We have these guys play for our conference last year and I can't believe I haven't written in a…read morereview for them yet. The music was a lot of fun and they got everybody dancing. They had a great spirit. We're gonna try to hire them again this year.

I do not recommend the musicians hired for my friend's private event this past Saturday…read more Prior to booking, I reviewed feedback from others and noticed a recurring concern regarding poor communication. Unfortunately, that was exactly the experience we encountered. After receiving payment, the musicians left the venue without any communication or explanation. The venue has a strict noise ordinance, which required additional coordination, setup adjustments, and effort in order to proceed with the performance. Despite being aware of these circumstances and after having already been paid, they chose to leave rather than communicate or work through the situation. Their lack of professionalism and communication created unnecessary stress and disappointment for my friend on what was supposed to be a special and memorable day. Clear communication, especially when unexpected challenges arise, is essential when providing services for important events. Based on this experience, I cannot recommend their services. I truly hope they listen to everyone's feedback and do better, no one deserves to be ghosted during any special event, and we do not wish to hinder people who love to work and love what they do. Please do better !! My friends and I support local businesses.

Zeb and his team exceeded every expectation at our August 2nd, 2025 wedding in Monterey. For…read morestarters, he brings a great blend of laid-back willingness to meet any idea or request, with a sharp music acumen and event expertise. He worked with us during each step of the planning process, never pressing, to amplify our vision. A special shout out for a meaningful family/bridal party/etc. song. Playing a particular remix of a song we like. Nailing down particular subgenres during each stage of the night. Attentive to our song dislikes and "no plays". But at the same time, adding his expert feel and live touch for what the crowd was wanting. Zeb and his team built standout moments - our crowd even started a room-wide conga line (who does that anymore?). And a shout-a-long of Bohemian Rhapsody as our closer for the night. And the live sax fusion... everyone kept commenting about that being their favorite part of the night. At the same time, he simplified all of our anxieties in what can be a whale of a planning process. He got our mindset/vision immediately and was the perfect amount of helpful in steering us to the best party ever.

This review is entirely overdue, but much deserved for Zebuel, Lindsey, and the amazing and…read moreextremely talented team behind Sounds Elevated. Zebuel is not only an amazing musician and DJ, but also the curator of event excellence. He brought to life with his team a NOLA influenced second-line to keep our wedding celebrations alive post ceremony, heading into the reception with instruments and all the bells & whistles. Not only was this an epic highlight for our guests, but something my husband and I only thought could happen in our dreams! He truly listened to our wants/needs with flawless execution, but above all else, went above & beyond to ensure this was the best day/night of our lives. From lighting, a DJ/live instrument fusion, and photography from So Good Photobooth, we could not recommend this Team more for your next special event ~ whether corporate or personal! Because of this Team, we had an unforgettable and picture-perfect event filled with our favorite people and the musical experience of our lifetime. Thank you Sounds Elevated for rockin us forward into marriage & beyond!

Great place Nice ambiance…read more Went with my friend to buy a new guitar string People are really helpful Will love to see the grow

DJ Vadim did a great job DJing our wedding at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park. He was…read moreprofessional, timely, and played great music throughout. We highly recommend him, especially at challenging venues like Yosemite. The initial process was fairly straightforward. After agreeing to his fair price we created a list of must play songs, do not play songs, and a list of other songs and artists we like, as well as our choices for processional and recessional songs. He was happy to communicate with us and our wedding planner. He was pleasant and friendly to chat with. At the event itself he impressed us by putting together three separate setups, one for the ceremony, one for the dinner, and one for the reception. The ceremony setup was particularly challenging because everything needed to be battery powered, and some DJs won't even work without an electric setup. Things worked very well during the ceremony, and everyone could hear things well. It is clear that he knows how to work at the Ahwahnee and this is extremely important at this venue. For the dinner he played light background music according to our tastes and did some simple, straightforward announcements, which we appreciated because we wanted to keep things moving. The dance party was where he really blew us away. Not only did he have a full audio setup, but he also had lighting as well, all done without any significant instruction from us. We had a wedding planner specifically because we didn't want to be involved in every detail of planning and setup, so to have DJ Vadim get everything done without asking us a lot of questions was perfect for us. The dance party was really fun--he played almost all of our requested songs and added a lot of other great ones as well. He kept things moving and we stayed on the dance floor the entire time! He didn't play anything from the don't play list or interrupt the music with unprofessional chatter. He mixed songs together very well and had a good feel for the crowd, not moving too quickly when people were having fun, but fading in a new song if the current one didn't have people moving. I had numerous people come up to us during and after the dance party to say how great DJ Vadim was, and I agree! Highly recommend him!

