*** Please note - If your interested in contacting me, please check my calendar at the end of this description. It will inform you of dates that I am unavailable. Bark does not yet have a calendar feature, and they charge me $20 if I respond to you -- even if it's to say that I am unavailable.
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16 customer reviews
Joleen Christie
John and Mike did such an amazing job DJing our wedding. They kept the dance floor rocking all night long! They were very accommodating and responsive. They happily adapted to any last minute changes we may have had. Highly recommend! More...
Reply from JohnJ entertainment
Hi Joleen. Thank you for the wonderful 5-star review and thanks for choosing us to be part of your special day! We had a wonderful time playing for you, your family and friends. Their energy on the dance floor energized us! We wish you and Zack a lifetime of happiness! John&Mike
Joleen Christie
John and Mike did such an amazing job DJing our wedding. They kept the dance floor rocking all night long! They were very accommodating and responsive. They happily adapted to any last minute changes we may have had. Highly recommend! More...
Reply from JohnJ entertainment
Hi Joleen. Thank you for the wonderful 5-star review and thanks for choosing us to be part of your special day! We had a wonderful time playing for you, your family and friends. Their energy on the dance floor energized us! We wish you and Zack a lifetime of happiness! John&Mike
Chris Blake
JohnJ Entertainment did the music for our wedding and we couldn't have been happier! John and his son Mike are highly professional. They took the time to get to know us and really listened to our requests for how we wanted the event to go. So many of our guests told us that these guys were the best wedding entertainment they'd experienced! We would highly recommend them!! More...
Reply from JohnJ entertainment
Hi Christine. Thank you for the touching review! Mike and I truly appreciate it and we appreciate that you chose us to be part of your wedding. We loved playing for you, Rick and your family and friends! With such a wide range of ages and tastes, we had so much fun playing a variety of music that kept someone on the dance floor ... ;-) We wish you and Rick a future of happiness and prosperity! John & Mike
Liisa
DJs John + Mike brought our event to life and kept it hopping! Can't wait to do it again next year :) The entire Malia Racing dragon boat crew thanks you both!
Reply from JohnJ entertainment
Thanks for the 5-star review! Mike and I very much appreciate it! We had a lot of fun being part of the festivities and we will be glad to be a part of the fun next year!
Caitlin
My new wife and I absolutely loved John and Mike and would recommend in a heartbeat! We immediately felt comfortable during our initial meeting and decided to book and we were so happy we did! They were super accommodating to any changes or unique things we wanted to do and had a very helpful spreadsheet to fill out to make sure we didn’t forget anything. We had a few unusual songs that they were able to find without a problem. We had an additional meeting about a month before the wedding and were able to make sure they understood our vision. When we finally saw them the day of it felt like a family reunion! John and Mike kept everything running smoothly and they kept the party going for about 3.5 hours of dancing, and we wished it would never end! We can’t thank them enough and wish we had another event to book them for!!! More...
Reply from JohnJ entertainment
Kayleigh, Thank you kindly for the wonderful review! Mike and I truly appreciate it! We were honored to be part of your special day and really enjoyed being part of your celebration and meeting your families. Your friends and families kept us energized with their response on the floor and with their singing-a-long. Even though it was the first wedding of the year, it's hard to imagine any other topping the enthusiastic response. Mike and I wish you and Caitlin lifetime of happiness! JohnJ
Meghan Flynn
John J Entertainment DJ’d our wedding recently on 9/28/24 in Stowe, VT. The rate that we paid was very affordable. They were extremely communicative since the day that we chose them, and they encouraged us to make our wedding truly ours by choosing songs that meant the world to us, even if it was “nontraditional”.
With my lack of experience planning a wedding, their custom planner made the process of understanding it all so much easier. The music they played tailored to every generation present with a great mix of current and old tunes. We had a small wedding of 50 guests, but John managed to get most of them to tear up the dance floor! They also included certain games to play throughout the reception, my favorite being a game where we had to get a picture with all of our guests from each table in the span of one song. And rather than my husband and I having to sprint to each table and get awkward poses around everyone, they set up chairs in the middle of the area for us to sit in, and our guests had to sprint to us. This created nice-looking group photos for our photographer to capture. This game made my anxiety about getting pictures with all of my guests go away!
In short, if you are looking for a DJ for your Vermont wedding, you have found it right here. We promise- John and Mike will not let you down! So hop on it before someone else does!
