Categories
Band Charity Corporate Event Curtis Butler Event Festival Fun Function Greenville Hot As A Pepper John M. Hoyt Live Entertainment Music Simpsonville Upstate Venue

Talk Talk Talk – Everybody Talks!

Hot As A Pepper at Mac's Speed Shop Oct 2012

Everybody Talks….   Don’t we know it!

In this day & age with so many outlets it’s something that every business, public event, persona and even individuals must be acutely aware of!

Well, Hot As A Pepper is very self-aware, so we’re gonna take a minute to examine some of what’s being said about us. We’re starting with LinkedIn:

Mark Rodeffer has endorsed your work as Musician / Manager at Hot As A Pepper!

Dear John,
“I recommended John and his band, Hot as a Pepper, to play at an event in downtown Simpsonville and they were a huge success! Although I didn’t get to enjoy their performance much that night, the feedback I received from everyone was outstanding. Even the Mayor commented on how great they were and that we should go ahead and book them for the event next year! Doesn’t get any better than that.”
Service Category: Writer/Editor
Year first hired: 2012
Top Qualities: Great Results, Good Value, Creative

Lee Ann Carter has endorsed your work as Musician / Manager at Hot As A Pepper!.

Dear John,
“This the the best Upstate band in the biz!!! Fun, high energy, great selection of songs…if you want to get the party started Hot As A Pepper is who you need to hire.  Very professional, John and the rest of the band members put your satisfaction first. He will take the time to know exactly what your event is, work hard to provide the type of music and “vibe” you are looking for and if you aren’t sure what direction to go, John has the experience and know-how to offer suggestions, ensuring your next party or event is a success!”
Service Category: Music/Entertainment
Year first hired: 2012
Top Qualities: Great Results, Personable, Expert

Now on to the UBER Popular Facebook:

Cindy Shaffer I would like to thank all of you guys for coming out and playin for us. Y’all are wonderful and I think Guard Your Life Challenge has their official band. We will be calling on you all again. Thank again we had a wonderful time.

Barbara Rolfson Bryant Thanks for the entertainment. Ya’ll are awesome! Can’t wait to have you back next year!!

Clifford J. Sieber You guys were amazing. Thanks so much for rocking Phi Sigma Kappa’s semi-formal.

Joey Sanders Craft We really enjoyed last night at Macs Speed Shop!! Thank you guys for doing everything yal did!!! Look forward to next time.

Wow… Usually people hate it when they are being talked about… But hey, Not us!! Give us a call, an e-mail, or a note on our Website Here or our FaceBook page Here! Our goal is to give you the BEST entertainment experience and be ABSOLUTELY concerned about what you have to say about it!

– Curtis Butler – Percussionist for Hot As A Pepper

Categories
Band Charity Curtis Butler Event Fun Greenville Hot As A Pepper Live Entertainment Music Upstate

Greenville’s Guard Your Life Challenge – An Entertainment Event for a Great Cause

Hot as a Pepper found themselves with an opportunity to help contribute to a great cause: Guard Your Life Event that took place in Downtown Greenville, right up alongside of the magnificent “Fall For Greenville” festival.

Playing at a charity event is always a dicey proposition: Who are the benefactors? What is the reputation of the Organization? Where are the funds going? And most importantly – Who else is lending their credibility to this event?

All these questions were answered in fashion as to lead Hot As A Pepper to feel that this was one event we needed to be associated with. And you gotta know – we had a GREAT time!

Kudo’s to Macs Speed Shop– what a great Venue… Such great folks there! From the Hostess with the mostess, Pedro, & John – all the way to the guys plugging away tirelessly in the Kitchen! All we can say is – you guys ROCK at being HOSTS! Special thanks go out to Misty for taking such good care of us after the show!  😉

The event raised several hundred bucks, all for a great cause. Mac’s benefited from some new faces that will be sure to return (mmm… Brisket Quesadillas…) and a whole lotta folks had a really great Time!!!

Keep checking back here and on our Facebook Page for updates as to where & when we might be next!

Until then!!

– Curtis Butler

Here’s a little something from that show to start your week off too…
Our rendition of Huey Lewis & The News’ “Working for a Livin'”….

 

Categories
Band Corporate Event Curtis Butler Event Fun Greenville Hot As A Pepper Live Entertainment Music Party Venue

SC Paralegal Association event at Embassy Suites in Greenville, SC

There are parties you look forward to and others, well… let’s face it – you just don’t know WHAT to expect! – Am I right?? Well, when Hot As A Pepper was contacted to play an event for the SC Paralegal Association at the Greenville EMBASSY on Verde, we thought Uh-Oh…. But – hey, we just surmised that EVERYONE likes to have a good time, Right?? Do they EVER!!

We had a BLAST… these are some hard working people who; by day, surely do not get enough appreciation for all the effort they put in, but what can be said but that they CERTAINLY know how to dole out the appreciation! These Guys and Gals know how to simply have fun!

