Soul Revival

to tell us how great Soul Revival was. When I had my initial phone conversation with Justin, I immediately new I was going to get along with him and like his style. We spoke about what type of music we both thought made for a good wedding and I explained how I really wanted soul and funk classics that were familar to many generations. My husband and I wanted everyone to be able to enjoy the music and not just the people in our age group. Wow, did it work. We literally saw people on the dance floor whom we had NEVER seen before! Also Justin was so laid back, easy going, and truly personable in our meetings - I was confidant the entire time that he would know just what to play to keep the party going; and going it did. The night ended with everyone chanting one more song and continuing to dance while the band members were putting things away. They were well worth the money and I would have literally NO Reservations recommending them to anyone...in fact..do it...now. Book them - it will be the easiest decision of your whole wedding. Oh and they also learned songs for us, including out 1st dance song - which they rocked. It was Tina Turner's River Deep, Mountain High, and it was so unbelievable I can't believe it wasn't one from their repertoire. Let me say it one mroe time AMAZING!

o see them during one of their Manhattan showcases, outdoors during July 2010. Unfortunately, it was rained out. Instead, the bandleader, Justin, met with my SO and I at a local Starbucks. It should be noted that Justin called us as soon as he found out that the occasion was rained out that morning. He and my husband had been in e-mail communication, and Justin didn’t want us going to NYC for a cancelled showcase. Very considerate. Meeting with Justin, we realized that we all had similar tastes in music. We spoke for an hour about what concerts we go to, what we were looking for in a band, as well as our favorite songs. Justin not only knew our favorite songs, he also enjoyed our favorite songs, and said that his band has already played many of them at other weddings. Justin was very good at sizing up our event, and was very honest about what type of music Soul Revival provides. As we couldn’t see them play live within the time we would have liked to secure them, and as my SO and I are musicians, we were given rehearsal demos, which sounded incredible. We booked them on faith and on the quality of their rehearsal footage. If you’re into classic funk, soul, as well as some jam band music, Soul Revival may very well be the band you’re looking for. They are truly a band for people who are also musicians. It should also be noted that top-40 music is not really their specialty. They’ll learn up to 5 songs for your affair, but their gig is really about funk; not about what you’ll hear on Z-100. My SO and Justin stayed in constant contact over the next year. He was quick to get back to us in order to answer any question, via phone or email. We invited Justin to a local open jam, and he came for a beer and to play on stage with us. Also, we wanted to sing with the band during our wedding, and Justin happily came over to our apartment with his equipment and practiced with us a month before the wedding. All of this demonstrated great professionalism on behalf of Soul Revival, and inspired our confidence in the band. During the ceremony, the guitarist played some select Beatles songs acoustically. We had one great set of music prior to the blackout. In fact, the band had put on their iPod and food was served when the power went out. The power was down throughout dinner, but after people finished eating, the band had come up with an idea to literally save our party. The horns, acoustic guitar, and snare drum came out to the center of the dance floor, and they played New Orleans 2nd line music, like “When the Saints go Marching in.” Everyone was singing and clapping along. Then, they played and sang a capella for the parent dances, which made them so much more memorable and special. The FOB dance was “My Girl,” and everyone started singing along! It was a really special moment, and you could tell the band enjoyed it! After the power went back on, the band kicked it into gear until our party was over. I have to emphasize how the band really stepped it up by going the extra yard to play the acoustic set during the blackout, and singing the parent dances a capella. It was a really special wedding because of all that the band did for us. I couldn’t recommend them more!

ay, we signed the contract that night. We went over the music with them and had a few specific requests, including our first dance, and they nailed them all! I was very very happy!