We’ve been hard at work with director John Klein on a new DVD showcasing the Chicago Groove Collective’s blazing performance at a private event in October, and we’d love to share some early cuts with you. Check out this page where we’re posting clips as they’re done being edited. Hopefully they’ll get you as excited about the finished product as we are!
We’ve been so lucky to be invited to some great holiday events by a number of companies this year including UBS, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Drinker Biddle, IBM, Pasquinelli Homes, DLA Piper, Leydig Voigt & Mayer, and East Balt Inc. We can’t explain just how much fun it is to help these companies give back to their employees with a really fun party.
Wishing you all the happiest of holiday seasons from Stitely Entertainment!
We just had the distinct privilege of performing on the mainstage at House of Blues at a private event for UBS. We were warned that this was a fun group and they didn’t disappoint. The night turned into a full out rock show, with guests stage diving by the end of the night. We’ve got some great video of the event that we’ll be posting online in the not to distant future. We can’t wait to share it with you!
After 3 long days in Hinge Studios, we are so pleased to have an edited version of our 312 Chicago demo. With an incredible lineup featuring…
Nicholas Barron on guitar and vocals, Yvonne Gage on vocals, Marqueal Jordon on sax and vocals, Randy Harrah on drums, Josh Cooper on keys, and Cliff Schmidt on bass.
For bigger parties, we can also add additional horns and vocalists. The band’s new demo CD contains about 20 tracks with songs by artists ranging from Johnny Cash and Van Morrison, to Kelly Clarkson and Justin Timberlake. We’d love to send out a copy to you or talk about how this band could really add to your event!
What a weekend! The Stitely Orchestra just finished a whirlwind weekend with five events in three days. We worked with some great couples and some of our favorite vendors, playing everything from Sinatra to AC/DC. These crazy weekends definitely keep us on our toes and remind us why we love being a part of these types of events.
Friday morning started early with rehearsals for an afternoon awards ceremony for CNA Insurance in the Gold Coast Room at The Drake. This was a great corporate event which was emceed by comedian Wayne Cotter who’s played Letterman and Leno among others. We acted as his house band playing the winners on and off the stage, and it was an absolute blast. Greg Steinkuller did an amazing job running the sound for the event, and we want to thank our friends Kim Sky and Carolyn Paradowski and CNA for inviting us to be a part of this event.
Friday continued with an evening corporate event for AmeriBanc at the MidAmerica Club. The MidAmerica club is one of our favorite venues in the city because of its unbelievable views from the 80th floor of the Aon Building. Working with Teri Hartman Productions and Kehoe Design, this party was just beautiful. We had jazz greats Freida Lee and Mark Madsen sit in with the band to recreate incredibly authentic Jazz, Big Band, and Swing music. A very elegant and successful event; we felt luck to be a part of it.
Saturday night we did a complete 180 and broke out our favorite 80’s rock for a killer wedding at the North Shore Country Club. This rocking party definitely hit it’s peak when the bride sang and the groom played drums on Bon Jovi’s “Livin on a Prayer”. Ronna Kay did an extraordinary job planning this event, and where we also worked with Pat Pecirino of Chase Video Productions.
Sunday afternoon started with a beautiful wedding at Maggiano’s on Clark which is managed by our good friend Jeffrey Godecker. We provided a string trio which accompanied friends of the bride and groom who sang vocals to several of the couple’s favorite songs. Later into the dancing we accompanied the groom as he sang lyrics he rewrote to Every Breath You Take by the Police. An absolutely priceless moment, that had everyone in the room a bit choked up.
We ended this amazing weekend with a fantastic wedding at the Chicago Cultural Center. Big City Brides did a great job overseeing this event, and we reunited with our WIN Team friends at Fig Media and J & L Catering on photo and catering respectively. The ceremony featured one of the coolest nontraditional music ideas we’ve participated in. At the groom’s request, we had violin and piano perform instrumental versions of rock songs ranging from Styx to Queen. It turned out gorgeous, and the guests all chuckled a bit when they realized what they were hearing. Moving into dancing we worked every corner of our repertoire playing Sinatra, Motown, Latin, Classic Rock, Waltzes, and a 15 minute Hora medley. A fantastic end to a long and amazing weekend!
