THE PARTY MACHINE
was started by Scott Shirley as a Professional DJ Service in 1976.
Original pre-logo college newspaper ad, circa 1976. Note the use of "the 'D' word."
Great sound was important from the outset. Our first speaker systems were enormous boxes made be Altec-Lansing. Dubbed "The Voice of the Theater," each speaker cabinet was the size of a washing machine, had its own zip code, and required its own dolly for transport. They were amazingly efficient, able to belt out high sound pressure levels with minimal power. They were also big enough to be used for emergency housing. Fortunately new speaker technology was allowing smaller cabinets to handle greater power with more clarity, and Party Machine sound improved with each new technical innovation.
1981 Yellow Pages listing, with the logo and cool "GO-PARTY" phone number.
Back then, seven digits were enough, but seven DJs were not.
The first Personal Computers hit the market, and there were no cellphones yet.
Charity Fund Raising has always been near to the heart of the Party Machine. We performed fourteen Dance-A-Thons for the American Cancer Society, raising thousands of dollars for cancer research and education, and similar events for MDA and the American Heart Association. We pioneered the "duck race" fund-raiser for ACS that is now a staple for many fund-raising groups. We have also supported the campaigns of Olympic athletes, church groups, and Junior Sailing.
Entertainment Agents kept the Party Machine working constantly, for everything from conventions to bar mitzvahs. By always providing outstanding service, the Party Machine was the agent's first choice for recorded music entertainment. Ed Bernet Entertainment booked us steadily for 28 years until his retirement, and even booked the Party Machine for his personal 50-year class reunion! Other agents included Pietro Talent USA, EMA Enterprises, Ray Bloch Productions, Carol Marks Music, and Entertainment Productions. With the advent of the Internet, some agencies are gone, and customers now find us on the 'Net.
Party Machine mailer, circa 1986
After 10 years, Scott decided to take the Party Machine in a different direction. In 1986 Scott wanted to take the Party Machine to the next level, and began booking only events he could perform personally. He also decided to make weddings his specialty, and in order to maintain a higher standard of quality and service for weddings, he would limit himself to just 25 weddings a year. We did our first Bridal Show and wedding brochure in January 1990.
Sound and Lighting Equipment evolved in the 80s and 90s. We switched to Cerwin-Vega speaker systems in 1980, and the late 80s brought the advent of digital recording. By the early 90s the Party Machine was all digital, using compact discs, and we began experimenting with computerized music formats and music video. We continued to set up a booth with turntables for reunions and oldies events. Lighting cabinets replaced ceiling-hung lighting, which evolved into truss-mounted lighting in the early 90s.
SAY GOODBYE TO THE EIGHTIES: OUT WITH THE OLD
The Decade of the Nineties was filled with weddings, bar mitzvahs, reunions, and celebrations of milestone birthdays and anniversaries. Our business came almost entirely from referrals and word-of-mouth advertising from our customer base. We performed Silver and Golden Anniversary parties for the parents of brides that we did weddings for, weddings for their siblings and cousins, and birthdays for our loyal customers as they turned 30, 40, 50, and 60. We even played for some great retirement parties. The flashing lights of the disco era gave
way to moving beams of colored light that danced to the beat of the
music, the precursor to today's computerized "intelligent" lighting.
The colored beams were made visible by atmospheric fog, that replaced
the low-lying cloud effect of the old dry ice fog machines. We tried several speaker systems, including JBL, Klipsch, Bose, Electro-Voice, and Cerwin-Vega. We chose to stick with the great sound of our old Cerwin-Vega systems for large events, and use Klipsch Pro Heresies for the smaller ones.
The Nineties saw growth in the popularity of outdoor weddings, and more of our bridal customers booked us to perform ceremony music, in addition to the receptions we have always done. Special systems were developed for ceremony music and for outdoor use, including self-powered systems that would run from silent inverter power, with no noisy generator, yet another Party Machine first.
The Twenty-First Century has seen wedding celebrations for the next generation of some of our client families, and new performance records. We have done one customer's 40th and 50th birthday, and for another we played for his 50th and 60th. We have one bride for whom we have done two weddings, one groom for whom we have two weddings, and one family where we played for both a wedding and a funeral. Some of our club and hotel customers have booked us more than 25 times. We have performed five weddings for one fun family. Party Machine customers are loyal! We do a good job, and they keep calling us for more.
Equipment for the Digital Age has become more powerful, more reliable, and more compact. Problems that plagued mobile sound systems for decades have been solved with the latest technology. Loose cable connections, microphone handling noise, feedback, and signal loss from wireless microphones are a thing of the past. Wireless technology makes it easy to provide total sound coverage for multiple-room events and indoor/outdoor functions. Miniaturization makes it possible to have a quality microphone that is invisible on a bridal gown. Intelligent lighting has added a fun new dimension to the total entertainment package, and the Party Machine continues to lead the industry in cutting-edge technology. And virtually crash-proof Apple computers running Mac OS-X and Megaseg have injected a new level of reliability into digital music.
Twenty-First Century Party Machine Systems feature the latest JBL speaker systems, and the PLX series amplifiers from QSC, the only pro audio amps with a long-term warranty. The JBL Eon series powered speakers have been replaced by next generation units by Phonic, which not only sound better, but have UHF wireless transmission built in. This enables Party Machine systems to handle multi-room and indoor/outdoor events easily, with greater reliability and reduced cost for big-venue systems. And digital signal processing has eliminated clicks, pops, hissing, and feedback. We even have microphones that will not pick up handling noise, and we can change a song's key to match a singer's vocal range on our Karaoke systems.
The Party Machine celebrated 30 years in the entertainment industry in 2006, with all new sound systems, lighting, and effects equipment, and Scott is looking forward to a fourth exciting decade as a mobile entertainer.
"Doing parties keeps me young," Scott insists, "and I love doing them."
A lot has changed since 1976. "If you had told me back in '76 that I would be playing music with computers, and using robotic lighting, I would have said you were insane," Scott says. "But I would think it was a cool idea. Now that it's reality...well, it IS a cool idea, and I love the new technology. It would be insane to play music without my computers!"
From the beginning, Scott and the Party Machine have stuck to a simple formula for success: quality sound with good music, friendly personal service, and technical innovation. We're committed to doing whatever it takes to make your event fun for the guests, and worry-free for the hosts.
From the beginning, Scott and the Party Machine have stuck to a simple formula for success: quality sound with good music, friendly personal service, and technical innovation. We're committed to doing whatever it takes to make your event fun for the guests, and worry-free for the hosts.
We're all BIG fans!
