Donovan Kovar & The Amazing Band

Kyle and Julia Wermerskirchen 9-15-07

2008-02-23T17:47:00.010-06:00

This is a thank you card we received from Julia and Kyle - shortly after our Minnesota variety band performed at their BIG reception - which was at the Grand Hotel - Minneapolis 9-15-07...

Dear Donovan,

We just wanted to take a moment to express our gratitude for the incredible job you did at our wedding. It was amazing & we had such a good time. We have had tons of compliments on the music & have been told that you are the "best band [I've] ever heard at a wedding" (we agree).

Thank you for making it such a success!

Julia and Kyle Wermerskichen

Keli Crani and Peter Books - The 5 Piece Band

2006-09-07T01:25:00.006-05:00

Keli Crani and Peter Books: Married August 19^th, 2006

I am pleased to tell you about a special wedding reception where we performed for Keli Crani and Peter Books (now Mr. and Mrs. Books)

Keli and Peter Books

Dear Donovan,

People can’t stop talking.

From the first song to the unfortunate last song Great Live Music lit up the stage and brought life to the dance floor.

The Amazing Band was the first thing we booked after we got engaged. We received a recommendation from a family member…and we are so excited we followed up! They made our wedding unique and exciting. What a blast.

The band was remarkable, entertaining, and created an unsurpassable atmosphere for all of our guests.

Thanks Donovan,

We hope to see you again soon!

Keli Books

Theirs was an absolutely beautiful wedding, on Lake Edward near Brainerd and Nisswa, Minnesota. Keli’s parents have a nice big lot with a HUGE new log-style cabin they just built, and the ceremony and reception were held in the back yard for about 200 people.

We performed on a stage, under a tent, and when I say we, I mean the 5 piece Amazing Band which features, drums, bass, keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, harmonica and lots of vocals!

Donovan Kovar

Arron "Al" Bergstrom

Keli and Peter heard about our band from a referral, who heard us at another wedding a few years ago, and they came to see Joe Beier and I performing as a duo at Champps.

They hung out all night with their friends watching us and said they were very impressed - and proceeded to book the whole band for their reception the very next day.

Joe Beier

The weather was gorgeous and the dance floor was FULL ALL NIGHT as we “rocked-out” under the stars. As usual, later in the night I had members of the wedding party coming up on stage with us to sing along and we played some requested songs that we had never performed before (but no one knew the difference cause my band is so good, they just played it all by ear!).

Then I played a bunch of Frank Sinatra songs through the iPod for their dollar dance (which worked great) because they had a very long line of people waiting to dance. I made sure that there were a few “assistants” to collect the cash and keep the line moving every 30 seconds or so. Even then, this took about a half an hour for everyone to go through the line (I hope they made a boat-load of money for their honeymoon!).

I started the 3^rd set off with “Piano Man” ala solo/acoustic guitar – and everyone (I mean like 30-40 people) formed a circle around the bride and groom, swaying back and forth, arm in arm, singing along – it was pretty cool…

At the end of the night we were starting to play Lead Zeppelin and some more “crazy stuff” and the crowd didn’t want us to stop, even though the neighbors were starting to complain. Afterwards, several people came up to me to tell us how “Amazing” we were… (That’s precisely why we call ourselves “The Amazing Band”) And someone gave us $120 in cash as a tip to split – thanks!

Keli also told me how happy she was and how much everyone loved the show – so I feel like it’s another mission accomplished for the Amazing Band – I intend that people still be talking about what a great time they had at the wedding 20 or 30 years from now.

Thank You Keli and Peter for trusting us to do a good job for you – we wish you All The Best!

Arnold - DeMeglio Wedding - 3 Piece Band

2006-07-27T13:02:00.000-05:00

Donovan Kovar and The Amazing Band

We had the privilege of celebrating with Jennifer Arnold and Michael DeMeglio at their wedding reception on Leech Lake in Walker Minnesota on July 1st, 2006.

