I love creating a fun atmosphere at any gathering by interacting with the crowd (including holiday parties with a wide selection of Christmas songs) playing songs from various styles and eras (especially 60s to 90s pop, folk, rock) with a few quality originals mixed in. My professional Bose sound system is powerful enough to be used in most indoor or outdoor venues. I enjoy taking requests and can help you create a personalized playlist from over 200 songs. Let's make your gathering one to remember. I've played for birthday and anniversary parties, farm markets, casual gatherings and events, weddings, and receptions. Glowing references available.
Dave knows a wide range of music and brought a book with all the songs that could be requested to our block party. Without many requests, he did a great job reading the crowd and kept the music rolling, which everyone enjoyed.
Response from David Veenstra:
What a great block party! Good people! It was my pleasure. Thanks, Thom and Ann.
Absolutely the right musician for our reunion. Wide range of songs. Dave was kind, prompt, accommodating and made our day more special. Thank you so much
Response from David Veenstra:
I was honored to have a part in your South Haven High School reunion. What a fun, great bunch of people! Thank you very much.
With short notice, David learned a Frank Sinatra song to play while I asked my girlfriend to marry me (she said yes!) His kind demeanor and extensive range of songs he can play for you are two of the many reasons I recommend him. Also, his originals are great!
Response from David Veenstra:
Thanks so much, Matt. It sure was a pleasure to be part of your special day!
Dave is an accomplished musician and singer. Great song set.
Response from David Veenstra:
Thank you, Jules! I enjoyed playing at your dinner party, and it was great to get enthusiastic feedback from your guests as well. Great party!
David entertained our rental guests this Summer. What a voice! Guests LOVED his guitar and felt special having their very own troubadour to serenade them.
David brought a little South Haven Joy! to North Beach. Guests at the surrounding houses enjoyed his music as well. Our area of the beach was a magical place every Wednesday night!
I highly recommend David. He was setting up 40 minutes before sunset and played until it got dark. He has an extensive list of songs to choose from. Quite a range of different styles. Something for everyone!
I am hoping David can return next Summer!
Response from David Veenstra:
Thanks, Debbie! This is such a great experience you add for your guests! They really enjoy this highlight to their week of fun, and the timing and setting couldn't be better, with a beautiful Lake Michigan sunset at the beach.
David Veenstra has been successfully entertaining the South Haven, Michigan Farm Market throughout the 2021 season. He plays his guitar and sings using a well-rounded playlist. David has brought much joy to all in attendance!
Response from David Veenstra:
Thanks, Jeanne! It's such a great experience to see wonder in the eyes and hear appreciation of people from little tikes to elderly people. Many stop to listen and express appreciation or make requests, and quite a few, including vendors, have said that my music really "makes the market" a great experience.
I own a glamping resort in a beach town in Michigan. David has come to play a few times, and our guests really love him. He plays tons of crowd favorites, loves taking requests, and is a lot of fun.
Response from David Veenstra:
Thanks, Mike! This is such a great experience you add for your guests at Off Map Glamping! They really enjoy this wrap up to their day of fun.
Price Range: $50 & up
Gig Length: 10 - 240 minutes
Languages: English
You can expect a nice mix of material geared to the occasion and customized if you wish (see Set List) with interaction and requests welcome.
I grew up in a very musical family. I've performed in several bands and solo acts over the years, released an album which received national air play, and played at venues in Chicago, Detroit, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, and South Haven among others.
I can play beach weddings or remote locations because my high quality Bose sound system can provide 11 hours of operation on battery only or it can be plugged in. I require only a few minutes to set up.
If I'm using your sound equipment at larger venues, I need one boom mic and one instrument direct box.
