Tag Archives: Rock party DJ

Julian Lennon Someday

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Julian Lennon Someday is now released globally! Julian Lennon Someday features Steven Tyler on backing vocals. It is a beautiful song with an equally moving music video.

Julian Lennon Someday Music Video

John Charles Julian Lennon (born 8 April 1963) is a British musician. He is the only child of John Lennon and Cynthia Powell (Lennon’s first wife). Beatles manager Brian Epstein was his godfather. He has a younger half-brother, Sean Lennon. Lennon was named after his paternal grandmother, Julia. He remains close friends with his father’s former bandmate Paul McCartney (although there was a public falling out in 2011, when Julian publicly complained about being snubbed for McCartney’s wedding and reception, although many of his friends and acquaintances were asked to attend).

Julian directly inspired three Beatles songs: “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds“, “Hey Jude“, and “Good Night“. He is also devoted to philanthropic endeavors, most notably his own White Feather Foundation and the Whaledreamers Organization, both of which promote the co-existence of all species and the health and well-being of the Earth.

His sixth studio album Everything Changes was released on 3 October 2011.

Julian Lennon Valotte Music Video

“Valotte” is a song by British singer Julian Lennon, the title track and second single (first single in the US) from his debut album Valotte. It was a top-ten hit single in January 1985 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US, peaking at number nine.

It was co-written by Lennon, Justin Clayton and Carlton Morales and recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The first line of the chorus, “Sitting on a pebble by the river playing guitar”, was written by Lennon, inspired by theTennessee River in Muscle Shoals.

The music video for the song was directed by Sam Peckinpah.

Julian Lennon Too Late For Goodbyes Music Video

“Too Late for Goodbyes” is the first single (second in the US) from Julian Lennon‘s 1984 album Valotte. It featured the harmonica of Jean “Toots” Thielemans, and it was a top-ten hit in the UK and the US, reaching number six in the UK Singles Chart in November 1984, and number five on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in late March 1985.

“Too Late for Goodbyes” peaked at number one on the US Adult Contemporary chart in 1985, spending two weeks at the top of this chart. The music video for the song was directed by Sam Peckinpah.

Julian Lennon has had an inconsistent career as a musical artist. He enjoyed immediate success with his debut 1984 album Valotte. The album was produced by Phil Ramone. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1985, and produced two top ten hits, the title track “Valotte“, and “Too Late for Goodbyes“. Lennon promoted the album with music videos for the two hits made by movie director Sam Peckinpah and producer Martin Lewis. The song “Valotte” has remained a staple on adult contemporary radio stations since its release. After the release, Paul McCartney sent him a telegram wishing him good luck. Later that year, the two met up backstage at the New York studios of the TV show Friday Night Videos. His second album, 1986’s The Secret Value of Daydreaming, was panned by critics, but reached number 32 on the Billboard magazine‘s album chart, and produced the single “Stick Around”, which was his first #1 single on the U.S. Album Rock Tracks chart.

Julian Lennon Someday at the unveiling of the John Lennon Peace Monument with Rhode Island DJ

Julian Lennon at the unveiling of the John Lennon Peace Monument

It is very inspiring to me to hear Julian Lennon attempt to follow in his father, John Lennon’s, footsteps with Julian Lennon Someday and its message of world peace, love and community.

What do you think of Julian Lennon Someday?


DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

973.908.8147

 

DJ Classic Rock Mix I

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I am producing a series of DJ Classic Rock Mixes to share with you. It has been fun creating the playlist to choose songs. As has been the case with all the DJ Mixes I have produced, it is so hard to select songs when they are so any incredible Classic Rock Songs to choose from. This particular DJ Classic Rock Mix starts out with Electric Light Orchestra and ends The Eagles. There is some U2, Dusty Springfield and The Beatles mixed in with a bunch of other great music.

DJ Classic Rock Mix

      Classic Rock Mix I - DJ Mystical Michael

 

Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on hard rock popularized in the 1970s. Although the format appeals mainly to adults, many classic rock acts consistently attract new generations of fans. Some classic rock stations also play a limited number of current releases which are stylistically consistent with the station’s sound, or from established classic rock artists who still produce new albums.

