About this vendor
Since 1990, we have been performing throughout the U.S., offering affordable quality and an authentic soulful sound that's guaranteed to keep your guests out on the dance floor!!! Playing over 400 songs, we range between three and twelve pieces to fit any budget. Please visit our website today!
Details
Music Genres
- Classical
- Country
- Dance
- Disco
- Hip-Hop
- Jazz
Music Services
- Live Music
- MC Services
Wedding Activities
- Wedding
- Ceremony
Awards and Affiliations
2019 'Best of Weddings'
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
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4.9
out of 5.048 reviews
The Moonlighters are true professionals, and put on the best show that we could have hoped for our wedding. We really appreciate them so much. Everyone had a blast, and we’ve recei...
ved so many compliments on how great the band was. They had the party going until the very end, and I was impressed with how tight the sound was through out the evening! Such a talented group that is easy to work with. Book this band for your event now!!
This band is awesome! They played at my son’s wedding 4 years ago so when my daughter was getting married this year, we wanted the same band! They play lots of great music to keep ...
everyone up on the dance floor!
I wanted a swing/jazz band for my wedding, and oh boy, did they deliver! They were swinging, and lively; their repertoire was quite expansive. They reached out to ask if I had any...
specific songs and then added additional pieces that suited the style I wanted.
We contracted them for both the ceremony and the reception, we had a 3 piece band for the ceremony (piano, bass, and sax) They showed up early and set up with no extra help needed, played some gentle jazz music until the ceremony began, and even added in a drummer for no extra charge.
I flip-flopped on the song I wanted to walk down the aisle to until almost the very last moment, and they were incredibly understanding and flexible.
For the ceremony, we requested a 7 piece band so it could be boisterous and fun. There was almost no time that the dance floor was empty from the moment they began playing, even though the music they played was a sort of old-school jazz that few people know how to properly dance to. They played so well and brought such an element of joy and fun, that all our guests felt comfortable enough to dance all night.
We learned how to swing dance for our first dance (Louis Armstrong, 'Bout Time), and the band played it to perfection (even if we didn't dance it perfectly LOL). This moment is one I will treasure forever, it was exactly as I had wanted it to be. For the rest of the night, they played off a setlist of a few songs I gave them and filled in the rest with their own recommendations. The singer has the most beautiful voice, all the band members play perfectly, I felt like I was in a 1920s jazz bar which was exactly what I had wanted.
We had guests approach us all throughout the night, and even now to ask who the band was and to congratulate us on such a fun event.
If you want a band that can swing, rock, and any other musical verb you like, this is the band you want. They were so communicative, helpful, and perfectly able to understand my vision.
To the Orignal Moonlighters: thank you for making my wedding as special as it was.
The Moonlighters band was truly fantastic. They played all of my favorite songs, the singers were professional, and Richie the band lead was there early to help set everything up....
They learned my requested song and played it beautifully. I definitely recommend hiring them to play as a trio during dinner, was very fun. Will was very responsive and answered any questions I had. The band had difficulty during their breaks playing music and so their breaks were silent. Going to just chalk this up to this being their first time in the venue. I very much recommend this band.
As soon as the band started, just about every wedding guest was on the dance floor for the rest of the night. Their great music and charm brought so much energy to the party and ma...
de for an unforgettable night of dancing. The "Original" Moonlighters were wonderful to work with: very professional, personable and flexible during COVID-19. I cannot recommend them enough - they truly made our wedding night and people are still asking about "the amazing band" we had!
Hire The Original Moonlighters! The best wedding band!
The Original Moonlighters are the best! We hired them as our wedding band back in 2019 and we ended up having to reschedule ...
our wedding twice due to Covid. The Original Moonlighters were extremely kind, flexible, and easy to work with. We are SO glad they were available for our rescheduled wedding date in June 2021. Our wedding reception was a blast because of this band! They played a fantastic song selection and really got the dance floor going. The band was so engaging with us and our guests - it was fun because they were having a great time, too! We loved the Motown songs they played, and our guests of all ages were dancing. The Original Moonlighters are absolutely the best band for a wedding reception, and I cannot recommend them highly enough. We had a wonderful party thanks to this band! Do yourself a favor and hire The Original Moonlighters!