We were lucky enough to co-sponsor a wonderful networking event for MPI Chicago Area Chapter at the Chicago Botanic Gardens on August 16th. On a warm summer night, it was terrific to unwind in the gardens with great food and drinks from Aramark Catering, the great company of our fellow MPI members, and the fantastic soundtrack provided by the Nicholas Barron Trio. Thanks to all who made it out!
It’s always great to hear that you’ve done a good job, and we’ve gotten some terrific feedback from several of our clients this summer. Here are a few of our favorites.
“I want to personally thank all of you for the amazing job that you did at our wedding! Your performance was professional, outstanding and fun! You can really tell that you guys enjoy what you do. We have had so many friends ask us how we found you guys because they were so impressed. We had a wonderful time. Thank you for everything!â€
-Stephanie & Eric Siebert (7/07 wedding)
“Dear Jeff, you created the perfect musical ambiance for our wedding! Thank you, thank you, thank you!â€Â         ï€
-Nike Whittemore & Wayne Roberts (6/07 wedding)
Stitely Entertainment is delighted to be working with one of the most dynamic and exciting songwriters and vocalists in Chicago today. Nicholas Barron is performs throughout Chicago, and has received some serious accolades including an introduction from James Taylor who described Nicholas and his album as “undeniable” and the New York Times’ Emerging Artists Series. He’s opened for B.B King, Al Green, and Johnny Cash. Nicholas’ voice is soulful and bluesy, and his stage presence is magnetic. We’re excited to welcome him as a singer and guitarist for 312 Chicago as well as offer his trio for events that are looking for something unique and exciting.
Please check out Nicholas’ originals on his myspace page or on itunes, and come out to see him at one of his public performances. You won’t regret it!
We always love hearing from clients and guests who had a great time partying with our bands at an event. Here is some really lovely feedback we received following several of our May performances.
“You were wonderful. We have NEVER been to a wedding reception with such fantastic music. You made our evening. It was like being at a concert in Chicago. Thank you.”
-Sandy Melovic, guest at Eric Albert & Rachel Trylovich’s wedding, May 5, 200
“I’ve done hundreds of weddings and you guys blew me away.”
-Suzan Lazar, wedding planner for Stacy Raf & Jonathan Graf wedding, May 27, 2007 at The Knickerbocker Hotel
“Just a quick note to say ‘Thank you’ for making our BONES event such a wonderful evening. I have heard only great things about Jeff and the band and we look forward to working with you all again we are next in the Chicago area. Thanks!”
- Vivienne Ruddock, Radsource Inc., May 7th corporate event at Maggiano’s, Chicago
“The band was the highlight of our wedding. They were great.”
-Emily Gilley, bride, May 12, 2007 at her wedding at the Flossmoor Country Club talking about the Bobby Schiff Band
The Stitely Orchestra performed at the Annual Honda Canada convention over two nights in April. On Friday night, we performed at the Mid America Club with a night of blues music, featuring the soulful Curtis Robinson on guitar and Bill Overton on saxophone.
The next night — the final one of the convention — we performed at the Westin Chicago. The theme of the night was the Roaring 20s-30s. And roar we did. We started the night with Big City Swing’s dancers doing a Charleston routine in vintage attire. Dancers then gave lessons to many of the conventioneers. Then it was tunes like “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “Makin’ Whoopee” and “Sing, Sing, Sing.” Later in the evening, we switched things up and played a variety of other dance music. The client loved the entertainment and it was a great way to end the convention. The night was produced by Fireworks Marketing Group from Vancouver, an event production company. It coordinated the main players, which included Ronsley Events and Show Department