Jimi Hendrix and the DJ Classic Rock Mix from Rhode Island Rock DJ

The classic rock format evolved from AOR radio stations that were attempting to appeal to an older audience by including familiar songs of the past with current hits. In 1980, AOR radio station M105 in Cleveland, Ohio began billing itself as “Cleveland’s Classic Rock”, playing a mix of rock music from the mid-1960s to the present. In 1982, radio consultant Lee Abrams developed the “Timeless Rock” format which combined contemporary AOR with hits from the 1960s and 1970s. By 1986, the success of the format resulted in oldies accounting for 60–80% of the music played on album rock stations. Although it began as a niche format spun off from AOR, by 2001 classic rock had surpassed album rock in market share nationally.

DJ Classic Rock Mix from Rhode Island Rock DJ

If you would like a CD version of DJ Classic Rock Mix from Rhode Island Rock DJ, please write and I will send you one free. The next DJ Classic Rock Mix from Rhode Island Rock DJ in the series will be released next week!

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

973.908.8147

U2 Bad

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I was recently working on a project related to Live Aid, and was reminded of the powerful performance of U2 Bad at Wembley Stadium, London on July 13th, 1985. After further research, I was surprised to find out the content of U2 Bad.

U2 Bad at Live Aid with Rhode Island DJ

The U2 Bad Story

“Bad” began with an improvised guitar riff during a jam session at Slane Castle where U2 were recording The Unforgettable Fire.The basic track was completed in three takes. Of its immediate and live nature, U2 guitarist The Edge said “There’s one moment where Larry puts down brushes and takes up the sticks and it creates this pause which has an incredibly dramatic effect.” Producer Brian Eno added the sequencer arpeggios that accompany the song.

The early 1980s recession had led to high number of heroin addicts in inner city Dublin. In concert, lead vocalist Bono frequently introduced the song as a song about Dublin.[4]The Edge and the album’s producers, Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, were focused on the music and less interested in the lyrics. Bono left the song unfinished.

During a July 26, 2011 concert in Pittsburgh, Bono explained before a performance of “Bad” that the song was written for “very special man, who is here in your city, who grew up on Cedarwood Road. We wrote this song about him and we play it for him tonight.”  He was referring to Andy Rowen, whom the song was originally written about in 1984 and who was present at the show. Rowen is brother of Bono’s Lypton Village friend Guggi and Peter Rowen, who is featured on the sleeve artwork for the band’s albums Boy and War.

U2 Bad at Live Aid with Rhode Island DJ

There are other versions of the story from Bono himself. His account from a 1987 concert in Chicago indicate “Bad” is about a friend of his who died of a heroin overdose and also about the conditions that make such events likely repeat themselves. Bono once commented in another concert (in the UK) about people lying in gutters with “needles hangin’ outta their fuckin’ arms while the rich live indifferently to the suffering of the less fortunate.” At Eriksberg, Gothenburg in Sweden 1987, he said: “I wrote the words about a friend of mine, his name was Gareth Spaulding. And on his 21st birthday he and his friends decided to give themselves a present of enough heroin into his veins to kill him. This song is called ‘Bad’.

U2 Bad at Live Aid

U2 participated in the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium for Ethiopian famine relief on 13 July 1985. They played a 12-minute version of U2 Bad, which was extended by snippets of Lou Reed‘s “Satellite of Love” and “Walk on the Wild Side“, and The Rolling Stones‘ “Ruby Tuesday” and “Sympathy for the Devil“. Bono leaped down off the stage to embrace and dance with a fan, which was captured on the TV broadcast sent around the world. The performance was so long that the band was only able to play two of the three songs in their set, leaving out “Pride (In the Name of Love)“, which was supposed to end the band’s performance. The concert turned out to be a breakthrough moment for the band, showing a television audience of millions the personal connection that Bono could make with audiences. Only a week later he realized that the dance with the fan became a key image of Live Aid. All of U2’s albums re-entered the charts in the UK after their performance. In 1985, Rolling Stone called U2 the “Band of the 80’s,” saying that “for a growing number of rock-and-roll fans, U2 have become the band that matters most, maybe even the only band that matters.”