Without a doubt The Moonlighters are as professional as they come. Will is great to talk to and knows what he is saying when he says having a great big band is worth it (5-6 pc ban...
d). Watching the band play and how much the crowd gathers on the dance floor is truly amazing. I would recommend this band anytime.
What a band! They absolutely made our party...the Moonlighters ROCK (and swing, and funk, and Motown, and even some awesome pop/top 40). A million thank you's from me and Tyler...y...
'all the BEST!!!
Just wanted to say, you need to hire these guys and gal ASAP...they're so easy to work with and always put on a show!!! We heard them at a friend's wedding and booked them 2 wks. l...
ater: BEST. BAND. EVER.
Our perfect wedding became a reality thanks to the Original Moonlighters. We wanted an energetic band for getting our guests up dancing, and these guys (and gals) exceeded all expe...
ctations. People were even dancing during dinner! They played EVERYTHING, including 3 encores because nobody wanted to leave. And now we're still getting compliments about our awesome band. All I can say is WOW!!!
Our feet still hurt from dancing, lol! I've been to TONS of weddings with boring DJ music, so we decided to hire a live band covering all the classics and top 40 hits. But the Moo...
nlighters pretty much know every song in the universe, so it was an easy decision. Pricing was reasonable, they took all our requests, and even personalized some songs with our names...now how cute is THAT??? But when they let our family members on stage, singing a couple songs with the band, it brought the whole house down!!! You guys totally rock, and we're already making plans to book you again for our family reunion next yr.
Bravo, fellas! I know you have great reviews and videos, but WOW!!! The band was even better in person, so my beautiful bride and all our guests are still talking non-stop about da...
ncing all night to this awesome band. Thanks for making me look good, lol!
The "Original Moonlighters" were just perfect...thank you, Will and all the guys/gals for the best time of our lives!!!
Thanks, Moonlighters for making our wedding night a party to remember...everybody loved the band and can't stop talking about you guys, so now we're recommending you to all our fri...
ends!!! I'm totally sure we'll be seeing you again!
We love everything about The “Original” Moonlighters - their incredible talent, sound, energy, and song selection will wow your guests and make your event memorable!! They worked w...
ith us in advance on the Bride’s surprise song for her Groom. The band kept the energy high and fun from the very beginning of our reception, and they continued to wow everyone throughout the evening. Our guests packed the dance floor throughout the night, and everyone loved the music and the band. We have continued to receive compliments on the band, several days after the wedding.
We're dancers and finding a fun band covering all the styles was key! Taking requests and reading the crowd, they literally kept 150 people out on the floor for 3 solid hours...YES...
SS!!! The Moonlighters are are so nice, fun and very talented. Thank you again!
OMG! Where do I begin? Everyone was so nice and accommodating before, during and even after our wedding day. Manager, bandleader, and musicians were totally on point. I wish all my...
other vendors were this awesome. We had some venue and timing issues, but they didn't miss a beat, handling all the last-minute changes with big smiles on their faces, making the day much less stressful. Learning special songs, making announcements, even having my brother sit in with them on drums...no problemo! AND keeping our guests dancing all night long: 20 year-olds, 30/40-somethings and even the 70 year-olds were totally getting down!!!
I was a bit nervous hiring a wedding band online, but the Moonlighters reviews and videos were excellent! And as soon as they started playing, we knew it was the best possible deci...
sion...they were outstanding and definitely the highlight of our entire night (besides getting married), so a big THANK YOU, again!
What a snazzy act. From their trim blue suits down to their stage bits (the Suzie Q story!) and up to all the high notes, this band brought it with the horns, the male and female l...
eads, and every single band member. My 80-year-old grandmother told me she could have danced to The Original Moonlighters "all night." They opened with our first dance, and shut the house down with "Shout"! I wish I could get married again -- don't tell my husband -- just so I'd have an excuse to hire this band. A billion stars!
