tag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:/blogs/crazy-cool-life?p=2Spare Change Blog2020-07-23T15:26:47-04:00Spare Changefalsetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/63910772020-07-23T15:26:47-04:002023-12-10T11:59:44-05:00Things to Consider When Deciding on Dance Songs For Your Wedding<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/system/b130df864c3d808e773af386a0a4d716080bb21f/original/unsplash-m5lnqxbbiy0.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Have you been thinking about your wedding dance songs? If so, here are three things to consider. If not, you may want to give it some thought before it gets too close. The more time between when you start thinking about this and your wedding day, the more options you have. </p>
<p>The first thing to consider is whether or not to have the band play the dance songs. I have noticed that the band can take attention away from the dances and the ones that are supposed to be the center of attention that night, you guys. Sometimes, your guests have never seen the band before so they are watching them very closely during the dance song, or songs, and figuring out whether or not they are going to stay when the band starts playing. There are a couple of options that I have found to combat this. The first, and most obvious, is to play the recorded version. There is nobody else taking attention away from you guys, which solves the first issue, and you can also choose to fade out the recorded version so that you're not on the dance floor by yourselves for such a long period. </p>
<p>An added benefit of playing the recorded version of the song is the fact that you have complete control over the volume of the music. With live music, it is much more challenging to control volume levels. We have taken steps to make this less of an issue, but the drums are still live instruments. To make it sound good, you have to increase the volume of everything else on stage over the natural volume of the drums. </p>
<p>The other option is to have 1-3 band members play the song, but a more acoustic version of the song. It is a more intimate style, and there are fewer people on stage, drawing attention away from you guys. Without the drums, it is also easier to control volume levels. </p>
<p>You also may want to think about fading or cutting the dance songs. Four minutes, which is about average for a song, can seem like much longer when it's just you out on the dance floor. Some don't have an issue with that attention, but some people do, even on their wedding day. Fading or cutting the dance song is an excellent choice for that person. When couples opt to do this, they usually try to fade or cut the song at around 2 minutes. </p>
<p>We have done it pretty much every way you can think of, and these are some options that work best, in my opinion. Would you like to talk to someone directly about the dance songs? Click below to send an email and get started.</p>
<p><a contents="Email" data-link-label="" data-link-type="email" href="mailto:jordan@sparechangemusic.net" target="_blank">Email</a></p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/62029302020-02-10T01:30:00-05:002023-12-10T13:47:47-05:007 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Band for Your Wedding<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/80a03dba6a96ae201bce1b4015f53a2d63bba461/original/img-0251.jpeg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" />When you're planning a wedding reception and you want to turn it into an unforgettable event, what's the best way to do that? Do you hire a wedding band or bring in a DJ to provide the dance music? Without questions, it's almost always better to use a good wedding cover band rather than a DJ. Providing live dance music for your family and friends is the best way to excite a crowd and pack a dance floor.</p>
<p>The music at your wedding has to be personal to you as a couple, but it also needs to appeal to a wide range of guests. The best way to tick each of these boxes and more is the find yourself a fantastic live wedding band - here's why!</p>
<p><strong>1. The Unmatched Atmosphere</strong></p>
<p>Even if you've hired a top local DJ who's spinning your all-time favorite hits through top-of-the-line equipment, the sounds you'll be hearing and the feelings you'll be experiencing won't come close to those you'll get with a great live band. Top-performing musicians working together and interacting with each other create an atmosphere that a DJ simply can't duplicate. And if the DJ is having an "off night," for some reason, the whole evening could be shot. With a multiple-member band, those guys can all feed off of each other and the energy level will increase exponentially. </p>
<p>A band will typically have a much better light show than a DJ, as well. You will probably tour the venue during the day, but it will most likely be dark during the reception. A big light show can make a huge difference so bigger is better when it comes to lighting.<br>The energy and presence of a live performance won't just blend into the background like pre-recorded music. You and your guests will be able to feel the electricity in the air. The atmosphere at a live gig is always one of excitement. </p>
<p><strong>2. You Can Leave The Music Choices to the Professionals</strong></p>
<p>Hiring a wedding band to look after all your musical needs ticks another job off your list - leaving you free to enjoy your big day, stress-free. Once you've let them know the sort of style you're after (and the songs you can't stand), they'll know exactly what the party needs. They know their business and can bring that expertise to you. Let them advise on music choices for different stages of the day - when to have live music and when to offer prerecorded playlists. Professional bands have performed at hundreds of weddings and can give you the benefit of their years of experience, so you don't have to worry about anything.</p>