Our wedding band consisted of me and my 2 main musicians David J. Russ and Arron "Al" Bergstrom on a small stage, beneath a "wedding tent" overlooking the beautiful lake - as the sun went down. Because we are a dance band - the wedding planners also put up a dance floor with lights and decorations hanging from the top of the tent - it was very cool.

Jennifer and Micheal had a beautiful ceremony overlooking the lake and then we all ate a great dinner. The "grill master" was a guy named Charlie who cooked all the food on a HUGE grill and boy was it was delicious! The band always seems to sound a little better when we get a really good meal before we play.. : )

As soon as we started playing - people were dancing. As a wedding band - we try to start off a little lighter at first (with some more mellow songs) and the grand parents are often the first to the dance floor.

We played stuff like Van Morrison's "Crazy Love" and Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" and Elvis' "I Can't Help Falling In Love" - and near the end of the night we were playing stuff like "Rock and Roll" by Led Zepplin and "Lola" by The Kinks. - I had members of the wedding party coming up on stage to sing with me and we went late into the night with the dancefloor still full. (someone even put an extra hundred bucks in my hand to thank us for the great show!)

This was a wonderful wedding reception and I'm glad that we could be a part of it - thanks Jennifer and Michael - We wish you all the best!

Military Ball - 4 Piece Band

2006-07-27T10:05:00.000-05:00

Donovan Kovar and the Amazing Band - 4 Piece Live Music Band.

We recently performed for the 133rd Airlift Wing on the Minnesota Air National Guard's "military Ball" on June 10th, 2006.

I was joined by my favorite musicians/friends and our dance filled the dance floor with lots 'o officers in full uniform!

The gig was at the Radisson University Hotel in Minneapolis and as usual things started off quite conservatively - and slowly but surely turned into a night of Dancing, Laughing, and Singing Along!

They asked me to play some Scottish bagpipe music "DJ Style" through our sound system for a formal presentation and then another CD for a lady who sang the National Anthem - I was happy to assist with this.

Once the band started to play, we started out with "Start Me Up" by the Rolling Stones because after a few hours of formals, everyone seemed like they could use a little "kick in the pants"... ;-)

Sure enough, once everyone realized that we meant music business - the dance floor filled up with eager "party animals" and the fun began!

My Amazing Minnesota Band played all the favorites from Neil Diamond and Jimmy Buffet - to Prince and U2 as well - and we watched the ties come off and the crowd "jump and jive".

Another job well done I'd say!

-----------------------------------------------------

Message from "The Chief"

Thanks again for a great night!

//Signed//

Chief Paul D. Kessler

Kraft & Leavitt Wedding Reception

2006-06-04T20:26:00.000-05:00

Kraft & Leavitt Wedding Reception - 3 Piece Band

Last night was Gary and Christine Leavitt's wedding reception at the St. Paul Boatclub, overlooking the Mississippi River... And we had the privilege of celebrating with them!

I performed with David Russ and Al Bergstrom, my "power trio" and the dancefloor was full from the moment we began 'till they turned up the lights at the end of the night.

Gary and Christine are real estate developers from Arizona who found us online, came to see me perform at Champps back in December, and we immediately "hit it off". They had wanted a larger band initially, but the boat club had only limited space, so they went with our 3 piece which worked great!

Christine gave me a list of songs that she wanted played for her first dance, father-daughter dance, and mother-groom dance. I announced each dance before playing the songs "DJ Style" thorough my iPod. Christine also wanted "Frank Sinatra" music for dinner and had a list of dance songs that she and her bride's maids wanted me to play "after grandma and grandpa went home". ; )

No problem...

After the band was finished, I played the DJ music for at least another hour and a half, while everyone danced their hearts out. The dance floor was vibrating with energy and fun - and at one point I watched the entire dancefloor form a line (one person behind the other) and followed the leader out the door and onto the patio, completely emptying the dancefloor for a few minutes while everyone laughed and reconvened outside for a moment.