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Betty
DJ
I was truly impressed from the moment I first spoke to JohnJ Entertainment. He was very professional and was on point with every factor that needed to be covered. From the first conversation all the way to the party his communication was phenomenal and he was very accommodating with our requests for music that we believed would interest our group for my mother 70th birthday. His rates were phenomenal and all the guests had a great time and enjoyed the music that was played. I would highly recommend for not only the fabulous music played and work put into it but also the professionalism, the pricing, the personality and above all the amazing effort that was truly put in to making sure our day was a happy one. My mother was so pleased with every aspect but really enjoyed the music played. Top notch and worth every penny. I look forward to using JohnJ Entertainment for future events. More...
Jenn Daniels
JohnJ Entertainment did an amazing job at our wedding!
Everyone enjoyed the music and entertainment. John & Mike were very professional, played all the right music and kept things flowing smoothly.
They got everyone dancing, especially the kids!
Our guests really enjoyed the Photo Challenge - we got some amazing photos from it, and Centerpiece give away contest was also a big hit.
Everything was perfect 😊
Thank you so much to John & Mike for an amazing day!!!
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Reply from JohnJ entertainment
Betty, THANK YOU for the wonderful review! Mike and I really appreciate it. We strive to deliver quality and value. We enjoyed meeting you and your family and are very pleased that everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we did playing for everyone. We would love to celebrate again with you! May you enjoy a safe and healthy Fall and much beyond! JohnJ
Peter
John was great. He helped make our business event a success.
Reply from JohnJ entertainment
Hi Jennifer, Thank you for the wonderful review. Mike and I really enjoyed playing for you, John, your guests and the children. What a beautiful location and beautiful day we had on the lake. I can't wait for the Fall! I plan to take my wife to the see the color and ambience on the lake, savor the amazing food and experience the exceptional staff at the Eastside Restaurant! Mike and I wish you and John a lifetime of memories and happiness! JohnJ
Oncology clinic
John joined the oncology society and local chemotherapy clinic for a fashion show fundraiser. His attention to the show, the upbeat music and his charitable donation of his time made the event super successful, Highly recommend JohnJEntertainment for your next fun event!!!
Melissa Hango
JohnJ entertainment did a fantastic job with our wedding. Our original DJ fell through less than 2 months before the wedding and John and his son made the last minute transition very smooth. They were so organized and easy to work with. Their playlists matched our requests and interests perfectly and our wedding guests loved them. Would highly recommend! More...
Reply from JohnJ entertainment
Melissa, Mike and I very much appreciate the 5-star review. It was our pleasure working with you and Cam and being a part of your celebration, Your family and friends provided a lot of energy on the dance floor and made our jobs easy! We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness, Thanks again! JohnJ
Christina
John J Entertainment DJ'd our company party this year, and they were a hit! They were very professional, flexible, and accomodating. We had a great time and I would highly recommend. More...
Amy P.
I hired John for my birthday party. From the start, he made sure that he had the songs that I wanted-even the ones that were not usually played at functions. The communication prior to the party was great. He was at the hall and all set up before I even got there. Tables needed to be moved to create a dance floor which he took care of. He kept the music going with a variety of music that we all loved. He didn't mind the requests from my guests for country, swing, salsa, waltzes, and even the Hora. EVERYONE had a great time. Even our bartender asked about him and said that they may hire him for other functions they have there. If I ever am in need of a dj again, I would hire John again in a heartbeat. Thank you, John for making my party wonderful! More...
Rob Kellogg
I highly recommend John J Entertainment if you are looking for a professional DJ to host your upcoming event. John met with us at our home to choose the music for our daughter's wedding. He had the family up and dancing in our family room! He was able to provide the songs we wanted and was well aware of generational preferences. On the day of the wedding we were stress free and he had our guests up and dancing until the grand finale. More...
Elaine G
I've been a waitress at a major ski resort in the Northeast for 10 years and have worked over 100 weddings. At a recent wedding, JJ played for 7 hours including a 2 hour cocktail party.
I am usually exhausted after being pounded by music for 7 hours, but JJ's mix of feel-good oldies, smooth rat-pack and soul, toe-tapping country, power rock 80s and contemporary dance and funk had the dance floor packed all night - and we have one of the largest dance floors!
Usually there are stretches of songs that I don't know or don't like but I found myself humming and moving non-stop all night long. I never had so much fun at work! I'm looking forward to the next time JJ hosts another event at our resort.