<p><strong>3. Audience Interaction</strong></p>
<p>You won't just get music, you'll get a performance! There's nothing like a good beat accompanied by some synchronized dance moves to make your guests want to get up and dance. Having everyone feeling good at your wedding will be a superb way to ensure you have the best time, too. Great performers create a real connection with guests. ON wedding days, when everyone's filled with love and champagne, the warmth and energy of several brilliant entertainers will have everyone ending the night in high spirits. Professional wedding bands know how to read a room. They'll pick up on what your guests respond to, and change the setlist accordingly.</p>
<p>Wedding bands are also great if your favorite songs aren't all that child-friendly. Professional wedding bands know how to create a "PG night," so they can adapt lyrics to suit all of your guests' ears without compromising on songs.</p>
<p><strong>4. A Live Band Can Go With the flow</strong></p>
<p>A live band will be as flexible and supportive as possible on your wedding day. If you have any last-minute changes or you're running a little late, they can adapt to your schedule, or make announcements between songs. This happens more often than you would think so it's important that the band is in your corner to help navigate these changes.</p>
<p><strong>5. No-Dancing Guests Will Enjoy Listening to the Music More</strong></p>
<p>Weddings and receptions usually include guests from all age groups, from the very young to the very old, so it's important that the wedding band you hire be able to play a variety of music to bridge the gap. That way, they'll be playing music that guests of all ages can enjoy. Providing music for a wide range of tastes and ages is very important if the goal is to pull off an event that will be memorable for all. </p>
<p>However, even if you hire the best band in the world, there's a good chance that not every single guest will want to shake their booty out on the dance floor. And for those special guests, it's important to offer live music that they can enjoy to the fullest, even if they're on budging from their seats. Some guests would simply rather listen to the music and watch the band and others on the dance floor. For them. live music will be much more entertaining than pre-recorded songs.</p>
<p><strong>6. Option for Live Music the Rest of the Day</strong></p>
<p>Some of the musicians might be happy to perform at your ceremony, or during cocktail hour, which is usually much cheaper than hiring separate acts. Your band's singer and one of the musicians might also perform a duo, so if you want some more laid back music while your guests are sipping champagne, ask your band if they can provide this for a small additional fee. Using the musicians from your evening band will make this much more affordable than booking a separate group.</p>
<p><strong>7. You Can Sometimes Use Their PA System</strong></p>
<p>Ask your wedding band if they will allow you to use their microphones and PA system for speeches and announcements, or even to play some prerecorded music during dinner. If they have to arrive early to fit in with your timings, they might charge a small additional fee - but as a modest add-on, it's great value for the money.</p>
<p>Be careful when getting multiple quotes. I am a firm believer that, most of the time, you get what you pay for. Be sure they will transport, set up, and tear down the gear, as well as run it during the event. I have seen it happen too many times where they will bring the sound system in and just drop it off. If you don't know anything about sound systems, this can be a major set back, and not something you want to deal with on your wedding day.</p>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>Keeping crowds excited and enthused is the key to creating an event that will live a long time in the minds of those attending, and the best way to do that is to hire a wedding band that'll keep your guests involved. A fun, high-energy band will not only increase the excitement during the celebration, they will have the guests raving long after the party is over!</p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/59488472020-02-03T01:00:00-05:002023-12-10T13:08:23-05:00Professional or Amateur?<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/91d4ba9fbceb69ce3b3c3adf42b161ebdcec5915/original/true-professional.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />What, or who, do you think about when you hear the word “professional?” You may think of an athlete, business owner, corporate tycoon, etc, but what is a professional, really? </p>
<p>I used to think that you were considered a professional if you were getting paid, and making a living doing something. Maybe that was just my ego or something I heard from someone else. I’m not sure, but that was the definition I used for many years. </p>
<p>I had an epiphany recently about what it means to be a professional, rather than just what the definition of professional was. The main difference, to me, between a professional and an amateur is the mindset. </p>
