It's our craziest time of the year! Summer for Sunshine Symphony involves playing tons of community events, festivals, and weddings in the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia areas. This summer is no exception! We've managed to cram another special event into our schedule this week.

Tonight, we head to Toll Man Joe's bar in South Philadelphia to compete in the WMGK House Band competition. If you're not familiar with WMGK, it's a classic rock radio station out of Philadelphia. Many of the DJs have been on the air for multiple decades. In fact, morning show host John DeBella was one of the DJs I listened to that inspired me to get into radio. In any case - this is huge and legendary for me personally, that we could be the house band for a radio station I've been listening to for a long time. 

We are required to play a 25-minute set of classic rock tunes, and one of them must be Tush, the 70s song by ZZ Top. We don't play a whole lot of blues tunes (we tend toward pop and 80s stuff), but boy, was this song fun to learn (and easy - it's only 2 minutes long!).  We were racking our brains trying to think of ways to make our version accurate but different, and we decided to play up Ricky's experience on blues harmonica. He does a killer solo that fits right into the feel of the song.

Listen to our version from rehearsal and let us know what you think! 

UPDATE: Well, we didn't win the semi-final round, but put on a performance to be proud of. Congrats to the guys in The Mad Trio, who move on to the finals. They were a 3-piece rock group that made a lot of noise! Also, fun to see Raised on Radio, and Retro 45. Some killer pipes and musicianship among all the bands.

We're up for a "Lehigh Valley Happening" award again this year. We've been finalists for the last two years, so it would be awesome if you could take a minute and vote for us. We are up for an award in TWO categories this year:

Musician or Band
Entertainer

You can vote here:

http://lehigh.happeningmag.com/happeninglist/musician-or-band-2016/ and

http://lehigh.happeningmag.com/happeninglist/entertainer-2016/

Thanks so much for supporting us!

We are thrilled to announce that we will be performing at Musikfest's Preview Night, Thursday, August 6th at Levitt Pavilion at Steel Stacks!

Musikfest has added 80s-rockers Duran Duran (one of Christine's FAVORITE bands as a youngster) on Sands Steel Stage, so we are thrilled to get you Duranies warmed up just "next door" at Levitt Pavilion.

Here's the schedule of events for Preview Night August 6th:

5 p.m. - Sunshine Symphony on stage -
7 p.m. - M80 on stage - TD Bank AmericaPlatz - Levitt Pavilion at SteelStacks
8:30 p.m. - Duran Duran at Sands Steel Stage

Don't forget - we'll also be at TD Bank AmericaPlatz/Levitt Pavilion at Steel Stacks on Musikfest's Opening Night - Friday, August 7th starting at 7:30 p.m. for a free show.

What IS Musikfest, you ask? Well, it's just one of our humble little city's shining moments - a 10-day arts and culture festival featuring free outdoor concerts (and only a few that are NOT free), food and crafts. It's one reason I moved to Bethlehem! It's a lot of fun and a little crazy and despite the occasional parking woes, it brings a great deal of income and recognition to Bethlehem. We're so thrilled to be a part of the festival, which is celebrating it's 30th anniversary this year.

Here are some informational links about Musikfest:
Directions and Parking
Festival Map - our performances are on the "South Side"
Musikfest FAQs

Hope to see you there!
Peace, Love & Rock n Roll,
Christine

Happy 2015 to our new fans and our fans from the very beginning! We are overjoyed that 2014 was so successful.

We booked lots of new venues! We met so many great people and got to celebrate with our wonderful new friends and fans at their happy occasions.  We'll be making our debut at Club Gravity at Chicago's Restaurant (previously Mezza Luna in Allentown). We're excited to be playing for the members of the Fullerton Fire Company in May, and playing more shows at the Coplay Saengerbund this year.  Also, we hope to soon add a few dates at the Parx Casino in Philadelphia. Several weddings are already booked here and in Philadelphia and there are a few more in the works.

