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Let’s do a theme show! Disco, funk, rock, you name it!

Let's do a theme show!Hot as a pepper has done shows that were based around a theme before, but it’s been a while, so we are itching to get something fun going again. If you are planning a party or event where you believe a theme would be go over well, or you have a theme based event and you need the music, let’s talk!

Here’s some ideas:

  • Disco – Everyone gets to channel John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. With tunes from Kool & The Gang, KC & The Sunshine Band, Earth, Wind and Fire, Donna Summer, Bee Gees, Commodores, The Tramps, etc.
  • Funk – Let’s get funky, nothing but the funk. James Brown, Parlament, Rick James, Gap Band, even some Bruno Mars.
  • 80’s – We’ll get you going with The Fixx, Bon Jovi, Guns & Roses, Rolling Stones, Hall & Oates, Ramones.
  • 70’s – How about a show based around Aerosmith, Doobie Brothers, ZZ Top, Steve Miller Band, Even some Skynyrd?
  • 60’s – We’ve done this show for a large event and it went over super!   Temptations, McCoys, GFR, Van Morrison, Steppenwolf, CCR, Stones, Turtles, Beatles, Kinks, Beach Boys, Zombies. From mellow to harder rock.
  • Beach, lake or shag party – A whole show you can chill to or shag to. By the pool, ocean, lake, or at your venue.

Our specialty is performing Variety Dance & Party Shows, however, with such a large repertoire, Hot As A Pepper can heavily weight any show we do towards a specific decade or genre.

With enough planning, we can create  a show that specifically meets your needs. Custom tailored for you.

We can perform an entire album or every hit song from a particular artist. Imagine a night of a Stevie Wonder’s awesome music, or maybe the entire Steve Miller Band’s Greatest Hits!

We’re available for your function, whether it is a festival, wedding, corporate event, birthday, anniversary, graduation, or a block party… Or for your venue such as a bar, club or restaurant.
Just about any occasion or location is enhanced by live music!

Use our contact form or give us a call at 864.979.1224 if you want to plan the most awesome event ever!  We’re not tied to Greenville SC or the Upstate with a chain, we can cover your event anywhere in the Southeast, or even the world. If you’ve got the money honey, we’ve got the time!

 

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Band Club Function Hot As A Pepper

It’s a new year and Hot As A Pepper is ready to help you rock it out!

We made it through 2013 and have 2014 well under way!

Hot As A Pepper saw a lot of fantastic gigs last year, and this year is looking as though we will see just as many with already a pretty full calendar through July!

Don’t worry, there are still plenty of opportunities for us to play at your Greenville / Upstate party or event, or even bar, club or restaurant! If you have something coming up and you don’t see it listed on our calendar, give us a call or use our contact form so we can get it locked in ASAP. For booking call 864-979-1224.

We’re adding shows, updating our ever expanding song list and also getting some new equipment in order to help bring the best experience to your event!

Good luck in 2014!

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Band Bar Club Fun Greenville Hot As A Pepper Live Entertainment Music

Mackie DL1608 Mixer – Follow-up review

Back in May, we posted about our new mixing console, the Mackie DL1608 digital board and after several gigs, we thought it might be a good idea to do a follow up for anyone contemplating this type of mixer..

Let’s go with the bad (or the annoying) first

The Power Supply: This thing uses an external power supply. That means, we have to worry with getting the brick’s input and output cables tangled, and we have to handle it with care. And God forbid we were to break the barrel connector or something, as there is no locally sourced part that will exactly work.

The Wireless Router: Then there is the inconvenience of using a wireless router to connect the DL1608 to our iPads for wireless control. That thing gives us two more cables to worry with, an ethernet cable and a power supply, which takes up a couple spots on a power strip.

A Solution To All Our Problems?

A possible solution might be to mount the DL1608 into a road case, and secure the power brick inside as well as the wireless router and a power strip. That would permit quicker setup, secure everything in one place so nothing can get lost (or easily damaged). We might just do this in the near future.

That’s pretty much it for the bad! Sure, we would like a few more inputs, and the ability to have some sub groups, ability to turn on/off groups of inputs for Phantom (It’s either all on or all off), additional affects, and maybe to record more than two channels at a time – but hey, what do you expect for less than a grand???

The Good

Size: It’s compact! so much better than dragging a full size console out and using the venue’s table.

No Snake Needed: We place it on the stage, and run short cables to it. No health or safety hazard of running cables where people might be walking. No rolling up that heavy snake.

Audio Quality: While the DL1608 does not have the headroom and the low noise of our old ZED, it is still very much acceptable. It’s just not as crisp, it’s more flat sounding. Accept that the preamps are not going to be the same as on your big monsters, but this isn’t a bad thing.

Intuitive Controls: Pamela runs our audio at most shows. While she is not an audio engineer, she has a good ear, and she is there for us and able to accept input from four musicians all wanting something different and the venue personnel, and turn that into a great mix. The DL1608 allows her to do that on the iPad, and it is NOT overwhelming. It doesn’t look like the cockpit of a 747.

