In addition to having been an entertainer since 1998 which included many weddings, parties and the like, I have also been a house DJ. On occasion I would fill in for a friend DJ/KJ of mine at a local bar where I was living in Suffolk, VA. Well one day, the club owner called me to DJ on a Friday night because his house DJ/KJ and Mike the owner had a disagreement. That same week the owner told me that he was closing his club down due to lack of patrons and lack of trust in his bar staff. I really felt bad about Mike closing because he had the original Rock & Country bar in Suffolk, VA. He had opened Shuckers Restaurant & Lounge 14 years prior and out lasted all the restaurants and bars in the local area. When I moved from Hawaii to Virginia, I would go sing karaoke at Shuckers and had a great time. Low and behold that same month Mike called me back in and told me he had a new lead Bartender and asked if I could provide my DJ/Karaoke service every Wed and Fri. Even though I was active duty navy, I agreed. A couple months later Mike asked me to DJ on Saturdays also. The club was doing really good. Long story short, for close to two years, my company Class Act Entertainment provided top notch entertainment two to three nights a week and went from a bar that was closing down to a highly profitable fun place to go. I even had to train another DJ to run my equipment on the nights I couldn’t be there due to being at sea (U. S. Navy).

The crowd I entertained ranged from 21 to 60 year old people and most all genres of music. My equipment stayed in the bar and was the most complete mobile DJ sound and light (fog & bubbles) system in the surrounding area, including Virginia Beach. I made so many great friends and even did weddings and all the holiday parties in the club as requested.  Man, I had a great time.

Well, I am back in my home state of Pennsylvania and looking for that same type of venue and commaraderie. I want to play at a bar/club and build a crowd back up again which is a win-win situation for the club and myself.

I have done only a few DJ/Karaoke gigs in the Pittsburgh area in the last few months via word of mouth. I have been going to bars/clubs and seeing what other DJs are providing and looking at how folks party and how many people are actually in the clubs. I have not been very aggressive in Pennsylvania. I am turning up the heat now that I have a better understanding of what Pittsburghers (Steeler Nation) need in the way of entertainment and just plain having fun.

One thing I have found out since I have been here, if you don’t have any music by The Clarks or Donnie Iris, you have no business being a DJ in Pittsburgh.

Since 1998, I have invested over $20,000 in music, karaoke, sound and light equipment. I understand $20,000 in equipment does not make an entertainer great. What makes a DJ/Entertainer great is knowing what songs to play at what time, canvassing the crowd looking at body language and demographics and keeping people from wanting to leave until club closes. This is what a DJ does, along with some behind the scenes work and planning.

IMAGINE A LIFE WITHOUT MUSIC.................