| July 08, 2024 • 6:00pm - 7:30pm | Nonprofit Event |
| June 19, 2024 • 5:00pm - 7:00pm | House Party |
| June 10, 2024 • 6:00pm - 7:30pm | Nonprofit Event |
| July 10, 2023 • 6:00pm - 7:30pm | Nonprofit Event |
| March 24, 2023 • 12:00pm - 12:15pm | Birthday Party |
| September 04, 2022 • 5:30pm - 7:30pm | House Party |
| August 27, 2022 • 4:00pm - 8:00pm | Reunion |
| August 08, 2022 • 6:00pm - 7:30pm | Nonprofit Event |
| June 27, 2022 • 6:00pm - 7:30pm | Nonprofit Event |
| June 26, 2022 • 4:30pm - 6:30pm | Dinner Party |
| August 21, 2021 • 4:00pm - 7:30pm | Anniversary Party |
| July 29, 2017 • 11:30am - 2:00pm | SoHa Farmer's Market |
| July 22, 2017 • 11:30am - 2:00pm | SoHa Farmer's Market |
| July 15, 2017 • 1:00pm - 3:00pm | Fenn Valley Winery |
| July 08, 2017 • 11:30am - 2:00pm | SoHa Farmer's Market |
| July 01, 2017 • 11:00am - 1:45pm | SoHa Farmer's Market |
| June 30, 2017 • 6:15pm - 8:30pm | Private Wedding |
| June 24, 2017 • 11:30am - 2:00pm | SoHa Farmer's Market |
| June 17, 2017 • 11:30am - 2:00pm | SoHa Farmer's Market |
| June 10, 2017 • 11:30am - 2:00pm | SoHa Farmer's Market |
1-2-3 (That's How Elementary) - Len Barry
4 & 20 Years Ago - Crosby, Stills & Nash (Steven Stills)
500 Miles - Hedy West, Bobby Bare
(phone number hidden)/Jenny - Tommy Tutone
A Day in the Life - Beatles
A Hard Day's Night - Beatles
A Pirate Looks at 40 (Mother, Mother Ocean) - Jimmy Buffett
A World Without Love - Peter & Gordon, Paul McCartney
About a Girl - Nirvana
Addicted to Love - Robert Palmer
Africa - Toto
After the Gold Rush - Neil Young
After Midnight - Eric Clapton
Against All Odds - Phil Collins
Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye
Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone - Bill Withers
Ain't That a Shame - Fats Domino, Cheap Trick
All I Have to Do is Dream - Peter & Gordon
All My Loving - Beatles
Allison - Elvis Costello
Already Gone - Eagles
Along Comes Mary - The Association
Always on My Mind - Willie Nelson
America - Simon & Garfunkel
American Pie - Don McLean
Amie - Pure Prairie League
Angel - Jack Johnson
Angel - Sarah McLachlin
Angel from Montgomery - John Prine
Angie - Rolling Stones
Annie's Song - John Denver
Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
At Last - Glenn Miller, Etta James
Autumn Leaves - Kozma & Prevert, Eric Clapton
Baby I Love Your Way - Peter Frampton
Back Home Again - John Denver
Bad Reputation - Freedie Johnston
Behind Blue Eyes - The Who, Limp Bizkit
Blowin' in the Wind - Bob Dylan
Blue Bayou - Roy Orbison
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain - Willie Nelson
Bluebird - Buffalo Springfield
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Bus Stop - Hollies
California Dreamin' - Mamas & Papas
Candle in the Wind - Elton John
Can't Buy Me Love - Beatles
Can't Find My Way Home
Can't Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley
Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Frankie Vallie Four Seasons
Carefree Highway - Gordon Lightfoot
Careless Whisper - George Michael
Carry On - Crosby, Stills & Nash
Cats in the Cradle - Harry Chapin
Cherish - The Association
Cherry Cherry - Neil Diamond
Chicago - Graham Nash
Cinnamon Girl - Neil Young
Coast of Marseilles - Jimmy Buffet
Come on Baby Let's Go Downtown - Neil Young
Comes a Time - Neil Young
Country Roads - John Denver
Cowgirl in the Sand - Neil Young
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
Dancing in the Dark - Bruce Springsteen
Dancing in the Street - Martha & the Vandellas
Danny's Song - Loggins & Messina
Daydream Believer - Monkees
Dead Flowers - Rolling Stones
Desparado - Eagles
Diamonds and Rust - Joan Baez
Do You Believe in Magic - Lovin' Spoonful
Don't Follow - Alice in Chains
Don't Think Twice It's Alright - Bob Dylan
Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds
Down by the Riverside - Traditional
Drive My Car - Beatles
Dust in the Wind - Kansas
Eight Days a Week - Beatles
Eleanor Rigby - Beatles
Even in the Quietest Moments - Supertramp
Everybody Hurts - REM
Far from Home - Neil Young
Feelin' Alright - Joe Cocker, Dave Mason
Fire and Rain - James Taylor
Flashdance theme
Fool's Overture - Supertramp
For What It’s Worth - Crosby, Stills & Nash, Buffalo Springfield
For Your Love - Ed Townsend
Forever Young - Bob Dylan
Fortunte Son - CCR
Four Strong Winds - Ian Tyson
Free Fallin' - Tom Petty
Friend of the Devil - Grateful Dead
From Me to You - Beatles
Funeral for a Friend - Elton John
