There's nothing like a live musician to class up a joint. John provides the perfect ambiance for a wedding ceremony or cocktail reception. He plays beautifully and takes requests for the processional, recessional, etc. If a song isn't in his current repertoire - don't sweat it, he'll learn it in a matter of days - nay, hours. You'd think a professional musician with this kind of confidence and skill would be unreliable, temperamental, as volatile as a rock god could be. Not so. John was prompt, professional, and responded to emails in a timely manner. The talent of a rock god, with the humility of a layperson? He exists. And his name is John Evans. read more

The only bad part about our wedding day? The musician! We would not recommend or hire so cal wedding guitar ever again. We had an unpleasant experience dealing with the musician after we came back from pictures to find him gone after only 2 hours. Our wedding planner was not even notified of his departure. Everyone thought this was strange, our guests and even the venue coordinators. We had planned for him to be there the whole time and this was not followed through. It was later explained that it was all a misunderstanding. However, the way this misunderstanding was explained was not clear or backed up by a contract. It was all very confusing, fishy, and extremely unprofessional. We feel we were mislead. As for musical ability, the musician has musical talent. Hence, the one star rating. It's really unfortunate that we had a terrible experience and musical talent is not enough to trump that. Weddings are a big deal, if we could go back we would hire a different musician. read more

John was the guitarist for my wedding ceremony on 6/25/16 at Bernardo Winery in San Diego. We had communicated beforehand about what songs he would be playing. John responded to every email promptly and professionally. He sent me samples of the songs before my wedding ceremony and they were amazing. I had no idea just how perfect John would play music on my actual wedding day! The groom and wedding party walked down the aisle to an acoustic version of "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" by Death Cab For Cutie. I (the bride), walked down the aisle to "State of Grace" by Taylor Swift. The processional song was "Island in the Sun" by Weezer. Every single song was perfectly played. I would recommend John to anyone who is looking for a live guitarist! His prices are great, he is professional and his musical skills are out of this world. Thank you John for adding to my wedding day! read more

John was amazing at our wedding. He was easy to work with and had no problem palying any of the songs on our wish list! Although we were so busy on the day-of that we didn't even get to speak with him, he worked well with our venue and got everything perfectly. His skills are amazing and we are so happy that we found him! read more

I am a little late in getting to this review, but John performed for our wedding in May 2015. He traveled to San Diego for this. We requested specific songs and requested that he traveled to San Diego to perform. He did all this very professionally and without complaints from us. He was easy to communicate with. As a guitar player myself, it is hard not to judge other players. John was perfect and his music complemented the ceremony very well. I would absolutely hire him again. The last star I left off as there is no contract but more of an email and verbal consents being given. I was fine with this, but it stressed my wife out. I did not specifically ask for one either. read more

We booked John for our wedding on 7.1.17 at the Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel. He was great! My guests loved him! I only wish I was able to thank him in person. Everyone said he did a great job and he was the perfect special touch to our ceremony! Thank you John for sharing your wonderful skills on our big day. read more

John played at my September wedding in San Diego and I cannot recommend him enough!! He was so nice and communicative from the very first time that I emailed him. He was proactive, helped me select the music that he'd play, and showed up early looking super sharp. All of my wedding guests commented on how beautifully he played and what an amazing touch his music added to the ceremony. My wedding started super late and John refused that I pay him for the extra time. In fact, HE actually emailed ME the morning after the wedding congratulating me and commenting on what a beautiful ceremony I had. He's more than just a talented musician, he's a real class act and I HIGHLY recommend him to add the perfect touch to your event. read more

So Cal - Musicians Near Me

John performed at both our rehearsal dinner and wedding in July of last year. We would have written a review sooner, but he didn't have a yelp page! Everything went very smoothly at both events, and John performed wonderfully in both settings. For the wedding, he performed for our actual ceremony, and the cocktail hour, while for the rehearsal dinner he performed both during the reception and throughout the actual dinner. John was easy to work with and even sent samples of the works he would perform to us for review beforehand. We really couldn't have been more pleased. He honored every part of our contract and many of our guests were extremely impressed with his guitar skills, asking for his contact information after the events. Give him a call and check out what he has to offer. You won't be disappointed. read more

