Meet the DJ

Meet Kevin & Patty Shoemake of
Moonlight Entertainment

Husband and wife duo celebrate entertaining South Texas for 10 years strong!

It’s somewhat rare to hear of a husband and wife that aren’t constantly at each other’s throat – let alone a pair that act as a fully-functioning, successful DJ duo. Well, meet Kevin & Patty Shoemake: a husband and wife combination from Victoria, Texas who’ve been operating their Moonlight Entertainment wedding DJ service for ten years.

Like many DJs, it was chance which led to Kevin dipping his toe into the water before fully submerging himself in the world of full-time DJing. It started back in 2004 when a friend told Kevin that they needed a Karaoke DJ at a local night club. Kevin’s passion for music had started at just eight-years-old when he started learning drums and, since he’d run the sound for a few bands over the years and had a strong background in IT, he thought, “how hard can it be?” Patty ended up assisting him with the songbooks, finding singers, and generally helping make the nights a success. Soon the pair found themselves gigging three nights a week and loving every second of it. But it wasn’t until an audience member asked them to DJ her daughter’s wedding reception that Kevin and Patty decided to pursue a different line of work.

These days the duo have left the karaoke bars behind in exchange for the romantic charms of wedding days and, in 2013, the couple played 51 weddings. “My wife and I are wedding DJs, for the most part, and we mainly play at the top venues in our hometown. While I DJ, Patty coordinates the wedding and the reception. Patty has this way of communicating with people… she keeps things flowing, allowing the bride and groom to relax and enjoy their special day,” Kevin explains. Bookings also include school proms and other non-wedding events, but it doesn’t stop at DJing; Patty and Kevin are also lighting designers, wedding planners and event planners.

It seems weddings down south take a slightly different course to those found elsewhere, and the couple aren’t exactly your usual DJing duo. They favor an unusual start-up mix to get the crowd going. “You have to realize that in South Texas people love Country!” Kevin tells us. “So when we open the dance-floor, I start it off with Alan Jackson’s ‘Pop A Top Again’, followed by the Texas Country song ‘Who I Am’ by Wade Bowen, and then ‘Silver Wings’, a waltz, by Merle Haggard. This trio brings everyone, young and old, to the dance floor.” As you’d expect, being from Texas themselves, the pair love to embrace the music of the area. “Country music,” ponders Kevin, “I just love the beat… and everyone can relate to the lyrics of a Country song. A personal favorite is ‘Dirt Road Anthem’ by Jason Aldean; it reminds me of 80s Southern Rock but with a Rap twist.”

With ten years on the clock, and having worked approximately 400 weddings during this time, the duo finds it hard to pinpoint their most memorable gig. A few years ago, however, they did play a wedding at Raisin L Ranch where they were told that some of (‘King of Country’) George Strait’s band would be in the audience. “I was pretty excited when I found out,” enthuses Kevin. “I pride myself on good sound, so when one of George Strait’s guys came up and complimented me on our sound it made my day – it’s the best praise a DJ can hope for.”

Embracing new technology, as well as playing plenty of gigs, is how Kevin and Patty achieve the quality sound they pride themselves on, and Kevin is pleased with recent technological advancements in terms of digital controllers and mixers. “I can search for songs instantly – and these days it’s much easier to cue, fade, loop and mix,” he explains. As part of their setup, Kevin and Patty also use a well-equipped lightshow which includes ADJ Revo 4 LED Moonflowers, Vizi Spots, and ECO UV Bars for when the party needs stepping up a notch. “LED lighting is a great recent advancement; it’s so nice to be able to plug all of my fixtures into one outlet and not have to worry about tripping a breaker!”

In terms of offering advice to up and coming DJs, their focus is on the audience. “Get to know your bride and groom, and learn to read your crowd,” Kevin says. “It’s like fishing; I start with a particular song, to lure them in, until they bite – and once I know what brings the crowd to the dance-floor, I do my best to keep them dancing.”

Moonlight Entertainment Gear List:
27x Flat Par TRI7
1x ADJ Revo 4
2x ADJ Starball LED DMX
4x ADJ Vizi LED Spot
2x ADJ Quad Phase
2x ADJ Eco UV Bar
1x ADJ Haze Generator
Truss: All Global Truss America

Find out more about Moonlight Entertainment on their website:
www.moonlightentertainment.net

Connect with Moonlight Entertainment via social media:
Twitter – @moonlight_dj
Facebook – /moonlightentertainmentdj
Blogspot – moonlightentertainmentdjs.blogspot.com