Georgia on My Mind - Ray Charles
Get Back - Beatles
Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones
Gimme Some Lovin' - Spencer Davis Group
Give a Little Bit - Supertramp
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) Green Day
Green River - CCR
Grenade - Bruno Mars
Groovy Kind of Love - Phil Collins
Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen
Happy Together - Turtles
Harvest Moon - Neil Young
Have You Ever Seen the Rain - CCR
Heart of Gold - Neil Young
Heat Wave - Martha & the Vandellas
Help - Beatles
Helpless - Neil Young
Helplessly Hoping - Crosby, Stills & Nash
Here Comes the Rain Again - Eurythmics
Heroes - David Bowie
Hey Jealousy - Gin Blossoms
Hey Jude - Beatles
Hey There Delilah - Plain White Ts
Homeward Bound - Simon & Garfunkel
Honky Tonk Women - Rolling Stones
Hotel California - Eagles
House of the Rising Sun - Eric Burden & the Animals, Traditional
How Can I Tell You - Cat Stevens
Hurdy Gurdy Man - Donovan
Hurt - Nine Inch Nails, Johnny Cash
I Am a Rock - Simon & Garfunkel
I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash
I Can See for Miles - The Who
I Can't Stop Loving You - Don Gibson, Ray Charles
I Feel the Earth Move - Carole King
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Gladys Knight, Marvin Gaye
I Saw Her Standing There - Beatles
I Still Haven't Found - U2
I Want to Hold Your Hand - Beatles
I Will Survive - Donna Summer, Cake
I Won't Back Down - Tom Petty
Ice Cream - Sarah McLachlan
If I Fell - Beatles
If I Had a Hammer - Seeger & Hayes
If Not for You - Bob Dylan
If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot
I'm a Believer - Monkees
I'm Into Something Good - Herman's Hermits
I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane - PP&M
Imagine - John Lennon
In the Air Tonight - Phil Collins
King of the Road - Roger Miller
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
Last Train to Clarksville - Monkees
Lawyers, Guns and Money - Warren Zevon
Lean on Me - Bill Withers
Let It Be - Beatles
Like A Hurricane - Neil Young
Little Red Riding Hood - Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs
Lola - Kinks
Look Out for My Love - Neil Young
Look through Any Window - Hollies
Losing My Religion - REM
Love and War - Neil Young
Love Is All Around - Troggs
Love the One You're With - Crosby, Stills & Nash
Machine Gun Kelly - James Taylor
Mad World - Tears for Fears
Maggie May - Rod Stewart
Make it Rain - Foy Vance, Ed Sheeran
Man of Constant Sorrow
Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffet
Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty
Mary's Waltz - Over the Rhine
Maybe I'm Amazed - Paul McCartney
Memphis Tennessee - Chuck Berry
Michael Row the Boat Ashore
Midnight Confessions - Grass Roots
Midnight Special - CCR
Miles from Nowhere - Cat Stevens
Monday Monday - Mamas & Papas
Moon River - Mancini & Mercer
Moonshadow - Cat Stevens
Morning Has Broken - Cat Stevens
Mr. Bojangles - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Mr. Soul - Neil Young, Buffalo Springfield
Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel
My Back Pages - Bob Dylan
My Way - Sinatra
Nature's Way - Spirit
Needle and the Damage Done - Neil Young
Never My Love - The Association
New Year's Day - Us
Nights in White Satin - Moody Blues
No Excuses - Alice in Chains
Nobody Knows You - Eric Clapton
Nothing Compares to You - Prince, Sinead O'Conner
Nowhere to Run - Martha and the Vandellas
Ode to Billy Joe - Bobbie Gentry
Oh, Darlin' - Beatles
Ohio - Nelil Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash
Old Love - Eric Clapton & Robert Cray
Old Man - Neil Young
One Headlight - Wallflowers, Jacob Dylan
Orange Crush/ Under the Milky Way - REM/ The Church
Our Lips Are Sealed - Go Go's
Over the Rainbow
Pacing the Cage - Bruce Coburn
Peace, Love and Understanding - Elvis Costello
Peaceful Easy Feeling - Eagles
Penny Lane - Beatles
Piano Man - Billy Joel
Pride (In the name of love) - U2
Puff the Magic Dragon
Ready for Love - Bad Company, Mott the Hoople
Red River Valley
Red Rubber Ball - Cyrcle, Paul Simon
Respect - Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin
Revolution - Beatles
Roam - B52s
Roll with the Changes - REO
Ruby Tuesday - Rolling Stones
Satisfaction - Rolling Stones
Sgt. Pepper - Beatles
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window - Beatles, Joe Cocker
She Loves You - Beatles
Shop Around - Smokey Robinson
Shower the People - James Taylor
Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Stevie Wonder
Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Something Stupid - Sinatra
Sound of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
Southbound Train - Graham Nash
Southern Cross - Crosby, Stills & Nash
Spooky - Classics IV
Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
Stand by Me - Buddy Holly
Standing on the Rock - Ozark Mountain Daredevils
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Tom Petty
Stop in the Name of Love - Supremes
Strawberry Fields Forever - Beatles
Sugar Mountain - Neil Young
Suite Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby, Stills & Nash
Summer in the City - Lovin' Spoonful
Summertime - Gershwin
Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot
Sunny Afternoon - Kinks
Sunshine Superman - Donovan
Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses
Sweet Home Chicago
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Teach Your Children - Crosby, Stills & Nash
Tequila Sunrise - Eagles
That'll Be the Day - Buddy Holly
The Book of Love - Peter Gabriel
The Boys of Summer - Don Henley
The Boxer - Simon & Garfunkel
The Fool on the Hill - Beatles
The Letter - Box Tops
The One I Love/Losing My Religion - REM
The Passenger - Iggy Pop
The Rose - Bette Midler
The Times They Are A-changing - Bob Dylan
The Water is Wide
There's a Kind of Hush - Herman's Hermits
This Land Is Your Land - Woodie Guthrie
Ticket to Ride - Beatles
Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper
Times Like These - Foo Fighters
To Make You Feel My Love - Garth Brooks (Bob Dylan)
Tulsa Time - Don Williams
Under the Milky Way - The Church
Wagon Wheel - various
Walk Away Renee - Left Bank
Walkin' After Midnight - Patsy Cline
Walking on the Moon - Police
We Believe in Happy Endings
We Can Work It Out - Beatles
What a Day for a Daydream - Lovin Spoonful
What a Wonderful World
What Becomes of the Brokenhearted - Jimmy Ruffin
What I Like About You - Romantics
What if God Was One of Us - Joan Osbourne
What's Love Got to Do with It? - Tina Turner
When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge
When the Saints Go Marching In
Where Did our Love Go? - Supremes
Where Do the Children Play - Cat Stevens
Where Have All the Flowers Gone - Pete Seeger
Whiter Shade of Pale - Procul Harem
Wicked Games - Chris Isaac
Wild Horses - Rolling Stones
Wild World - Cat Stevens
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Will You Love Me Tomorrow - Carole King 1st recorded by Shirelles
Winchester Cathedral
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Witchy Woman - Eagles
With a Little Help from My Friends - Beatles
With or Without You - U2
Wonderwall - Oasis
Wooden Ships - Crosby, Stills & Nash
Woodstock - Crosby, Stills & Nash (Joni Mitchell)
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot
Yellow Submarine - Beatles
Yesterday - Beatles
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere - Bob Dylan
You Are My Sunshine
You Can Close Your Eyes - James Taylor
You Just Keep My Hanging On - Supremes, Vanilla Fudge
You Really Got a Hold on Me - Smokey Robinson
You Were on My Mind - Wee Five
You Wreck Me - Tom Petty
Your Lyin' Eyes - Eagles
Your Cheatin' Heart - Hank Williams
Your Mother Should Know - Beatles
Your Song - Elton John
You've Got a Friend - James Taylor
You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'/ Righteous Brothers
Beatles
Bob Dylan
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Eagles
Motown
Simon & Garfunkel
REM
Tom Petty
U2
My sound system can run on battery only for 11 hours; no additional equipment is required.
Evanston, IL 
Guitarist
79 Verified Bookings Lawrence P. said “Martin Metzger and the Flamenco group were absolutely amazing! The arrived early, interacted with the guests and were well prepared and very professional.…”
Folsom, CA
Singing Guitarist
37 Verified Bookings Jeff S. said “John was wonderful to work with and made our event very special!”
Allendale, MI
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Looking for great acoustic music with flair? Hakken Krax Howl provides acoustic cover and original music for up to 4 hours, covering a wide variety of genres from…
Grand Rapids, MI
Singing Guitarist
I am a veteran performer, having played for a living since 1976. That's a long time! I play as a soloist, playing songs from my era for a crowd that wants…
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