Hot As A Pepper would have to admit that This gig was one for the memory books! Even though the long day had taken it’s toll on a few; most of the attendee’s stayed on and really let their hair down, danced and sang along as each song was played effortlessly by this seasoned group. From requests and acappella renditions to Rockin’ & Groovin’, there wasn’t a song that didn’t have someone’s toes tapping or singing along!

We had so much fun we were asked to play their 2013 event; invited to play a private party and are going to be actively plugged to be regulars at a local watering hole! Sounds like a successful night if you ask me!

Don’t miss out on your chance to see & hear Hot As A Pepper – or better yet, BOOK them while you can! You can use our CONTACT FORM or call 864-979-1224 for more information.

Categories
Band Event Fun Function Hot As A Pepper John M. Hoyt Live Entertainment Music Musicians Party

The Clemson fraternity semi-formal event we were hired to play in Pendleton SC was fun!

A Clemson University fraternity hired Hot As A Pepper to play their semi-formal event last weekend at the beautiful and historic Woodburn House in Pendleton SC.

There was food (prepared by a fraternity member), lovely young ladies and dancing. LOTS of dancing!

You can find a couple of the videos under our Videos link.

Is your fraternity or sorority planning a fun event where live music entertainment may be of interest? If so, our band wants to play it!  Please give us a call at 864-979-1224 or use our contact form to request a quote.

Wherever your college / university is within a couple hours of The Upstate, we will go to you and bring party fun with us!

Categories
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!

Categories
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.

Categories
Band Charity Event Festival Fun John M. Hoyt Live Entertainment Music Simpsonville Upstate

HAAP will be performing at Sippin’ in Simpsonville – Oktoberfest September 29th

Sippin in Simpsonville / Oktoberfest flyerWe’re excited about the upcoming Sippin’ in Simpsonville!  Hot As A Pepper will be playing from 8pm onward at the Oktoberfest area.

Beer, brats and fun live music, with a portion of the proceeds going to charity (Simpsonville Arts Foundation). Who could ask for more!?!?!

Here’s a direct link to the event page on Facebook: Sippin in Simpsonville – Oktoberfest

Not a fan of Facebook? Here’s the information from that page:

Enjoy a casual evening tasting craft beers at local Simpsonville Merchants – 14 tasting locations in all! This is an open event, please invite your friends!

Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 the day of the event, and a portion of proceeds will be donated the Simpsonville Arts Foundation. Your ticket includes an adorable tasting pilsner glass, beer tastings paired with appetizers, a beer making demonstration, and admission to an Oktoberfest party which includes bratwurst and live music by Hot as a Pepper!

6 pm – Registration opens near P.Simpsons
6 – 9 pm – Beer tasting at area merchants
8 pm – Oktoberfest area opens (Hot As A Pepper Performs)

Tickets available at these participating Simpsonville Merchants
Sugar High
P.Simpsons
Pammy the Cake Lady
Me Salon and Day Spa
Thai Cuisine
Bella’s Candles and Boutique
Eye Candy
Ice Cream Station
United Hospice
Southern Galleries
Over the Rainbow
Redline Loft
Elegant Dance Company
Event Decor and More
Chamber of Commerce
Crafted, the Beer Store

This event is organized by the Main Street Chapter of the Simpsonville Area Chamber of Commerce, call 963-3781 for more information

See you there!
Categories
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!

Categories
Band Equipment Event Function Greenville Guitar Hot As A Pepper Instruments John M. Hoyt Live Entertainment Music Upstate

How to hire a band to play your Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson SC charity event

Every non-profit organization has a special event that could be a perfect opportunity to hire a band for entertainment or background music purposes. Larger organizations may have many events per year and sometimes, the event coordinator has no idea how to go about hiring a band. They might even opt for a DJ, or even worse, plug an iPod into a PA system.

If the expected event is large enough, in terms of potential attendees, and the venue itself can support it, then by all means, consider a band. A band adds personality as well as entertainment. There is no comparison to canned music when it comes to energy level, a band will win hands-down, every single time!

Let’s assume you know that your charity event is going to be outdoors and there will be 100 plus people… How do you find the right band for this event and more importantly, how do you get them booked?

A google search for “hire a band for greenville charity event” or “book a band in spartanburg sc for chairty event” may turn up a few options, maybe even “Hot As A Pepper” will show up, however, you go calling the first 3 bands that show up.  Do some research on each group first.

  • What type of music do these bands play?
  • Is the music well suited to your event and crowd?
  • Is this a professional band or a “jam band”?
  • Does this band perform charity events?

You don’t want to book a country party band into your formal event any more than you want to book a stuffy suit-clad horn band into your outdoor party atmosphere. Find the right band for the event.

Assuming your search turned up a few choices, and you narrowed it down to the bands that fit the occasion, determine if this is going to be a band you can trust to perform in a way that reflects upon your gathering in a positive manner. A “jam band” may be perfect if we’re talking about a street fair, or even if many bands are involved, but if the celebration is a fund raiser and the band is considered an integral part of the day or evening activities, then you probably want to set your sights on a professional band.

