Ron Sunshine Entertainment

WHAT I BRING TO THE DJ BOOTH THAT NO ONE ELSE CAN

LET'S SKIP FOR THE MOMENT THE STATE-OF-THE-ART DIGITAL DJ EQUIPMENT, THE ROCKIN' SOUND SYSTEM, THE LIGHTS, THE SMOKE MACHINES, AND THE MASSIVE COLLECTION OF MUSIC. I HAVE ALL THAT COVERED. AND SO DO HUNDREDS OF OTHER DJS.

SO, WHAT SETS ME APART FROM THE OTHERS?

EXPERIENCE

For one thing, I have 25 years of experience as a musician, bandleader and DJ. I have experience on the concert stage, the festival stage, at swank corporate events, casinos, nightclubs, theaters, and venues of all types. I have performed at over 400 weddings from my professional home base of New York City to LA, from Maine to Florida, from Dallas, Texas to Denville, NJ. I have seen the highest of the high end (The Plaza, the Waldorf, private clubs on Park Avenue, exclusive country clubs all over the country, etc.), and the most humble backyard BBQ shindig. No matter what the setting, from glitzy to gritty, my goal has always been the same: Give the crowd 110% and rock the house. Keep the dance floor full, and the guests happy. Make every party an unforgettably fun event that people will be talking about for years to come.

But keeping the guests happy is the end result of a process that involves careful planning in the months leading up to the big event. I have worked with hundreds of clients and wedding couples over the years to determine their musical tastes and interests; to suss out their likes and dislikes; and to play for them the music that they like, with the right song delivered at precisely the right moment. This is the bandleader's job, and it is also the DJ's job. It is a job I enjoy, and a process at which I excel.

TASTE

One of the things that has helped me keep a career in music going for 25 years is my taste in music. Whether picking songs for my band to perform, or writing my own songs, my musical taste comes into play. As a fanatical record collector from the time I made my first five dollars shoveling snow as a kid, I have amassed a huge collection of music that spans every format from 78 records, up through the most current high end digital files. I have the tools and the ability to convert any format (except 8-track tapes) into a digital file, and I have spent countless hours doing just that. I have spent my entire adult life listening to music, playing music, studying music, reading about music and its history, reading about musicians, meeting and talking to musicians...you get the idea. All of this informs my taste.

BALANCE

Everybody has an idea of what they like. Some people can articulate this idea better than others. Everyone is different! I know this. And my 25 years of experience have taught me that the key is balance. There are certain clients--like myself when I got married--who know exactly the music they want, and when they want to hear it at their special event. There are others who can tell you certain genres they like, and certain ones they dislike, and not much else in the way of specifics. But, the vast majority of people fall somewhere in between. They can tell you a few songs they definitely want to hear, and a few they don't. They can request songs by certain artists, but don't necessarily know a lot of song titles to request. This is where the balance comes into play. Armed with my knowledge of music, my taste, and my experience, I then fill in the gaps and balance the requests of my client with my own song selections, and form a playlist based on those criteria. But let me make this clear: if you want to pick every song and have me play only your requests, I am more than happy to do it. Your big event is all about your taste and your selections. My knowledge of and taste in music is just there as a back-up for you. I will contribute my ideas only to the extent you want. I am not here to impose my taste on you. I'm just here to balance things out musically for you.

READING THE CROWD

Both DJ-ing and being a bandleader involve the art of reading the crowd, knowing what the moment demands, and then delivering it. Yes, there is preparation involved. But every event is different. Every crowd is different. The successful DJ or bandleader is able to read the energy of the crowd and respond accordingly with the correct song selection. While I do work from a prepared list of songs when I DJ, I do not make myself stick to it too strictly, because I know that there are times when a moment will suggest a particular song or beat to which the present group on the dance floor will respond. It's hard to explain, but one develops a sixth sense of the crowd as an energy unto itself, and reading this energy is an art. Nothing teaches this art better than experience.

ALLOWING YOU TO RELAX AND ENJOY!

In the end, I tell you all of this so you can relax. Leave the music to me. You are in the hands of a professional. This may be your first big event, but not mine. I have dealt with the caterers, the florists, the maitre D's, the general managers, the parents, grand parents, aunts, uncles, friends, groomsmen, brides maids literally hundreds of times. I enjoy meeting and working with all these people. I know how to work in harmony and cooperation with my fellow professionals to make your event run smoothly. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to which the average client is not privy. And there is no reason you should be! Your job on your big day is to relax and have fun. Let the professionals make your event a success.

