Sacramento
Event Entertainment in Sacramento: Dueling Pianos, Solo Piano and Live Bands
Sacramento throws a lot of different parties. A state agency team or a trade association hosts a reception a few blocks from the Capitol. A Roseville or Rocklin company books a hotel ballroom for its year-end party. A couple plans a summer wedding on a Delta or riverfront property, and a family in Elk Grove or Land Park celebrates a big birthday in the backyard. Every one of those rooms needs music that fits the crowd. Here's how we'd plan entertainment for events around Sacramento.
What works for Sacramento crowds
A lot of Sacramento events bring together people who don't usually share a room: legislative staff and lobbyists, a whole regional office and their partners, members of an association who see each other once a year. Live piano is good at breaking that ice. A pianist-singer can keep it light while people arrive, take a request for the retiring director, and turn dessert into a sing-along. Our talent has played corporate events for Intuit, and Modern Dueling Pianos, the dueling show JMD books, played Asset Living's convention at the Peppermill in Reno this fall, so a ballroom full of colleagues is home turf.
Picking the right act for your event
- Company, holiday and association parties: dueling pianos. Two pianist-singers play requests all night and make the guests part of the show, with shout-outs for the team that had a big year, birthday songs and a song for the boss. It fits a Midtown restaurant buyout, a downtown hotel ballroom or a reception near the convention center, and the show stays clean when the room calls for it.
- Receptions and client dinners: solo piano. For a cocktail reception, a donor or client dinner, or a private room in Old Sacramento, a singing pianist sets the tone without taking over the conversation, then picks up requests as the night loosens up.
- Weddings: solo piano, then dueling pianos. Many couples want quiet piano for the ceremony and cocktail hour and a party for the reception. A singing pianist covers the first half, and a dueling show takes over once dinner is cleared.
- Big celebrations and dance floors: a live band. JMD represents Whiskey Kiss and The Penetrators Groove Band for crowds that want country, classic rock, R&B and dance music until the last song.
Planning tips for Sacramento venues
- Plan for summer heat. Sacramento summers regularly top 100 degrees. For an outdoor event, put the performers in shade, start after the worst of the afternoon sun, and let the evening Delta breeze do the rest. Pianos and sound gear need shade too.
- Ask about load-in and parking downtown. Downtown, Midtown and Old Sacramento venues can have tight loading zones and paid garages. Send us the venue's loading details and we'll plan arrival times around them.
- Check power and sound rules. Backyards, barns and riverfront properties often need a dedicated circuit, and many neighborhoods and venues have firm end times. We build the set so the night peaks before the music has to stop, and our production team can bring sound and lighting if the venue has none.
- Leave room for traffic. Interstate 80, Highway 50 and Interstate 5 slow down on weekday evenings, so for a weeknight company party we build in extra time for setup.
- Book December early. Thursday and Friday dates in early and mid-December go first. Our holiday party entertainment guide compares dueling pianos, karaoke, a DJ and a band.
Where we play
JMD Entertainment books events in Sacramento, including downtown, Midtown, Old Sacramento, East Sacramento, Land Park and Natomas, plus West Sacramento, Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights, Carmichael and Fair Oaks, Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln and Granite Bay in Placer County, and Davis and Woodland in Yolo County. Heading up the hill for a private party or winery wedding? See our El Dorado Hills and Amador County guide. Planning a multi-day conference? Our convention and conference entertainment guide covers booking every night of the event through one agency.
How to book
- Tell us the basics. The date, the town or venue, the guest count and the kind of event. A budget range helps us recommend the right act.
- We recommend a lineup. Solo piano, dueling pianos, a band or a mix, with notes on space, power and timing for your venue.
- We handle the details. Contracts, production and day-of coordination stay with us, so you can enjoy your own event.
To check your date, use the booking form, call or text (408) 203-5563, or email [email protected].