Last night’s performance was at a company holiday party for Vanguard Properties. A guest at a wedding I played this past summer told her co-workers about me, and they ended up hiring me. I’m always flattered when someone likes what I do enough to refer me like that.
The party was great. It took place at the Maritime Museum in San Francisco, which is a building that looks like a ship. That’s neat! They decked it out with crystals and lights, and the whole place looked glamorous. The guests came quite dressed up– lots of black ties and slinky dresses. As with most corporate events, the crowd was all over the place in terms of age and musical taste, but they danced enthusiastically throughout the night to just about everything I played.
The early part of the set was geared towards eating and drinking, and it wasn’t until I upped the volume, and the tempo with Dressy Bessy that people started to dance. Benny Goodman brought a large group of older guests out, who, somewhat surprisingly, stayed on the floor awhile and danced happily to LCD Soundsystem and Ratatat.
The only tough part of the gig was watching everyone eat, but I hit Tommy’s Joynt on the way home and chowed down.
What did I play, you ask?
Do It Again [Wag on Christ Remix] – April Stevens
History Repeating [feat. Miss Shirley Bassey] – Propellerheads
Where It’s At – Beck
Freedom – Jurassic 5
Clint Eastwood – Gorillaz
Lebanese Blonde [Instrumental Mix] – Thievery Corporation
Club Montepulciano – Hooverphonic
The Guns of Brixton – The Clash
Crystal Frontier [Widescreen Version] – Calexico
Help the Aged – Pulp
Picture in a Frame – Tom Waits
Life in Mono – Mono
Protection – Massive Attack
Trigger Hippie – Morcheeba
Tessellate – Alt-J
Funeral for My Future Children – Anna von Hausswolff
Kinky Afro – Happy Mondays
Bossa Per Due – Nicola Conte
Take Five – Jazzkantine
I Saw Cinnamon – Dressy Bessy
Sealion [Chromeo Remix] – Feist
We Are Young [feat. Janelle Monáe] – Fun.
Stompin’ At the Savoy – Benny Goodman and His Orchestra
The Way You Look Tonight – Frank Sinatra
Hound Dog – Wille Mae “Big Mama” Thornton
I Saw Her Standing There – The Beatles
Rock With You – Michael Jackson
Someone Great – LCD Soundsystem
Wildcat – Ratatat
You Must Learn All Night Long [Swamp Mix] – Fantastic Plastic Machine
You Don’t Love Me (No No No) – Dawn Penn
Ms. Fat Booty – Mos Def
Nastradamus – Nas
One More Chance [Remix] – Notorious B.I.G.
I Want You Back – The Jackson Five
Chain of Fools – Aretha Franklin
Reflektor – Arcade Fire
Electric Feel [Justice Remix] – MGMT
Get Lucky [feat. Pharrell Williams] – Daft Punk
SexyBack – Justin Timberlake
Reaktor – autoKratz
Blind – Hercules and Love Affair
Girls & Boys – Blur
Bizarre Love Triangle – New Order
Bad Romance – Lady GaGa
Gangnam Style (강남스타일) – PSY
Intergalactic – Beastie Boys
Walk This Way – Run-D.M.C.
Goin’ Back to Cali – Notorious B.I.G.
I Need You Tonight – INXS
All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey
(Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With The Bag – Kay Starr
Oiga Mire Vea – Guayacan Orquesta
A Mover La Colita – Sonora Dinamita
Suavemente – Elvis Crespo
Blurred Lines [feat. T.I. & Pharrell] – Thicke
Moves Like Jagger [feat. Christina Aguilera] – Maroon 5
Sexy Bitch – David Guetta
Party Rock Anthem [feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock] – LMFAO
Blue Monday – New Order
Hang on Sloopy – The McCoys
Son of a Preacher Man – Dusty Springfield
Thrift Shop [feat. Wanz] – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Hypnotize – Notorious B.I.G.
Wobble Baby – V.I.C.
Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) – Beyoncé
Dímelo – Marc Anthony
Major Tom (Coming Home) – Peter Schilling