Tag Archives: Rhode Island DJ

Trivia Host and DJ at O’Reilly’s Bar and Grill

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I continue to have fun and enjoy my experience as Trivia Host and DJ at O’Reilly’s Bar and Grill in Newton, NJ on Tuesday Nights.We have lots of fun and everybody learns a thing or two, even the Trivia Host and DJ! We gets tarted somewhere between 9:30-10:00 and play till we finish, about two hours later. They give out great prizes and the competition is stiff but casual and playful.

 

Now that I have been a Trivia Host for over a year now and feel like I am actually getting good at it, or at least decent!  For those who don’t know, we play Bar Busters Pub Trivia. The game consists of seven Rounds or Categories; General Knowledge, Pictures, Sports, Music, Geography/History, Entertainment and a General Knowledge Bonus Round. The game is diverse enough that every team and player have a chance to do good, since we have questions that cover many different forms of trivia. One of the aspects of this particular trivia game I like best is the fact that you don’t have to shout out answers. In fact, nobody can shout out answers, they are all written down without anybody else knowing what you guessed! Great for people who want to have fun, test their brain a little and not want to make a fool of themselves in the process.

 

I enjoy Being a Trivia Host because it integrates some of my favorite character traits, excellent DJ and music, entertaining and sharpening up my brain while have lots of fun in the process. Of course, I can be a bit of a ‘ham’ at times but not too over-the-top.

Trivia Host and DJ with Rhode Island Wedding DJ Mystical Michael\

What is Pub Trivia and A Trivia Host?

Here is what Wikipedia defines a Pub Quiz Game with a Trivia Host:

“A pub quiz is a quiz held in a public house. These events are also called quiz nights  or trivia nights and may be held in other settings. Pub quizzes may attract customers to a pub who are not found there on other days. The pub quiz is a modern example of a pub game. Though different pub quizzes can cover a range of formats and topics, they have many features in common. A 2009 study put the number of regular weekly pub quizzes in the UK at 22,445, and one website has counted approximately 2,000 regular weekly quizzes in the United States. The largest pub quiz, according to the Guinness Book of Records, was the “Quiz for Life”, held at the Flanders Expo Halls in Ghent, Belgium, on 11 December 2010 with 2,280 participants.”

Come join me Trivia Host and DJ at O’Reilly’s every Tuesday Night at 9:30!

 

Celia Cruz – Cuban Musical Legend and Queen of Salsa

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For more than half a century, Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa carried her title with class and distinction. Her powerful voice and electrifying rhythm garnered more than 100 worldwide recognitions, multiple platinum and gold records, three GRAMMY awards and four Latin GRAMMY awards, as well as a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Her boundless enthusiasm, genuine warmth, and deep-seated humanitarianism made Celia Cruz the music industry’s most accomplished and revered performer … and the world’s most notable ambassador of Hispanic culture. Celia Cruz Website

On Saturday Night, I was the DJ & MC for a very fun 50th Birthday Party at Iberia Peninsula      Restaurant in Newark, New Jersey. Of course, the music was fabulous with the diverse party guests from New Jersey and New York City from all cultures and walks of life. I find it such a fun challenge to provide music for dancing for diverse audiences that don’t all enjoy the same music. It reminds if my days as a community organizer bringing groups together to create a common positive goal as one.

The playlist we created in advance included lots of Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart, 80’s Dance Music, Thrift Shop and a significant chunk of Salsa, Merengue and Flamenco songs. Of course, Celia Cruz La Vida Es Un Carnaval was near the top of the DJ song list, in the “must-play” category, and we did. As usual, the response was great and the dance floor was packed with dancers smiling with joy. I thought it was time for me to pay tribute to Celia Cruz and her greatness, especially since she is somewhat of a local legend living many years in New Jersey.

Celia Cruz – La Vida Es Un Carnaval Music Video

http://youtu.be/lArGoRhFr4E

“I feel very fortunate to have called Celia Cruz my friend. She was an inspiration not only as an artist but as a woman and a remarkable human being.” Gloria Estefan
 

(Celia Cruz) Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso de la Santísima Trinidad (October 21, 1925 – July 16, 2003) was a Cuban-American salsa performer. One of the most popular salsa artists of the 20th century, she earned twenty-three gold albums and was renowned internationally as the “Queen of Salsa” as well as “La Guarachera de Cuba.”

She spent much of her career living in New Jersey, and working in the United States and several Latin American countries. Leila Cobo of Billboard Magazine once said “Cruz is indisputably the best known and most influential female figure in the history of Cuban music.”