We're working on new music! At rehearsal on Monday, we worked on 5 new songs that we'll be adding to upcoming sets and probably a few more in the next few weeks before we start getting ready for "wedding season". The result of our 2014 Music Poll showed the MOST votes for the Luke Bryan song "Play it Again" - so we may be adding that to our set soon.  Other high-ranked songs from our poll: "Happy" from Pharrell Williams, "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea (I am not fantastic at rapping, but I'd try it),  "Rude" by Magic (already in our set list!) and "All of Me" by John Legend.

I'm currently obsessed with Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" song and can't seem to get that out of my head...we may have to add that one as well.

What would you like to see from us in 2015? More videos? Where would you like to see us play? Let us know in the comments, and we'll do our best to make it happen. Happy New Year - hope it's a great one for you, too!

Peace, Love & Rock n' Roll,
Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony
 

Sunshine Symphony is excited to announce the addition of guitarist/vocalist Kyle Campbell to the band. Kyle is a native of Nazareth, PA, where he played with local band original/cover band Project 67 and won two WZZO Backyard Bands competitions. 

Interestingly enough, Ricky and Kyle have many mutual musical friends and have almost crossed paths in the past.  They realized this after Kyle agreed to join the band and they started determining whether they had jammed together previously.

Kyle's been involved in many different projects over the year, including writing and recording original music as a solo artist. He is releasing his solo album "Sunday's Best" in mid-January.

We think Kyle is a nice guy, with a great sense of humor, serious guitar skills, and may now be the most stylish member of the band. Kyle and his wife Teara live in Manayunk, but have family up here that you'll probably see at some of our local gigs. You may even see a bit of Sunshine down in the Philly soon, too.

 

Congratulations to Lauren and Adam, whose wedding we played last weekend at Riverview Country Club.  What a beautiful location! Riverview is definitely a scenic location for a wedding ceremony and reception.  As we performed at the ceremony, and reception, we got an up-close glimpse at all the details that make Riverview a great location for both ceremonies and receptions.

Riverview's reception location is called "Villa on the Green" - it's a round room with windows all around overlooking the golf course, which is beautiful landscaped. As soon as you walk in, you see a huge, dramatic stone fireplace goes perfectly with the natural wood beams inside and view of the rolling hills of the course.  Lauren's theme of navy blue and sunflower gold perfectly accented the space and lent a summery look to the room.

The ceremony location is behind Villa on the Green. As you can see in the picture above, a long wooden boardwalk with past the pond leads to a rustic wooden gazebo. A natural hill overlooks the gazebo, so all of your wedding guests will have a great view of the proceedings. We set up at the end of the boardwalk, where Ricky and I performed acoustic songs while the guests were being seated, and then, once the bridal party was ready, started playing Sara Bareilles's song "I Choose You."

One advantage to having professional musicians perform at your wedding is our ability to customize your entrance song "on the fly." Since Riverview's boardwalk aisle is quite long, if we had played a recorded version of "I Choose You," we would have been three whole minutes short by the time Lauren got to the end of the aisle. So, we added an instrumental break, and two extra choruses to make sure that as soon as Lauren set foot at the altar, the song concluded - but she still got to hear a good bit of her selected song.  We received one of the nicest compliments ever, when Lauren and Adam told us afterwards that they felt like they were in a movie, with the way the music was perfectly timed.

We then took care of introducing Lauren and Adam's bridal party and getting the reception going inside the beautiful Villa on the Green.  The benefit of having a live band is we were able to introduce the bridal party and then Lauren and Adam in between choruses of "Best Day of My Life," by American Authors.  We then performed the couple's first dance to Blake Shelton's song "God Gave Me You," a Father/Daughter dance to "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts, and Adam and his Mom danced to "100 Years" by Five for Fighting, all performed live by Sunshine Symphony.

At the end of the night, after getting the whole room onto the dance floor with "Shout", and hearing everyone singing along to "Don't Stop Believing", we received the ultimate compliment from our couple: "That was EXACTLY what we wanted!" Thanks again to Lauren and Adam for choosing Sunshine Symphony for your wedding. We always aim to deliver total satisfaction!

