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Muse Restaurant

Sat 30th Apr at Muse Restaurant was a special members wine tasting event for Audrey Wilkinson Wines.
I’ve done many functions for Audrey Wilkinson & Agnew Wines over the years.

Having played so many Hunter Valley venues over years and years of being a wedding and function singer, I’ve driven past Muse Restaurant probably 78 times as it’s on Broke Rd, one of the main roads into the Hunter Wine region.

Recently I’d driven past Muse Restaurant, one more time, and I glanced over and had a look, and thought you know I’d really love to play there. I really want to try the beautiful food and of course the famous muse coconut a special desert that they’re known for which is a handmade chocolate mousse coconut.

Audrey Wilkinson Annual Members Lunch

As luck would have it the next week, the artist I booked for a corporate event there pulled out with Covid on the day so (we needed an urgent fill in) and it was finally my turn to play the famous Muse.
What a great day. It was a little overcast and rainy but that didn’t stop the huge turn out of Audrey Wilkinson members  to celebrate an annual members lunch.

The place was fully packed and booked out by Audrey Wilkinson. All the members showed up from all over from Sydney, Newcastle and all over the place and they were treated to a delicious set menu with loads and loads of various wines.
I started playing nice background music, and then naturally as the lunch went on the wine and good times flowed more and more.

Background music only – or get them up to dance ?

Then I reached that point where you’re never sure as an artist whether to switch from background music into upbeat, dance music .
I mean what does the client want – just laid back grooves only?
Some clients DO NOT want people up dancing as it can get a bit wild and pub like.
So as a singer we all have to make this call – keep the client happy …..and keep the audience happy.

Of course my job is to deliver to the people what the people want to so if they want to dance then I switch to that vibe.
Sometimes in an elegant restaurant scene – I purposely keep it chilled so it doesn’t become a typical pub vibe – this is a skill learned over time to keep a controlled nice upmarket vibe going and to avoid a suburban pub vibe.

In this case a good trick is somewhere in between – instead of manic dance songs – I go for singalongs or reggae songs as a hybrid between low key background ballads and crazy dance songs.

so I got them all singing along to a few classic ballads like Hey Jude and Sweet Caroline.
A few got up to dance, it turned out to be a great day.

The famous Muse Restaurant Coconut.

I was watching the spectacular, artistic creation the famous Muse Restaurant Coconut go round the tables, everyone got a Muse Coconut dessert.
As the musician we typical get a ‘service meal’ not the same as the guests – usually a main – out was delicious. I din’t expect a coconut dessert of course as I was working there not a paid guest.

As luck would have it, as i was at the back of the room near a table of guests adjusting my camera, (you can see a video of highlights of the gig here…..https://youtu.be/ndIFlv8YUPM)
I was adjusting my camera, and I was able to see the Muse Coconuts up close on a table and I looked at them and I said to someone, my God don’t they look amazing.
This dessert is what Muso is famous for.
A lady looked at me and said do you want mine?
She said I hate coconut, I’ve hated it all my life, can’t stand it…..have it, it’s yours!
I thought wow my day is just got even better. Not only did I get to play at Muse I got to sample the famous Muse Restaurant Coconut.

I devoured that and finished my gig.
It was just a great day, great gig, and then I rushed off to another booking.
Another private booking that night back in Sydney , but I was so happy to finally play Muse and sample the fine cuisine.
I highly recommend it.
Thanks for reading this.
If you need a corporate function singer, you know who to call 🙂
Once again, here’s a link to the video of highlights of the day.
https://youtu.be/ndIFlv8YUPM

I sang and played my longest performance ever, for almost 12 hours straight.

Let me tell you the story of my longest singing and playing performance ever, in 22 years of playing.
I became ‘the 12 hour party singer’

I got a late notice call on a Sunday, late about 9pm, from my favourite client who books me for private parties for him and his mates from time to time.

“TIMMY……..mate, can you be at my joint asap for a party, got some friends coming over”.

I never say no to his parties because they’re always a really great gig and a really great night.

I drove the 30 mins across town. I arrived before any guests were there, his friend let me in and I set up.

The host arrived with a few friends around 11.30pm ish.
I started at around midnight doing my usual first set easy going tunes to get a feel for the night and see how they all responded.

More people arrived as they night got later and later, the dining area and lounge were slowly filling up.
Drinks were flowing. Some people began dancing.
More people arrived.

I was about to play my longest gig ever, 12 hours straight.