So we decided to splurge on our wedding band, hiring The Original Moonlighters after seeing them at a friend's wedding back in 2014...I've been to over 20 weddings in DC with live ...
bands, and nobody even comes close for playing all the tunes, bringing the energy, keeping everyone on the dance floor, etc. Hiring the 10 pce. band with full horn section was surprisingly cheaper than what we expected too!!! Working with their manager was super easy, and let me tell you, they all put on a SHOW!!! Family and friends are still talking. So keep on doing what you do b/c you guys are AWESOME!!!
OMG! Where do I even begin? These guys are sooo talented...and they play everything from swing and oldies during dinner for the grandparents to Motown/classic rock that totally fil...
ls the dance floor non-stop!!! And then late into the night they break out the JT, M5 and Bruno for all the younger folks...partaaay, lol! Working with them was super easy, they're extremely talented, VERY nice, and reasonably priced. So don't hesitate...you must book this band!!!
Planning our own wedding, budget was a major issue. But our #1 priority was having a dynamic live band for getting everyone out on the dance floor. Our wedding planner recommended ...
the Original Moonlighters, and after checking out their online reviews, emailing some past clients and talking with their manager we were totally sold. The keyboardist learned several songs for our ceremony and played them beautifully. And when it was time to party, the band had all our guests out on the dance floor non-stop!!! In fact, the musicians only took one short break during the entire three hrs. Otherwise, whatever we wanted played they were totally on point! We hired the 8 piece, and that package was surprisingly affordable, including stage lights and MC services. They looked great in their matching suits and our guests can't stop talking about how friendly and talented everyone was. Thank you, Moonlighters, for making our wedding a dream come true!
We decided to go with the Original Moonlighters after reading multiple reviews and speaking directly with some people who had them play at their wedding. We had never personally he...
ard them before, but we had heard such good things about them and they seemed like just the kind of vibe we were going for.
Unfortunately we were extremely disappointed. I will say that communication with William (the band's rep) was quick and easy. The ceremony music sounded nice. That's pretty much where the positives end.
One of the most important jobs a wedding band has (in my opinion) is the timing of their music and getting the crowd excited. Unfortunately the Moonlighters's timing/enthusiasm throughout the night was lacking. The lead singer was extremely unenthused, I don't think she cracked a smile all night. There were times when the band should have played music (such as parent and wedding party introductions, an impromptu well known beatles song that was part of someone's speech, a request for another well-known song by Stevie Wonder) that they did not play any music or refused, saying that they didn't know the songs. There were a few times throughout the night that I was signaling to them to start playing music-- isn't that their job?! Pretty sure I shouldn't have to be the one worrying about the music. They sounded okay once they finally did start playing, but at points their sound was messed up. I truly don't know why we paid them as much as we did, seeing as they probably only played a total of about an hour and a half of music the entire night.
Additionally, we had spent A LOT of time reviewing the timing of a prerecorded song that we wanted them to play through their speakers as a surprise first dance medley. Somehow that managed to get messed up too.
Needless to say, we had a wonderful time at our wedding, but it wasn't because of the band. I would not recommend.
LOVE this band!! They made the wedding so special, put up with us changing the first dance days before without a worry, and helped everything go so smoothly. Our guests were dancin...
g the entire time and everyone is asking me who they are, wanting to book them. Best wedding decision we made!!
The “Original” Moonlighters performed at our daughter’s wedding reception on May 5th at the Potomac View Terrace. We first learned of the band when they played at our goddaughter’...
s wedding a few years ago. The Original Moonlighters perform a broad range of music as you can tell by viewing their website. We have received many favorable compliments about the band’s performance from our guests, as well as our daughter and new son-in-law. In addition, we found their manager to be responsive to our inquiries and requests and would highly recommend you consider the them for your event. We are sure you won’t be disappointed.
Wowl The Original Moonlighters were AMAZING and everyone loved having them at the party last night, especially the birthday duo. We could not have asked for better entertainment ...
or nicer folks. I really cannot thank the band enough for such a special evening. It is something my parents will cherish forever. Everyone just raved about how great they were. Please pass on my deepest gratitude. They were the BEST!!!
