Pepper Nix and I have been working on events together for over 10 years now! She is an amazing photojournalist with a talent to bring out the best in people. Here are a few pictures of some Destination Park City Weddings from the summer.
Photos by @peppernix
We spent our New Year's Eve high in the mountains of Jackson Hole, Wyoming at one of our favorite places to perform- Amangani. It was a fitting place to send off 2016, looking out over the white capped mountains and thinking of all of the shows we've played this past year. It has been quite a ride. Thanks to everybody who came to dance, sing along, and celebrate life with us out on the road in 2016. We are looking forward to a full schedule of shows in 2017.
The balloon drop prepped and ready above the dance floor at Amangani
The view at sunset from the pool at Amangani
We had a great holiday season this year performing for events around the US! From an amazing San Francisco city view rooftop party to MGM grand's opening of their new Casino in National Harbor near Washington DC, we had a great time.
This weekend we will be in the luxurious Amangani Jackson Hole for their New Year's Eve celebration. We will start off in our time-tested format with nostalgic jazz classics, gradually escalating the party into popular music and remixed versions of the classics, incorporating more and more the electronic DJ elements until it's a full-tilt dance party for NYE revelers.
Here are a few pictures from our adventures this past month!
We had a fabulous time at this St Regis Deer Valley Wedding. As with most outdoor summer Park City weddings, we performed for different stages as the event progressed, at cocktails we performed fun nostalgic classic jazz tunes like "The Way You Look Tonight" and "What a Wonderful World" then as guests were seated for dinner, we were there to greet them with current pop hits and remixed jazz classics like "All of me" by John Legend and "Love me Like You Do" by Ellie Goulding. As the plates were cleared and speeches finished we performed the couple's first and parent dances, then we rolled up our sleeves and dg into some DJ+Drums+vocals dance music a la Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, The Weeknd, Justin Timberlake, and others, eventually transitioning into DJed music for a full-tilt dance party.
We love performing at the St Regis Deer valley!
Photos by Britt Chudleigh
Christmas is one of our favorite times of the year. We get a chance to perform all over playing Christmas classics and spreading the good cheer of the season. Not too long ago we recorded a Christmas album featuring Conn singing some of our favorite songs. Here is the link to purchase the album: https://conncurran.bandcamp.com/album/home-for-christmas
You can also hear the album on Apple Music here: http://apple.co/2fk6CFj
The album features classics like "I'll Be Home For Christmas", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "White Christmas", along with a gorgeous original song called "Lullaby You Christmas Baby" written by Conn's father Doug Curran, a former member of the world-famous group The Lettermen.
We hope you have a chance to check out this jazz-infused, bossa-nova inspired, festive album.
Jazz music’s popular rise during the early half of the 20th century helped pave the way for the civil rights movement of the 60s. The music’s appeal was universally enjoyed by people regardless of race or political belief.
As early as the 1920s, black and white jazz musicians would play together secretly in after-hours jam sessions. Benny Goodman in 1935 was the first to hire a black musician to be part of his group, contrary to segregation laws and social norms. By the 1940s more and more bands were performing publicly with both black and white musicians. And it wasn't just the bands that were getting along, it was the audience:
Louis Armstrong wrote about one of his "most inspiring moments" in a 1941 letter to a jazz critic: "I was playing a concert date in a Miami auditorium. I walked on stage and there I saw something I’d never seen. I saw thousands of people, colored and white, on the main floor. Not segregated in one row of whites and another row of Negroes. Just all together naturally. I thought I was in the wrong state. When you see things like that, you know you’re going forward.”
According to Michael Verity (jazz historian), jazz “provided a culture in which the collective and the individual were inextricable, and in which one was judged by his ability alone, and not by race or any other irrelevant factors."
Jazz historian Stanley Crouch said, “Once the musicians who played it and the listeners who loved it began to balk at the limitations imposed by segregation, jazz became a futuristic social force in which one was finally judged purely on the basis of one’s individual ability. Jazz predicted the civil rights movement more than any other art in America.”
Enjoy this video showcasing the first integrated band, the Benny Goodman Quartet with Teddy Wilson, Lionel Hampton and Gene Krupa with "I Got A Heartful Of Music".
Conn's musical family
Conn was born into a large family, he is the youngest of eight musically gifted siblings. His Parents Doug and Colleen Currran had paved the way for musical talent. Colleen was a Nationally known folk singer from Omaha Nebraska, and Doug a member of the legendary group "The Lettermen". Early on in his child hood, he and his family would sing together constantly. There was never a moment of silence in the Curran household. He loved listening to his mother while she taught voice lessons to students, he would sing along on the other side of the door constantly.
