The Doobie Brothers to Steely Dan
A yacht rock band for company parties, patios and milestone birthdays.
What a Fool Believes starts, three voices come in on the harmony, and the whole patio sings the chorus. This band is keys, guitar, bass and drums with three of them singing, because those harmonies are what the records were built on, and a saxophone takes the solos at full size.
It’s a great choice for a company summer party, a client evening on a terrace, the dancing after a gala or holiday party program, and the 40th or 50th of anyone who owned these records.
Trusted and booked by
The set
What a Fool Believes, Reelin’ in the Years, Rich Girl.
The smooth end of 1976 to 1984: the Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, Hall and Oates, Toto, Christopher Cross, Boz Scaggs, Kenny Loggins, Ambrosia, Player, Michael McDonald on his own, and the Fleetwood Mac ballads that sit beside them.
The ballads play while people eat, and the up-tempo half of the song list opens the floor. The rest of the covers list is on the repertoire page.
Sizes
The four-piece, or the full band with saxophone.
- The four-piece
- Keys, guitar, bass and drums, three of them singing. The harmonies are what make it yacht rock, so every size carries them.
- Five to six piece
- The four-piece plus saxophone, with a lead voice of its own for a ballroom or a crowd past two hundred. It’s the version that sounds most like the records.
An acoustic duo or a solo pianist can play the drinks hour before the band on the same contract, and the DJ can take over afterward through the same sound system.
Occasions
Who books a yacht rock band.
- Summer company parties
- A lawn, a patio or a rooftop in July, for a staff of every age that knows these songs. It books like the rest of a company event, on one contract with the paperwork your office needs.
- Client appreciation evenings
- A thank-you to a client list on a terrace, for the evening that should end on a dance floor.
- After-parties and galas
- The floor once a program is over, as the after-party or as the second half of a gala or holiday party.
- Milestone birthdays
- A fortieth or a fiftieth for a crowd that owned these records, at the house, a club or a rented space.
- Weddings
- A reception where the couple wants everyone singing on the dance floor, with the ceremony and the cocktail hour on the same contract.
Yacht rock band questions
Stage sizes and power for each size are on the technical page, and the questions every booking shares, from substitutions to volume limits, are on the full question list. What yacht rock is, and where the name came from, is in what is yacht rock.
- What is a yacht rock band?
- A band that plays the smooth end of late-70s and early-80s pop and soft rock: the Doobie Brothers with Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, Hall and Oates, Toto, Christopher Cross, Boz Scaggs and Kenny Loggins. The songs depend on harmony vocals and saxophone, which is why this one carries three voices and a horn. It's booked through Signet Artists in Denver.
- How loud is it?
- While people eat, the ballads play at a level the tables talk across. Once the floor opens it plays like a party band, loud enough to fill a lawn or a ballroom. The band sets the level to the space and the crowd, and if your venue has a sound limit, give us the number and the set stays under it.
- How much space and power does it need?
- The four-piece sets up in about 14 by 10 feet on two dedicated 20-amp circuits and needs 90 minutes to set up. The five to six piece needs a little more width. Sound support that's the right size for the venue comes with every booking, and on a patio that's what lets a band fill a lawn.
- Can it play outdoors?
- Yes, and patios and lawns are its natural work. It needs a covered, level and dry spot with power run to it, and we agree a plan for moving indoors with you ahead of time, because Colorado weather turns fast in the afternoon.
- Can we add time or ask for a song?
- Yes. Let us know the song when you book and the band can usually learn it (a few weeks' notice helps). If you think the night might run long, let us know that too.
Send us the date, and we'll bring the harmonies and the saxophone.
Live music for your event, from a solo musician to a full band, with sound support that’s the right size for the venue and a personal contact for the night.