Hank Lane’s very own bandleader, Erik Marshall, was recently chosen as a contributing author of the upcoming guide book Getting Married in NYC: 2012 Edition. The book features exclusive interviews with the top professionals in the wedding industry, and is designed to help brides choose vendors more knowledgeably. Nadia Digilov and Sterling Valentine are experts themselves, and the book is bound to be an amazing resource. The book was soft launched on Thursday, Oct. 6th at the Plaza Hotel. The “who’s who” of the industry were all in attendance, including wedding photographer Christian Oth, cake expert Ron Ben-Israel, and wedding planner Loulie Walker, all pictured below with Erik. Be on the lookout for the guide, hitting retailers soon!

At last week’s Wells Fargo event at the Plaza, Hank Lane Music was present at the private VIP reception. Bill Clinton was a guest at the affair, and he was entertained by our sax and piano duo. See him checking hanging with our saxophonist below!

The Critics’ Choice Awards Ceremony was on January 12th this year. Hank Lane’s own Lori Roth was a guest and had the opportunity to meet and greet many celebrities, most notably George Clooney and Brad Pitt. For more images and news from the awards, click here.

The entire show can be watched on demand at vh1.com.

Hank Lane Music has been the recommended music provider at the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park since their inception ten years ago. We would like to congratulate them on their decade of success! A Hank Lane DJ got the 10 year anniversary party going last night. In honor of the hotel’s birthday, the Ritz-Carlton is offering luxury specials. For example, a 10-course Valentine’s Day dinner as an homage to the past 10 years is an upcoming event. To read more about the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park and how its celebrating ten years, click here.

Hank Lane Music Vice President and General Manager Lori Roth attended the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards show in Los Angeles, CA. Here is her account of that incredible night.

Our Lori Roth at the Grammys

I never could have imagined myself going to the Grammy’s but yes, on Sunday, February 12, 2012, I was lucky enough to attend the 54th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.  Before I even got to the Staples Center, my brush with some of my musical idols had just begun. By chance, I was seated next to Kenny Loggins having lunch at my hotel. Kenny is one of my all time favorites. I’ve seen his fabulous live show several times back in New York. We chatted a bit. He’s the nicest guy ever!

After lunch it was time to get ready go to the awards and walk the red carpet! I was able to see so many musical greats being interviewed by Ryan Seacrest including Fergie, Rihanna, and Bruce just to name a few. Of course, it was a bittersweet night as the death of Whitney Houston was on everyone’s minds and hearts. It was the topic on the red carpet. But, then it was time for the Grammy’s to begin.

The show opened with Bruce Springsteen performing for the first time without his long time sax man Clarence Clemons so that was certainly a moment to remember. But, I must say that it was by far, Adele’s night as she won 6 awards and performed for the first time since her throat surgery. She sounded amazing live! And the crowd let her know by giving her several standing ovations. Then of course, it was time to honor Whitney with Jennifer Hudson singing “I Will Always Love You.”  There was complete silence in an arena that held 20,000 people. Jennifer did an amazing job honoring Whitney – there wasn’t a dry eye in the house!!! There were lots of great performances  during the night on two stages in the Staples Center. Chris Brown, Rihanna, Coldplay, Bruno Mars and his band looking cool in those retro gold jackets and Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt doing a wonderful tribute to the late Etta James and so many others. But of course, there was Sir Paul McCartney who performed twice. The first number was a beautiful ballad, “Valentine” off of his new album of standards.  What really brought the house down and what I absolutely went crazy for was a rousing rendition of the Beatles “Golden Slumbers” featuring Eagles’ Joe Walsh, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen on guitars. It was a moment I never thought I would see, Paul McCartney performing on stage right in front of me.

When the Grammys ended it was time to go to the after party where 5000 music industry people were invited. What a blast. And as a bookend to my whirlwind day, the party featured a performance by my new pal Kenny Loggins, who I had a 30 minute conversation with at lunch, earlier in the day. He was great!!!

There are no words to describe how exciting my experience was. It was a night that I will always remember as the most musical night of my life.