“Celia Cruz was an absolute pillar as a human being and one of the most unselfish humanitarians I have ever met and am sure I will ever have known.” Marc Anthony

Celia Cruz Legacy

In February 2004, Celia Cruz last album, Regalo del Alma, won a posthumous award at the Premios Lo Nuestro for best Salsa release of the year. It was announced in December 2005 that a musical called “Assuca” would open in Tenerife before touring the world. The name comes from Cruz’s well-known catch phrase of “¡Azúcar!”

Celia Cruz Park Union City New Jersey with Rhode Island Wedding DJ

On June 4, 2004, the heavily Cuban-American community of Union City, New Jersey heralded its annual Cuban Day Parade by dedicating its new Celia Cruz Park (also known as Celia Cruz Plaza), which features a sidewalk star in her honor, at 31st Street and Bergenline Avenue, with Celia Cruz’s widower, Pedro Knight, present. There are four other similar dedications to Cruz around the world. Celia Cruz’s star has expanded into Union City’s “Walk of Fame”, as new marble stars are added each spring to honor Latin entertainment and media personalities, such as merengue singer Joseíto Mateo, salsa singer La India, Cuban musician Israel “Cachao” Lopez, Cuban tenor Beny Moré, Tito Puente, Spanish language television news anchor Rafael Pineda, salsa pioneer Johnny Pacheco, singer/bandleader Gilberto Santa Rosa and music promoter Ralph Mercado.

Fun Rhode Island Multicultural DJ plays Celia Cruz at Party

On May 18, 2005, the National Museum of American History, administered by the Smithsonian Institution and located in Washington, D.C., opened “¡Azúcar!”, an exhibit celebrating the life and music of Celia Cruz. The exhibit highlights important moments in Cruz’s life and career through photographs, personal documents, costumes, videos, and music.

On September 26, 2007, through May 25, 2008, Celia, a musical based on the life of Celia Cruz, played at the off-Broadway venue, New World Stages. Some performances were in Spanish and some in English. The show won four 2008 HOLA awards from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors.

Fun Rhode Island DJ plays Celia Cruz

“I had the honor and pleasure of photographing Celia for twelve years. I’ll never forget her smile and her amazing energy. The biggest thing about Celia is that she never knew how great she truly was. She always made me feel so proud to be Cuban.”

Alexis Rodriguez-Duarte

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

973.908.8147

Damaris 50th Birthday Party

Gallery

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Fun Rhode Island DJ

This gallery contains 29 photos.

Louchie Lou and Michie One Rich Girl

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Louchie Lou and Michie One Rich Girl is a song by the female English duo Louchie Lou & Michie One, released as a single in 1993 from their 1995 album I’ll Be Free. It was inspired by the song “If I Were a Rich Man” from the musical Fiddler on the Roof. In 2004, for the tenth anniversary of the famous reggae song, it was remade into a new song by Gwen Stefani featuring Eve on her debut solo album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004).

Louchie Lou and Michie One Rich Girl Music Video

Louchie Lou and Michie One Rich Girl History

Louchie Lou & Michie One (Louise Gold and Michelle Charles) were a female ragga/soul duo from London, who met in 1991 at aRebel MC gig.[2] They found the backing of the independent record label, Fashion Records, for their debut single, Louchie Lou and Michie One Rich Girl. Switching to London Records in 1993, they made their musical debut in the UK Singles Chart that year with their number 7 hit, “Shout“. It was a mash-up of the 1964 Lulu hit, originally recorded by The Isley Brothers, with the Henry Mancini composition, the “Peter Gunn theme” as performed by The Art of Noise and Duane Eddy from 1986.

Gwen Stefani Rich Girl (Cover)

Gwen Renée Stefani; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, fashion designer and occasional actress. Stefani is the co-founder and lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded Love. Angel. Music. Baby., her first solo album, in 2004. Inspired by music of the 1980s, the album was a success with sales of over seven million copies. The album’s third single, “Hollaback Girl“, was the first US digital download to sell one million copies. Stefani’s second and final solo studio album, The Sweet Escape (2006), yielded “Wind It Up“, “4 in the Morning“, and the highest-selling single “The Sweet Escape“. Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than forty million albums worldwide.  She won the World’s Best-Selling New Female Artist at the World Music Awards 2005.  Billboard magazine ranked Stefani the fifty-fourth most successful artist and thirty-seventh most successful Hot 100 artist of the 2000–09 decade.

The Original Fiddler On The Roof (Film Version)

For those whom are not familiar with the theatrical production of Fiddler On The Roof, here is the film description from IMDB.