<p>Let’s think about it from the standpoint of an athlete. Do you think Micheal Jordan, Tom Brady, or Derek Jeter take sick days or don’t go to work just because they don’t feel well? I don’t think so. They know that they have to play when they are hurt or sick during a game, so why should an off day be any different? If you ask a teammate, they will tell you that each of these players, arguably the best to play the game in their given sport, are at practice before and after everyone else. That dedication and persistence are what propelled them to the top. </p>
<p>That’s good news, right?! That means that it’s not necessarily who has the most money, or talent who get to the top. It’s the one that works the hardest at doing the right things. That’s right. It’s not just about working hard. It’s about working hard and getting ready to take on opportunities when they present themselves. That hard work doesn’t guarantee that you will get the opportunities, but it does guarantee that you will be ready if one comes along. </p>
<p>I have used the excuse so many times to goof off and not do what needs to be done that day, but that just makes it easier to do the same thing the next day, and the day after that. So the next time you are thinking about giving up, or not following through, remember that if you want to be considered a professional, you must get in there and get things done. I know I will.</p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/58427502020-01-06T00:00:00-05:002023-12-10T13:08:25-05:00What's in a Name?<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/b8d799179672f6c633cc71d0f91ce41c3ed680db/original/spare-change-pocket.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>It’s almost like naming a child when you are trying to name your band. Okay, maybe not quite as intense, but it sure seems that way at the time. </p>
<p>We started throwing around some different names, most of which I don’t even remember at this point. Although, I do remember Chris’ idea very vividly to call it the “Charlie Brown Band,” and he thought it was a “good idea” for me to wear a sweater like the one Charlie Brown had. Let’s just say that I was less than excited at the idea. </p>
<p>The name Spare Change was my idea, and it came from the fact that Chris was a guitar player, but we already had one of those, so he decided to be a team player and pick up the bass. Like I said earlier, we were practicing relentlessly and quite often, so his poor fingers stayed red and blisters ensued. Since he was now a “bass player,” he didn’t carry guitar picks with him, and we were starving artists so we didn’t just have picks lying around so we looked for anything he could use as a pick and more times than not it ended up being change that we had in our pocket. </p>
<p>Well, we got a call one cold day in December, just a couple of weeks before New Year’s Eve, from Ham’s in Kinston, NC. We had been out there during an open mic night and performed to show them what we had, but had not booked any shows at this point. Honestly, we still didn’t have enough material to do so, but when the manager told me that their New Year’s Eve band had canceled on them, and asked if we had enough material, I pretty much lied and said to him that we did, and he booked us for our first gig, ever! I was super excited, so I immediately told the other guys, and they shared my enthusiasm. </p>
<p>I got a call from that same manager a few days later, and he asked what we called ourselves so he could put it on the marquee, and advertise us. I hesitated, my mind rushing back to our conversations about what the name of the band was going to be, picturing myself in a Charlie Brown sweater, and all of the other crazy names thrown around while we were rehearsing, and I told him the name of the band was Spare Change. </p>
<p>That is the story of how the name Spare Change came about. What would you name your band?</p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/58431132019-12-02T00:00:00-05:002021-10-11T12:21:25-04:00Roots<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/68994157d09221c130e54ce5cddef93a24bd1ab2/original/2014-03-14-091857-18.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/fb1ab6f9f3dc8ac4af7d94300fb2229b1c6f4390/original/2014-03-14-091202-2.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" />We have endured many changes in Spare Change’s lineup through the years. If you have been following us, you may know some of them. If not, here are some of the changes we endured in the early years.</p>
<p>The band was started by 4 young guys out of La Grange, NC. They all went to North Lenior High School. I (Jordan) had already graduated and was going to college, and the other three guys were still in high school. They were Chris Morlock (bass), Anthony Gallo (drums) and Clayton Alcock (guitar). </p>
<p>None of us had ever been in a band like this before, but we wanted to give it a shot and have some fun. We practiced day after day for a couple of months trying to get together enough material to play a full show. It turns out that it’s not as easy as you would think, but we were undeterred and determined to give this a real shot. </p>
<p>After establishing ourselves a little bit, a couple of things happened at almost the exact same time. We performed at the Ms. Kinston Pageant. There was an after-party that we attended, where we met a charming couple. The wife, Kellie, had been a contestant in the pageant, where her talent was playing the violin. I don’t remember the exact exchange, but we ended up asking her if she might be interested in coming out and jamming with us at our next rehearsal. She agreed, and we offered her a position with us. </p>
