adequately pull them off, we’ll give it a try. Just give us enough notice to work on the song you want.

What is your conduct at a job?
We pride ourselves on being professional and reliable. We’re all family-oriented and respected in our community. Two of us have professional careers outside of music and three of us are employed at institutions of higher educations. While we will gear our performance to relate to the audience, we will act respectfully; and if there are kids around, we’re very careful to be mindful of their presence. Further more, we don’t drink on the job and there is no substance use anywhere in our lives.

Will you travel?
Yes, as long as it fits into our schedules and we can cover the costs of travel.

What about your sound system?
We’ve got quite a bit of equipment. If we need more, we know people. Sometimes the purchaser of the entertainment contracts the sound and we just bring our stage gear.

How much do you charge?
This is usually the first question, but I’ve saved it for now. Because so much goes into arriving at a price, it is difficult to answer adequately . It depends on the event, what is needed, distance to travel, and special production requirements. A general fee for a basic four-hour show in our local area (1 hour drive time from Godfrey, Illinois), with a small sound system and no lights ranges from $500 to $750. Now, we can provide a large sound system with lighting, but if it is not needed, there is no since in having the expense to our clients. We are very happy to put together a proposal to meet any special requirement you may have.

If the show is less than four hours, will it be cheaper?
Keep in mind that the costs of delivering a show is about the same for four hours as it is for something less. The equipment is still needed, it still has to be set up, travel is still required and so on. If you have a requirement of less than four hours, we’ll be glad to work with you on it.

Can you set up several hours before you are to start playing?
Yes. Sometimes our clients need to have the stage set up early in order to coordinate with other activities of the event. We are happy to work with such a schedule given an understanding that the down time between the setup and the performance represents a cost.

Can’t I find a band for about $300?
Yes, you can. There are a lot of them out there; but, there is a reason they are only $300. Perhaps they are just getting started and lack the experience to professionally handle an event. Maybe they just like to use their music as an avenue to party themselves, if you know what I mean? It could also be that $300 is all they can command, given the quality of their product. Yes, there are many of those groups; and there is a niche for their services. It’s just not a market that we can affectively serve. You just need to think about your event objectives and choose your entertainment options wisely.

Jim, why do you always wear a hat when you play?
“………… to cover up the bawled spot on the back of my head!” Anyway, we always enjoy hearing from folks. If we can be of any help to you, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.