I had a great and excellent experience with Los viejones y su viento norteño. Gregorio got the…read morearrangements made fast and efficient. The grupo sounded great and they were 45 minutes early. Best customer service. I would hire them again. El grupo fue muy excelente y su servicio rapido. Gregorio me explico el contrato y como todo iba a funcionar. Mi familia le encanto y seran contratados muy pronto otra ves. Gracias por su gran trabajo.

Wow! This group performed at my parents 50th anniversary party and blew everyone away. They were on…read moretime, nicely-dressed, and so professional. They played everything we asked them to and were very interactive with the crowd. MC and band all in one. Not everyone at our party spoke Spanish, but that didn't even matter. Everyone enjoyed it. They accompanied my 13-year old niece singing "El Rey" as well as my cousin who sang some Selena songs. We danced so much that a few days later we are still trying to recover. Some bands are a hit or miss, but this one was definitely a hit! I will certainly be hiring them for future events. They were so much fun and I highly recommend them. You will not be disappointed. My only regret is that I didn't take any pictures with them. Next time I won't forget.

For a good while I looked for a place where my daughter could take singing classes. I asked around…read moreand a musician friend of mine recommended this place, so I researched a little about Los Cenzontles and almost instantly I knew my daughter would be happy attending this place. We went in there asked about their classes, signed her up and gave it a try. After the class I ask my daughter if she liked it and she said she loved it. (That's all I needed to hear). Even when the academy is a little far for us living in Vallejo, I don't really mind the 15-20 minutes drive. My daughter is happy, the price is pretty affordable and it seems like the people working there really enjoy what they do, so what else could I ask for. Would I recommend this place!!??? YES I totally would!!

Great small venue for some awesome cultural music and dance. Supporting our youth in the community…read morewith safe, sound spaces too!

We hired this mariachi band for my wife's birthday party, and they absolutely exceeded our…read moreexpectations. From the moment they arrived, they brought incredible energy and created such a fun, lively atmosphere for everyone. Their performance was excellent -- great vocals, beautiful instrumentation, and a fantastic song selection that kept everyone engaged. You can tell they genuinely enjoy what they do, and that energy really made the celebration special. They were also very professional, punctual, and easy to work with throughout the entire process. If you're looking for a mariachi group that will elevate your event and leave your guests impressed, I highly recommend them. We would definitely book them again! -- Contratamos a este mariachi para la fiesta de cumpleaños de mi esposa y superaron completamente nuestras expectativas. Desde el momento en que llegaron, trajeron una energía increíble y crearon un ambiente muy alegre y divertido para todos. Su presentación fue excelente -- muy buenas voces, instrumentos impecables y una selección de canciones que mantuvo a todos entretenidos. Se nota que realmente disfrutan lo que hacen, y esa energía hizo que la celebración fuera aún más especial. Además, fueron muy profesionales, puntuales y fáciles de coordinar durante todo el proceso. Si estás buscando un mariachi que eleve tu evento y deje a tus invitados impresionados, los recomiendo totalmente. ¡Sin duda los volveríamos a contratar!

Hired this Marachi group for a 50th Wedding anniversary. Very professional and pleasant!…read more Performed beautifully, played beautiful songs. Everyone loved it. I Would definitely hire them again and next time for more hours! San jose, California

If you are a musician with a recording project that means ALOT to you, look no further, Oscar Autie…read moreand El Cerrito Recording Studio is the place for you. I have known Oscar from teh Cuban music scene for years now, I began recording and working with him back in 2000, we have built a professional yet family like relationship. I would not go anywhere else! The studio is state of the art, and it is like home at the same time. So much warmth eludes from both Oscar and his adorable wife, Kenya who also doubles as the Business Manager.....this woman knows her stuff, and she is elegant and professional yet warm and caring. I am in the middle of recording and ending my projects but I am sure that our relationship will continue with the time. I will still keep returning for projects, and I will be in touch! Check out their studio and evaluate their portfolio, you will see why I say this place is the Cream of the Crop! Cheers!