We'll be appearing at the Summer Engagement Bash Bridal Show on July 13th from 12-3. If you're thinking about a band at your wedding, stop by and see us - we'll be there to answer questions and show you some footage from shows and weddings we've performed at. Get free tickets (free for brides, $5 for guests) here:
http://bridalexpopa.ticketleap.com/pennsylvania-bridal-expo-presents-a-summer-engagement-bash-at-g/
 

We had a great time at Evan and Ciara's wedding last night at The Eastonian (Kunkle Drive in Easton/Palmer Township, PA).  It's really enjoyable meeting couples getting married and hearing their thoughts on their music for their big day - it's such a huge part of people's memories that we realize the importance of our job when we're hired for a wedding.

Typically, we'll learn songs for the couple if we don't already know their "first dance" songs, or learn other songs that the couple really wants to hear during their reception.

Ricky's going to kill me for mentioning it, but he's a huge fan of Wilson Phillips. As am I - I totally wore out my cassette.  Their song "Hold On" recently came back into the public's collective consciousness after the song was featured in the hit movie, "Bridesmaids." When Ciara mentioned she's a huge fan of the movie and wanted us to learn "Hold On" for their reception,  we were openly excited. Harmonies! That's one of our specialties.

In addition to that, Evan and Ciara were fans of the Ataris, a pop-punk band known for their cover of the Don Henley song "Boys of Summer" a few years back. They asked for us to put together an acoustic version of the song "I.O.U. One Galaxy." Normally, it's a faster-paced rock tune. Ricky and I worked out an arrangement where we alternated lines and added harmonies to make a slow-danceable song for Evan and Ciara's first dance.  We knew we hit the mark when we saw the two dancing, totally absorbed and enjoying the moment.  That's probably our favorite part of being a wedding band - helping to create the special moments that people remember forever.

At the bride and groom's request, we'll record a version in the studio that they can keep forever to remember the moment (and our arrangement). That's a unique service that we can offer to our wedding clients that doesn't cost a dime  - we enjoy the creative process and the challenge of arranging a song to capture our brides' and grooms' visions. 

Have a wedding coming up? Have some creative requests or dreams for your special event? Contact us. We can help make those dreams a musical reality.

Peace, Love & Rock 'n Roll,
Christine

Thanks to Pius X Class of 1974 and Dunmore HS Class of 1989 who just booked Sunshine Symphony for their class reunions!  We hope this is a trend that's continuing.  

We love the idea of bringing a live band to a reunion - there's no better icebreaker than getting everyone on the dance floor with a nostalgic song from your high school years. We always like to go the extra mile when it comes to keeping our clients happy, and we enjoy learning new songs to enhance the event. One of the most fun parts of our job is looking at the Billboard charts for the top hits of that year, and deciding which ones we think will go over well with our audience.

Cara booked us for her class's 25th high school reunion after seeing us perform at Bar Louie in Wilkes Barre. She really enjoyed our variety of music.  1989 was the year of power ballads, including songs from hair bands like Skid Row, and pop/rock bands like Bon Jovi and Poison. Since we grew up loving late 80s music, we're not too proud to admit we already know some of the big hits of 1989, like "When I See You Smile" (Bad English) and "Lost in Your Eyes" (Debbie Gibson). We may have to break a few of those out for slow dances at the reunion.

The Sunshine Symphony duo of Ricky Bell and Ian Frey will be playing the Pius X Class of 1974 reunion at Northampton Country Club. Great songs abounded in 1974 as well - an era that included disco, soft rock and plain old rock n roll! Top hits in 1974 included "Jungle Boogie" by Kool and the Gang, "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band and "Sunshine on my Shoulders" by John Denver.  

Interestingly enough, there was one song that was a Top 100 hit in BOTH 1974 and 1989, can you guess what it was?
"Rock On' - recorded by David Essex in 1974 and Michael Damien in 1989. So if we learn that one song, we're covered at both reunions!

If you're planning a party, wedding, or class reunion, consider live entertainment to make it a party that no one will ever forget!  Ask Sunshine Symphony about performance options - we can perform as a full band, as a duo or a trio to deliver live music at an affordable price.

 

Hey, everyone! It's finally spring - we think, anyway.  We are getting ready to play some epic outdoor shows all over the Lehigh Valley - from Allentown, Bethlehem to Easton, we'll be entertaining the outdoor masses.