This was a beautiful wedding reception and everything went great. Several members of the wedding party used my microphone to make their toasts and I made sure that the volume levels were good (so that everyone could hear) and turned the background music up and down inbetween the speaches.

Gary and Christine are leaving for their honeymoon in Tahiti in 2 days, and they both thanked me and told me what a wonderful time they were having - and the maid of honor slipped me 2 "Benjamin Franklins" on the dancefloor and told me that it was from the bride and groom. I guess it's safe to say that they're satisfied customers!

Thank you Mr and Mrs Leavitt - we wish you all the best!

2006-04-09T13:05:00.000-05:00

Mid County Bank Party - 3 Piece Band

Saturday, April 7th, 2006 we performed for Mid Country bank's annual Customer appreciation Party in Hutchinson, MN.

I was joined by David Russ and Al Bergstrom my "senior" Amazing-Band members. I truly enjoy performing with these guys cause we sound so good together even as a small band.

This is because both of them ( in addition to being great players) are great singers, and I think that's what makes any band great - it's the vocals...

The Mid Country crowd were pretty laid back - at least at first. ( they were all drinking milk with their dinners) but by the end of the night ( in true Amazing Band Style) we had em out on the dance floor a hopin' and a boppin' with us.

Heck even the President of the bank came up ON STAGE with us to sing a few songs. He was joined by his 20-someing year old son who also sang a few songs.

When we finished, the President asked us if we were available to perform for his daughter's wedding this summer! - I think that that will be a fun gig for sure.

We were asked to play a few songs that I don't know, but of course Dave and AL knew them (they know every song known to man) so I followed them and we performed 2 new songs that I had never performed before - and it worked! - We seem to do this kinda thing alot which is pretty neat, I think...

Then, the lady who hired us, asked us to play the song "Can't Touch This" (which is actually "Super Freak") - so we did, singing "can't touch this" and she and her co-worker did a funky dance up in front of the group - What a HOOT!

At the end of the night - the most important thing to us is that the people at the party had alot of FUN - and I think they did!

Thanks again Mid Country Bank, we look forward to our next show with you!

2006-01-01T23:52:00.000-06:00

4 Piece Band - New Years Eve - Wedding Reception

Donovan Kovar and The Amazing Band...

On December 31st, 2005 we brought in the new year from the top of the Millennium hotel in Downtown Minneapolis for the Cappuccilli wedding. Congratulations Michael and Amy and Happy New Year everybody!

This was a great reception, with a great view of the city and plenty of great tunes that everyone enjoyed dancing and singing along to, we all had a fun and memorable new year's eve party.
Although I had only met the bride and groom once the night before, they were confident in us because I had been communicating regularily with them by phone and email in the months that had passed since they first found us on the internet.

My drummer David provided sound for the ceremony which was held in the "Dome Room" which is a clear dome shaped room facing the IDS center. He edited a selection songs together, that the bride and groom provided, and synchronized the music to the ceremony, it was beautiful. The bride and groom told us how professional we were and how much they appreciated us, and that sure made us feel good, knowing that we were making a difference for them and their special night.

The reception was adjacent to the Dome Room with another view of the city and a dancefloor where we performed. I made sure that the hotel manager turned the heat down so that when the reception room filled up, it didn't get to hot. I do this often because as soon as the dancing starts, people get overheated if the room is to warm. The bride thanked me again when I asked her if that was okay with her.

I made sure that the wedding party had a microphone for toasting and I had light rock playing though the sound system. There were children and their mothers dancing on the dance floor before and after dinner, so I turned on some of the dance lights for added effect and the photographers took a bunch of pictures. This was a good sign that we would have a fun group for dancing when the band started.

After dinner and cake, the staff cleared the tables off of the dancefloor and we prepared for the 4 piece band to start. After playing a few songs, I introduced the bride and groom and played their special song from the iPod and through the sound system for their first dance. Then the father of the bride asked me to play the father/daughter dance so we played, "Can't help falling in love".

