I’m often asked why we state this on our website and I invite questions about this because we are a set band, which is more of an ‘old school’ model and one that works the best. Just like any team or regular group (in any business or sport), a musical ensemble functions at its highest level when working with the same players. A group of strangers have to history or chemistry, this is something only time together can earn.
The naked truth about the local wedding entertainment industry is there are different models by which bands are put together.
Old School Set Band
This is the model The Storytellers Band follows and that I strongly believe in because we’re truly a set team, a lineup of regular members who play together 99.9% of the time. Having us play is like having your own private concert. After all, with us, you get to choose the music we play. The exchange of energy between the band and guests is palpable and this is what most couples are looking for on their big night…a seamless dance party.
What about the other .01% of the time? Well if one player or singer is sick, has an emergency, is on vacation, is having a baby (or you name it), we have 1-2 back up players for each position in the band. You see, you can’t have a fully functional team without backups/alternates, but ours are not always warming the bench. We pull in our alternates for weddings and club shows to keep everyone fresh because we can’t let the ship sink if one person is out for any reason. So yes, with The Storytellers, the band you see is the band you get and we can provide video for any backup players we may have to pull in.
The other common models are ‘collectives’ and ‘agency bands’ from huge agencies with hundreds of players on their call lists…
What is a Collective?
Literally ‘collects’ talent on their roster and as they book up any given date with anywhere from 5 to 25+ bands, they pull from their massive list of players by way of random selection. For example, they send an email blast to all the sax players on their list and the first to reply or ‘accept’ the gig is hired. This is done for all positions (singers, horns, bass, drums, guitar, keys, etc). The selection process is random and often these musicians show up never having met or played music with each other before – they are strangers. Most of the musicians are great as individuals, but as a group there is zero common ground, no history and certainly no chemistry. Are they cheap?? You bet they are, and you get what you pay for.
Big Agencies
also have hundreds of players on their rosters, and some have set bands too. But rarely can you see them live at clubs or showcases. You’re often shown a video only at an in office appointment, and you truly are not guaranteed that anyone in those videos is still in the band or will show up at your event. Agencies are NOT cheap, in fact their rates can be double that of a set band like The Storytellers…after all they have massive office costs (rent, staff, etc), agents, executives, pension plans, expense accounts to fund and on and on. Big business comes with big expenses and those costs are passed on to you. The majority of your money does not go towards paying the musicians who are performing at your event.
Both of those models pump out as many bands as they can to maximize their profits.
Are you a music lover that follows bands?
If you love live music and want a killer night of songs that you’ve chosen from our massive playlist, along with the most personalized service imaginable, choose The Storytellers – we are a set band whose bandleader is running the business and the band at your event.
Come see a Storytellers show, meet us, get to know us and we’ll see you on your big day. Our Co-Founder/bandleader Candace will be working with you from the first phone call to the last dance.
Contact us today to get started!