I’ll sleep when I’m dead theory

So I usually do private gigs in 3 hour blocks, that’s how I charge.
Many many times if the party is rocking and the client is a mad party hound who just wants to keep on going, they extend the time.

My previous record was an extension of hours by the hour until 6am.
That was another private house party that was about 9 hours long.

Some party people don’t consider sleep necessary. The live for the moment and subscribe to the “I’ll sleep when i’m dead” theory.

You are probably wondering about material and songs and are curious as to my stamina and even why I do this?

Yes after 22 years of playing – that’s approx 3900 gigs over 9 countries, I can play for 10-15 hours without repeating a song – I have a lot of songs.
Of course I have 20 min breaks. 40 mins on 20 mins off in public venues – but with parties I do something similar but more flexible as to what suits the vibe and mood.

Why do it do it – its my job and I like there money. Note – if they don’t accept my terms for extra time I don’t do it.
The key is – it has to be worth it for me.
Do I get tired playing for nearly 12 hours – sure – but it’s WORTH it!

Biggest performance fee ever in 22 years.

So at 3am I checked with the host – “ok what are we gonna do mate – shall I do a few more songs then pack up”?
The host looked at me blankly, leaned back and said….“are you very entrepreneurial”?
I said “huh”?
He calmly repeated his question. I said ….“um yeah sometimes, why”?
He asked how much to keep playing until 6am!
I simply doubled my initial fee and told him – he – instantly slapped his hands together and yelled – DONE!

So I’d just doubled my fee, I was pretty happy.
I was well on my to playing my longest gig ever, 12 hours straight.

Now the rest of the night was a combination of me playing live and the host and guests doing Karaoke. What I mean is, them singing with my mic over Spotify tunes.
If you’re a party host or live singer and are doing private parties you’ll know people LOVE doing this. I don’t promote it but if they ask I set it up and I then become the spotify operator and they love it.

Everyone has their favourite songs to sing and to impress your mates is the goal.
So many hours followed of Spotify Karaoke and me playing live, alternating until 6am rolled around.

We repeated the gig the following week, the 12 hour party singer was back.

Well it was about 5.45am, I re checked with the host as 6am was approaching.
I asked him mid dance floor as he was rocking out with his friends to while I was playing live, “ok so another 15mins then we’re done”?
Actually I announced over the mic , mid song the shatteringly disappointing news that we had 15 minutes then we’re done folks, let’s make the most of the last 15 minutes.

The host lurched towards me holding up a few fingers to indicate the figure he wanted to communicate to me.
He didn’t miss a beat on the dane floor and basically said “double it again…….play until midday”!

Another 6 hours now – just like that just got added.
I kind of resisted for a second – then said ok LETS GO!
I took a break then we repeated the live sets / Spotify Karaoke until it was 11.30am and there were about 4 people left.

Yes I was tired on the drive home, but also ecstatic at what I’d just achieved time and fee wise.

And the next week he called me up and we did it again till 6am, then again and again several more times till 3-6am.

And we continue to do it up to the present time.
1 of these 6-10 hour gigs pays 5 times what a hotel or club gig pays for only 2 times the playing.
This gig also pays double what a wedding gig pays in half the time spent.

I never intended to be playing my longest gig ever, 12 hours straight, it just happened.
I love my job.

Hit me up if you want to party for 12 hours, I’ll be there….I’m the 12 hour party singer.

A Solo Singer for a Home party – Create a wonderful party atmosphere.

The memories of a great party at home usually revolve around the atmosphere at the party.
The food is one thing and is important.
The guests also make a party memorable.
The location too.

But what would you say is the one thing that lasts longest in the memory of your guests than any other factor?

According to research the best influence on the party atmosphere is the music.
The surrounding sound that creates a mood, whether that is soft background ambience or some nice music to dance to or even rock out on a sweaty dance floor too.

Live Music Or DJ or Jukebox – which is better?

This depends upon the vibe of your party and the atmosphere you want.
If you and your friends are true fans of live music and you are concert goers – the idea of a DJ or Jukebox is probably repulsive and you’d always prefer live music.
However if you just really like music and you know for sure that it’ll really help with the background atmosphere, then a Jukebox or DJ may suit.

However most people would agree that live music creates a much nicer atmosphere.

But unless you’re familiar with what a decent Solo act can play and sing and create you might think that a DJ is better as they’re not to loud or they are more versatile.

How do I choose a great Solo singer for a home party?

For sure a DJ is way more versatile ( unlimited songs) than a live act.
But a live solo is very special ( provided they are amazing and really pro)
Live music has a genuine old school ‘real deal’ feel about it.