U2 Bad Original Studio Version

It almost comical to think at that point they felt like they had to introduce themselves, based on the amount of global success U2 has enjoyed since then.

U2 have released 12 studio albums and are among the all-time best-selling music artists, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide. They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, and in 2005, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone ranked U2 at number 22 in its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they have campaigned for human rights and philanthropic causes, including Amnesty International, the ONE/DATA campaigns, Product Red, and The Edge’s Music Rising.

U2 Bad at Live Aid with Rhode Island DJ

U2 Bad Lyrics

If you twist and turn away
If you tear yourself in two again
If I could, yes I would
If I could, I would
Let it go
Surrender
Dislocate

If I could throw this
Lifeless lifeline to the wind
Leave this heart of clay
See you walk, walk away
Into the night
And through the rain
Into the half-light
And through the flame

If I could through myself
Set your spirit free
I’d lead your heart away
See you break, break away
Into the light
And to the day

To let it go
And so to fade away
To let it go
And so fade away

I’m wide awake
I’m wide awake
Wide awake
I’m not sleeping
Oh, no, no, no

If you should ask then maybe they’d
Tell you what I would say
True colors fly in blue and black
Bruised silken sky and burning flag
Colors crash, collide in blood shot eyes

If I could, you know I would
If I could, I would
Let it go…

This desparation
Dislocation
Separation
Condemnation
Revelation
In temptation
Isolation
Desolation
Let it go

And so fade away
To let it go
And so fade away
To let it go
And so to fade away

I’m wide awake
I’m wide awake
Wide awake
I’m not sleeping
Oh, no, no, no

U2 Bad is a great song that is part of U2’s live performances worldwide and very popular among their fans. What about U2 Bad is most intriguing and powerful for you?

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

973.908.8147

Crash Test Dummies Superman’s Song

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I love Crash Test Dummies Superman’s Song! It is such a unique song with all kinds of fun and curious pieces. Crash Test Dummies Superman’s Song was the first single of the Canadian folk-rock group Crash Test Dummies and came from their 1991 debut album The Ghosts That Haunt Me. The single was the group’s first hit, charting in both Canada (#4) and the United States (#56). It was also featured in the pilot of the Canadian TV series Due South and appeared on the first Due South soundtrack album.

The song was covered by Lucy Wainwright Roche, daughter of Loudon Wainwright III and Suzzy Roche of The Roches, on her second EP “8 More.” It also has been covered by Nataly Dawn.

Crash Test Dummies Superman’s Song Music Video

Crash Test Dummies Superman’s Song Story

Crash Test Dummies Superman’s Song is a slow funeral dirge, mournfully telling the story of Clark Kent/Superman, as if he had recently died. The central theme is the death of the selfless hero. The song notes that Superman had the power to commit great evil and bring himself unfathomable riches, but instead chose to use his powers for good, while expecting no payment for his deeds.

The chorus emphasizes this theme:

Superman never made any money
For saving the world from Solomon Grundy
And sometimes I despair the world will never see
Another man like him

Throughout the song, Crash Test Dummies Superman’s Song, Brad Roberts contrasts Superman and Tarzan, whom he considers a crude, rough, and uncivilized antihero.

This tribute to the Man of Steel predates his eventual death and his replacement by four new heroes claiming to be the “new” Superman.

Crash Test Dummies Superman's Song with Rhode Island Wedding DJ

Crash Test Dummies Superman’s Song Video Story

The music video for the song was directed by Dale Heslip and features the band singing at a funeral for Superman attended by various aging superheroes. Some depicted are a middle aged Wonder Woman-like character, The Green Hornet, and possibly Green Lantern (Alan Scott). It won the MuchMusic Video Award for Best Video in 1991.

There is no mistaking Brad Roberts’ voice. He may look like an average guy, now in his mid- 40s, but then he opens his mouth and his majestic baritone voice immediately conjures fond memories of such Crash Test Dummies hits at “Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm” and “Superman.” Perhaps best remembered for the acerbic folk rock sound of 1991’s The Ghosts That Haunt Me and 1993’s God Shuffled His Feet, there have nonetheless been enough hits for the band over the years to merit a couple of greatest hits packages. Through it all, the band with Roberts at the helm has touched on funk and soul, folk, electronic music and even Christmas tunes. Yet it is Roberts’ voice and offbeat lyrical sensibility that have been this beloved band’s calling cards since their founding twenty years ago.” Crash Test Dummies Official Site

Where did the Crash Test Dummies get their name?