My overarching measure of success is making sure the client and all the guests are having a good time. Keep that dance floor full! Make sure the music is powerful, but not so loud that Aunt Lillian has her hands over her ears. Make sure every guest leaves with a smile on their face, and the occasional fist pump signifying I did my job well. That's what makes me happy. So, relax! You are in good hands.

ABOUT RON SUNSHINE

As a graduate of Columbia University with a degree in English, I communicate well. As someone who has traveled all over the world and worked many different jobs in my youth (from oriental rug salesman to junkyard laborer to chauffeur to bartender), I have experience dealing with all kinds of people. I have slept in the most opulent five-star hotels in Palm Beach, and I have slept under a merry-go-round in Switzerland. I have sung at the world famous Rainbow Room in Manhattan in a tux, and I have played music on the streets of Paris for change. I’ve played in seedy nightclubs in New York, and I’ve played in a castle in Sweden. It is hard to find someone who has had more varied experiences in the music business than I have had.

MY PHILOSOPHY AS A DJ / MC

For me, it's all about the music. I am naturally not that talkative. If you are looking for a talkative MC who will always be on the microphone jabbering away, that is not me. That said, I will be happy to make any announcements you like. Whatever you provide for me to say, I will be happy to say it. On the other hand, if feel that your guests will need a "motivator" to get them going, I can always hire someone to perform that role. Whatever you can imagine for your party, we can get it done.

RON SUNSHINE BIOGRAPHY

"Ron Sunshine is a star!" writes Kerry Burke of (link hidden), referring to the lead singer, songwriter, and harmonica player, and bandleader. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Ron moved to New York City in 1981 to attend Columbia University where he earned a degree in English, studying under such notable poets and authors as Kenneth Koch, Amiri Baraka and Albert Murray. One of his classmates there was Barack Obama!

Since taking up music full time in 1990, he has performed and/or recorded with artists such as Dr. John, the P-Funk Horns, Wilson Pickett, Tower of Power, Charles Brown, Pinetop Perkins, David Johansen, Gary US Bonds, Medeski, Martin & Wood, AWB, and Johnny Copeland, as well as many top local bands like Blues Traveler, The Holmes Brothers, and Joan Osborne. He fell in love with music as a child, influenced by his four older sisters, who were an award-winning a capella harmony group, by his trumpet-playing father, and by weekly visits with his babysitter to a soul-stirring full gospel pentecostal church.

In 1994 Ron released his first CD, "Pick it Up," (a funky, bluesy record featuring Dr. John and the P-Funk Horns with 12 original songs), followed by "Soul Drug" in 1998 (jazz-inflected funky originals), "Straight Up" later that year (jump blues and swing, featuring a duet with Madeleine Peyroux), and "Candy" in 2001 (jazz standards). "Deluxe" came out in 2003, and featured the hit "Coffee & Reefer."

Ron’s long-awaited 6th full-length album, “Bring It Home,” will be released in late 2015 on the New York boutique label Rondette Jazz, run by Ian Hendrickson-Smith (Sharon Jones, the Roots), and Adam Scone. The new record will feature 7 new Sunshine originals, a few choice covers, and Ron’s ace 5-piece horn section on every cut.

From 1991 to 1998 Ron led two bands, the bluesy, funky Smoking Section, who were stalwarts on the club scene of the '90s that included Dan Lynch’s, Mondo Cane, Tramps, Louisiana Bar & Grill; and jazzy, jumping Full Swing, veterans of the Supper Club, Windows on the World, and the like. Nowadays, one band handles both repertoires, and more besides. Ron has also been heard performing on a regular basis with his big band at the fabled Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, as well a long-running residency at Swing 46 in Midtown Manhattan.

Often playing over 200 shows per year, Ron Sunshine and his band have traveled the world, playing concerts, festivals and nightclubs, featured along the way on CNN, BET, NBC, Fox, BBC, and other international television, as well as numerous nationally released compilation CDs, books, films, hundreds of radio stations in the US and abroad, as well as in nationally televised advertisements.

Ron has recently been involved with the new HBO series, “Vinyl,” both as a musician and as an on-set consultant. The series, executive produced by Martin Scorcese, Mick Jagger and Terence Winter, will debut in 2016.