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Reply from JohnJ entertainment
Hello Elaine! Wow! Thank you soooo much for taking the time from your busy schedule to leave such a wonderful review! I really appreciate it! I believe you are the vendor to leave me a review. I am glad you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed playing it! You have a wonderful venue and I hope to part of another celebration there in the near future. I hope you will working that day when it happens! I wish you the best for a safe, happy and prosperous 2022 and beyond! JohnJ
Karen Waite
I attended a wedding where John Jacob was the D. J. Describing his work is difficult as words like 'wow', 'professional', 'so much fun' just don't seem to touch it.
As it turns out, I am also related to the bride and groom so am able to give you some background to an event that will be joyfully remembered by the couple and their 200 guests forever.
First of all, the family and the happy couple were elated to discover the vast number of musical genre available. John Jacob has a library of music which includes but is not limited to rat pack, big band, oldies, Motown, soul, disco, 80's, contemporary, techno, top 40 and country. If there is a song not in his library, he will get it as he engaged in many conversations with the bride and groom listening to their family stories, learning about the couple and providing music that was meaningful and poignant to their special day.
John's collection of music played during the ceremony, cocktail hour, introductions, dinner and finally the dancing at this wedding were seamless, personal, emotional and resulted in a danced floor always filled. He appeals to the revered and respected grand mother as well as the most energetic and eager of millennials. John has a gift and cadence in his voice to introduce each of the wedding party in a way that endears the crowd to the bride and groom and just makes you feel like he's always known that family. If I decide to marry, I will call JJ the DJ
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Reply from JohnJ entertainment
Karen, thank you so much for the 5-star review! I really appreciate. Your family was a pleasure to play floor. I am pleased that they enjoyed the variety of music. I also enjoyed meeting them in advance and planning a memorable reception! Have a safe and happy 2022 and beyond! JohnJ
What’s the secret to keeping a party dancing all night long?
Well, there really is no secret. It takes EXPERIENCE. You can love music and play a few songs that EVERYONE dances to. But over 3 - 4 hours it takes more than playing Uptown Funk, Happy, and I Want to Dance Somebody to keep the floor moving all night.
A knowledge of a variety of music is a must! This is especially true when you have 100 guests spanning generations. There will be 20% that only dance to slow songs, another 20% that don't like country and another 20% that has never heard of the Beatles! That's a challenge only experience can bring.
One thing that guests love to see is the bride on the dance floor-- but at a wedding she is a hostess and needs to visit with tables and guests. I watch the guests closely during the cocktail and dinner hours and watch what they 'sing along' with and 'toe tap' or 'groove' to. Do they know the words to "Wagon Wheel", are they bouncing to "Ants Marching", or "Accidentally i n Love" These are subtle hints that will help know where to to redirect the dance floor when guests leave the floor when "Love Shack" starts. What works at one event doesn't mean it will work for all events. Many DJs play one set of country, Latin, or "boyband" over the 3+ hours. I love keeping it fresh by playing multiple sets of each genre as well as slowing it down at least once every 45 minutes to songs like, Crazy For You (Madonna), Lost in Your Eyes ( D Gibson), Wonderful Tonight (Clapton), Beautiful Crazy, or Wonderful World, etc.
I work with the bride and groom early and often -- to see what they enjoy. We offer a 7-page reception planning guide that opens the discussion for a memorable event. Then I 'listen' with eyes and ears and to see what the guests enjoy. This combination ensures a packed floor and even a possible extension into the evening, venue permitted.
How would you describe your ‘style’?
My style is warm, friendly, old school. If you're looking for a club-style DJ that plays ear-pounding bass or scratching, that's not me. If you're looking for a cheer-leader to jump on the floor to rile up the crowd with a break-dance that's not me, either. On the other end I do not hide behind a screen and play only music. I have a warm, baritone voice from my days as a radio DJ and love to engage the guests with introductions and introduce the important dances and fun 'games'. But once the music starts, I focus on letting the music speak and limit the 'talk' to "We're gonna slow it done in moment", "We've got a request from the mother of the bride", or the very important, "Last call in 10 minutes!" At a wedding, I am not there to be an entertainer, the bride and groom are the rock stars and focus of attention. If it's a backyard BBQ - I provide a little more interaction, mixing with the crowd and taking requests. I may even lead the group in the a line dance like the Macarena or Cha Cha slide.
What do you love most about your job?
There are THREE things that I love the most:
1) PEOPLE! Helping people have a good time! Seeing the enjoyment on their faces! Meeting people across the region, even the USA and. I've enjoyed two weddings this year that were multi-cultural with guests from Europe and Asia. Also, this area is a mecca for destination weddings -- especially in the Fall.