El Cerrito Studio was the ideal recording experience, and I look forward to returning many times in…read morethe future. As a harpist, many studios are flummoxed by how hard it is to capture the real sound of my instrument - Oscar dialed it in right away. The studio itself is brand new with 2 recording booths and a clear line of vision for isolation work. One booth is medium sized and would fit up to an instrumental trio I would say, the other very large with a grand Yamaha fitting up to 8 performers approximately - just guesses. All the equipment looked brand new and the sound, the most important thing, I was thrilled with. Both the neighborhood and all the soundproofing allow total silence, which has previously been a difficulty in other studios. Not an issue at El Cerrito Studio, where we could work fast and keep all the magic. Kenya is a true host, putting me instantly at ease with her charming and welcoming personality. There's a resting area with beverages and snacks, plus their garden out back is wonderful to re-energize in. Parking is easy. In total, Kenya and Oscar work as a perfect team in setting the stage for a great recording plus delivering on the final result.

Working with Joey was an unbelievable pleasure. My now husband and I were quite nervous about…read morehiring a DJ (naturally given it was our first time!), but the second I found and spoke to Joey over the phone in an introductory call, I knew we were in good hands. His warmth, charisma and incredible professional experience was apparent, even during those first few minutes. Joey is an unbelievably talented performer (he played live cello at our ceremony) and a well seasoned DJ. What we didn't know when we first hired him, was just how much help Joey would be in helping us schedule and orchestrate the flow of our full wedding. We had multiple calls and meetings, well before the wedding day, where Joey kept us informed and confident all throughout. He helped us coordinate the music not only to the most important parts of the wedding, but also to all in the in-betweens, making sure that good vibes were always flowing throughout the whole thing. We truly couldn't have asked for a better person to make it all happen. Joey is also someone who is incredibly organized and pays great attention to detail and timing. He kept things moving (even though that was outside the scope of his work) and made sure everything was on schedule. Even when we ended up going overtime (not to the fault of Joey but family getting too carried away with speeches!), Joey quickly and expertly adjusted his set and made the final dance party something we will never forget. I truly mean this when I say don't look any further. Don't hesitate in hiring Joey--if we had to do it all over again, we would pick Cello Joe, every single time. --and to Joey: thank you so much for everything. You truly made our wedding a day we will never forget.

CelloJoe's attention to detail and thoroughness helped make our day better than we could have hoped…read morefor. The amount of time he spent with us, and his own preparation left us stress free as we prepared for our wedding, as well as stress free the day of. He did a remarkable job DJ'ing, as well as his signature touch-his cello. Despite uncooperative weather, he adapted well and got the party going. If you're looking for a one of a kind DJ/cello player, look no further than CelloJoe!

These guys are very good! We had a large family gathering and they played for two hours. Everyone…read moreloved the music! The gentlemen were very nice, arrived on time and took requests. I highly recommend Rigo and his band.

Estimados Marcos y equipo,…read more Quiero expresar mi más sincero agradecimiento por su excelente participación en el evento que organizamos con motivo del cumpleaños de mi querida suegra. A pesar del corto aviso, su disposición para acomodar nuestro horario fue realmente apreciada. La serenata que ofrecieron fue hermosa y cautivó a todos los presentes. Cada una de las canciones resonó de manera especial, y los invitados no dejaron de comentar lo mucho que disfrutaron de su música. Estoy sumamente agradecido por haber contado con su talento en un día tan importante para nuestra familia. Sin duda, no dudaré en recomendarlos y espero poder contar nuevamente con su grupo en futuras ocasiones. Muchas gracias nuevamente. Que sigan cosechando éxitos y que reciban muchas bendiciones. Atentamente, Francisco