All the Time in the World



Playing in my living room! Running some DMX
test programming at home. Chauvet Colorstrip
mounted on Chauvet 4Bar/4 Play combo with 2 ADJ
X-Move LED 25R lights on the floor -
controlled with Chauvet Obey 10.
 My family is very patient.

by Geoff Short for MobileBeat.com

I just spent the last hour sitting in my living room programming lighting scenes into my DMX controller (see photo at left). Not for any specific upcoming event, but mostly as a way to further study DMX and explore the cool things my lights can do and how that might benefit clients. The one thing that wasn't on my mind was how quickly and easily it takes me to set up and tear down those lights.

 

I've been thinking about this since a recent conversation I had with another DJ. I had my DJ rig set up for a party that he was a guest at and, of course we were talking about what DJs talk about - gear. He admired my set up but it was his next comment that kind of surprised me. I'm paraphrasing but he said something like "If I can't tear down and be packed up in 20 minutes, I don't bring it." For this DJ, the time and ease of set up and tear-down seemed to be the main factor in what gear he has on gig. Not necessarily client feedback or venue demands.

 

 

Click Here for the full article on MobileBeat.com

Great DJ Customer Review!

I'm so excited for this fantastic review!  This is what it's all about!

"Looking out and seeing the completely packed dance floor ALL night was absolutely magical!"

So happy to have worked with this wonderful couple on their wedding reception and couldn't be more excited they were so happy! This really makes the hard work worth it all!

My Latest Mobile Beat Article: Welcome to Rehab!

Hi. I'm Geoff and I'm a Gear-a-holic. I love gear. I've always been obsessed with anything that has lots of blinking lights and buttons to push. We DJs talk about gear, we drool over gear in music stores and online catalogs. And of course, we buy gear. Lots of it. There's nothing like the rush of getting that package from the UPS guy. It's here! It's here! That expensive thing that I can't afford and really don't need but that is filling up an emotional void somewhere deep inside me! We're addicted brothers and sisters. Not to offend our gear vendor brethren, but just like the fast food, tobacco or alcohol industries, that's just where they want us.


Click here for the full article on MobileBeat.com

My Latest MobileBeat article...Don't Panic!!!

Panic Button
By Geoff Short
for MobileBeat.com

Any good DJ worth his weight in MP3s has a back-up plan in case Murphy's Law kicks in at a gig. There's a ton of advice available about back-up plans. Not so much about the psychological impact of DJ panic when things go wrong. Panic kills. I was a lifeguard throughout high school and college. We learned the first option to save someone drowning is to reach something long to them and pull them to safety. If you approach a drowning person who is panicked they will most likely drag you down with them. On a gig, panic can drown the event as quickly as a floundering swimmer. You lose control to think and act quickly. Survival is the only instinct that kicks in. Being able to calmly come up with a solution goes right out the window. We've all had flashes of panic on gigs. Forget the sync button. Wouldn't it be cool if there was a panic button for those panic-inducing situations on gigs? Just press the button and poof! Problem solved. Panic recedes. Here's a few of my mental "panic buttons".  I've had to use them before to save myself from drowning.

Click here to read the full article on MobileBeat.com 

My Latest Mobile Beat Article: Finding DJ Inspiration Away from Other DJs

Finding Inspiration
by Geoff Short for MobileBeat.com

Everyone can use a little inspiration. Especially those of us in the entertainment business who need to continually find creative ways to stimulate audiences. But it's easy to fall into the rut of time-worn habits.  We could all use a creative makeover to do things differently sometimes. DJs spend a lot of time learning from other DJs but true evolution of your DJ skills and outlook may require you to look outside of the DJ community to discover unique ways of approaching your craft. If your eyes and mind are open enough you can discover new things about stuff you do everyday that can get your creative juices flowing enough to lead to real creative growth and increased income as an entertainer. If you find your creative energy sagging along with bookings and income, it may be time for an inspirational fill-up.  I've talked about some of my personal sources of inspiration before, most notably live theatre.  Here are a few other non-DJ sources of DJ inspiration:

For the full article on MobileBeat.com click here.

M Latest Article for MobileBeat.com: The 30-Year Old Black Woman

by Geoff Short

"I'm a 30 year-old black woman. What do YOU think I want to hear?"

That was the question one party-goer posed to me at the event I DJ'd for last weekend. And I thought it was a great question. But let me start at the beginning.

The event was a corporate holiday party in a large ballroom at a local hotel here in Cleveland. I haven't been that challenged by a crowd recently and although I had a couple uncomfortable moments as the DJ, I don't think I've felt more invigorated by a gig in a long time. I learned some really good lessons that night.