“Crash Test Dummies was adopted initially as a joke, at the suggestion of a friend in medical school. Apparently through constant use, the name stuck. Among other monikers considered were Skin Graft and the Chemotherapists.”

Crash Test Dummies Superman's Song with Rhode Island Wedding DJ

“I think that when you are dealing with popular music, unless you have a strong melody, sympathetic chords, and a good set of lyrics you ain’t got nothing,” Roberts points out. Foreshadowing the highly entertaining shows for which he is so well known, Roberts adds “I want to have a little room to digress into an anecdote while Stuart strums the guitar, if that’s what I feel like doing.”

I think Crash Test Dummies Superman’s Song is such a compelling and interesting tune. Somehow the somber elements contrast so nicely with Roberts Baritone voice and superhero tone and lyrics. It is a fun song for a DJ to play in unique situations.

Crash Test Dummies Superman's Song with Rhode Island Wedding DJ

 

It has been suggested that Crash Test Dummies Superman’s Song would also be a fun ad interesting Father-Daughter Dance at a Wedding for a Bride that wants a song about she feels about her father. Most Father-Daughter Dance Songs are typically about how he feels about the daughter. Crash Test Dummies Superman’s Song makes for a nice change of pace if you feel moved to do so. I invite you to contact me about other unique Father-Daughter Dance Songs or any special songs you need ideas.

What do you find most compelling about Crash Test Dummies Superman’s Song?

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

973.908.8147

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

Gerry Rafferty Baker Street

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Gerry Rafferty Baker Street was released in 1978, some consider one of the great years for Pop Music. This was three years after the dissolving of his previous band, Stealers Wheel due to contract disputes with the recording company. It reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and stayed there for six weeks. Rafferty was born and raised in Scotland.

Groom Removed Bride Garter at Fun Rhode Island Wedding DJ Gerry Rafferty Baker Street

Gerry Rafferty Baker Street featured saxophonist Raphael Ravenscroft. Ravenscroft was mostly known for his work with Pink Floyd that earned him critical success. There is an urban legend that Ravenscroft was never paid for his session work on Gerry Rafferty Baker Street. This is significant since Gerry Rafferty Baker Street was number 1 in the U.K. and number two in The U.S.A., and the royalties and sales that came with an international hit even in these days. When asked about this, Ravenscroft stated this is not true and that he was paid but there are still many who believe he was just not wanting to shed a bad light on Rafferty after his passing in 2011.

Gerry Rafferty Baker Street Music Video

The single version of Gerry Rafferty Baker Street was recorded with the tape of the album version sped up slightly to raise the tempo to be more radio-friendly. This also had the result of raising the key by a half tone.

Gerry Rafferty Baker Street Lyrics

Winding your way down on Baker Street
Light in your head and dead on your feet
Well another crazy day, you’ll drink the night away
And forget about everything

This city desert makes you feel so cold
It’s got so many people but it’s got no soul
And it’s taken you so long to find out you were wrong
When you thought it held everything

You used to think that it was so easy
You used to say that it was so easy
But you’re tryin’, you’re tryin’ now

Another year and then you’d be happy
Just one more year and then you’d be happy
But you’re cryin’, you’re cryin’ now

Way down the street there’s a lad in his place
He opens the door, he’s got that look on his face
And he asks you where you’ve been, you tell him who you’ve seen
And you talk about anything

He’s got this dream about buyin’ some land
He’s gonna give up the booze and the one night stands
And then he’ll settle down in some quiet little town
And forget about everything

But you know he’ll always keep movin’
You know he’s never gonna stop movin’
Cause he’s rollin’, he’s the rollin’ stone

And when you wake up it’s a new morning
The sun is shining, it’s a new morning
And you’re going, you’re going home

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Fun. Some Nights

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Fun. Some Nights, Fun.’s second major hit from their Some Nights album. It is both catchy, pop and self-reflective. How many Pop songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 reach #3 with this being part of the chorus?