Doug and Colleen Curran
Conn was deeply influenced by his parents in every way. Specifically music. His father was fluent in Portugese, and played Bossa Nova style Guitar to him as a child. He had a love for Brazilian Jazz from a very young age. Antonio Carlos Jobim was one of those who inspired him. He and Frank Sinatra combined forces in the 60's, and made Bossa/Crooner perfection!
Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim
When he was 7 years old, Harry Connick Jr. came out with an album called "We are in love". Conns sisters were big fans of Harry Connick Jr. they would play his music constantly. Conn would sing along to the songs, and loved it. Through this, he developed a crooner voice from a very young age.
Harry Connick Jr.
Through his younger years he expanded his variety in music, from Stevie Wonder to Eric Clapton. But something stuck with him. He loved listening to crooners. Nat King Cole was one that he sang along to during high school, while most were listening to everything but him.
Nat King Cole
Songs are powerful. There was a time when songwriters ruled the world. They were the voice of change, the voice of poetry, the expression of the highest hopes and dreams of the people. Too many songs these days seem to lack that pure poetry that used to be so common in top hit songs. We love to perform songs that have stood the test of time, as well as create our own. There is something magical about bringing seldom heard songs back to life on stage. Once in a while we'll get requests from the audience to perform classics. Songs like "Dream a Little Dream of Me". One of the best versions of that song is the one sung by the beloved crooner Bing Crosby. This vinyl record has a classic version on it, something worth studying to hear the kind of timing and careful nuances that he puts on the lyrics. His backing jazz band recorded this version in 1957 in San Francisco.
Here are the lyrics to this classic song:
Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"
Birds singing in the sycamore trees
Dream a little dream of me
Say nighty-night and kiss me
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me
While I'm alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me
Stars fading but I linger on dear
Still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger till dawn dear
Just saying this
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me
Stars fading but I linger on dear
Still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger till dawn dear
Just saying this
Sweet dreams, till sunbeams find you
Gotta keep dreaming leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
You gotta make me a promise, promise to me
You'll dream, dream a little of me
The imagery in this song is timeless. Call it cheesy, but you have to admit "night breezes seem to whisper "I Love You" " will always create an incredible atmosphere. It's no wonder this song has been covered by so many singers. We've been creating music a long time, and we feel fortunate to have grown up hearing about songs like these and taking what we can from the poetry, the nuance, the musicianship that went into making them such beloved hits. For all you music lovers out there, keep the poetry alive. We're going to do our best to bring it with the songs that we're working on for our upcoming album.
John Coltrane, one of my favorite saxophone players of all time, was a master always seeking enlightenment and spirituality via his musical instrument.
Both hated and revered, Coltrane became so engrossed in his music that he would sometimes perform 45 minutes on the same song, eyes shut tightly, not moving from his spot in front of the microphone nor opening his eyes to see if anyone was listening or appreciating his music.
When he performed, it was as if he was channeling the powers of the universe through his saxophone.
When I was learning to play the saxophone I transcribed many of John Coltrane's solos (played note for note imitating exactly how he played) in my parents’ basement. I played on an Otto Link mouthpiece, and Selmer vintage tenor saxophone just like he did . . . I felt as if I was learning at the feet of the master. Sometimes I could imitate and lock into his tone, inflection, and sound so perfectly that I felt he was playing my instrument.
Here’s a live performance of one of my favorite songs of his, about his little girl which the song is named after, “Naima”.
Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Frank Sinatra performed a historic show in Las Vegas in 1965. It was at the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis, and it was broadcast and fed live to movie theaters all across the US. In this show you'll see a youthful Johnny Carson set the stage with his classic quick wit and polished delivery. It's fitting that such a popular TV personality would start the show because this was the heyday of crooners. These three men epitomize the art of crooning in this 1965 broadcast, taking the solo vocal lead while backed by an impressive big band. They brought a sense of style and effortlessness to the way that they performed, putting the audience at ease and always making sure each attendee came away from the performance thoroughly entertained. We look up to these performers not only for their vocal skill, but also for their style and their rapport with the audience. Watch Frank Sinatra sing "I Only Have Eyes For You" and pay attention to the way his vocals sort of dance across the groove the band is laying down. Frank had the best timing, he really knew how to lay back in the groove and take command of the feel of the song.
While we're a long way from the heyday of this kind of vocal performance, we feel the art of the crooner is still alive and well. Back then it took over 20 people on stage to create a big impressive sound to back up the vocalist, but now there are incredible ways to create big impressive sonic palettes with the kind of amazing technology that we have for creating music these days. Gold Standard is all about taking the best elements of the style, presence, and skill of a classic crooner and blending it with electronic and acoustic elements that create a powerful backing to that lead vocal. We hope to bring even a small element of the kind of style, presence, skill, and art that these classic crooners brought to the stage in 1965. With all of the vast changes in music in the past 50 years, one thing hasn't changed: style is still just as important as execution.
