I had a bunch of friends and family comment on how fantastic it was having live music at our…read morewedding! We attended a wedding a year ago and fell in love with the live band at the cocktail hour! We met David and we knew we'd be working with him once it was our time. We had people on the dancefloor the entire night and I didn't even have a chance to eat dessert!

A Great Wedding Band…read more Wedding Date 2.1.25 As Father of the Bride, I thought that DSR Music was the best and that the music helps make the wedding reception a great and memorable one. The band members and vocalists are so talented and energetic in all genres of music making each song fun to dance to. The dance floor was packed all night and we received complements for weeks about the quality of the band and how much fun the wedding was. David Rothstein does a great job as the MC for the night but the benefits of using DSR start long before the wedding day. David takes the time to get to know the wedding couple and their family, understand what is important to them at the wedding, learn the type of music they are interested in hearing and provides special touches for the bride and groom. I think so highly of DSR Music that I used them for my oldest daughter's wedding in 2016 and my niece used them as well.

From beginning to end, Mobile Music was the perfect company to work with for my children's Bar and…read moreBat Mitzvah celebrations! This, November of 2024, was the 3rd time we have hired them for our children's mitzvah parties and each time it was in a different venue. No matter the location, they always make everyone feel welcome from the first meeting, to during the occasion, to follow up afterwards. Carey was easy to plan with, and for the event itself, his crew of Adam the MC, Rick the DJ, and Zaza and Magic the dancers were absolutely awesome. They were friendly, fun, welcoming, and understood the flow of the event and kept everything rolling right along. We had many people comment that it was the best Bar Mitzvah party they had ever been to! If you are looking for entertainment for a celebration of any kind, I highly recommend you consider Mobile Music Interactive Entertainment! You won't be disappointed!

We just had Mobile Music DJ for our Middle School Dance last week, and they were fantastic! Super…read morequick to respond, had availability given our short notice and timeframe, and the kids were on the floor the entire time! The set up and break down were so quick, our DJ read the crowd so well, and I hope to have them back next year!

DJ Aumir was superb and great to work with! He kept the party alive all night and didn't miss a…read morebeat. He was so good that our guests couldn't stop raving about the vibe and music the next few days. We definitely gave him a challenge with our music selection, but he seamlessly blended the different genres without missing a beat. I'm normally a harsh critic of DJs, especially when they don't know how to mix well, but this was far from the case with DJ Aumir. Hard to find anything bad to say! If you're looking for a solid DJ who will keep you on your feet all night, definitely connect with him. You won't be disappointed!

DJ Aumir was truly unbelievable. From the very beginning, he was both an incredible collaborator…read moreand an endless source of creative inspiration. We gave him a few playlists to share our overall vibe, and he went above and beyond--asking for a detailed breakdown of the energy we wanted at each moment and location throughout our multi-event celebration. Whether it was the ceremony, the rooftop cocktail hour at our pre-wedding sangeet, the themed speakeasy cocktail hour, or the full-on sangeet dance party, he curated each set with intention and total mastery. His mixes were unlike anything we've ever heard. He seamlessly blended Indian, Western, reggaeton, Afrobeats, Bollywood, and more, creating unique mashups that fit the mood and the venue perfectly. The sangeet reception mashup he crafted was out of this world. I had at least ten guests come up to me asking if he would make a mix just so they could relive the night and use it for their own weddings. Beyond his talent, Aumir's energy, professionalism, detail-oriented-ness, and creativity made him a dream to work with. His timing was flawless, his lighting and setup brought every space to life, and he executed every moment with passion and precision. He is a rare gem, and it would honestly be a mistake not to hire him. Highly, highly recommended!