Why a professional band? Because they are more likely to plan ahead, show up on time, setup equipment in an orderly manner and even have better equipment and possibly lighting. A audio technician who will help get a proper mix and control the volume will be involved. And they can put on a show, where the songs will flow without long 2 minute pauses (or more) between every song.

A professional band will work with you to insure every detail is covered, such as providing a mic for announcements or awards to be given out.

Now, the downside to a professional band: Professionals generally expect to get paid, because music may be their only or primary source of income, and they have invested much of their life into being the best they can be at their career choice, no different than you. A band’s investment in instruments, sound system and lighting systems may run into the hundreds of thousands, and at the very least, into the tens of thousands.

It is for this reason that some bands refuse to do charity gigs. It’s not that they don’t WANT to help, it is just that it costs so much in time, money and liability to perform one gig.

Let’s say you have need for a band for an awards ceremony for your non-profit organization, where you want to have dancing after the awards for two hours. For a five person band to play two hours, here’s a rough idea of their side of it.

Before gig:

  • 1 hour spent organizing the event, getting details with you
  • 1 hour arranging songs for the event into set lists
  • 1 hour spent discussing clothing and gear with the band
Day of gig:
  • 1 hour spent loading gear and driving to your event
  • 1 hour for setup of sound system and sound check
  • 2 hours spent waiting for time to play
  • 2 hours playing
  • 1 hour waiting to tear down while people disperse
  • 1 hours spent tearing down and driving home
  • 1 hour spent setting gear back up or storing away

That doesn’t seem like much, only 3 hours planning and 9 hours on the day of the gig. But wait. There are 5 band members.  Which means that there will likely be 50+ man hours involved in a two hour gig, not taking into consideration any assistants which will be used. Add another 4 man hours for a sound or lighting technician.

These numbers are on the high side.  I have seen many 2 hour gigs take only 20 man-hours, but they didn’t require lighting, or excessive PA setups.

Add to this the fact that each member of the band has to get there, meaning they have to meet to load gear, then drive or ride to the location, putting miles on their vehicles and burning gas to do it.  And meals have to be considered because you don’t go all day without eating, and of course fast food costs money.

A band will invest 100 dollars in food, drinks and gas to play your two hour event without a doubt. Even more if they have helpers in attendance or bring family members to help.

Then there is wear and tear on instruments, and the increased risk that a 2,000 dollar guitar can get damaged, or the mixing console, the tools that permit the musician to work. Every time something is moved, it gets scuffed, or it rips a seat in the musicians car.

Most guitarists are changing their strings every few gigs, so there could be an investment for 20 dollars are more just in strings for a few guitars.

Sometimes, a band member has to take off time from their paying job to play a gig, which could cost them 50 dollars or more.

Add this all up and it is easy to see why a band may not want to do your charity event.

Don’t hate them for this. It is not that they are cold-hearted, it may be that they simply can’t afford to play without compensation.

So how do you book a band for your charity event if you have no budget to provide compensation and the band tells you they don’t play for free?  Consider making the offer of 100 dollars per person to cover their costs.

It might not be what they normally play for, but it sure beats the band going into debt to help out a great cause. Remember, when a band or its members go into debt to help your charity cause, they only get a “good feeling” out of it.  They can’t write off the scratch on their PRS guitar on taxes as a charitable contribution.

When striking up the conversation for the first time with the band’s booking agent, explain that you have a charity event that has no money budgeted for entertainment, however, you may be able to make some compensation. That may hold their attention longer. And remember, booking agents are paid a commission, so your offer of free food means nothing to that person.

If you do need a band for your charity or non-profit event here in Spartanburg, Greenville, Anderson or around the Upstate of South Carolina, Hot As A Pepper will work with you to provide the professional level of entertainment that you desire. Give us a call at 864-979-1224 and let’s talk about it.

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

Occasions to Book Greenville South Carolina’s Best and Hottest Band

In case you are thinking you would like to book a fun and professional band in the Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson or even Greenwood area, but can’t think of the perfect occasion to do so, here is a short list.

  • Book us for your wedding reception, or wedding anniversary party.
  • Book us for your business grand opening or other corporate event.
  • Outdoor fair, festival or other public event.
  • Hire us for your bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah party, or even your bris.
  • Book us for your graduation party, or a high school or college reunion.
  • Want a memorable wake? We can do that too.
  • Book us for your pool party or luau.
  • Need to annoy your neighbors? We can turn it up. Call for quotes.
  • Civic organization having a get together?
  • Have a fundraiser you need live entertainment for? We can make it a FUN-Raiser!
  • Block party anyone?
  • Need music at your BBQ cookoff?
  • Opening band for larger headliner music act.

In short, wherever fun, upbeat, dance-worthy music is needed is a great place to book Hot As A Pepper!

We are happy to play your bar, club or other venue or event, so please call us at 864-979-1224 or use our booking information form above for more information!