Gold Standard was happy to be a part of a couple's celebration at The Transept in Cincinnati last month. As guests arrived by pedicab from the ceremony site a few blocks away, we performed nostalgic jazz and guests' special requests for the cocktail hour in the basement. Once it was time for dinner, we moved upstairs to perform remixed versions of classic and current music, then continued for dancing and then DJ mode to keep the party going late. We loved Cincinnati and would come back in a heartbeat! Our only regret is that we had to leave so soon.
P.S. We loved Graeter's Ice Cream and Revolution Rotisserie!
Gold Standard recently performed at the Grand Opening celebration of the historic Cartier store on 5th Avenue. The entire building, which has stood on 5th Avenue in Manhattan since 1917, was renovated for 2 1/2 years taking special care to maintain the original look and feel of the original exterior, while giving the interior a gorgeous and meticulous upgrade. The band's performance took place on the second floor at the center of the building. As the evening progressed crowds gathered and celebrated and turned their performance into an impromptu dance party. The Grand Opening was a a spectacular Manhattan event lasting several days and featuring a performance by Ellie Goulding and attracting celebrities like Martha Stewart and Katie Holmes. The band was honored to participate in this historic event, a night to be remembered. Here are some photos gathered from the hashtag for the event #CARTIERNYC on Instagram:
The official announcement of the completed renovation. Photo by @cartier
Top right: Conn singing on the second level performance area. Photo by @bestroastcoffee
Getting ready for the performance. This is a nice shot showing some of the attention to detail in the building design.
Pepper Nix is one of the best photographers around, we absolutely loved these pictures she shared with us from a recent Log Haven outdoor Utah summer wedding!
We've been traveling and playing music for a long time. As musicians we've literally been all over the world, from the bustling city of Tokyo Japan to the foggy bewitching streets of London, from the metropolitan city of Sydney Australia to the sun-bathed coast of Hawaii, from the beaches of Brazil to a secluded ranch in northern Montana. Our travels have taught us that a career in music opens you up to so many types of people and so many ways to celebrate life. Backstage, we have a lot of stories to tell, but on stage, we like to think that a lot of those stories come through in the way we play. You'll hear a hint of our experiences in Brazil in a classic Jobim bossa nova, or a touch of the exciting electronic music scene in London on an electronic/trip hop inspired version of a current radio hit, or just a hint of an orange and deep purple Montana sunset in a classic Norah Jones ballad. We love that we have so many influences to draw from whenever we approach our own version of a song or an original piece of music. We're excited to be traveling this year to some of our favorite cities. Backstage, we'll be sharing stories of the road, and on stage we look forward to bringing all we've got to the music that we share this year. We hope to see you on the road somewhere in the world in the near future, until then, here are a few pics from behind the scenes in some of our recent travels.
High in the mountains of Park City
Backstage in San Francisco
Private backyard party in Holladay
Bart and Conn in Los Angeles on the pier
Conn eating his favorite food in Los Angeles
Gold Standard is part of the Echo Talent team which includes musicians, models, and DJs. A few weeks ago Echo Talent had a meet and greet with some photos taken by the amazing D'Arcy Benincosa.
Twice a year Salt Lake City Utah hosts the Outdoor Retailer Market. Retailers come from far and wide to expand their businesses. Thursday August 4th we had the privilege of being a part of it.
Experticity hosted a special event for those in town for ODR. It was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
The Red Carpet event was nothing short of extraordinary. We were placed on a white LED Stage where we started the night with Jazz/Lounge versions of Standards to welcome in the Audience.
Then when the night progressed, we brought up the beat for some dancing. It was a perfect evening!
Experticity knows how to throw a party!
The photo booth at the Experticity event.
The white LED stage at the event was on point.
Conn was in rare form, feeding off the energy of the crowd. It was a packed house and an unforgettable party.
The night closed with a huge dance party. Experticity does it right.
Thank you to Outdoor Retailer and Experticity for having us be a part of an amazing evening!
In the age of ubiquitous on-demand music, why would you ever need live musicians to perform for a concert, party, or event? Can't you just set up a couple of speakers, plug in an iPod, and play your favorite playlists from Spotify or Apple Music? The truth is, yes there is more music than ever available at our fingertips, but there is something to be said for the fact that live event ticket sales have gone up in recent years. Why is that? Because when the recorded form of music is everywhere, the live form becomes more scarce, more valuable, and more impactful.
It is probably one of the most gratifying parts of being a musician, the part when someone comes up to you after a successful performance and thanks you for an unforgettable night. Music has the power to affect our emotions more deeply than probably any other art form, it triggers memories, it can instantly lift your spirit, it fills your heart and makes you feel alive. Even in the smallest babies you can see how music instinctively causes them to dance and celebrate. That is why music has been a part of human celebration for thousands and thousands of years, it is simply part of our DNA.