Absolutely made our ceremony and cocktail hour so special! 10/10 communication and experienceread more

I booked the String Theory Chamber Ensemble for my grandmother's funeral service. When booking they…read morewere very empathic and easy to work with. They are were able to bring a portable piano and their equipment. I was very happy with their performance. They played beautifully and really added a nice touch to the service

We hired Wellington Strings to perform as a string trio for our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour…read moreat the Morton Arboretum on Jan. 22, 2011. If I could give them six stars, I would. Everything, from planning to execution was flawless. Working with Emanuel was wonderfully collaborative and really helped eliminate any stress we felt about our wedding music. We selected some unusual pieces for our processional and recessional, and Emanuel was incredibly accommodating. When we were walking through the room before the ceremony and heard them practicing (our first time hearing the songs played live), we both got teary eyed, it was so beautiful. As anyone planning a wedding knows, communication is key when it comes to vendors, and WS excelled in this area, even when we got picky and had lots of questions. Emanuel was very patient and willing to share his expertise when we were unsure about one thing or another. I went into my wedding day confident that I didn't have a single worry about the ceremony music. They were even generous enough to let us use their PA and mic for the ceremony itself. The music itself was performed beautifully. The two Joe Hisaishi songs we special-requested (from Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" and "Howl's Moving castle," two of our favorite movies) had never sounded better. There was such a fullness and richness to the sound -- we received many compliments as to how lovely the music was, both during the ceremony and cocktail hour. To say the Wellington Strings are a great value would be a huge understatement -- they were a bargain beyond what we'd hoped for, and they helped bring an added element of elegance to our special day.

Wellington Strings played absolutely beautifully during my wedding ceremony. Their music added…read moresophistication and elegance and they were able to accompany the church pianist during mass songs. Overall, easy to work with, good selection of music, and talented performers. 100% recommended.

Both of my kids do the Little Tones class and they love it. They've learned a lot in just a few…read moreclasses. Highly recommend!

This is my go to coffee shop in the area, especially when I have a hankering for a non-chain cup of…read morejoe! My latest pick-me-up has been that oatmeal cookie latte. The secret (or part of it) is the oat milk! So comforting and so delicious! Mondays are double punch card day! Instead of one punch per drink, you get two! Also, February is North Shore restaurant month, so RH is giving 15% off purchases! Tag's Bakery (Evanston) makes the goodies (donuts, cookies, scones) sold here. Me thinks I'll have to pop in tomorrow! Easy street parking outside.

For years we have relied on Randy for the tuning and maintenance of our pianos (Steinway grand and…read moreYamaha upright). Knowledgeable and highly skilled, he has also shown himself to be flexible and unfailingly responsive throughout. Highly recommended.

Hired to tune my piano and repair a broken key. Piano was tuned and key was repaired, however,…read moreduring the servicing another key was broken and left unrrepaired. He moved the broken key to the end, which is seldom used, but disappointed with the outcome.

Rick is an incredible guitar teacher, and I've had several. What makes him so good? Let me tell…read moreya... First off, his flexible teaching method. Some teachers are sticklers about theory, some are the "just play" kind. But Rick is a total chameleon, where he can adjust to how you like to learn and what your goals are. I change my mind sometimes, where sometimes I just start asking about theory, and he goes right there with me. Sometimes I just want to jam as fast as possible, and he's gone me doing songs by Guns n' Roses, John Mayer, and The Beatles very quickly (to be fair, I had a few years of guitar experience before about a 5 year lay off, so it's not like I was starting from zero, but man he's good at getting you back up to speed quickly!!). I've always said the mark of great teacher is that they can go with the flow to teach how YOU want to be taught and what works for your brain. He can do that, absolutely. Secondly, he's very smart tactically, showing you how to break down previously-complicated songs into smaller bite sized, manageable pieces. Doing that has made some songs I previously thought were impossible suddenly possible. I've made great progress on a dream song of mine, Extreme's More Than Words, after years of trying on my own and quitting out of frustration. Lastly, he's just a cool dude to hang out with. I never feel like I'm being taught by a nun. More like an old buddy who happened to score more dates 'cause he spent his youth learning guitar instead of playing video games, and now he's teaching you. This is also a neat trick because I'm a 42 year old dad of three and decidedly uncool. With Rick, I change out of my pleated khakis and crocs-with-socks... at least mentally... ;) I've got a ways til I'm Tom Morello, but I'm having a blast getting there.