“At the beginning of the twentieth century, Jews and Orthodox Christians live in the little village of Anatevka in the pre-revolutionary Russia of the Czars. Among the traditions of the Jewish community, the matchmaker arranges the match and the father approves it. The milkman Reb Tevye is a poor man that has been married for twenty-five years with Golde and they have five daughters. When the local matchmaker Yente arranges the match between his older daughter Tzeitel and the old widow butcher Lazar Wolf, Tevye agrees with the wedding. However Tzeitel is in love with the poor tailor Motel Kamzoil and they ask permission to Tevye to get married that he accepts to please his daughter. Then his second daughter Hodel (Michele Marsh) and the revolutionary student Perchik decide to marry each other and Tevye is forced to accept. When Perchik is arrested by the Czar troops and sent to Siberia, Hodel decides to leave her family and homeland and travel to Siberia to be with her beloved Perchik….“

Fun Rhode Island Wedding DJ with Louchie Lou and Michie One Rich Girl

Which version do you like best and why?

Creative DJ Hits His Groove

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On Saturday Night I was DJ at Barefoot Boogie NYC. It was such a fun night and I really felt the vibe and connected with the dancers in a way that inspires me to continue to be a DJ and work even harder to improve. Good dancers deserve good music and energy to facilitate movement, dance and community. Professional DJs do not always get the opportunity to share their musical tastes and flavors. We are typically directed by the needs and wants of the Brides, Grooms and Party Planners that hire us to perform at the Weddings and Parties. When I am hired by a lounge or club, I typically have more freedom to open my DJ Music Library of more than 40,000 songs.

DJ Rocks The Barefoot Boogie?

The Barefoot Boogie is a freestyle dance which happens twice a month in New York City. We offer a relaxed, smoke- and alcohol-free environment where folks can freely express themselves in movement.

People of all ages, families and kids are welcome. Come alone or bring your friends. You’ll find folks at the dance moving solo, with partners, and/or in groups. Dress as you wish, but please leave your street shoes at the door before hitting the dance floor. The Barefoot Boogie is a not-for-profit, cooperative and volunteer-run venture.

From our pool of talented DJs, two spin each dance. Each of our DJs has his or her own distinctive style, but one thing you can rely on is that at every Barefoot Boogie you’ll hear a wide variety of music: R&B, World, Funk, Tribal, Hip Hop, Ambient, Reggae, House, African, Electronica, Disco, Rock, Techno, Drum & Bass, etc.

The Barefoot Boogie is a freestyle dance which happens twice a month in New York City.

We offer a relaxed, smoke- and alcohol-free environment where folks can freely express themselves in movement. People of all ages, families and kids are welcome. Come alone or bring your friends. You’ll find folks at the dance moving solo, with partners, and/or in groups. Dress as you wish, but please leave your street shoes at the door before hitting the dance floor. The Barefoot Boogie is a not-for-profit, cooperative and volunteer-run venture.

From our pool of talented DJs, two spin each dance. Each of our DJs has his or her own distinctive style, but one thing you can rely on is that at every Barefoot Boogie you’ll hear a wide variety of music: R&B, World, Funk, Tribal, Hip Hop, Ambient, Reggae, House, African, Electronica, Disco, Rock, Techno, Drum & Bass, etc.

DJ Mystical Michael at Barefoot Boogie NYC

Barefoot Boogie now meets at:

Insight Meditation Center: 28 W 27th Street, 10th Floor (Buzzer #27), NYC, NY.
We invite you to join Barefoot Boogie Facebook Group.
Your Party,Your Music, Your DJ!
973.908.8147

DJ Mystical Michael at Barefoot Boogie Tonight – 03/09/13

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I still get excited every time I am scheduled to DJ at Barefoot Boogie NYC! It surprises me each event, because in my head, one of these days I am not going to be so excited and pumped for the gig. I have been the DJ there so many times now and feel like I am part of what happens. It is such a positive experience for me and the dance community.

What is The Barefoot Boogie?

The Barefoot Boogie is a freestyle dance which happens twice a month in New York City. We offer a relaxed, smoke- and alcohol-free environment where folks can freely express themselves in movement.

People of all ages, families and kids are welcome. Come alone or bring your friends. You’ll find folks at the dance moving solo, with partners, and/or in groups. Dress as you wish, but please leave your street shoes at the door before hitting the dance floor. The Barefoot Boogie is a not-for-profit, cooperative and volunteer-run venture.