Live music fans who’ve seen a great live soloist in action( – even a nice sweet intimate background solo) know this.

Will live music be too loud for a party music at home v the Stereo?

There is a misconception that live music will be overwhelmingly loud and offensive and will not enable your guests to talk easily – That would be crazy.

There’s no point in having a party to catch up with lots of friends if the music inhibits the socialising.

The whole point is that the music should enhance the party and the experience.

THE RIGHT SOLO ACT FOR THE RIGHT OCCASSION CAN HELP CONTRIBUTE TO MEMORIES OF A PARTY THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME.

So it really comes down to choosing the right act.

Background music to make for a nice atmosphere – get a soft vocal – guitar / piano Solo – Male for Female depending upon your preference.

Ask yourself these questions when choosing live music for an event or for party music at home.

What is the end result I’m going for regarding party music at home?
Sweaty dancefloor fun ?
Nice mellow background music to talk over?

Then choose an act band on the atmosphere you want.
A true pro can cover both styles because every party begins soft and laid back then gets wilder as the night goes on of course.

Always watch a live clip first and read reviews before you enquire with an act.

Definitely request some songs before hand or even discuss some music styles to make sure your musician is catering to your tastes and your friends tastes.

Do not treat a party singer like a Jukebox – they cannot do every style , every song, so select carefully based on their live clip and their sample setlist.

Check out the live clips on my website, I’ve been playing parties and functions professionally Solo – Duo and band for 21 years all over the place and I’d be glad to help make your party awesome with some great live music for a home party.

Country Weddings!
This was a Monday night wedding gig way out North West of Newcastle NSW.
It had been postponed twice already due to covid and this time it was on a Monday night.
It was a 3 hour drive for me from home ( Hornsby in Sydney) to Scone Race Club…..and I had some car trouble, the first time ever on the way to a gig, a slow water leak that I wasn’t aware of became very obvious about 1 hour away from the gig.
I stopped on the roadside right near Huntlee to add some water. A cool local hipster guy called Bill Lind stopped to help me and he drove me to the servo where I bought a supply of water and was soon on my way.
How cool is old fashioned road side help from a local stranger!

Country Weddings

Country Weddings I often do in the Hunter Valley and the South Coast. Of Course they are favoured destinations for Sydney Siders and city folk in general. The vast expansive space is so calming and the scenery is georgeous.
I’m kind of spoilt from the years of driving up there to these amazing locations and performing at so many different venues, that I actually forget to appreciate it all. The country side is wondrous and simple and vast and calming.

Live acoustic & DJ

Tonights country wedding was a combination of live sets and and DJ sets.
I’m very used to the live sets and very experienced having done this for a long time now.
The DJ thing is relatively new to me and a service i offer which evidently saves the Bride & Groom $600-$1000 dollars if I do the DJ sets form my gear as opposes to them hiring in a seperate DJ.
By far the best approach so far i’ve found is to keep the DJ requests stacked up a few songs in advance. By Approaching the wildest most cheerful dancers…..saying “…..pssst, have you got a request for the DJ…” – I usually get the exact right tunes very specific to them and their friends. Tunes that they can specifically relate to that really bring back memories and make the night one big nostalgia fest.

Wedding MC

I always offer to MC weddings as to be honest now from the experience of multiple weddings over the years, I’ve learned a few hot MC tips.
Some from seeing others MC really well. Some from seeing drunk Uncles (Drunkles) MC really badly and some from googling great MC tips!

I can absolutely say with confidence i’m a better MC than the ‘average drunkle’
Also one great advantage in being the musician and the MC is that as the MC I get to ensure I get to deliver my product properly as a musician – ie. I get to play enough to impress guests and warrant a rebooking.

You see weddings very often run late and sometimes the amount of dance and party time at the end suffers – and can be really reduced down in time to say only 30 mins of dancing, due to all the formalities running super late.

As the MC I can hurry things along as I’m aware of the time traps that can happen at a wedding – like speakers waffling on too long and too many gaps between formalities that drag the night on.
Every wedding should have at least 2 hour party time at the back end before lights on and farewell circles.

Its not quite a home party with no time limits – there are strict venue room hire times to be aware of.

This was a fabulous night at the Scone Race Club for Hannah and Matthew Collier.
I feel blessed to be a wedding singer to get to enjoy so many beautiful functions in exquisite locations.
Country weddings really take the cake so far as location and scenery ……so long as the drive is not too far 🙂

Choosing a wedding band?