The crowd was well over 300 people, a large number of which were African-American. Naturally, as a black DJ, I always feel comfortable with black guests. We love to dance. Black people, in fact, are very active dancers and have very specific tastes (and opinions) about what is or isn't being played. We want to be on the dance floor and we will challenge a DJ to keep us there - on our terms. The challenge this night was that I was the DJ and there was also a large number of guests who were older and not black. I knew this was a professional event with a mixed crowd and my goal was to try to appeal to everyone. We all know you can't just pay attention to who's on the dance floor, but also to who isn't. Unfortunately some guests didn't see it that way and saw fit to challenge me throughout the night. And, as frustrating as it can become, I love a good challenge!

Click Here fof the full article on MobileBeat.com

If a Full Dance Floor is Important...

...don't put the bar outside the ballroom.

One is the Loneliest Number

Lonely DJ in search of gig companionship. Must enjoy sharing stale deli tray vendor meals and long walks along loading docks and freight elevators. 

Just kidding.

But for me sometimes, DJing is a lonely business. It takes a village to raise a great event, but as a solo DJ, my "village" can feel pretty pitiful with a population of 1.

 Most weekends I sing in The Avenue, one of the very busy special event dance bands at Jerry Bruno Productions, the multi-op I work for here in Cleveland. I've been in a band since I was a kid and bands are like little gangs. Us against the world.  There's a feeling of camaraderie, of common purpose in a band that I find myself missing when I'm DJing an event. The Avenue is a group of 10 musicians and 1 Sound Tech working together in harmony (literally) for a common goal. We ultimately sink or swim together and there is a creative comfort in that. We can discuss musical ideas and support each other.

Click here for the full article at MobileBeat.com

Acting Up by Geoff Short

I do so much acting at special events, I should win an Academy Award.

I'm a shy person. Whenever I say this, people who know my history of performing look at me like I'm crazy. How can someone who performs in front of hundreds of people every week be shy? But it's true. I'm not the kind of person who will readily walk up to strangers and start a conversation. I think many performers are shy to some extent. It's easier for me to sing a song in front of 200 people than it is to have a real conversation with just one. When I'm singing, the words I'm singing have already been prepared for me by someone else. When I'm acting on stage, the person I'm supposed to be and the situation I'm supposed to be in have already been created for me. I can live comfortably in that alternate reality moment. I don't feel any of the awkwardness that creeps in in unfamiliar social situations as the "real" me.

Click here for the full article on MobileBeat.com

Amazing Photo Compilation of The Avenue!

A compilation of some incredible shots of The Avenue from our August 25th,2012 wedding reception at The Ritz-Carlton.  Photos by New Image Photography.

Cool Dance Floor Images from a Recent DJ Gig!

A quick fun look at my DJ lighting rig that created some cool dance floor images from a recent wedding reception I DJ's for at Cleveland Botanical Gardens.

DJ Geoff Short Gig Log 7-13-12

My latest DJ Gig Log video!  A gig on Friday the 13th when a little divine intervention is never a bad thing!

The Importance of Partying

by Geoff Short

Never trust a skinny cook.

Well I've never been skinny a day in my life and my culinary skills consist of ordering at a drive-thru.  But I'm an expert eater and I also know a thing or two about partying and let's face it, when it comes to mixing (pun intended) the ingredients for a great party, we DJs are the cooks.  But sometimes we get so busy cooking up amazing entertainment in our own proverbial kitchens that we forget how nice it is to actually eat. If we never let our hair down I think we can lose perspective on what being a guest at a great party feels like.  So, I would like to suggest that we have to fight for our right to party!  Call it market research, field study, whatever.  I mean, we owe it to our clients don't we?

To read the full article on MobileBeat.com click here

It's Not My Problem!

by Geoff Short

I remember it like it was yesterday.  One of the biggest screw ups of my life.  I was one week away from being married. My soon-to-be-wife Lisa and I were living in California at the time, but our wedding was happening in Cleveland where our families live and where I grew up.  Because of work schedules, Lisa left for Cleveland a few days before I did.  I was organizing a few last minute things the night before I was to go to the airport.  I made sure I had my plane tickets and thought I would double check what time my flight was. That's when my world went black. My plane - the very one that was to carry me to wed my beloved - departed over 12 hours ago!!  For some reason I had it in my mind that my flight was the next day.  Nope.  Panic.  As stupid as that was, I was smart enough to call the airline, plead my case and beg for the next flight to Cleveland - before calling Lisa, who was probably expecting me to be landing in Ohio by now.  It worked.  It only cost me $50 to change the flight to the next morning (I would have sold my first born kid to get on a plane)  and now I had a solution before breaking the news to my fiance.  No, she still wasn't thrilled and still called me an idiot, but at least I had a solution.  Can you imagine if I hadn't? She surely would have thought this lame "missed flight" story (true though it was) was a cover for the worst case of cold feet in the world.  I learned a very valuable lesson that day...

Solve the problem before you make it someone else's problem.