He wrote some of the most loved and sophisticated songs in what has been popularly known at the Great American Songbook. His songs have been recorded by the greatest interpreters of American standards from Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald, to Michael Feinstein, Harry Connick, Jr., and Michael Buble. This Saturday, June 9 marks the birthday of Cole Porter (1891-1964). Cole Porter lived in the New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Towers for 30 years. His piano, where he composed many of his songs, has resided in the grand hotel’s Park Avenue lobby for many years for all to see and hear. This Saturday, the piano is being moved into the hotel’s famous Peacock Alley bar during renovations of the Park Avenue entrance. Hank Lane Music piano/vocalist Daryl Sherman will honor the music of Cole Porter, performing his songs on his piano from 7:30pm-9:00pm. Before Ms. Sherman’s appearance listen to pianist Debbie Andrews during Happy Hour and for the late night crowd, you’ll enjoy listening to piano/vocalist Emilee Floor.

Hank Lane Music Pianist Daryl Sherman Celebrates Legendary Composer Cole Porter's Birthday on His Piano at the Waldorf-Astoria.

Hank Lane Music bands and More Than Music DJ’s will be rocking and ringing in the New Year 2013 with parties from New York to Atlantic City, NJ to Palm Beach, FL. It is one of the rare times when Hank Lane bands perform in a public type of setting, so  we hope that you will have the opportunity to celebrate with us. Check the venue for times and the pricing for each of their packages:

In New York City:

Essex House hotel – Lobby Lounge – Hank Lane Jazz Trio

Hotel Intercontinental Times Square – Todd English’s Ça va Restaurant – DJ Mark with Electric Violin

Mandarin Oriental – Bobby Attiko Band with DJ Luis with Lighting by Fusion Lighting

New York Palace Hotel – Istana Restaurant – Pianist Emilee Floor

Ritz-Carlton Battery Park – DJ Rob

The Pierre Hotel (2 locations):

Two E Bar/Lounge – Hank Lane Quartet

Sirio’s Restaurant – DJ Ryan

Waldorf-Astoria (3 locations):

Bull & Bear Restaurant/Bar – Riverside Quartet

Grand Ballroom – The Hank Lane Orchestra

Peacock Alley – West End Quartet

On Long Island:

Garden City Hotel – Russ Bennett Band with Lighting by Fusion Lighting

Il Mulino Restaurant, Roslyn – DJ Frankie

In Westchester, NY:

La Panetiere Restaurant – Paul Atherton Duo

In Atlantic City, NJ:

Revel Casino Hotel – Michael Hart Band and the Hank Lane Electric Strings with strolling entertainment

Trump Taj Mahal – Steve Delisi Band

In Palm Beach, FL:

Palm Beach Country Club – Kevin Osborne Band

On the Easy Listening Jazz Charts for 11 weeks and counting, Hank Lane Music is proud to represent the multi-instrumentalist and Jazz vocalist Paula Atherton for private parties and special events. Available as a Jazz trio and up for cocktail parties, dinner parties and receptions of all kinds, Paula performs on saxophone, flute and vocal a repertoire that includes a mixture of popular standards along with her smooth Jazz original music. It’s a great musical backdrop for any party. Below is a recent article in Jazz Monthly.com on Paula profiling her and her latest album, “Enjoy the Ride” (Dot Time Records). For more information, speak to your Hank Lane Music event specialist.

New York is an event town. It has hosted the World Series, the US Open, the Grammy’s, The Tony’s, the New York City Marathon and national political conventions. Nothing, however, compares to the Super Bowl. The Hank Lane family of companies provides an impressive array of services for Super Bowl parties large and small all under one roof. We are proud to be one of few New York based companies who have previously produced music and entertainment at a Super Bowl (Super Bowl XXV, Tampa, FL). Our services include our nationally known Hank Lane party bands, musical groups, tribute bands, DJs, unique specialty acts and novelty entertainers. Beyond music, we offer many other options. Our in-house lighting and design team (Fusion Lighting) can transform any event space into an exciting one-of-a-kind party atmosphere. It provides and incorporates large video screens, staging and lighting into each design. Our games division (Creative Games, Inc.) provides Big Game themed photo stations and photo booths, sports games, strolling entertainers and more.

The highly-anticipated Tony Awards, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, aired on CBS last night. Surprise performances and a highly entertaining show accompanied the awards ceremony, where Kinky Boots took home the coveted Best Musical award. This accolade was accepted by composer Cyndi Lauper, the first solo woman to win the Tony for best music and lyrics. With viewership on the rise, CBS has agreed to broadcast the annual awards through 2018.

