Planning a wedding in 2020 was truly an exercise in terror. Constantly shifting guidelines as to the number of guests allowed, states placed on quarantine lists, threats of fines scaring off vendors, family from out of state afraid to travel, a...nd even bans on live music and dancing nearly sent my daughter, a "Covid bride"as she called herself, over the edge. The one constant in all of it, the one thing I never had to worry about, was Mark and the "King of Hearts" band. We went from a large hall with 175 guests that balked when the state restricted it to 50, then backed out completely when we insisted on live music. The second venue was all in until three weeks before the wedding date, when they too decided that live music might lead to dancing. Despite assurances that we would test all guests, maintain social distancing and wear masks, they suggested that instead we play parlor games and have a trivia contest. Ridiculous. Option number three: we erected a tent in my yard, trailered in bathrooms, a generator, set up the caterer in my garage and it was a huge success. Mark stuck with me through every step, never hesitating once when the proposed venues made him travel farther, the hall shrank to a tent, and we added on cocktail hour music and ceremony music at the last minute. He responded quickly to every email, and was an absolute pleasure to correspond with. He is, in addition to being an extraordinarily pleasant young man, a consummate performer with charm, talent and stage presence in abundance. The big advantage to dealing with KOH is you are dealing directly with Mark. There is no management group acting as a middle man and piecing together bands from a portfolio of musicians. My other daughter was married last year and KOH was not available. We went through a management group and the band that showed up on her wedding day did not have one member who was on their audition video. This is usually the case with most bands and Mark did inform us that his other musicians change out as their contracts expire and their schedules change. He draws from his Berklee School of Music contacts, a talented pool of musicians. But talented as they are, the lead vocals make or break your band and Mark and his female lead were simply outstanding. From Bruno Mars to Frank Sinatra, from Norah Jones to Whitney Houston they seamlessly morphed from one style to the next and kept the party going, causing one guest to remark that they were chameleons, bending their voices to fit the genre. Rap to rock, R&B to standards, folk to funk, they do it all and do it well. Mark charmed the crowd with his personality and wowed them with his vocals. At one point, a testament to how well KOH was received, he himself remarked that it seemed like there were a lot more than 50 guests attending, the dance floor was so busy.
And another thing: don't waste your time looking for local bands or insisting on a band out of New York City. Boston is where it's at when it comes to wedding bands. With Berklee and NE Conservatory in town, the talent pool is astounding and the value is unbeatable. KOH is consistently rated as one of the best and for good reason. Book them now, because when the coronavirus becomes a distant memory, Mark and KOH will be in demand. Trust me, this kid is going places. Have him play your wedding so some day you can tell your kids "I knew him when...."