FAQ's - The Matt Young Group

How can I book The Matt Young Group for my event?

Contact Us and Matt Young, band leader and event consultant, will help you select the right ensemble(s) for your event and budget. After a preliminary agreement has been reached, Matt will send you a Performance Agreement Contract that will secure the band for your date once you approve it. You will have 7 days to pay a security deposit which will equal roughly ½ of the total cost for your event! Once the deposit is made, we are all yours!!

Can I pay with a credit card?

The Matt Young Group accepts credit cards through PayPal and Google Checkout. All credit card payments will include a 3% surcharge. This covers the amount that PayPal and Google charge to process your payment. See our On-line Payment Options page for more details. We also accept cash, money order, personal checks and business checks.

Our venue requires vendors to carry liability coverage. Do you have liability insurance?

Yes. The Matt Young Group is fully insured with liability coverage that meets the requirements of the most prestigious venues in Chicago and Indianapolis. We will fax our policy information to your venue upon your request.

When will the band arrive to set up at our venue?

Matt Young and the group's professional sound engineer will arrive 3-4 hours prior to beginning of your reception. We will set up the PA system and adjusting the settings and volume for your venue. Loading into the venue takes approximately 30 minutes, and set up takes about one hour. The rest of the band will arrive approximately one hour prior to the time that they are scheduled to start playing.

How many breaks does the band take?

It depends on the length of your reception. During our 3-hour dance band performance, we will take two 15-minute breaks. If you are using cocktail and dinner ensembles, there will likely be a 15-minute break during the transition from cocktails to dinner, and dinner to dancing. Background music will be played on all breaks through our PA. We typically provide this music, but welcome clients to bring an iPod with their own selections.

Can I make special requests?

We allow up to 3 special requests for your special dances: first dance, father/daughter and mother/son. We will do our best to learn these songs exactly like the recording that you send to us. You can also request as many specific songs from our repertoire and let us know when you would like to hear them played. Some clients pick out entire set lists, while others trust our experience and let us decide what will keep the crowd moving. Either way, its up to you!! For a nominal fee per song, we will learn up to 10 additional songs specifically for your reception.

What does the band wear?

Males - There are four options that you can choose for the formal wear of our male band members:
-Standard - Black suit, white shirt, black tie
-Chic - Black suit, black shirt, no tie
-Formal - Tuxedo
-Business - Dark suit, dress shirt, tie

Females - Females will be dressed appropriately for the event, with an elegant evening dress, or cocktail dress. Business attire may include skirt with blouse.

Other than R&B and Jazz, what styles of music do you play?

The Matt Young Group is a R&B/Jazz Band. When starting a dance band, a choice has to be made: Are we going to be a variety band or a specialty band? Variety bands play everything, but they tend to have a less authentic sound for some genres. Think “The Wedding Singer." Each singer's voice is unique and not suitable for all types of music. Imagine a rock vocalist like Mick Jagger trying to sing a Stevie Wonder tune...might work, might not!

We decided to specialize in two genre's, R&B and Jazz. That's it, plain and simple! The genre R&B includes Motown, Soul, Funk, some Pop, and is closely related to Disco. This genre includes most of the best dance music ever written. In addition, Jazz and R&B both have their roots in Blues, and are also closely related. Our musicians and vocalists are chosen specifically for their talent in these genres which creates an authentic sounding band, that can play a wide, but focused variety of dance music that will have your guests out on the floor in no time!

How loud does the band get?

I'm sure you've all been to parties or concerts where the band or DJ was so loud that you had to go outside to talk to a friend or relative, or left with your ears ringing. Listening to music a high decibel levels can cause hearing damage with prolonged exposure. Our sound engineer will check the volume level throughout the performance, and make sure we are not approaching this dangerous level. Also, many of these bands and DJs charge you to bring a sound system that is too big for the room they are performing in. We bring a PA system that is the right size for venue, room and number of guests at your reception. Our properly selected PA will provide direct sound to the dance floor, and it will fill the room bringing you party to life without damaging your hearing.

Do you have lighting?

Yes!! We now offer a lighting package that will cast a wash of changing color onto the band stand. Lighting is venue specific, and while it is not necessary for every room, it can be almost a necessity for some dimly lit venues. Call today for more info!

We want live music, but we would like to have a DJ to keep the party going later. Is that a problem?

This is absolutely not a problem. In fact, our sound engineer doubles as a DJ, and will continue to play dance classics that you can select after the live performance is over. In fact, we can save you a ton of money...A huge portion of you payments are for the labor and liability of loading in, setting up and tearing down. We will already have our sound system in place, and our DJ/sound engineer will pick up right where we leave off saving you from having to pay a DJ to set up an additional PA system.

Do you have any tips for keeping our guests out on the dance floor?

YES!!
1. Keep the reception in one room. When your guests have the choice of moving from room to room, they will...and all of the sudden the dance floor starts to empty out. It is very unlikely that in a multi-room situation your guests will stay in one spot.
2. Make sure the bar and desert table (if applicable) are close to, or at least in the same room as, the dance floor. If people have to go out of the main room to grab a drink or desert they will get stuck talking to friends and relatives, and take thier time returning.
3. Take care of all the formalities before the dancing starts. We have played at receptions where we have played 4 tunes and the dance floor is filling up when the planner asks us to clear the dance floor to take a family photo. After the photo, the floor is empty again!
4. Be patient! The dance floor will breathe, meaning that at times it will fill up and then empty for a second. Don't worry that the party is going to stop. Let your guests have a rest every once in a while!