If have been to a wedding recently and liked the live music then you have probably already got the business card of the wedding band you saw perform. That’s likely a very safe option when booking as you can vouch first hand for the band. However, we suggest you shop around as there are a great many bands out there that may be more suited to you when you are choosing wedding music.

There are endless websites out there offering lists of live wedding bands. 
Websites can on occasions be misleading and remember a fancy site does not guarantee quality performers. You’ll get a good feel for who you are dealing with based on the responses you get. Professional bands, worth dealing with will be quick to reply, it will be personalised to your event and friendly.

Should I expect to see the band perform before I book them?

You can always ask. The band may have public performances coming up but do not expect or insist on any professional wedding bands inviting you to one of their performances.
Imagine how you would feel if a band turned up at your wedding with additional guests looking on?
Pro acts use pro live clips.
You can get a good feel for a band by simply watching their clips and by chatting to them.

What price should I pay?

Good live entertainment does come at a price, but it is well worth it for this one day of your life.

Your wedding day, for many, is the most important single in your life and you want everything to be right.
Rather than making a relatively small saving by booking your second choice, make sure you go with exactly what you want when you are choosing wedding music.

The live band is the biggest thing on show after the wedding dress and you’ll want them to look and sound great, be happy to be there and ready to entertain all of your guests.

A testimonial from a wedding gig I did. 

YOU ALWAYS ANSWERED MY QUESTIONS WHICH WAS A BIG ISSUE WITH OTHER VENDORS.

I just wanted to say a big thank you for your performance at our wedding and all your hard work in the lead up to the day, (especially learning those songs for us). 
Lots of people commented on how fantastic you were..Paul and I totally agree, both yourself and the other vendors made our wedding a day we will never forget as long as we live – it was a dream come true for both of us …everything was perfect.

Your performance was fantastic – great songs, great voice, you did a wonderful job MC’ing as well, exactly what we wanted for our wedding.

The website was great.
Everything I needed to know for choosing wedding music was on those pages. The wedding song list – I did not want to choose the reception songs, I thought it was great that a list of really good songs was already done (You had a great mix that I knew everyone would love).

After seeing you perform and from numerous email we could tell that you were very friendly, professional and was experienced (ie. had done weddings before). The price was extremely reasonable.

You are a great person to deal with, always responding to my emails very efficiently, you listened to what Paul and I wanted and incorporated those things and also had some great suggestions.

You always answered my questions which was a big issue with other vendors and generally just a nice down to earth person – what else could a bride/groom ask for ??
All our expectations were met. So many people at the wedding and also afterward have said to Paul and me how fantastic they thought you were – two of my cousins who are getting married next year asked for your web address and details !!

I hope we get to see you perform again, I will certainly be checking your website to look at your gig guide every now and again….

Take care and thank you so much once again – absolutely fantastic !!

Hornsby Inn is a local venue for me – 5 mins drive from my house.

It’s a pleasure to play the local pub. I always have a fun time here.
Last Fri night was no exception.
Local lads Jack, Kieran, Scott, Jack and the lovely lass Nicky and her friend who works at the Inn are in the pic above.

These local mad cats are always up for a great time.
Shots, beer and shenanigans are the name of the game, for them , not me, maybe the occasional shot if they offer me one!

Jack the guy doing the ‘peace sign’ is a local lad from Hornsby Heights who has an unusual addiction to buying my cds, I think he owns about 4 copies now, just so I can write a new custom whacky message on the cover each time.
He bought another one last Fri and an extra one for his mate also called Jack ( far right side in the pic ) He’s also a ranga so I wrote – “hey ‘ginger balls’ you’re the best , luv Tim” on his CD.

Hornsby Inn is well run by local licence Andrew, who books great regular live music. Some of Sydney top rock and blues bands play there, such as the Steve Edmonds band and Stormcellar as well as a host of top Solos and Duos.

The pub boasts on their website – they provide some of the best pub feeds, cold beer and hospitality in the area. I tend to agree.

Its’ a real locals bar with some enthusiastic music lovers always there every weekend. Mad Simon always requests Creedence and Pink Floyd.

They have as part of the hotel the amazing Absolute Thai Restaurant as well as regular Aussie pub feeds.

Its a well set up venue for live music with a stage if the act wants it and permanent lighting installed.
They even turn the footy screen off behind the band and draw curtains over the turned off screen – now that is supporting live music. Footy down the other end and music down this end.

The staff are nice, the punters are cool and the vibe is fine, see you soon!