The Original Moonlighters is hands down the BEST motown/variety band in the DC area! They recently played at our wedding reception in Old Town Alexandria and absolutely brought dow...
n the house - everyone is still raving about how they are the best wedding band they have ever seen. They truly made our wedding the best day of our lives and the most fun party we have ever been to! The male and female vocalist have incredible voices and would come into the crowd during songs which added to the fun. All of the musicians are so talented, and they performed each song as good if not better than the original. They are also great at feeding off the crowd and always seemed to play the right song at the right time. The booking process with William was straightforward and easy, and the price was excellent value for money compared to other bands in the area (that aren't as good!). We can't recommend this band highly enough to future brides and grooms - you are guaranteed to have the most fun wedding of your dreams!!
The best decision I made for my wedding, besides choosing my partner, was selecting the Original Moonlighters as our band.
Our wedding was somewhat intimate with 60 guests, rangi...
ng in age from 18 to 77. We were concerned about finding a band that could appeal to such a broad age range with eclectic musical tastes, but this band more than appealed to our guests. They had everyone on the dance floor smiling and having a spectacular time.
The band included two vocalists and four instrumentalists for a three-hour event that included the dinner hour and two hours of dancing. For the dinner hour, the band played beautiful jazz music, which allowed the guests to enjoy their dinner and conversation with soothing music playing in the background. The dancing portion of the night kicked off with the song, At Last by Etta James that was beautifully performed by their female vocalist. In fact, I think she sounded better than the original artist. From there, the band transitioned smoothly from one genre to the next with pure talent. Almost all of the guests were on the dance floor throughout the night dancing, laughing and having a great time.
Not only was the music by this band flawless but they were also very professional, fun, easy to work with and even attired themselves in my wedding colors. You cannot go wrong in hiring this band; they will make your wedding event the talk of the town.
Dave and Julie Kruse
The Original Moonlighters are a legend. People talk about bands that elevate a mere party to the status of a mythical event. People talk about bands that can speak to everyone: you...
ng, old, white, black, local, and foreign; bands that transcend these separations. In my life as a former wedding caterer, I’ve seen dozens of wedding bands and DJs show up, play some music and leave. Very rarely does a band even manage to make any kind of difference, let alone transcend division. The Original Moonlighters not only manages to transcend, but now exists in the mind of our wedding guests of our mixed-race wedding as the band responsible for creating the best time many of us have ever had.
Their musical knowledge and skill are considerable and impressive, but even skilled musicians are a dime a dozen. What sets The Original Moonlighters apart is their openness, attentiveness and care. They willingly learned our favorite song for our first dance and it was amazing! They have mastered the elusive and subtle skills of reading the room and caring about what each person actually felt is a good time. Everyone at the reception from 90 year old world-traveling grandmas to down-south country cousins to hard-working family from the mid-west to teenagers to 5-year-olds who have never heard most of the songs previously got up and danced until their legs went out. They helped us to see that even though we all may be from different places, have vastly different experiences, and different skin colors, we are all one family. The band wasn’t just folks who played at our wedding --they were a true part of it.
We are deeply grateful for their performance, care, and emotion. We wholeheartedly recommend them for your wedding. Their music is beautiful and the emotional memories it will leave in your heart are easily worth their reasonable and fair booking fee. Don’t wait, book them now.
The Moonlighters absolutely made our wedding the most amazing night of our lives. ALL of our guests were dancing the entire night, and they all raved about how amazing the band san...
g/played/danced. Not a single person was sitting once the music got started. The band had the most incredible energy, and as the bride, made me feel like they were singing all of their songs just for me. Literally ... they played every song I requested, kept the music on schedule, and most importantly, kept everyone dancing. They ended the night with such a great energy, no one wanted to leave! We are SO HAPPY they were available for our wedding ... thank you Vance and the Moonlighters for making our wedding so much fun. We wish you the best, and please don't ever stop playing!
