One more time... Paris or Opera 3000 band....

Hi,
Not too long ago I was looking for an italian-american band. I saw a few bands at their showcase. I booked opera 3000 on the spot and I absolutely loved them. The lead singer, mimmo, sang each song as you would hear it on the CD. The lead woman singer sounded fantastic as well as the rest of the band. I was told that there will actually be two female leads at my wedding which I'm sure will sound great. I was very nervous about choosing a band because I know they can make or break the night but this is one of the decisions that I am the most comfortable about. Check out both bands. I can't give you any insight on Paris but I heard they were very good too. Have you been to any showcases?

That is really a shame! I was worried about that happening too. However, most bands said they would give us a courtesy hold if someone came in to book the date before we were able to see them. Are you looking at any other bands besides Paris? Do you need any more reccomendations for italian-american bands? Let me know

I worked off the following list to make my decision:
1- Carrozza Brothers
2- Armonia
3- ADA
4- The Caleps
5- Opera 3000

All these bands play club music as well as all the Italian classics and modern stuff (ex. Ramazzotti, Bocelli, Cotugno, etc.)

1- Carrozza Brothers - This is the band that played at my sister's wedding 10 years ago. They were absolutely fantastic - Everyone danced all night. My parents are born in Italy so they wanted a lot of the italian stuff (so did a lot of the guests). However, they played all TKA club music (remember 10 years ago !!) However, they were booked for my date.

2- Armonia - I went to high school with one of the female singers and that's when I first heard about them. They are also very good. I believe there were about 7 people in the band. They offer showcases in Astoria.

3- ADA - We didn't see this showcase but went to their office and watched one of their tapes. It was very good - the vocals were good and so was the light show. The good thing about this band is that it costs considerably less than most others. I believe it's because they are a five piece band only. However, if your party is not extremely large I believe they can do a wonderful job.

4- The Caleps - We didn't have the opportunity to hear them because they were booked for all the dates we are considering. I only know from word of mouth on the message boards that they are supposed to be fantastic. I think that there has been a lot of hype about them because they came up with the remix that you hear on the radio of 'L'italiano'. However, I also heard that they were splitting up because of this and were not booking anymore weddings. And if they are booking, they might not have all the original members - maybe just using the name.

5- Opera 3000 (see above posts)

So that is it - be sure to see a showcase or at least a video - very important. Also, DO NOT WAIT TO BOOK THEM - Italian bands are very rare and there is a great demand for them. They book sometimes two years in advance.

Hope this helps !
Gabriella
9.18.04