After a thrilling evening, everyone continued to celebrate at the Plaza Hotel with the Hank Lane Orchestra, as has been the case for the past three recent years. An all-star Hank Lane band, directed by Michael Hart and featuring singer extraordinaire Kevin Osborne and the Dylan Matthews band horn section played popular standards early on and then pulsating Top 40 hits until 2 am. Many celebrities were spotted at the big bash, including Cuba Gooding Jr., Sigourney Weaver, nominee Billy Magnussen, Martin Short, Pippin star Matthew James Thomas, Chaplin star and Best Actor nominee Rob McClure, Kinky Boots’ Featured Actress nominee Annaleigh Ashford, Best Score nominee Benj Pasek of A Christmas Story’s composer duo, Best Featured Actress nominee Shalita Grant, Will Chase hand-in-hand with Debra Messing, Mike Tyson, and Angela Bassett with husband and Tony-winner Courtney B. Vance.

To quote ABC News,

Wins or losses, the guests at the Tony gala seemed intent on having a wonderful time. One of them was Billy Magnussen, who plays a studly young boyfriend to Sigourney Weaver’s character in “Vanya and Sonia.” He had lost out to Vance but couldn’t stop dancing (if you wanted to interview him, you had to twirl along.) “Who gets to dance at the Tonys?” he asked joyfully and rather rhetorically. “This guy!”

Clearly, fun was had by all on the historic evening. We would like to wish all the nominees and winners a heartfelt congratulations from Hank Lane Music!

Hank Lane receiving ISES "Hall of Legends" Award

Last Thursday marked a historic evening for Hank Lane and his namesake company. Hank was honored at the annual ISES Big Apple Awards, where he was inducted into the prestigious Hall of Legends. Fellow Hall of Legends member Harriette Rose Katz of Gourmet Advisory gave a beautiful speech welcoming Hank to the exclusive club. Hank Lane Music and More Than Music staff members were in attendance to celebrate. Other awards were presented in various categories to nominees excelling in private event planning, and Thomas Preti of TPC Events was inducted alongside Hank.

The event took place at the beautiful waterfront venue Liberty Warehouse, where festive Hank Lane steel drum and specialty ensembles, as well as a cocktail duo, entertained the guests before, after, and during the awards.

This Valentine’s Day, we want to share some of our favorite songs to celebrate the holiday – these are our favorite hits for any romantic occasion, from Frank Sinatra to Beyonce! Celebrate V-Day with us in person tomorrow at Francois Payard Bakery, where we will have a harpist playing at the West Houston location from 5:30-9:30pm. Wishing everyone a day of chocolate and romance!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE KNOT REVEALS HALL OF FAME OF BEST OF THE BEST IN WEDDING INDUSTRY

– First-Ever Wedding Industry Hall of Fame Pronounces Preeminent Vendors Across the U.S. –

NEW YORK (2013-2014) – Whether they’re trying to find the wedding dress salon with the best service in Philadelphia, the most creative wedding photographers in Los Angeles, New York’s top cake bakers or Miami’s hottest reception sites, engaged couples across the country want the inside scoop from real brides. The Knot Wedding Network (NYSE: XOXO), which is composed of the top two wedding websites, TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com, today announces the first-of-its-kind wedding industry Hall of Fame for the all-time best wedding vendors across the United States.

Comprised of winners of the annual Best of Weddings, a by-brides-for-brides guide to the top wedding vendors in 80-plus cities across the U.S., the Hall of Fame inducts wedding vendors who have won four or more Best of Weddings awards. This honorable list of more than 330 inductees includes less than 1 percent of wedding professionals.

We are proud to announce that Hank Lane Music has been rated by local brides and voted The Knot Best of Weddings Hall of Fame.

“For the past seven years, WeddingChannel.com Reviews has been the definitive resource for our brides, providing them with unparalleled vendor recommendations directly from the tried-and-true experiences of fellow brides,” said Carley Roney, cofounder of TheKnot.com. “We’re beyond thrilled to induct our first-ever Hall of Fame, crowning the best of the best across the country, based on more than 700,000 reviews from real brides.”

This coming Saturday, March 8th, 2014, The Woodbury Jewish Center (WJC) will be celebrating their reopening under Regal Caterers. Hank Lane Music has been collaborating with WJC since is opening in 1989, and our long-standing relationship with the temple has been an honor to uphold. We look forward to their continued success with Regal at the helm. The Gala that will be ushering in this new chapter will feature Hank Lane’s renowned Jeff Lubin Band, who will be rocking the house during a lavish evening of great food, music, and dancing. The founding members of WJC will be in attendance, and the occasion will also serve to honor special guest David Gaffner. Cheers to 25 years of excellence, may there be many more!