To say that this band plays motown music is a complete joke. We hired them for our wedding. They spent the whole night playing pop and oldies. We heard everything from Bruno Mars, ...
to Maroon 5, to Pharrell Williams, to The Wobble, to disco music. I was asked to provide the band a list of song requests from their website. Although I confirmed with them several times, the band COMPLETELY IGNORED MY REQUESTS. I specifically asked for no disco music in our contract. They literally closed the night playing a RECORDING OF THE ELECTRIC SLIDE. That was the "last dance".
I was told I could provide an Ipod with music for the band to play when they took a break. I took forever selecting motown hits so the dancing would be uninterrupted. They didn't even bother to hook it up. The full band for dancing was supposed to start after the dinner. We had booked three of the band members to play background instrumental jazz during the dinner hour. Instead, almost the whole band got up, started singing, and some people thought it was time to dance when dinner was just starting to be served! We asked them twice to turn the music down during dinner so people wouldn't have to scream at each other, to no avail.
I had so been looking forward to a wonderful night dancing with my new husband to my favorite songs. I was completely devastated at this band's lack of care and attention to my requests.
Hire this band!! They were SO much fun. Bill was super easy to communicate with via email - always responding within an hour. Our guests had a lot of fun dancing and interacting wi...
th the band. Still getting compliments from family and friends!!!
The band absolutely made our wedding a fabulous party! Everybody was raving about them that night and continues to rave about them afterwards. They are very reasonably priced and h...
ad wonderful talent and energy!
Trust me, you want to book this band! We were a bit nervous about the band for our wedding just because we had booked them without ever having heard them play - always a bit of a r...
isk. We had absolutely NOTHING to worry about. The Original Moonlighters had everyone on the dance floor all night long! They were engaging, fun, not to mention they sound incredible. If you're looking for a classic wedding band that plays all the best songs, this is absolutely the place to go. We would do it all again in a heartbeat! It was the perfect vibe for our reception - book them now!
The agent and all band members showed the highest degree of professionalism. Our guests were totally in love with this group and the variety of music they could play. But most impo...
rtant, my daughter--"THE BRIDE"--could not have been happier after it was all over that we had selected "The Original Moonlighters" for her wedding. We are still getting comments from our guest on how much they loved this band. Thanks to all the band members who helped make my daughter's wedding a remarkable day.
Cannot say enough about how amazing The Original Moonlighters were at my wedding! We had 190 people at the wedding and as soon as dinner was over everyone was up and dancing for th...
e entire reception. We had the 9-piece band and highly recommend them. We were thrilled with how many genres they could cover from oldies to Motown, pop, funk, rock, etc. Their musicians handled cocktail hour with a solo keyboardist and a dinner jazz trio as well. It could not have been easier working with the band as they were always accessible by phone and email. My wife and I could not be happier with the band, don’t hesitate to book them! Thanks to The Original Moonlighters for making our day that much more special.
From the beginning, having a great band was an important part of what we wanted in the wedding, and you guys/gals were so good! People had an incredible time dancing and listening....
I was the boss of finding a band and listened to hundreds of sound clips. You guys stood out in sounding like you could both swing it hared and also bring the funk. (Most bands seem to do one or the other). What I hadn't expected was the raw energy coupled with the professionalism. We got married in Baltimore under the curfew, and y'all rolled with it and made it a fantastic party. Thanks for that! Matt & Kate
Please excuse my very tardy note here. I have been meaning to call or write you regarding the Original Moonlighters Band performance on May 30. Let me start off by saying there is ...
no doubt we made the right choice for a band for my daughter's wedding reception. We are still getting compliments about the band, the variety of songs they could play, the highest level of professionalism, etc. Everyone just loved them.
Everything was on time, Bill handled all the special request marvelously, etc. If you ever need a referral or recommendation you know who to call. Please pass this on to the Band that they made a very special day "Outstanding!"
Dan Clark
DON'T HESITATE! The Original Moonlighters were the BEST wedding band!!! We wanted a good variety of songs that kept everyone dancing all night, and they delivered and then some!
...