John did an excellent job as the ceremony and cocktail hour guitarist at our intimate (75 guest) wedding at the Five Crowns in Corona del Mar. He was punctual, really laid back and chatted to our guests as they arrived, and did such a great job playing the songs we requested for the processional (Here Comes the Sun) and recessional (All You Need is Love). It really added to the ambiance, and made me so emotional! Plus, he provided a mic, stand, and speaker setup for my officiant. Our guests complimented our choice for days afterwards. I'd recommend John to any couple who wants to add a touch of live music to their ceremony and cocktail hour. read more

Not only have I heard John perform at weddings, I have had the pleasure of working with him also (I am a pianist/singer). He has a soothing, natural style is perfect for weddings as well as corporate events. His fun, charismatic personality is great to work with as well. If you are looking for a guitarist..John is your guy!! read more

John did a fabulous job! We didn't even have time to meet him until the day of our wedding and it was still executed so perfectly. We received so many compliments from guests on how how good he was. He has a huge selections of songs to choose from and even offered to learn any song that isn't on his list. He is SO HIGHLY recommended by us. Our wedding music was perfect!! Thank you, John! read more

John was AMAZING!!! I was almost 30 minutes late and he was kind enough to stay and continue to play all of our favorite songs. He is an EXCELLENT guitar player and BONUS, his guitar is really cool looking, so it makes for great pictures. His prices are definitely reasonable, which was important for my husband and I because we paid for our wedding ourselves. I have already recommended So Cal Wedding Guitar to a few friends and I would highly recommend the company to anyone in the future. read more

He played at my wedding, and it was beautiful! I couldn't be happier with his work and professionalism. I would love to thank him for contributing to a magical day! read more

John was fantastic when we were planning the wedding. He posted music samples for us to help us be very clear about what we wanted and what he could bring to our special day. He was on time and did a wonderful job. We would definitely recommend him! read more

John Evan's music was wonderful for our daughter's wedding ceremony in Newport Beach, CA at the Balboa Inn. His abilities on the guitar were fantastic. John has a very large repertoire, which we were able to pick from for all the songs. We even asked if we could have an extra song added for the communion time. This was no problem for John and there was no extra charge for this. We were very pleased with our experience. read more

When you hire a professional to work for you, most of the time they're going to do a good job for obvious reasons. When you interact with professionals that happen to be working at the same event, sharing the same space, and trying hard not to step on each others toes, that's when you usually get a more accurate, and honest indication of their character. I recently worked closely with John at a wedding in Newport Beach. He could not have been more pleasant & professional! A better wedding guitarist would be very hard to find! He gave me his business card at the wedding. I called him afterwards to discuss accessing some of his recordings for my post-production work. He made it very easy for me. Now that's a thoughtful professional. If he was that nice to someone that wasn't paying him a dime - I'm quite sure he would be an excellent choice! I would highly recommend So Cal Wedding Guitar! read more

I'm so glad we found John! We were planning a wedding in Palm Springs and found John through a last minute attempt to find a guitarist who would play the blues! My husband also plays guitar and wanted something out of the box for our wedding. He even emailed me a few tunes to listen to so we could get a feel of his blues vibe. So many guitarists out there for the wedding world (which both my husband and I work full time in), and they all have a cheesy factor to them. Our wedding was completely custom from the ground up, and John added the cool vibes that we needed. He was super attentive through emails, was on time and followed our instructions of requested attire. Our family and guests were wowed by his talent. He really made the cocktail hour and intimate dinner feel and sound romantic. Best craigslist find outside of our current couch :) I'd highly recommend John a million times over. He gets it. read more

John, along with a violinist and percussionist, played for about 5 hrs at my daughters wedding reception on Sat, Aug. 1 (cocktail 1.5 hrs and 3.5 hrs of reception) - on the beach at the Portuguese Bend Beach Club, under a tent. Since amplified music was not allowed, we were concerned that no one would dance (we had a 12 x 12 ft dance floor on the sand). Well - no problems! The music was perfect for the venue. Lots of dancing - loads of happy people - many compliments from folks on the wonderful music - including some folks on the beach nearby. The music was a perfect fit for the location. John and his mates were great - easy going, looked like they were having a good time - enjoyed talking with them. They also had a microphone that we used for speeches. The entire day was exceptional (ceremony at Wayfayers), but, thinking back, bad music would have really put a damper on the entire reception, and the day. Instead, we are all still giddy! Six stars! read more