<p>Chris and I tried to go out as much as possible to see other bands and that sort of thing, and we went to see a group at Mesh Cafe in Greenville, NC. They had live bands every Thursday night, and this Thursday night was no different. What was unusual was the fact that some of the band members ended up quitting the band that night. We offered Mark Pascal an opportunity to come and play with us while he was figuring out his next move. He agreed and started playing with us that very weekend. </p>
<p>We went from a four-piece band to a six-piece group within a month or so. This was exciting and stressful at the same time, and one of the members didn’t really care for the changes that much and decided that it was time to bow out. Clayton was the first original member of Spare Change to leave. We were now a five-piece. </p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">That’s enough for now. I’ll continue this timeline in another post.</p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/58649912019-10-07T01:25:00-04:002023-12-10T13:08:26-05:00My Band Roots - My Senior Project<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/47e5ded7dea0bc8b56d5b58d2c1e5a22cea0a9f8/original/3wl2jbxvrbqoezhs8fexrq.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" />There I was, my senior year in high school. We finished up with the first semester and came back into new classes. One of those classes was English Lit. The teacher was Mrs. McCutcheon. She ended up being one of the best teachers and most influential that I had ever had. We found out, soon after starting that semester, that we would be doing something new, and would be venturing into uncharted territory. We had to do “Senior Projects!” What?! Senior projects?! I just wanted to keep my head down for one more semester and graduate, but now I had to do this. I went on for longer than that, but you get the picture. </p>
<p>After I calmed down and accepted my fate, my mind cleared, and I’m pretty sure I was the first one to come up with what my senior project was going to be. I was going to learn how to play guitar. My Pa played guitar, and I always thought it was so cool seeing him get up and perform at church, and on stage at a place called “The New South.” It was a little honky-tonk type place there in La Grange. I went home that day and asked him, and of course, he said he would. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/06bf8abaac747e3af9d0a9dee51becaf76eb71bb/original/doutkfyoswa5km73xhrqhg.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" />I worked for months learning how to play a few chords well enough to play and sing at the same time. I remember it being one of the hardest things I had ever done, up to that point. Pa told me that he didn’t think I would stick with it. I’m not sure if he was doing that to motivate me, or if he truly felt that way, but I worked hard at it. He started teaching me a few chords, but one of them was really difficult for me, so we switched up the song and the chords so that I could make sure to get it right in time. I learned the chords of D, G, and A initially. I learned more than those three eventually, but those were the ones I HAD to learn to be able to play the song at the presentation. </p>
<p>It all culminated to that one evening, sitting in front of three teachers and a handful of peers, who were also there to give their presentations. I was way more nervous than I thought I would be. What if I wasn't good enough, or if they laughed because it was an old country song and not a more popular song? Somehow, I was able to push all of that nonsense down and I pushed through the song. I sang and played, “When Did You Stop Loving Me,” by George Strait. Afterwards, they all clapped and cheered for me. I was over the moon, excited and relieved that I made it through without screwing up.</p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/58649892019-09-02T01:15:00-04:002021-09-11T16:24:39-04:00My Band Roots - Early Years<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/e3e7a243da639852f4b45c71a1f7ed1ac4c215f8/original/sayc9uf6q3gscslhiwzqtq.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_center border_" />Believe it or not, I wasn’t always as passionate about music as I am now. I used to think it was boring, and my parents made me sing in church with the youth choir. My Pa got all of us grandkids up to sing in front of the church. I remember distinctly this one time that we got up to sing in front of the entire congregation, and we could not find the right note to save our lives, so Pa just stopped after trying for what seemed like hours, but was more like 3 or 4 minutes. It was so embarrassing! </p>
<p>We eventually started a small group comprised mostly of my cousins, my sister, and myself, but there were also a few friends of ours in the group as well. The preacher’s wife, at the time, Mrs. Loretta, named it “5 Alive.” We sang in church from time to time, and even put on fundraisers to help raise money for the church. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/f007fbbfe97277fe313ffe2ead8890688d6ff9fa/original/szp7fzp1s6y9dqoymv5aha.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_" />When I was 16, I got up in front of that same congregation, in that same small sanctuary, and sang my first solo. It was one of those southern gospel songs that you thought was over and then it came back around again for another chorus…. oh, I thought it was the funniest thing! It was then that it hit me. I was not terrible at this, and people kept coming to me over and over telling me how much they enjoyed it. That’s, obviously, not why I was singing the song, but the result was the same. I had caught “the bug,” as they say. </p>