My 5 year old grandson takes lessons from Ricky. He is awesome! My grandson is very happy to see…read moreRicky. He knows when he shows up he will have a good time. He's extremely patient with a 5 year old. I'm excited to see where this takes him. Music should be fun and fun to learn and Ricky makes it happen!

We are truly loving working with Martin Metzger. Our 12-year old son looks forward to his lessons…read moreand is excited to play the music he and Martin choose together. Martin strongly believes in allowing kids to follow their interests, and has the talent, interest, and patience to help them do so in a wide range of genres. Martin is knowledgeable and dedicated both as a musician and as an educator. We travel a bit of a distance for lessons and are convinced it's well worth our time. We recommend him highly to anyone at any age looking for a great guitar instructor.

Choosing the Metzger Music Studio has truly been one of the best decisions of my and my wife's…read morelives! Our daughter goes to Martin for guitar lessons and I fear I may not be able to convey here just how amazing he is and what his instruction has meant for our daughter as a musician! I would recommend Martin and his crew any day! We wanted to get our girl started on guitar very early, only because she was exhibiting an affinity toward music and guitar that got us thinking it wouldn't hurt to try her at guitar, so we contacted Martin. He readily welcomed the notion of trialing and the rest is history. Besides being a phenomenal guitarist, his being an amazing person and having a Masters in Education have both manifested in the amazing way in which Martin teaches our girl to play the guitar. He works with her at her own pace, taking cues from how she learns in order to tailor his instructions to suit her learning, all the while making the lessons equal parts guitar and fun, entertaining our girl's every whim to be jovial and enjoy learning the guitar. He shows her the utmost respect and teaches her in a way that has inspired her to look up to flamenco legends. For her age, that level of aspiration itself is awe-inspiring and the credit goes to Martin. He doubles down on skills that our girl is good at while helping her elevate those she needs more work on, from strumming to chords to rhythms to percussion to improvising. We love his holistic approach of teaching the pupil to actually feel music and rhythm rather than just to learn to play the guitar. His methods have resulted in wonders! We have been fortunate to witness moments of our girl's performance that have impressed even Martin. That is the level of quality of instruction one can expect from Martin. He stresses on practicing, practicing and practicing some more. He also encourages playing at recitals that he arranges for his students, which is a great way for the student to be inspired and be audience-ready. He has also started our girl on sight reading, which is helping her to learn to play the guitar while reading music. I would characterize Martin's overall approach as informed (no unnecessary attachments to old or new methods just for the sake of it), inspiring, feedback-loop-based, very disciplined and simply amazing! And his guitar skills? Incredible! Let me put it this way, we have considered migrating to a warmer climate and one of the top considerations that have kept us in Chicago is that we don't want to lose Martin as our friend and our daughter's guitar teacher. And he's been a great friend to our daughter too. There are great guitar teachers everywhere, but there's only one Martin. Our girl's weekly guitar lesson is one of the highlights of her week that she looks forward to. It is a joy to see her learn to play the guitar and have the time of her life while at it! As for the rest of his studio, Martin has 16 teachers on every instrument (and even voice) who travel to people's homes for lessons, which is convenient for many families. The teachers are well-educated, passionate about their instruments and art, and they are wonderful with children. As I alluded to earlier, the studio also puts on three recitals free of charge every year! I only give online reviews when I feel the recipient absolutely deserves it and reviewing Martin and his studio was a no-brainer! I wholeheartedly recommend the Metzger Music Studio for any potential student interested in developing a lifetime love for learning music!

We have used three musicians from the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band for many years at our…read moreorganization's annual reception. They are simply wonderful. A number of our guests have commented on how simply great they were. We look forward to having them again at next year's event!

We had a fantastic concert at our library with the Maxwell Street Klezmer Quintet! We received so…read moremany wonderful comments from our patrons. They attract a large crowd and filled our meeting room.