Babies Heart Fund Gala featured in the New York Times

On March 6th, 2014, the Michael Hart Band provided the music for the 27th Annual Babies Heart Fund Gala. This year’s event was held at the Pierre Hotel, and benefitted the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at Columbia University Medical Center. During the evening, special guest and Grammy winner Roberta Flack performed three of her songs, bookended by lively performances led by bandleader Michael Hart.

Band members Lauretta and Jovian with Roberta Flack

Thank you from Ben Newberry, Roberta Flack’s production manager:

Hey Nancy, Nina, Joe and Morgan,
Thank you for making our participation in your event a success!!!
It was a pleasure working with you all.
The Michael Hart band was a joy to work with as well.
ThnQ!!!,
Ben Newberry
Production Manager Roberta Flack

The Spring issue of Martha Stewart Weddings is now on stands! Pick one up today to read the exclusive interview with Hank Lane bandleaders Erik Marshall and Mike Herman. Get the inside scoop on how to choose the music for your wedding below!

HOW TO HIRE A BAND - As told to Becky Mickel

Music makes or breaks a reception. Bandleaders and co-managers from New York’s Hank Lane Music and Productions spill their secrets on booking musicians.

Go for quality over quantity.

Mike Herman: If your entertainment budget is on the lower end, you best bet is to secure a four-piece group that sings and plays multiple instruments. That versatility will make them sound like an eight-piece outfit.

Don’t limit yourself to one type of music.

Erik Marshall: Years ago, people were more into themed events with music that matched, but now the theme should just be “fun!” The best bands are the ones that think on their feet. You’ll want a group that’s prepared for anything, rather than one that just plays R&B or modern hits off the radio, because it’s tough to predict what guests will like or how the mood might change as the night goes on. If you’ve hired a band whose members are musically flexible, they could maybe play jazz during dinner and then switch to classic rock for dancing.

To save money, opt for any day but Saturday.

EM: Great music is great music, no matter what night it is. Booking a band for a Saturday wedding will likely increase the rate by 15 to 20 percent, because it’s the most popular night for live music. These days, we’re getting lots of requests for Fridays and Sundays, which are more affordable.

Be wary of groups without representation.

EM: Hiring freelance bands won’t always lead to trouble, but you have more guarantees when you use a booking agency, which will have every backup plan imaginable. Simply signing a contract with the band directly isn’t foolproof. They can put anything down on paper, but if the drummer doesn’t show on the day of, you’re out of luck, whereas an agency can just send over another musician.

Read the contract – carefully.

EM: It’s not uncommon for bands to charge for learning new songs or for not taking breaks. And a destination wedding will always be more expensive; besides the extra costs for flights, hotel, and rentals, bands might tack on a charge for traveling the night before, since that could mean the loss of a gig for them.

Use the same  musicians in different combos throughout the day.

MH: Not only does this save money – up to thousands of dollars – it means fewer vendors to coordinate with. One of the guys from the reception band could play flute for the ceremony and then sax for the cocktail hour, for example. Or you could pair the sax player with the band’s pianist to perform as a jazz duo during drinks and appetizers.

We are thrilled to be in the new Spring/Summer 2014 issue of Manhattan Bride! Tara and Adam’s amazing wedding at Tarrytown House Estate featured our popular West End Revue Band. Pick up your copy at local newsstands!

We are pleased to announce that Hank Lane Music has made it into the 100 Review Club on Wedding Wire! This news comes to us on the 100th day of the year. Vendors who have made it into the 100 Review Club are part of an exclusive group of premium Pros who have worked hard to earn more than 100 wedding reviews while maintaining an average rating of 3.5 or higher. Check us on out on the full list by clicking here! Thank you to all who have reviewed us on Wedding Wire!

One of the newest productions on Broadway is the revival of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, starring James Franco (127 Hours, Oz the Great and Powerful), Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids), Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl), and Broadway veteran Jim Norton. This is the first time Steinbeck’s masterpiece has seen a Broadway stage since 1975, with its first run in 1937.

Hank Lane staffers with James Franco (George)

Although the show has been in previews since March, last night marked the official opening night, with an after party bash at the Plaza Hotel. The Hank Lane Orchestra set the tone for the evening with big band swing from the 1930’s and 40’s. 700 guests listened and danced to the tunes of  Steinbeck’s era, including Zooey Deschanel, Minka Kelly, Dave Franco, Leven Rambin (Hunger Games), and Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead). Katie Couric attended the show earlier that evening, and her charity Stand Up to Cancer sponsored the dinner in the Plaza Hotel ballroom.

Of Mice and Men’s limited engagement will conclude on July 27th. Purchase your tickets by clicking here!