<p>I began to sing more and more, and that led to me singing with my Pa at a little place they called “The Barn.” It was an old packhouse that Pa’s brother, whom we called Uncle Robie, had fixed up. He put a small stage in there, and theater-style seating. They played there every other Friday night, and people would show up early to get a good seat. I worked at the Sandpiper at the time, and I would come after work to sing with them for a little while. </p>
<p>That brings us to high school, and my senior year, but we’ll tackle that in another post.</p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/58427052019-08-05T00:00:00-04:002022-06-01T13:41:18-04:00Wedding Day Help<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/a0741d98e5b6cf743030536b00b03b9b0e7d0f2a/original/adult-beautiful-bride-388240.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" />We play quite a few weddings every year, so we have done hundreds of weddings over the years. It wasn’t as polished back in the early years as it is now, but we have always tried to do our best. Every wedding is different, but every wedding is also very similar. </p>
<p>There is a lot that goes into planning a wedding, as you may know, if you have done anything like that before. You don’t just decide that you’re going to get married and then show up that day and decorate. Most of the time, you have to book several different vendors to take care of everything you need. There are some exceptions, of course, but it’s not an easy feat by any stretch of the imagination. You could end up with a venue, caterer, cake designer, florist, photo booth, DJ, band, etc. Each usually is separate, so you can see how this could get complicated very quickly. </p>
<p>Some try to do it all by themselves, but often they turn to a professional wedding planner to help keep everything up in the air. Honestly, you can tell when couples are doing it by themselves versus having a planner. There’s usually a huge difference.</p>
<p>If your vendors are willing to help you along, it doesn’t have to be so stressful. I know that I speak with clients all the time about best practices when it comes to the timelines for the wedding day and reception.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that if you don’t already know a lot about planning weddings, you only have two feasible options. The first is to hire someone that does know a lot about it or be prepared to ask lots and lots of questions to your vendors to collectively figure out the best course of action for your wedding day. If you ask questions and they can’t or won’t answer, you may want to rethink your vendor. </p>
<p>If you hire Spare Change, that won't be an issue, and I am always happy to help in any possible way. Call or email now to get started with the booking process, if you aren't already in the process. You won't be disappointed.</p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/56799652019-03-25T08:00:00-04:002022-08-13T06:08:01-04:00Charleston<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/8b58ab7fe0a169d36339acd2c0cfa1fc53820b52/original/7fpin0m7s4k6cg9-siv0wa.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I will go ahead and apologize if you thought you were going to read about Charleston, SC. This is about my buddy Charleston. Charleston is our black Labrador retriever. He is almost 5 years old and is incredibly smart. He is part of the family, as you already know if you are an animal lover. Here is a picture of him sitting beside my son while we were out on a walk.</p>
<p>I have always been a “dog guy,” I guess you could say. We had boxer bulldogs growing up, and I saved my money and bought my first dog when I was thirteen. She was a Golden Retriever. She lived for a little over 13 years, which is a pretty long life for a larger breed of dog. I began learning how to train her, mostly by what I had heard or seen and by trial and error. We had never really trained any of our dogs in the past so I was kind of on my own, as far as my family was concerned. </p>
<p>Fast-forward to today. Charleston can do pretty much all of the “normal” commands. He can sit, lay down, roll over, stay, come, fetch and shake. I’m not a formal dog trainer so these are just the ones I feel most people would have their dogs doing. These are all things that I learned to train when training my first dog. I have gone a little farther this time by training Charleston to go to his pen or crate, use the bathroom, bark, and be quiet on command. I also taught him to roll over in whatever direction I want him to. I’m pretty proud of him, if you can’t tell. We live in a neighborhood now so I have also had to train him to walk on a leash, which I never had to worry about before because I lived out in the country. You don’t have to keep your dog restrained quite as much when there is nobody else around. </p>
<p>My sons both enjoy spending time with Charleston and playing. They are all boys so they can get a little wild sometimes, but Charleston is really good with them. Channing is only around two years old so he’s still really small. Charleston is very gentle with him, even when Channing isn’t returning the favor. </p>
<p>We sometimes will go out for a walk in the woods and find some water for Charleston to go swimming in. He loves that, especially going after his favorite ball. We all enjoy the outdoors and Charleston is no exception. In fact, I’m thinking about our next trip right now….</p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/56799642019-03-14T09:41:50-04:002021-09-27T12:37:23-04:00Wedding Budgets<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/40481e57337e637caaeaa3bfd80c6dbc0e20581c/original/planning.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Not many people have to plan multiple weddings, and the ones that do usually get paid pretty well to do so. It isn’t necessarily in everyone’s will-house. I know it’s not in mine. I probably have a lot more insight than the average person due to the fact that we play so many of them every year. </p>