More and more people are hearing about Sunshine Symphony, and our Facebook page likes are growing every day.  We make videos each time we hit a milestone, so, here are two we made for the milestone of hitting 600 likes (at the time I'm writing this, we are edging ever closer to 700...better get ready with our next one).

You can help us grow our fan base two ways:

1) Go to Sunshine Symphony's Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/sunshinesymphony and on the right hand side under our cover photo and top banner, you'll see a box that says "Invite Friends" - if you think your friends would like us, please invite them.

2) Also, you can like, comment on and share our videos. The more likes and shares we get, the more we appear in our fans' NewsFeeds.

Enjoy our videos and thanks for getting us to 600 Likes!

Sunshine Symphony Avicii Cover - Wake Me Up



Sunshine Symphony - Paramore Cover - Ain't It Fun


Peace, Love & Rock n Roll,
Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony

Hey, happy April to our Symphomaniacs out there.  We are so excited that the awards and accolades for Sunshine Symphony keep on coming!  We found out a couple of days ago that we were named Finalists in the Lehigh Valley Happening List.  Thanks to everyone that voted, and thanks for spreading the word about Sunshine Symphony!

We really think 2014 is going to be an amazing year - we're riding on those rays of sunshine and spreading the positivity everywhere we go. In the past couple of weeks, we've been booking, booking, booking, and taking some new group shots (hey, did you see our new banner up there at the top of the page? Isn't it awesome?), We'll post them around the website, so click around and see if you can find them.

Last but not least,  if you want a little sunshine in your life, stop by one of our shows and we'll give you a new Sunshine Symphony sticker.
We've been busy! Let's keep the buzz going! Like us on Facebook, add us to your Circles in Google +, share our videos or blog posts or pictures! Thanks, fans!

Peace, Love & Rock n Roll,
Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony

We are thrilled to be/have been a part of two groups named "Top Philadelphia Cover Bands" on CBS Philly. As you may know, Christine spent seven years performing with She Said Sunday, and Ricky, three.  Although we were saddened by our unexpected December 2013 departure from SSS, we feel a renewed energy and are very fortunate to be working with the talented musicians in Sunshine Symphony. We're very excited about our future with our new band. Thanks to CBS Philly for helping us make this list TWICE!

Read the article by Susan DeFeo here:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/top-lists/top-cover-bands-in-philadelphia/

By Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony

We've been busy for the past couple of weeks and we've added a ton of new shows to our books, and quite a variety, too!

As always, you can check our Shows page for all of our shows, but here are some new ones to note:

April 18 - Sunshine Symphony's debut at Rival's in Easton - 10 p.m.
May 2 - Cinco de Mayo - Chili's in Whitehall, 5 p.m.
May 22 - Tunes at Twilight - Sun Inn, Bethlehem -  6 p.m.
June 21 - Relay for Life in Whitehall - 10 am - 12 noon
June 21 - Summer Concert Series at Lehigh Valley Mall - 6:30 p.m.
July 4 - City of Allentown Independence Day - J.Birney Crum Stadium - Time TBD
July 9 - Forks Township Concert Series

We are looking forward to warmer and sunnier weather, as every single one of these (except Rivals) is an outdoor show! If you're thinking about a band for your wedding or private party, come see us locally this summer - we'd love to meet you! 

By Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony

We'd like to everyone for coming out to our debut show at The Barrister's Club. We were so thrilled with the experience and very happy with the performance and our reception from the crowd! We love doing encores, so thank you for being an enthusiastic audience.

We're continuing to build on the momentum we've started!  We decided last week at rehearsal to record a video for our Facebook fans, because they have been tremendously supportive, sharing our page and our content and helping us grow our likes.  Ricky decided we should record the quirky tune "Best Day of My Life" by American Authors, which features a banjo and a semi-sparse arrangement but a catchy chorus...so Pete said, "I'll bring my mandolin!" and Ricky said, "I have a banjo in my studio," Ian announced, "I'll use my cajon," and Tim said "I'll bring the standing bass"! So, we set up our alternative instruments - just wait, I'll be breaking out my flute eventually - and went to town!