“But I still wake up, I still see your ghost
Oh Lord, I’m still not sure what I stand for oh
What do I stand for? What do I stand for?
Most nights, I don’t know anymore…”

Fun. Some Nights Music Video

The lyrics to Fun. Some Nights are very introspective and include a depth and thoughtfulness rarely heard in Pop Music. I am so glad to have come across Fun. Some Nights long before it became a hit. Similar to “We Are Young”, Fun. Some Nights spent several months on the Billboard Hot 100 before it finally climbed into the Top Ten.

Beautiful Rhode Island Wedding Fun. Some Nights Rhode Island DJ

Fun. Some Nights Lyrics

Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck
Some nights, I call it a draw
Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle
Some nights, I wish they’d just fall off

But I still wake up, I still see your ghost
Oh Lord, I’m still not sure what I stand for oh
What do I stand for? What do I stand for?
Most nights, I don’t know anymore…
Oh whoa, oh whoa, oh whoa oh oh
Oh whoa, oh whoa, oh whoa oh oh

This is it, boys, this is war – what are we waiting for?
Why don’t we break the rules already?
I was never one to believe the hype – save that for the black and white
I try twice as hard and I’m half as liked, but here they come again to jack my style

And that’s alright; I found a martyr in my bed tonight
She stops my bones from wondering just who I am, who I am, who I am
Oh, who am I? mmm… mmm…

Well, some nights, I wish that this all would end
Cause I could use some friends for a change
And some nights, I’m scared you’ll forget me again
Some nights, I always win, I always win…

But I still wake up, I still see your ghost
Oh Lord, I’m still not sure what I stand for, oh
What do I stand for? What do I stand for?
Most nights, I don’t know… (come on)

So this is it? I sold my soul for this?
Washed my hands of God for this?
I miss my mom and dad for this?

(Come on)

No. When I see stars, when I see, when I see stars, that’s all they are
When I hear songs, they sound like this one, so come on
Oh, come on. Oh, come on, OH COME ON!

Well, that is it guys, that is all – five minutes in and I’m bored again
Ten years of this, I’m not sure if anybody understands
This one is not for the folks at home; Sorry to leave, mom, I had to go
Who the fuck wants to die alone all dried up in the desert sun?

My heart is breaking for my sister and the con that she call “love”
When I look into my nephew’s eyes…
Man, you wouldn’t believe the most amazing things that can come from…
Some terrible lies…ahhh…

Oh whoa, oh whoa, oh whoa, oh oh
Oh whoa, oh whoa, oh whoa, oh oh

The other night, you wouldn’t believe the dream I just had about you and me
I called you up, but we’d both agree
It’s for the best you didn’t listen
It’s for the best we get our distance… oh…
It’s for the best you didn’t listen
It’s for the best we get our distance… oh..

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

DJ 80’s Dance Party Mix

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DJ 80’s Dance Party Mix was created due to receiving more requests for 80’s Music than usual. I am getting the feeling that 80’s Music is becoming the choice of music for folks who want to find a happy medium between music of today for younger people and music that those who were born earlier will still appreciate and be able to party and have fun with.

I have to say, there were many songs I wanted to include in this mix that just didn’t make it. Maybe there will be a DJ 80’s Dance Party Mix II…

DJ 80’s Dance Party Mix

      80's Dance Party Mix - DJ Mystical Michael

Fun DJ 80's Dance Party Mix with Rhode Island Multicultural Wedding DJ

 

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

DJ Rock Party Mix

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Another professional DJ music mix to add to the collection. The DJ Rock Party Mix was a mix I created for a festival I could not make it to due to another professional DJ gig, but was requested to provide DJ music. I knew there was one set that needed Party Rock and the DJ Rock Party Mix seemed to do the trick. It was a fundraiser for a non-profit I wanted to support as a professional DJ. Hope you enjoy it!

DJ Rock Party Mix

      party rock mix 4.23.2011 - DJ Mystical Michael

Fun Wedding with DJ Rock Party Mix Rhode Island Wedding DJ

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