<p>I’m going to look at something that you probably cringe a little when you see or hear it. Budgeting. Personally, I love budgets. I may not always stick to them like I should, but I do know where my money is going, at least. Budgets are a necessary evil when you are planning a wedding, unless you, or your folks, have a large pocket book. </p>
<p>Here are some things to keep in mind when creating your wedding budget. </p>
<p> Nearly 80% of couples don’t allow enough in their budget initially. There again, everyone isn’t in the wedding scene so they don’t really know what things cost. You don’t see those sort of things on The Price Is Right. So don’t feel bad if you start looking into things and you’re blown away by the price. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for sometimes, and even if you pay less for something that you don’t really want doesn’t mean that you’re getting a deal. </p>
<p>You need to make a prioritized list of your needs and wants for your wedding day. By that, I mean to list things that you can’t do without, and the things that you can. Hopefully, Spare Change is on the first. </p>
<p>You will then have to research prices for everything on your list. If you already have a list, all you have to do is put the price beside it, along with any details or things you may need to think about. </p>
<p>Lastly, you decide which vendors you’re going to use and hire them for your wedding day. You will usually have to sign a contract and submit a deposit to secure their services. </p>
<p>That may not look like much, but it can potentially be a lot of work. Many vendors will have questions before being able to give you an exact quote. In our case, there are many different variables that go in to figuring a price. We have a regular contact form on our website, as well as an initial questionnaire. The questionnaire has most, if not all, of the questions we need to have answered in order to give an accurate quote. </p>
<p>Don’t get overwhelmed. If you start the process early enough, you will have plenty of time to deal with all of this. Don’t wait too long, though. If the vendors you are looking to use are good at what they do, they will probably book up pretty far in advance. Good vendors will also be willing to help and answer any questions you may have. Don’t feel like you have to do it all yourself. Lean on their expertise and experience. You can never go wrong by asking a professional for help.</p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/54428142018-10-15T11:30:00-04:002021-08-19T06:33:40-04:00Family Guy<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/1ebb0cf65e53cc6fba86d2f6f42f4b29faa5f7f7/original/l3tuleznq4i626qe8jiohw.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>You obviously wouldn’t know what any of us hold near and dear to our hearts unless you have been following us for a really long time, or you are a friend of ours. Even then, you may not really know. One of our guiding principles is “family first.” I know that may sound a little cliche, but we really mean it. </p>
<p>The schedule that we keep on the weekends is a little hard to manage sometimes. That does have it’s perks, especially during the week. I was able to keep both of my kids while working from home to manage the band. I kept my oldest, Jackson until he was just over a year old, and I kept my youngest, Channing until he was almost two. I am also able to pick them up from school every day and spend the rest of the day with them, doing homework, running errands, going to the park…you get the idea. That is huge for me. </p>
<p>Many of the other band members have similar stories. While we obviously enjoy what we do, and are blessed to be able to make a living doing it, this is just a “behind the scenes” perk of the job. </p>
<p>Be sure to take a little time with your family and friends, and come out to see us play sometime. I can’t think of a better way to spend quality time.</p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/54427972018-10-08T10:00:00-04:002021-10-01T05:50:39-04:00Ferries Everywhere!<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/714c6cdb0169f4773b10c94a1f046bbd35524072/original/index.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>I thought we’d tell some stories in this post. Let’s talk about Veronica a little… </p>
<p>Veronica had a short period of time where she was late to some of the gigs. Now you would expect to hear some excuse of traffic, wrong turns, or nearly any other traffic-related reason. Her’s was a little more out of the ordinary. </p>
<p>She showed up to a gig in the outer banks one time with a story about a big ferry. Where we were there was barely any cell service so we couldn’t really make or receive calls. I think it was Wayne that finally got a call from Veronica. She asked if we all had to take a ferry to get to the gig and then we lost her. We all chuckled a little but we were worried that she wouldn’t make it on time. She ended up getting there just before it was time to start. Nobody else came anywhere near a ferry to get there so we asked if she had “take ferries” disabled on her GPS and she said she did. </p>
<p>We were playing a wedding in Laurinburg, NC and Veronica was late again. The story this time was even more outrageous. If you know anything about Laurinburg, you know that it is not really located near a body of water. It’s about as inland as it gets, but somehow Veronica managed to find another ferry. This time it was a single car ferry so one car would enter and go across and then it would have to come back across to get another vehicle, which means there was more than just Veronica’s car there to take the ferry. We joked about them having to use the rope to pull them across and that sort of thing and then played the gig. </p>