2) MUSIC! Taking requests and learning new songs that everyone enjoys! It's a rare event where someone doesn't introduce me to a new song! As vast as my library is, I often get introduced to a new song that is loved not only by the current guests but is enjoyed in following events as well.
3) TRAVEL! I love traveling northern New England and NY! So many great venues and sceneries to enjoy and explore. I cover from the Adirondacks to the coast of Maine to the White and Green Mountains and Lakes Winnipesauke and Champlain! What's better than exploring New England in the Fall!
What inspired you to start your own business?
Since s young age I have always been passionate about music. My mom worked at Columbia records when she was young and there was always music in the home. I started a radio station in high school and performed two shows a day during my junior and senior years. This continued in college with a Sunday night show called Reflections, that focused on how one generation influences another. After a successful corporate career, I can now return to my passion. I am able to include my son, Mike, in this adventure and as a team we can easily cover 100 years of music like no other entertainment company can.
Why should our clients choose you?
There are two main reasons.
1) You get me (and my son). We are team with a vast knowledge and passion for music. We know music inside and out. I do not farm it out to a rotating pool of DJs looking to make some extra bucks on the weekend. A company with a pool of DJs is inherently more expensive -- often hundreds more -- as they take a cut, too,
2) I don't use a cookie-cutter thumb drive from someone else's wedding. I take the time to get to know the bridal couple and use a 7-page planner to understand what's important to the host and their guests. This makes for a truly memorable evening. The alternative? A DJ that's given a thumb-drive of over-played wedding songs from previous weddings. I've often been challenged with 'do not play any of the top 25 over-played wedding songs!' These include Happy, UpTown Funk, Don't Stop Believing, We Are Family, YMCA, Celebration, etc. I am still able to keep the dance floor packed with a variety of music across multiple genres! Also, our experience and library depth can easily accommodate themed parties such as an 80's power rock bash, Swing-sensation, or a Boot-Scootin' Boogie.
Can you provide your services online or remotely? If so, please add details.
While it is possible to provide music remotely, I have not done yet done so. Playing music for a crowd requires observation and interaction. This would be hard to do remotely. But I would welcome the opportunity to try, under the right circumstance.
What changes have you made to keep your customers safe from Covid-19?
We follow all CDC recommendations, including wiping down microphone after use. We have focused on outdoor events, and wear masks if we are indoors and situated on the floor with the guests.
Weddings
Complete Ceremony and Reception Planning
Our 7 page planning guide helps plan a memorable evening for your guests.
We provide a second sound system for FREE at a gazebo / arbor.! We start playing music from 30 minutes prior to the ceremony as guests gather. These feature romantic love songs such as Truly (Lionel Richie), You and I (Crystal Gayle / Eddie Rabbit), Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Beauty and the Beast (violin version), Truly, Madly Deeply (Savage Garden), Love of My Life (Jim Brickman), Ave Maria (Celine), andn so many others.
We provide 3 wireless microphones so everyone can hear the officiant and the bride and groom!
We provide complete emcee services. We provide introductions of the bridal party as well as work with the staff on dinner flow and announcements.
We offer 5 events during the evening that make your event memorable, including a photo challenge that EVERY photo finds fun and useful, an Anniversary dance, Newlywed game, Dollar dance, Mars vs Venus dance-off, and Centerpiece giveaway. Spread over 5 hours these events make for a fun interactive and memorable wedding and plenty of photo opportunities for the camera.
The cake-cutting and bouquet toss are also part of the festivities as well as any post-wedding send offs (sparklers, fireworks, etc)
We don't use a thumb-drive from someone else's wedding. We work with you to understand your tastes and the age range of t he guests.
Reunions
LOVE THEM!
I've done 45, 50, and 65 year class reunions.
I can tailor an event to make you feel '18' again. I can keep the event to the high school / college years or expand the music to cover recent hits. I can emcee various awards, acknowledgements, as needed. I find that reunions over 40 years tend to focus on the music of their generation. A review from a Woodstock VT 46 year reunion stated,
" I can't thank John enough for all he did to make our reunion so spectacular! The music was just PERFECT and everyone was "18ish" again. I so hope that he will be available in another 4 years when we celebrate our 50th!!!"
Company Functions
Whether your company is celebrating a summer picnic or a year-end holiday celebration, I can help with awards, contests and giveaways or just a good time party!