To read the full article on MobileBeat.com click here

You've Never DJ'd Before

by Geoff Short

As I write this, we are probably over the half way point of the busy Summer wedding season.  For those who have created great entertainment at a lot of different events over the last couple months, it's right about this time that a DJs energy and enthusiasm can be in short supply.  The usually sharp edges of precision and accuracy can feel  dulled by habits and complacency and the spark of creativity can grow dim under the shadow of boredom.  If you let it.   To succumb to DFABS (DJ Fatigue and Boredom Syndrome, a disorder I just made up) is to invite in nasty things like bad reviews, diminished referrals, empty dance floors, disappointed brides and grooms and probably worst of all, disillusion with DJing in general.    Much like a marathon runner who must go beyond her depleted physical ability and plumb her psyche for the strength to dig deep and win the race, DJs must also dig deep and make every event a winner.

Of course that's easier said than done.

To read the full article on MobileBeat.com click here

HOW OLD IS OLD?

Being a DJ who is well into his 40′s I’ve been feeling the need to defend reception “guests of age” lately. I hear it all the time when I’m consulting with wedding clients (many of whom seem young enough to be my own kids) atJerry Bruno Productions. “A lot of our guests will be older. You know…in their 40′s, 50′s & 60′s. So please be sure to play some stuff for them, like Big Band music and Frank Sinatra stuff.”

Gulp.

Attention young brides and grooms….”old” people ain’t so old. It’s more a matter of you being so young! I mean, what kind of one-foot-in-the-grave, granny knitting in a rocking chair, old fart-type stuff do you think your “older” guests are into?

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE AT MOBILEBEAT.COM

THE HELP

Sometimes when I’m DJing an event, I suffer from a bit of an identity crisis. It usually happens somewhere between the time somebody’s Grandpa mistakes me for the valet and tosses his keys to me and the Assistant Catering Manager shoves a tray full of appetizers in my hand and barks at me to get moving and stop hanging around the DJ booth. When this happens I have to fight the urge to scream “I’m the damn DJ! You know…the one that is going to control the most important aspect of this entire shindig? PARK YOUR OWN DAMN CAR!!”

All due respect goes to valets and servers and every other super hero disguised as a special event worker. They are the miracle workers who make these three ring circuses possible. And they are friends and colleagues. I am one of them. I AM the hired help. So why do I get so bent out of shape when I feel treated that way? I don’t want or need to be treated any better than any other worker hired for a given event. It would just be nice if we ALL felt appreciated and respected all the time. But we all know Utopia doesn’t really exist.

Have you ever felt disrespected by clients, guests or other vendors at an event?

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE AT MOBILEBEAT.COM

WHAT I DO WRONG

Sometimes it seems like our DJ blogs and articles are bursting with so many ”expert” DJs clamoring to impart wisdom to the huddled masses of less experienced DJs, one might wonder who exactly we’re imparting all this wisdom to.  Teachers teaching teachers, all looking for students. Put your ear to the average DJ blog and, like that creepy “voice of the sea” seashell from those cruise line commercials imploring strangers to “swim in me” or whatever,  you can almost hear the cries of multitudes of DJs who clearly didn’t get enough attention as children. Oceans of forums and lifetimes of videos scream “notice me!” through their advice and tips.  Of course, I count myself among them…you….us.  Take a look at my body of work for Mobile Beat and it’s clear that I also must think my experience and/or opinion is worthy of…..I don’t know…being worthy, I guess.  I mean, I just used the phrase “my body of work” in reference to my own DJ articles. Who am I? Shakespeare?

So in the spirit of trying to deflate my head a bit and to encourage some of you other know-it-alls out there (you know who you are) to do the same, I have a confession. I screw things up sometimes. I really can get tired of hearing my own voice talking about all the things (I think) I do right.   So now – with tail tucked firmly between legs – I present just a few of the things I know I do wrong.  Hopefully to save other DJs from fumbling in my footsteps.  But certainly to try and fix some of this crap myself!

CLICK HERE FOR THE WHOLE ARTICLE AT MOBILEBEAT.COM

Tune Into the Crossfader Show! I'll be a Guest!!

I'm really excited to be a guest on this episode of the great DJ internet talk show, The Crossfader Show! Tune in Monday April 23rd at 12pm PST...We'll be talking about the meaty subject of race and culture as it pertains to the DJ entertainment business and dealing with clients of different cultures. I met Jose and some of the team at Mobile Beat Las Vegas and have been a fan of the Crossfader Show for a long time. Click the event link below and Tune in!

https://www.facebook.com/events/154225374704912/

Theory of Evolution (by Geoff Short for MobileBeat.com)

What is the evolution of DJing? I’m not talking about gear. We all know the hardware and software we use is obsolete the second we hit the power button.
I’m talking about how being a special event entertainer and MC will evolve. Or…will it?

I think it’s inevitable. We’re in the entertainment business and entertainment continually evolves. HD movies in 3-D, virtual reality gaming, interactive TV on demand. Entertainment is not like other businesses that are created and grow in large part according to the demands of the market. If people want bigger SUVs the automobile industry cranks them out. Consumers want cheap goods and the convenience of one-stop shopping so Walmart is the biggest retailer in the country.

Read the full article on MobileBeat.com by clicking here