<p>There was one more time where she was going to end up on a ferry, but alas, it was closed when she got to it so she had to recalculate, or her GPS did anyway. </p>
<p>Afterward, we checked her GPS and, of course, she had not disabled the ferry option on her GPS so we helped her with that. As far as we know there haven’t been any other ferry events on Vern’s rides to the gigs, but she might just be keeping those to herself. </p>
<p>Bless her heart...</p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/54427522018-10-01T10:00:00-04:002023-12-10T13:08:24-05:00Shake, Rattle and Roll<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/0d3d6bbab078ddae32df250b20f0f457f3e3eeea/original/ck4dck8kr0-ayh6vmzhhya.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p>Here’s a little something for those who don’t know much about bigger trucks. Everything you don’t already know is either learned through your own experience, or the experiences of others willing to share with you. Hopefully, this will help someone learn from our experience. </p>
<p>As most of you probably know, we have a big truck that hauls around our gear to and from our shows. We are musicians so we didn’t realize that you had to become a trucking company as well. You other bands know what I’m talking about…. </p>
<p>In this particular case, we were driving along and the truck started shaking, and even “jumping” up and down. It wasn’t coming completely off of the ground, or at least I don’t think it was, but it was pretty significant. We didn’t know what in the world was happening. We then noticed that our tire on the front was worn just in little spots all the way around it. We took it in to the shop and they replaced the tire for us. </p>
<p>The next week we were back on the road again and the same thing started happening again. The brand new tire was already wearing the same way. Now, these tires are not cheap so we immediately took it back in to the shop. They told us we needed to take it to be lined up, so we did. </p>
<p>So I’m sitting there after they pull the truck in, expecting to be there for a little while waiting for them to line it up, and then I would hit the road. To my surprise, one of the guys came out and asked me to come to the back with him, where the truck was. I reluctantly followed, not really sure what was going on. We approached the truck, which had both of the front tires off the ground. He then walked over the driver side tire and rotated it and tried to wiggle it. Nothing happened. We then went over to the passenger side and he proceeded to do the exact same thing, only this time, the tire moved side to side, like an old bicycle tire that had been run over. I said, “Yeah, that doesn’t look good.” He agreed and said that we needed to replace the kingpins. </p>
<p>The kingpins apparently keep the wheel from moving from side to side on larger trucks. Maybe I’m telling on myself a little here, but I had no idea what a kingpin was. Our drummer, Jeff, knew exactly what I was talking about, but he can also completely strip down and vehicle and rebuild it again. I….cannot do that. </p>
<p>So, we took the truck back to the shop and told them we needed to have the kingpins replaced, and they had to basically cut some of the tread off of that brand new tire in order for it to be square again. We haven’t had any problems out of it since then, until just recently. We just had them replaced again but it didn’t take two tires to figure out what was going on this time. </p>
<p>I hope this has been informative, and maybe even helps someone with a similar issue.</p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/54427092018-09-25T09:51:45-04:002022-05-10T13:56:44-04:00Storm Woes<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/08ff57abcb26dc534bea4a1704962916c8ea2271/original/main-1200.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p>First of all, let me say that our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that has been impacted with Hurricane Florence. There are parts of the state that are completely devastated and we hope each of you is at least safe at this point. Remember, you can always rebuild, fix or replace material things, but a life cannot be replaced. </p>
<p>We actually had some shows cancel the weekend of and after the storm. I am busy trying to reschedule some of those shows at the moment so wish us luck there. We have to be vigilant to help the ones that were cancelled, while trying not to hurt any of the shows coming up in the near future. It’s kind of a juggling act and your’e just trying not to drop too many balls, or any if possible. </p>
<p>We are hoping to be a part of some shows coming up to help with relief efforts after the flooding has receded. There will be more info to come on that. </p>
<p>Stay safe out there, and hopefully you can come see us at a show in the near future, if only to get away from your reality for just a couple of hours.</p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/54142222018-09-10T07:30:00-04:002023-12-10T13:09:36-05:00Office Space<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/8dc9eb99e75a29477046fe0b4f8d3a363a396cb5/original/photogen-bgf202.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_" />My office was attached to the backside of my house, but it was in an old room where they initially had a hot tub. Come to find out, they decided to just chop the hot tub in half and let it fall under the house and then put flooring over top of it. The floor had started to settle so I could be sitting at my desk and just roll backward if I stopped planting my feet, which makes for perfect working conditions. That was fun for the first few weeks, but not so much after that. </p>