From our pool of talented DJs, two spin each dance. Each of our DJs has his or her own distinctive style, but one thing you can rely on is that at every Barefoot Boogie you’ll hear a wide variety of music: R&B, World, Funk, Tribal, Hip Hop, Ambient, Reggae, House, African, Electronica, Disco, Rock, Techno, Drum & Bass, etc.

DJ Mystical Michael at Barefoot Boogie NYC

 Where and When is The Barefoot Boogie?

Our normal schedule is the second and fourth Saturday of each month. We currently have the following format for the dance.

  • From 8:00 pm – 11:30 pm (possibly extended to 12:00). We start off with warm-up music. On alternate Boogies (usually the 4th Saturday), we have a dance-related class that ends at 9:15, followed by DJed music. At 10:00, we’ll have a community/announcement circle where new folks are welcomed, we give an overview of the dance community, and anyone is invited to announce a service they offer, an apartment for rent, or an initiative they want to share. This is followed by our traditional circle dance (holding hands), and the rest of the evening is DJed music where you are free to express yourself in whatever way you like!

Barefoot Boogie is now meeting at:

Insight Meditation Center: 28 W 27th Street, 10th Floor (Buzzer #27), NYC, NY.
Come join us for a fun night of movement, dance and community with creative dance, ecstatic dance and freestyle dance.
This is similar to Barefoot Boogie NYC, not the same but great creative dancing and community.
We invite you to join Barefoot Boogie Facebook Group.
Your Party,Your Music, Your DJ!
973.908.8147

DJ Mystical Michael Live At Barefoot Boogie Saturday Night 1/26!

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I am really excited about another opportunity to DJ at Barefoot Boogie NYC Saturday Night! I laugh at myself, that every time I put my name on the schedule to DJ one of our events, I feel like I have just won a prize or something. I have so much fun when I DJ at Barefoot Boogie. If for no other reason than I get to DJ and dance barefoot! I try to be fair in scheduling our team of DJs to make sure we all get a turn. Sometimes I forget that I am not the only DJ that gets really pumped about being the DJ. Since being Coordinator of DJs and Teachers is a volunteer position that I take serious, I am mindful that sharing is important.

DJ Mystical Michael Live At Barefoot Boogie

Creative DJ at Barefoot Boogie NYC with Dancer at Sea

This Saturday Night, we have a Biodanza class before my first set.

What is Biodanza?

Biodanza is a healing system of human development that fuses music, heartfelt emotion and authentic movement providing a safe space for you to express your many potentials. It is a non judgemental space where all are welcome no matter age, race, spiritual tradition or sexual orientation.  Biodanza is here to give value to your life!

Understanding an emotional issue won’t create true healing unless you also make an obvious change in how you conduct your life.  Unlike traditional dance/talk therapy, Biodanza is system that offers you a space where silence is golden (we don’t talk) and you are the true master of your internal/external expression (action) which unfolds organically in its own time as you explore weekly in the sessions.  Over time and with your presence with yourself, the space and others, you embody all of the wonderous potentials within you and and you will begin to notice shifts happening in your life.

Biodanza will open spaces for life integration…
do, say and feel the same thing and BE HAPPY!

Creative DJ at Barefoot Boogie NYC with Dancer with Flame

Biodanza classes meet regularly and stimulate five major human potentials:
vitality, sexuality, creativity, affectivity and transcendence.

I have participated in a Biodanza class before and that is why I asked Michelle Dubreuil Macek if she would be willing to lead another Biodanza class at Barefoot Boogie. We had so much fun last time and it is long overdue for another experience. The dancers are very alive and present by the time the class is completed, I can play music that requires creative and freestyle movement without needing to build them up. They are already peaking. It is fun to express my Creative DJ and Ecstatic DJ interests at Barefoot Boogie after a class like this. It attracts very open and creative dancers and movers. I also appreciate the sense of community that we create together!

I feel it is an honor to be a Barefoot Boogie DJ in NYC and the experiences are rich and profound. Can’t wait to try some new DJ mixes and songs!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

David Bowie Where Are We Now?

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David Bowie Where Are We Now? “As was the case with Miles Davis in jazz, Bowie has come not just to represent his innovations but to symbolize modern rock as an idiom in which literacy, art, fashion, style, sexual exploration and social commentary can be rolled into one.” Rolling Stone magazine

David Bowie Where Are We Now? Release

On January 8, 2013, quite without fanfare and out of the blue, David Bowie did something nobody really expected.  He released a new single entitled ‘Where Are We Now’ and announced the release of a new album in March.  The album, ‘The Next Day’ is Bowie’s 30th studio album and his first new album in 10 years.