We had a blast, and then Pete suggested, "Why don't we do Walking on Sunshine acoustically as well?" So we did.  And we laughed, and had a great time.


There was a reason that "Sunshine" stuck as part of our name. Ricky and I, as founders of the band, are passionate and creative people, and I think we were drawn to the idea of music's transformative ability. You could be having the worst day ever, and a song can turn that around! We aim to be your musical sunshine, your passport to a happier place...thanks for coming on the ride with us!

By the way, you'll find us on a bunch of new places now:
We're on Google+
We're also on Instagram!
We have a YouTube channel

And if you didn't already know it, 
We're on Twitter,
On Facebook
and on ReverbNation.

Come see us live, or online!

Peace, Love & Rock n Roll,
Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony
 

Ricky and I put this band together pretty quickly. Things that normally take a couple of weeks, we managed to cram into a day or two. One of the hardest things to do is to name the band, and that task often takes the longest. Presumably, you'll be using this name a long time, so you better like it.

Our previous band name came about by randomly putting words together...many successful bands come up with their name this way. Screaming Trees? Death Cab for Cutie? Imagine Dragons? 

Anyway, I just found the paper in my purse with names we liked enough to write down. Here you go!

• Spaceship Panda - this was a close runner up with Sunshine Symphony
• Fur Taxi - A little too weird
• Operation Famous Burger - too much like a restaurant
• Loofah Rigno - hard to spell correctly
• Naked Quartet - Sets incorrect expectations
• Sweet Waitress - Just no.
• Everywhere Sunshine - Hmmm, you see a theme developing
• Deep Dish Sunshine - Tasty
• Sunshine Kumquat - Does anyone know what a kumquat is?
• Stealing Sunshine - This was a top contender. I still like it.
• Operation: Sunshine - Already taken by a charity
• Operation: All-Nighter - Close but not exactly a good name when you say it out loud
• Sunshine Agency - This was also a top contender. Sounds sort of like an insurance agency, though.
• Tone Agency - Again, is this insurance? 
• Operation: Tone
• Rock Doctors - Theme ideas abound with this one

What do you think? Should we have gone with one of our runners' up?
Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony

Sunshine Symphony Prepares Blazing Debut Performance
New cover band features award-winning Lehigh Valley performers.


February 17, 2014 – Bethlehem, PA - Former lead singers of award-winning Lehigh Valley cover band She Said Sunday, Christine Bainbridge and Ricky Bell make their debut performance with new group “Sunshine Symphony” this Friday, February 21^st at The Barrister’s Club in Allentown.

Bainbridge was the recipient of the Lehigh Valley Music Awards Tonya Brown Award for Best Female Vocalist in 2009 and 2010, and nine other awards with former band She Said Sunday.  Bell’s original song, Shallow, won him a WZZO Songwriting Contest in 2002, which Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull performed on stage with Bell at the State Theater in Easton. Bell then won the Lehigh Valley Acoustic Performers Contest in 2005, and went on to host the contest from 2007-2012.

“Together, we plan on bringing a vocally strong, harmonic yet musically diverse performance,“  Bainbridge explained. The two find common musical ground in their love of melody-driven pop, country and rock music like Bruno Mars, Bon Jovi, and Keith Urban – all featured on Sunshine Symphony’s set lists. “Anything goes musically with Sunshine Symphony. If it’s got good harmonies, it’s recognizable and danceable, it’s something we’ll play,” Bainbridge adds. “We’ve got an amazing rhythm section and our set lists include songs that really groove.”

Sunshine Symphony consists of Bainbridge and Bell, plus drummer Ian Frey, bassist Tim Kerrigan and guitarist Peter Johann.  Frey, a graduate of Lehigh University with a B.S. in Music Composition, has been performing with Bell for almost a decade as part of an acoustic duo. Kerrigan is an accomplished bassist who has played in funk, bluegrass, rock, jam and blues bands in California and in Pennsylvania. Johann fronts his own cover/originals band, The Peter Johann Band, and has a background in jazz theory and bluegrass as well, and has been nominated for several Lehigh Valley Music Awards as well.