<p>So at the moment, we are in the middle of some renovations. We started by striking that “office space.” The plan was to build an office upstairs where the attic was. We have a pretty large attic so we were just going to use a portion of that. That didn’t work out though because by the time you put walls up and everything else it would have been more like a hallway than an office. So we went back to the drawing board and decided to add back on where we struck the office space before. We really needed to do that anyway because a wall that we were planning on moving ended up being load bearing so that wasn’t happening either. </p>
<p>The addition ended up being my office and a laundry room. We also remodeled our bathroom while we were at it and added a walk-in closet. I have been out of an office space and in the formal living room for almost 5 months so I am quite ready to get all of my stuff back in order and to have a designated work area. We have two kids so a desk right out in the middle of everything looks mighty inviting to just walk up and start grabbing stuff and moving it around. </p>
<p>Hopefully, this will be over in the next couple of weeks and we can start getting our lives back in order. </p>
<p>Just a little side note: My wife and I are sleeping on a mattress at the foot of our older son’s bed…yeah...</p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/54135192018-09-03T16:19:54-04:002023-12-10T13:10:05-05:00Equipment Perils<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/4a3eac6ccbfc1f3270686796cf8df13bfeb0de9a/original/img-1311.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>It had been a pretty good week so far. The kids have started back to school so the amount of time I have to get things done has quadrupled, at least. I sat down at my desk and answered some emails and that sort of thing. Once I finished with that I had some new light fixtures I was interested in playing with so I went out to the truck and grabbed the lighting console out. The one we use isn’t new by any means so I basically have to create any new fixtures I want to use with it because the company doesn’t update them anymore. </p>
<p> I got the booklet out and went to work programming. I was just about done and that’s when it happened. The console just froze up. No big deal. It’s happened before so I just cut it off and turned it back on. When it came back on, though, it didn’t start up properly so I repeated the process. The third time that happened I started to get a little worried. We have a show tonight and this can’t happen now. That’s when it hit me. I just backed everything up a couple of weeks ago. I wiped the sweat from my brow and probably got a slight smile on my face. I did a hard reset on the console, which completely wipes it of everything we have spent countless hours programming, and it worked. The console booted up and was working again. I then popped the disk in and loaded the backed up file. “ERROR!” I tried again. “ERROR!” “This can’t be happening,” I thought. So there I am, defeated, and knowing what had to be done. </p>
<p>I’m a singer, not the light guy, so I have a very basic knowledge of what was programmed where so to say I was winging it would probably be an understatement. But, alas, that’s what I did. I created all of the fixtures needed and went to work again. I programmed for what seemed like hours and got a basic set up done to, hopefully, get us through the night. </p>
<p>By this time, it was time to get ready to go to the gig so I got ready, picked up the kids from school, dropped them off at their Granny’s house, and headed toward the gig. </p>
<p>We arrived and got everything set up so I started checking everything. The lights were going crazy! Log story short, after working for a little while I needed up having to delete all of the programming I did at home before. I then worked diligently from then until it was time to hit the stage. </p>
<p>We made it through the gig with somewhat of a light show so I guess we’ll call that a “win.” Let’s just say that I don’t want a repeat of that day, though, and I will definitely think twice about working on stuff like that on a day that we have a gig.</p>Spare Changetag:sparechangemusic.net,2005:Post/53970102018-08-27T13:28:44-04:002024-02-14T00:46:49-05:00My First Blog Post, Yes, Ever<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/315386/b28dbf32db566bf1d455a806bc9cb4132b507d97/original/bp-5709.jpg/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsInNtYWxsIl1d.jpg" class="size_s justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Well, here is my first attempt at a blog post. I've always been a little apprehensive because I thought, "what do I have to say that people will really want to read?" I realized that it's not really about that, though. It's more about you guys getting to know me and the band better, and that makes it worth it. </p>
<p>With that said, let me know if there is something you guys are interested in knowing and I'll try to cover it. Feel free to comment here with any thoughts or ideas. </p>
<p>I am always looking to get better at this whole "band thing" and this is a step in that direction, hopefully. Keep a look out for the next post, and please let us know what you want to see from us. </p>
<p>We'll see you on the road.</p>Spare Change