The next chapter has surely been written by this most mysterious and important of artists.

www.davidbowie.com

 

David Bowie Where Are We Now? Music Video

 

David Robert Jones was born in Brixton on January 8, 1947. At age thirteen, inspired by the jazz of the London West End, he picked up the saxophone.  It was not until 1969 that the splash onto the charts would begin, with the legendary Space Oddity (which peaked at No. 5 in the UK). Amidst his musical wanderings in the late 60s, he experimented with mixed media, cinema, mime, Tibetan Buddhism, acting and love. The album, originally titled David Bowie then subsequently Man of Words,Man of Music, pays homage to all the influences of the London artistic scene. It shows the early song-writing talent that was yet to yield some of rock-n-roll’s finest work, even if it would take the rest of the world a few years to catch up with him.

David Bowie Where Are We Now? and Where He Was on 9/11

David was in New York on September 11th, and in the aftermath David showed support for his adopted city by performing a short but emotional set at The Concert for New York City at Madison Square Garden. He opened the show with a raw rendition of the Simon and Garfunkel classic America and followed with an uplifting and barnstorming rendition of his own “Heroes”. All of those whom attended the show and the millions of folk whom saw the show broadcast live on TV can’t help but to have been moved by the sentiments expressed in both of the songs David performed.

David Bowie America at Madison Square Garden After 9/11

Throughout his career he has sold an estimated 140 million albums. In the United Kingdom, he has been awarded 9 Platinum, 11 Gold and 8 Silver albums, and in the United States, 5 Platinum and 7 Gold. In the BBC’s 2002 poll of the 100 Greatest Britons, he was ranked 29. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 39th on their list of the 100 Greatest Rock Artists of All Time and the 23rd best singer of all time.

David Bowie Fame Live With John Lennon 1975

David Bowie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Through perpetual reinvention, he has seen his influence continue to broaden and extend: music reviewer Brad Filicky writes that over the decades, “Bowie has become known as a musical chameleon, changing and dictating trends as much as he has altered his style to fit, influencing fashion and pop culture.” Biographer Thomas Forget adds, “Because he has succeeded in so many different styles of music, it is almost impossible to find a popular artist today that has not been influenced by David Bowie.”

David Bowie Heroes at Madison Square Garden After 9/11

David Bowie Where Are We Now?

David Bowie Where Are We Now

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

David Gray This Years Love

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David Gray This Years Love is a song by singer-songwriter David Gray, taken from his fourth studio album White Ladder. Originally released as the album’s first single on 8 March 1999, it was re-issued on 5 March 2001. The single peaked at #20 in the UK Singles Chart.

David Gray himself makes an appearance in the film of the same title. David Gray This Years Love and a previously-unreleased track “Monday Morning” feature on the film’s soundtrack. David Gray This Years Love also appears in the films The Girl Next Door, Crazy/Beautiful, and Wimbledon, as well as the television series Dawson’s Creek. David Gray This Years Love also appears in episode 3 of The Bachelor season 16.

David Gray This Years Love Music Video

David Gray (born 13 June 1968) is an English singer-songwriter from Sale, Greater Manchester. Gray released his first studio album in 1993 and received worldwide attention after the release of White Ladder six years later. It was the first of three UK chart-toppers in six years for Gray, the latter two of which also made the Top 17 in the USA.

Beautiful Couple Dancing with David Gray This Years Love and Rhode Island Wedding DJ

David Gray This Years Love Music Video from The Girl Next Door

David Gray This Years Love is s strikingly beautiful song with melancholy overtones and rich lyrics. I sense this will be a song played for years to come and will continue to show-up in films and TV as ‘the moment’ to capture.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

DJ Teen Dance Party Mix Part I

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I created two of these Teen Dance Party Mixes for a Christmas Present for someone’s daughter. She is nine years old and is both a Classical Pianist and a lover of Pop Music that she can dance to. I figured these might be helpful for someone else as well, whether it be for a teenager having a Dance Party, a Sweet Sixteen or a client wanting to hire me for their Teen Dance Party. Most of the songs were released in 2012 but some of are from 2010 and 2011 as well to add some flavor.

Teen Dance Party Mix Part I

      Teen Dance Party Mix Part I - DJ Mystical Michael

If you would like me to send you a CD version, please fill-out the Contact Form with your information and I will be glad to ship it to you. Here is the link to Teen Dance Party Part II.

Teen Dance Party with Rhode Island Wedding DJ & Rhode Island Teen Party DJ

Enjoy!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