“With such a diverse blend of musicians, we’re really excited to see what type of musical ground Sunshine Symphony will cover,” Bell says. “When we came up with the name, it means ‘happy music’ to us. That’s really what we want to play.”

Sunshine Symphony’s debut performance takes place Friday, February 21^st, 2014 at The Barrister’s Club, 1114 West Walnut Street in Allentown. The show is from 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available for advance purchase by phone at 610-433-6204 x19  or at the door.

We got word today from The Barrister's Club that we've more or less sold out of VIP tickets to our debut show on 2/21/14. Wow! We're excited to perform and all those lucky VIP ticketholders get food, drink and an acoustic performance by Ricky and I.

There are still general admission tickets left. Those tickets get you in the door, but there will be food and drink available if you choose. If you're looking for an excuse to dress up and come out and dance, this is it! We'll be playing a lot of the songs you know and love with some new surprises.  The club recommends that you advance purchase your tickets because they DO have a capacity and tickets are first-come first served at the door (for the same price, $10/each).

We will have our esteemed photographer Kenn Miller (he took the shot to the left) there to take some shots, and we'll be doing a video shoot as well. Come be in our photos and videos that we'll be using on our website!

To Buy Tickets online, click here: http://sunshinesymphony.com/shows and then click BUY TICKETS. You may pay by PayPal or Credit Card.
Alternatively, call here for tickets: 610-433-6204 x 19

Peace, Love & Rock n Roll,
Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony

 

Ok, we admit we're biased here. One thing I hear a lot when randomly quizzing people about "band or DJ": "We're thinking about having a band at our reception, but we think a DJ may fit better into our budget.."  There are a lot of articles out there that talk about the benefits of having a DJ at your wedding, and the number one issue that comes up is cost. "DJs are cheaper."  We're here to tell you: "Not necessarily!" - with the caveat "You get what you pay for!"

You need to decide, "What Kind of Entertainment Do I Want, Really?"

Do you want to turn your reception into a dance club?
If you want the DJ with great beat-mixing skills, a top-notch sound system and lights, the personality and the ability to connect with your wedding guests, you are going to pay more - in the Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton area, probably $1500 - $2000.

Do you want an energetic live performance?
If you want a wedding band experienced enough to know how to act around your guests, to have the best equipment that is well-maintained, and to put together a diverse enough playlist to entertain all ages at your wedding, you're going to pay $1500 - $2500 and up here in the Lehigh Valley, and even more in the New York Metro or Philadelphia area.

What about the DJ/band offering to do my wedding for $800 or less?
Sure, that lower price is attractive, but keep these things in mind: a wedding is a special event, and you don't want just anybody performing at it. You want someone who is going to take your event and your instruction seriously. Any band can perform at a wedding for $800. You want someone who will update and maintain their equipment (blowing a speaker at a wedding will shut their performance down...you don't want that!). Make sure your provider has specific wedding experience and references to prove it. 

What else do I need to know?
Finally, go see your choices perform live. Sometimes, a band that sounds or looks only ok on video can be great live, and vice versa. If you can't go see them live, get references, and make sure their references are actual clients and not just their best friends they've put on their reference list. Ask them specifically about their wedding and how the DJ or band performed per their expectations.

There is something special about a live musical performance that engages your wedding guests.  A good band will think about the flow of the music at your reception, and think about the combination of songs to get people of all ages on the dance floor. A good wedding band probably costs about the same, or maybe a little more than a top-notch DJ. Budgeting a little extra moves your wedding entertainment from "background music", to something your guests will always remember.

Photography by Neusse Photography

Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony




 

We are pleased to announce we've completed Sunshine Symphony's lineup with the addition of  bassist Tim Kerrigan and guitarist Pete Johann. 
 

	Tim has been playing bass for 20+ years, with a variety of different bands. Recently, he moved back to PA after spending 15 of those years performing in California. With a background in jazz, funk and hard rock, he brings huge skills to Sunshine Symphony (because you're only as good as your bassist!). With Tim on the bottom end, we are sure to be amazing.
	Pete Johann is a longtime Lehigh Valley musician who performs his own original music as well as cover songs with his own band appropriately named The Peter Johann Band. Pete's background in jazz and funk should bring a cool, grooving sound to Sunshine Symphony.