With this in mind, you should consider your choice of live musicians the single most important decision you make when you're considering throwing a party or an event. A great planner or coordinator will make recommendations based on the kind of atmosphere that needs to be created, the ability of the group to deliver, and the professionalism with which they approach their work. A poorly chosen band can ruin the night and turn what would have been an unforgettably beautiful experience into something unforgettably devastating.
So next time you're considering doing a concert, event, or party right, don't short change yourself and go with sub-standard live music. Get quality and watch the music transform your event into an unforgettable, soul-stirring, memory-making kind of experience, the kind that will pay dividends for decades to come.
Gold Standard performs for the White Party 2016 photo by AngelaHowardPhoto.com
Gold Standard was happy to be featured in the Knot at this gorgeous Fuse destination wedding for their annual "Best 50 Weddings Across all 50 States." Photos by Kendra Elise Photography.
The wedding was an example of Gold Standard at its best, integrating live music throughout ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing.
Rob miked the officiant and groom with lightweight lavalier clip-on wireless microphones during the ceremony, to ensure that all guests could enjoy the ceremony and vows crystal clear over the state-of-the-art EV sound system. Conn sang "Better Together" and other favorites as requested during the ceremony, then Bart and Rob joined in to perform jazz and popular classics to entertain guests as the couple and family took pictures.
Conn and Rob Perform Jack Johnson's "Better Together" during the wedding ceremony.
Gold Standard then moved inside the tent to invite guests to be seated for dinner with fun remixes and jazz remakes of current and past hits.
The wedding dinner ambiance was set with remixes of current and past hits performed by Gold Standard.
Toasts and thank you's were given by the Bridal party and family, using the high-quality wireless hand held microphone which is available at any Gold Standard event. A wireless mic allows guests to stand and give toasts anywhere in the room, rather than being restricted by a wired microphone near the band. The wedding party sang the couple's Alma Mater theme song, and a few tears were shed as family and friends joined in to congratulate the newlyweds.
The couple's first dance was performed live by wedding jazz band Gold Standard.
After Gold Standard performed the couple's first and parent dances, it was time to party with DJ lights, electronic beats, and fun popular music. After the guests had their fill of live music it was time to take it up a notch with EDM and old-school hip hop hits DJed by Rob, keeping the party going late into the night.
It all started back in about 1963 when Douglas Curran (Conn Curran's father) and Serge Benson (Rob Bennion's great uncle) sang together in a group in college called the "Intervals". (Doug Curran on the Left Serge Benson next to him on the right)
The Intervals (1963)
Much further down the road, Rob joined a group with Bart Olson, called "The Shriners of Ska".
The Shriners of Ska
A little while later Rob joined a group with two of Conn's older brothers, Quinn and Shane Curran, known as "The Groove at Mikes Deli". Conn was just a little tike at the time, attending lots of their shows.
The Groove at Mike's Deli
Then in 2006, Rob joined another Curran band. Another one of Conn's brothers, Sean Curran, started a hip hop band called "Wreck Room".
Wreck Room
During this time Bart Olson was performing and touring around the country signed to Capitol Records with a band called Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand.
Ryan Shupe & the RubberBand (2005) Colin Botts, Bart Olson, Ryan Shupe, Roger Archibald, Craig Miner
Then in 2011 Rob, Conn, and Bart became the group "Gold Standard", blending elements of Jazz, Electronic, Dance, and Soul music. In the past 5 years they've performed across the globe from Japan to New York, as passionate as ever about sharing the gift of music.
Performing at the White Party in SLC
Gold Standard in San Francisco
We have played hundreds and hundreds of shows. Over the years, we've come to understand that music and live events take a lifetime to master, but with enough experience, you learn to flow and adapt in all kinds of situations. Live bands know better than anyone, there is an energy in the room and it starts before you even set foot on stage. We always arrive well before an event starts, and immediately the mood is being set. There are always unique aspects to the venue: architecture, furniture, lighting, location, ambiance. These attributes give the room a spirit and a soul. A good event planner knows how to enhance the venue and make it shine. We have played some gorgeous locations, and we have seen how a top planner can make it look incredible. Here are some of our favorite recent locations.
Wedding at the Dumke Home.
This party called for an intimate jazz trio set in the gorgeous big tent, followed by dancing on a large patio surrounded by forest and a rushing stream.
Utah State Capitol
You'd think that the formal nature of this state capitol would lead to a more formal vibe at the party, but this was one of the bigger dance parties we've played this year. It was fun adapting to the party and turning this event into a true celebration.
The Aria- Las Vegas
In all of our experiences performing at the Aria in Las Vegas, we have learned that this resort and event center is always top notch. Behind us were elaborate sculptures made of a huge array of colored roses and backed by these giant gold glittering panels. We were really feeling it in this venue. It always helps to be surrounded by such an incredible sense of design and taste.