FAQ

So, you would like to hire a band. Hopefully this guide will help you figure out if you're at the right place.

Some questions to consider:

What kind of music do you want?

There are many styles of music. Some bands play a variety of different genres. CrazyHeart plays strictly Country Music in the traditional style. This does not mean that you will only hear Hank Williams style music all night. We play covers from artists such as George Strait, Alan Jackson, The Dixie Chicks, and many more. So if you want to some old rock and roll, or Motown or disco … we'd really prefer you would hire that type of band.

What kind of facility does a band need?

Well, it depends on the band and the venue. Is it an inside or outside job? How many people are expected to be there?

Outside jobs require more production; a longer set up time, more equipment and most bands charge more for an outside job because of the extra production and set up time. You really need to furnish a stage or at least, platform for the band to play on.

Make sure you ask the band what its electrical requirements are. Some smaller venues and smaller bands only require minimal electrical power.

Larger bands and larger venues require lots of clean power. This is a must for larger equipment and if not done right can damage equipment. Some bands will check the power before they set up and refuse to play without adequate, clean power. It doesn't make sense to play to make $1000 dollars and have to replace $5000 worth of equipment.

CrazyHeart states right in their contract the electrical power needed. Each main speaker requires a 20 amp circuit. There are 4 main speakers. Lights take lots of power. For each rack (4 lights), figure another 20 amp circuit. Most times the way CrazyHeart will handle all these power requirements is to run an electrical tap to the nearest electrical box.

If your job is outside, what provisions have you made for bad weather?

You've planned for a year in advance. All the vendors and rides are booked. Then comes your darkest nightmare ... thunderstorms, bad weather.

CrazyHeart requires that you provide protection for all equipment and performers in the case of inclement weather. Water will damage many of the components in a large PA system. It doesn't take much water, so a drizzle is as bad as a downpour. We try to work with the venue to protect everything and everyone. If it looks like bad weather, we probably won't play if the job is outside, unless you have really provided for our safety. That said, I can show you pictures of Bonnie (our singer), standing on top of the scaffolding holding down tarps in 60 mph winds, with lightning over her head.

Make sure you have talked with the bandleader about cancellation and what the requirements are in case of inclement weather. What are your responsibilities to the band even if you cancel? Make sure there are no misunderstandings.

How much is all this going to cost us? Wow! You charge that much for only 3 hours of work?

Again there is no definitive answer for this. It depends. How many members are in the band? How far are you asking the band to travel? Many small bands run a simple PA for just the voices. CrazyHeart has a full time Sound Engineer to make sure everything sounds as good as possible. We are currently running close to 5000 watts of power out front. We can handle any venue you have.

We use nothing but the top rated equipment in both the PA and our personal equipment. When we set up, there is probably close to $30,000 worth of equipment setting on stage.

What is 3 hours of work? Well if you're a local band like CrazyHeart, you don't have roadies. We get to the job 2 hours before we have to start to set up and do sound checks. It takes about an hour to clean up everything at the end of the show. Gosh, that's 6 hours, not counting drive time. If it's about an hour each way, that's an 8 hour day

Why should I pay this much for a band? #@%& Band said they would play for half that.

Why didn't you hire them? Let's be honest, this is a business. What will END up costing you more, a $300 band that brings 50 people to your function. That's works out to $6 per person. OR a $1500 band that brings 2000 people. Do the math!. That's $0.75 per person.

What does CrazyHeart charge to play?

Again, that depends on a lot of factors. Is it inside or outside? Summer or winter? How far do you want us to travel? How large does the production have to be? How many people are expected. What kind of relationship do you have with us? Is this one job or can you give us a job once a month?

Many factors go into pricing. We know that to overcharge does no one any good. We also would like to receive a fair price for what we do. We all have other jobs, so the money we make really goes back into personal equipment or band production. We try hard to keep the price low, but fair. The best thing to do is call and ask.

When is the best time to call?

The best time to call is as soon as you know you'll need a band. If you've looked at our schedule and the schedules of the other bands in our area, you know that we are booked sometimes years in advance. If you know the date, call NOW to guarantee yourself the date you want. Just because a date on our schedule appears to be open doesn't always mean we are available. Any band will tell you that, try as we may, our schedules do not always have the latest information. AS I write this, I know there are at least 6 possible dates that we will find out about in the next week.

Who handles the booking? Do I have to go through an agency?

We handle our own booking. CrazyHeart is managed by Bonnie Rollins and Lorraine Hunt. Bonnie, yep, the same one on stage singing with her husband, Jarrett (sorry guys), handles all the music. Lorraine, Jim's wife, handles most of the booking, with help from a few other members. But we do it all ourselves and there are no fees to be paid for booking.

Call Lorraine Hunt at 610-865-6036

email lorraine@crazyheart.com

Even if you just need information and are not ready to book, call anyway. Info is free!