Saving A Show: This is one of the best things! There’s not a lot in the way of knobs that can get tweaked (or damaged) during a move of this mixer. So when you show up, if the knobs for input gain have not moved, the mixer settings are exactly like you last saved them.  You can set the levels and EQ for your favorite bar or club and save them, then recall them when you play there again. This saves us 10 minutes at setup!

Six Aux Outputs: Hey, if you go with in ear monitors, you could have 6 mono outputs, or 3 stereo for your musicians. We have standard powered monitors, so we have run up to 3 different mixes. Each musician that has an iPhone or iPad can set their own mix. These also save when you save a show.

Cool factor: Trust me when I tell you that people are fascinated by this technology. They see Pamela wandering around with an iPad in hand and watch her. Also, on stage, we leave an iPad docked into the DL1608, so we can record to it, and use it for stage mix.

With Behringer’s new console, and the Presonus out there, would we get the DL1608 if we were to do this all over again? At this point in time, yes. Even though there are more inputs from the competitors, and certainly better preamps, this little unit seems like it is perfect for our four piece group.

When you see us play in the Greenville, SC area, come check it out, we’ll be glad to show you how it works.

 

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Band Bar Club Event Fun Gear Greenville Hot As A Pepper John M. Hoyt Live Entertainment Music Musicians

Oh noes! Our mixing console has no knobs or sliders!

Our trusty Allen and Heath ZED22FX mixer was working so well that we decided to replace it… With this:

Mackie DL1608
Mackie DL1608 16 channel, stereo, 6 aux mixing console with iPad for control

Sometimes you just have to mix it up (pun intended) and try something new and there’s not much newer that we can afford than the Mackie DL1608.

The DL1608 is not your typical mixer. They have removed 90% of the knobs, sliders and meters, leaving you with a box that is rather small, with 16 XLR inputs, 6 1/4″ TRS, a pair of XLR outputs, and a headphone jack. The only knobs are the input trim knobs and the headphone level knob.

There are two switches. Do you need any more than that? There is one to turn it on and off and one to shoot some voltage onto the inputs for your phantom powered devices.

EVERY THING ELSE is controlled from your iPad. The entire control surface is gone from the mixer and moved to an app.

You are not locked into just one iPad though. You can keep one docked if you wish, and that iPad can control the thing, as well as record two channels of mix audio (unfortunately, you cannot record all 16 channels like you can on the Presonus or the Behringer digital mixers). Using an inexpensive wireless router, you can plug the Mackie into that, and use several other iPads / iPhones to control the thing.

Here’s our plan:

DL1608 on stage, will reside on my bass amp’s road case. All stage wiring from mics and to speakers will run to the mixer. NO SNAKE running across the floor to pose a health and safety issue to dancers.

An iPad will remain docked in the DL1608 at all times and we will record two channels to that docked iPad.  This iPad will be used to control the stage monitor mixes (remember those 6 aux outs? We can have 6 different feeds).

An 802.11n wireless router (Currently a very inexpensive Asus model) will plug into the Mackie and be velcro’d inside my road case.

My wife is our audio engineer who has been doing both front of house and monitor mixes for me for a couple years.  She will now use her own iPad to control the Mackie from anywhere around the venue she chooses!   NO CONSOLE TAKING UP A TABLE in the middle of the room. No Snake. No chance of someone spilling a beer in it.

Our guitarist and drummer probably want a different mix….   I’ll let them associate their own iPad or iPod to the Mackie and give them permission to affect ONLY their mix.

Should we add in ear monitors at some point, this system will be perfect for that too.

Shakedown cruise is coming this Friday at Rhythm & Brews in Greer, SC.  I’ll try to reply or post a new blog post with the results.  Oh, and we will be taking the old ZED with us, just in case!

John M. Hoyt – Bass guitarist on a mission

 

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Band Bar Club Greenville Hot As A Pepper John M. Hoyt Music Musicians Upstate Venue

Want a band for your next party but cannot afford it?

Here’s a common issue…  Someone wants a band for their 40th birthday party and they can’t afford it. Bummer! And an iPod just won’t cut it!

The cost of the band isn’t the only issue either! Besides paying the band for their appearance, there may be other expenses, such as renting a venue, sound and/or lighting. If the band is a popular act, they may have a rider that covers everything from transportation, accommodations, refreshments and assistants. They could require a particular size stage, union stagehands and more.

So maybe booking a band of that caliber is a bit much. Even a local band can set you back a grand, and you still have to have a place that is large enough, has enough power to provide for their audio and lighting gear, and keeps them warm / cool and dry. And, all without the neighbors calling the police for loud noise.

Here’s a suggestion – work with a local band to find a venue who might subsidize your party!

How would that work? Simply put, your party will only last a couple hours, right? A bar, club or restaurant has live music starting around 8 or 9 in the evening generally, and some as late as 10pm start times.

You might be able to work with the band and venue to secure the facility for your party from  6 to 8, or 7 to 9. The venue pays half the band’s fees and you pay half and you both get exactly what you want! You get a party at a great location, with a band all to yourself, or at least mostly to yourself, and then the bar or club gets the benefit of the band playing until they close.

The band may charge slightly more for this, as their play time is increased, but they are getting two gigs and only moving gear once.