Their musical talent was awesome, and the playlist couldn't have been better. They were also ready to roll with the punches when unplanned things occurred, like an over-served groomsman jumping on stage and being the lead singer for an entire song, or when they broke into an impromptu version of "The Stars at Night" on the trumpet for our guests, half of whom were from Texas.
They were absolutely incredible and just MADE our reception. The dinner music they played was classy and made us feel like we were at the most chic of events, and the dance music after dinner was just so much fun. They are laid back, easy to work with and receptive to ideas. They're great at MCing the event, as well, and keeping a good flow throughout the evening for things like the cake cutting, first dance, intros, bouquet toss, send off...and "Shout!" as the last song was the best three minutes of my entire life.
They're awesome, and a great price for this area. BOOK THEM!!!
Wanted you to know that the band was a huge success. You all were excellent musicians and made the bride and groom and me as well as all of our guests have a wonderful time. Thank...
s to you and your talented band it was truly a great evening!
Also wanted to pass along comments below to me from my husband’s first cousin on how much he enjoyed the music and the dancing.
Can’t thank you and the band enough for making a beautiful and happy occasion into a very memorable and fun party as well!!! The fun times will be long remembered.
Martha Crosland
They made my wedding. Velvet voices, soothing sounds, dressed in tuxedos. Everyone loved, loved, loved the band. They sung every request we asked, effortlessly. The band was prompt...
, and professional. After my groom, gave me a toast.....they played a song that reflected the moment perfectly. It was a great time. If you want a stellar Motown band do not hesitant to contact the Moonlighters. I am already planning to hire them for my party next year. Great Band.
Wonderful!!! The moonlighters were amazing! Great music, nothing to complain! I'm so happy we booked them for our wedding!
The Moonlighters were a highlight of our wedding and kept everyone dancing for hours. They did a great job as emcees for the night, and played a variety of music -- perfect for a m...
ix of ages and cultures. Can't say enough good things about the band!!
Avo and I could not have been happier on Saturday!!!! You guys were incredible, we were absolutely blown away- and I can't count the number of guests who commented on your awesomen...
ess:) We can't thank you enough for your talents, hard work and professionalism- so THANK YOU and each member of your amazing band... We were truly impressed!!!
Outstanding performance, we received several congratulations from attendees about the Moonlighters. Helped us with announcements and scheduling during reception while putting on a ...
first class show that had folks dancing all night. Highly recommend.
A big and loud “Thank You!” from me and Nicole. The Moonlighters have 185 new fans after Saturday night, and Nicole and I are going to evangelize for you guys for any parties or ev...
ents that we hear about. You were absolutely brilliant – from the opening three songs, which absolutely set the tone for the night all the way through the slow dancing, the ad libbed pop songs (Blurred Lines into Marvin Gaye!), to the final notes accompanying Jed on his freestyle. Your sound and arrangements, your versatility and complete facility with all the music we wanted to hear, your showmanship – it was all superb and everything we hoped for. Beyond that, you and William were a pleasure to work with, and Vance, you in particular showed so much concern for making Nicole and I comfortable and happy. Thank you. We cannot say enough. We will absolutely post everywhere and tell everybody we know about you. I certainly hope we have the chance to work with you again.
We had a "Barn Dance" - The Moonlighters ROCKED the house. There were 1,000 people there and they were mostly dancing from beginning to end. Afterwards, half of them asked for the ...
contact inf.
If you want a party, if you want dancing, if you want classic soul....the is where you go! No Question!
We searched for months in order to find the PERFECT wedding band for our event. And then we saw The Moonlighters at a friend's wedding. They were absolutely incredible!!! This is t...
he first time we've ever seen the entire dance floor packed from beginning to end. So we hired them for our wedding, and even our non-dancing folks were shaking it...we were shocked, lol! They're really friendly and easy to work with, answering ALL our questions, taking requests, learning songs etc. People are still asking us about our amaaazing band!!! And thanks to them, it was truly the BEST day of my life...thanks Moonlighters!
Contact
1105 30th Street, NW, Washington, DC
The "Original" Moonlighters