Since ALL of us also sing, could five-part harmonies be in store for you? You never know. We are so thrilled to have this caliber of musicians join our band. We CANNOT WAIT for you to hear us play.

Peace, Love & Rock n' Roll,
Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony

Sunshine Symphony, the Lehigh Valley's brightest new cover band, will make their concert debut at The Barrister's Club on Saturday, February 21st at 7 p.m.  

We invite you to join us for a fun night in this beautiful facility, complete with stage, dance floor and VIP balcony.  Tickets cost $10 and are available for purchase bu clicking here.
 
Or, copy and paste this link into your browser window:
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e8rs91hee56388da&llr=lsmiv6bab

Tickets will be available at the door, but we cannot guarantee their availability.  We suggest you buy them in advance, and get them before they sell out.

The Barrister's Club is an historic banquet and event facility  in Allentown, complete with free, secure off-street parking. Food and drink specials available. 

Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony

So you searched online and found a wedding band that sounds great. You've read their reviews and their bio. Now what? How do you know they're going to be the right band for your wedding? Here are some things to think about when selecting your band.

A lot of bands have videos posted on their website. A video is a great start, but, ideally, it should be current. Why? Bands can switch personnel frequently, or sometimes have special guests that are not a part of the normal line up. A good, working band will always keep their content up-to-date. If they're not working hard to impress you BEFORE your wedding, what makes you think they'd work hard after you book them? 

The best way to get a feel for the band you're interested in is to see the band performing live. Sure, you'll hear how well they play together, but you'll also be able to see their personalities in action. First of all, do they play frequently? A band that performs together regularly is going to naturally be more rehearsed than a band that only performs occasionally. Are they entertaining and poised on stage, or are they boring with no stage presence or, worse yet, sloppy or even intoxicated?  If they are professional on stage, it's pretty likely they'll be professional around your guests. These are all important considerations.

If you go to see them live or watch a video, confirm that the band you like will have the same personnel the day of your wedding.  Just ask about it. It's not something that's typical, but it can happen, so you may want to make sure that a clause about what you would consider an adequate substitution is in your contract.  One of our clients had this very problem - they went to book the band because they really liked the lead singers, and then they found out via social media that the lead singers had been fired (and were not informed by the band until they confronted them about it). To add insult to injury, the band refused to return their deposit when they wanted to cancel. Talk about a huge headache only a couple of months prior to their wedding. The key point here is to put everything in the contract, especially to specify that the lead singer that you liked will indeed be doing their killer version of your first dance song.

In our experience, there are a lot of great bands out there, but only a few great wedding bands. The main difference? The ability to lead an event. It's relatively easy to show up, set up, and play at a bar or festival, especially if sound is being provided. It's not nearly as easy to plan and set up for a wedding. It requires attention to detail, because a wedding has a lot of details to remember! It requires a knowledge of sound equipment and proper set up for the event, with potentially disastrous results if the band is inexperienced. It requires finesse and the ability to deal with a venue and other vendors. It also requires a knowledge of event planning, but lastly, the ability to put aside your own ego in order to make the client happy.

Finally, use your best personal judgment. Never be afraid to ask questions and be ready to move on if you don't get the answers you want.





 

Thanks for stopping by Sunshine Symphony's web page. We're happy to be here. Here's the who/what/when/where/why of our new band.

Sunshine Symphony grows from the roots of popular local cover band She Said Sunday.  Christine Bainbridge is founding member and the creative marketing force behind that band, having provided the public relations, publicity, web site and social media management for seven years, in addition to winning awards as their lead vocalist and keyboardist.  Ricky Bell was a more recent addition in the past two years, and provided musical inspiration and tremendous versatility to the band, not only providing vocals and guitars, but also drums and keyboards. When She Said Sunday decided to make some changes, Ricky and Christine saw it as an opportunity to move beyond their former band with their creative vision.

Pair intense musical precision with a passion for performing, and a chemistry which is unmatched, and you have Sunshine Symphony.  

We're working from the ground up, and we need your help! Please like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter, and tell all your friends about us.