The venue may be more than happy to entertain this idea as you are bringing 50 of your closest friends to their place, and providing them with some sales. You can probably secure a deal where they let your party have discounted booze, or a drink special.

If this sounds like something you are interested in and you are in the Upstate or Greenville SC area, give us a call and let’s talk! You might just end up with a band for 25-30% off AND have a great location for your party!

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Band Bar Club Corporate Event Event Greenville Hot As A Pepper John M. Hoyt Party Upstate Venue

Everybody, let’s rock!

Do you love dancing?  I mean, do you REALLY love dancing?

Here’s someone who loves dancing:

If you love dancing as much as this young man, then please consider Hot As A Pepper for your next function! There’s nothing we like better than providing the groove for you to get down to!

We cover many styles of music in a show, most of the songs are familiar and perfect for you to dance to, whether it is a shag or a slow dance, and maybe even a line dance.

At our last gig, we had an actual Hell’s Angel member busting a move most of the night with us! If we can get big burly bikers up dancing, we can move your feet too!

Call us today and book a party, corporate event, wedding, or hire us for your venue because we play bars and clubs too! We mostly play the Upstate because we are Greenville, SC based, but we will travel to you if the gig is right!

864-979-1224 or use the booking info contact link above!

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Band Bar Charity Club Corporate Event Event Festival Fun Greenville Hot As A Pepper John M. Hoyt Live Entertainment Music Party Reception Simpsonville Upstate Wedding

We’re booking gigs all around the Upstate – Greer, Simpsonville, Clemson, Greenville, Piedmont!

Our calendar is filling quickly thanks to good friends spreading the word about a band that wants to bring fun and funky live music entertainment to your Upstate SC gig!

We have several tentative bookings, but as it stands, here are the current confirmed performances:

Sept. 22 – Woodburn House / Ashtabula Plantation semi-formal – Private Event
Sept. 29 – Sippin’ In Simpsonville – Oktoberfest (ROCKTOBERFEST!) – Public Event / $15 in advance, $20 day of.
Oct. 5 – Private event at the Embassy in Greenville
Oct. 13 – Quaker Steak & Lube in Greenville for “Guard Your Life” event – Public Event
Nov. 3 – Poker run charity fundraiser at Pop A Top in Piedmont, SC – Public Event
Dec. 8 – Rhythm & Brews in Greer, SC – Public Event

We’ll work on getting our calendar up to date and possibly change the format of it so it is easier to see at a glance, as well as get notifications.  Facebook events will be added for all public events.

Would you like to hire Hot As A Pepper to provide music for your festival, dance, graduation, reunion, wedding reception or rehearsal, engagement party or some other reason? Please call us at 864.979.1224 for more information!

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Band Bar Club Corporate Event Event Greenville Hot As A Pepper John M. Hoyt Live Entertainment Music Party Upstate Wedding

Come check out a Hot As A Pepper band rehearsal in Greenville, SC

Want to see what Hot As A Pepper is all about?   Join us as we work up new material, clean up existing tunes and cut up during our weekly rehearsals.

This is a great opportunity to “audition” us for your wedding reception, high school reunion, birthday party, prom, corporate event, bar, club or just about any other HAAPpening you might be planning that would be well served by a band performing live music here in the Greenville SC area or even in North Carolina, Tennessee or Georgia.

All we ask is that you make prior arrangements with us. You can use the contact form or call to get more information and get added to the list.

They typically in full swing at 7pm and last until 9pm (or later) on a Thursday evening, but that is subject to change.

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Band Bar Charity Club Event Hot As A Pepper John M. Hoyt Live Entertainment Music Upstate Venue Video

Our band rocked Spartanburg last night at Wild Wing Cafe! It was HOT & WILD!

Our friends with “No Sweat” band played an Alzheimer charity event hosted at the Wild Wing Cafe in Spartanburg SC last night and Hot As A Pepper invaded the place to enjoy their performance and the cold drinks and eats.

After No Sweat tore it up with their first set, they were generous enough to let HAAP take the stage and perform a few tunes.

Check out the video below of us covering Sublime’s “Santeria”.  We put up some pics on our facebook page too.

Thanks to No Sweat and Wild Wing’s Spartanburg for the opportunity to play on a nice stage, with a crazy happy crowd and for allowing us to help out in a small way with a worthy cause!

Kudos to the their sound guy, who does a marvelous job, and to the wait staff – especially Kelly, who worked way too hard for us, and received far too small of a tip!

Now to get booked at the Wild Wing Cafe Spartanburg venue! It’s one of the hottest places in Spartanburg for live entertainment, and that makes us a perfect match!

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Band Bar Club Corporate Event Event

Book a professional band for your Greenville / Upstate bar, club, party or corporate event

Hot As A Pepper should be your first choice if you are looking to book / hire a professional band for your Greenville / Upstate SC bar, club, party, wedding or corporate event.

Why? Because we will work hard to ensure your occasion is perfect! We will bring seasoned professional musicians, quality audio and lighting, and a great selection of music taylored to the event.

Call us today at 864-979-1224 and let’s talk about it!