Joined by Randy Casey on guitar, David J. Russ on Drums, and Arron "Al" Bergstom on bass, the band filled the room with dance-a-lation (a cross between dancing and a celebration) until 12:45! Everyone in the band sings, so both Randy and Dave were able to sing a few songs as well, which kept the energy level high and the music goin'.

A member of the wedding party also came up and played a few songs with the band on my electric guitar, and man did he ever rock! It was a guy from Texas up for the wedding and he played a song by ZZ top and another by The Black Crowes, and of course my band new both songs, so they sounded like they'd been playing together for years, I was impressed. This performance from the bride's brother was especially fun for everyone on the dancefloor, which was full at this point, and added to the complete success of the evening.

It's not uncommon for members of the wedding party, who are musicians, to join us onstage from time to time. We have a lot of fun with it and so does everyone else. The groomsmen, at a reception we did last summer, all did The Worm (a funky dance move) simultaneously on the dancefloor, and that was equally as entertaining for everyone. We have a lot of fun at Wedding Receptions.

At midnight, Dave played a drumroll and counted down. Then the band played My Sherona but sang the words, Happy New Year! We had discussed singing Ault Lang Sine but who can remember the lyrics to that anyway?

We finished off the night with a bunch of classic dance songs like Dancing Queen, Friends in Low Places, Brown Eyed Girl, and finished up with Sweet Caroline. Then I played some more disco/dance tunes through the sound system while everyone wound down. Another mission accomplished for Great Live Music!

Thanks again Michael and Amy Cappuccilli, we wish you all the best!

2005-12-28T02:29:00.000-06:00

3 Piece Band - Reu/Thorsen Wedding Reception

Donovan Kovar and The Amazing Band...

On December 2nd, 2005 we performed for the Jason Reu & Kirstin Thorsen wedding reception in Onalaska, WI (which is near Lacrosse). This reception was at the Cedar Creek Country Club and I played with the 3 piece band. Onalaska has beautiful snow covered bluffs (large hills) all around the area which made it very beautiful for a mid-winter wedding.

Jason and Kirstin found us on the internet and saw us performing for St. Patrick’s Day at Houlihan's in Chanhassen early in 2005. The reception was a complete success, complete with dinner, toasting, a multi-media presentation, a chocolate fountain, and Great Live Music! Jason and Kirstin had us play their first dance "DJ style" through the sound sytem after we played a few live songs. And they also created their own custom list of MP3 favorites that I played through the sound system during our breaks.

Immediately when we began our performance, the photographer came up to me and told me that we were the Best Wedding Band that she had ever heard (we get that alot) and Jason's dad told me on our break that the 3 piece band sounded more like a 4 or 5 piece!

The dance floor filled up right away and everyone in the wedding party (including the parents) danced for the whole night! We played, "Can't Help Falling In Love" by Elvis and "Crazy Love" By Van Morrison for the Dollar Dance, and Kirstin tossed her bouquet while our drummer played a riveting drum roll...

Jason also brought along his acoustic guitar, so I tuned it for him and plugged him into our sound system so that he could sing a special song that he had been rehearsing for Kirstin. Everyone was pleasantly surprised by Jason's impromptu performance.

After we played our last song(s), I played more "DJ music" for the last half hour and everyone danced like crazy as they wound down for the night.

I'm happy to say that this is another mission accomplished for Great Live Music.

Thanks Jason and Kirstin, we wish you all the best!

------------------------------ TESTIMONIAL ---------------------------------
"Donovan & Great Live Music were terrific! Everyone at the reception was very impressed, and really enjoyed the music. They did an outstanding job, and were very willing to do whatever we asked. We would strongly recommend Great Live Music to anyone considering a band for a wedding reception-you will be pleased, I know we were. They were very professional, approachable, and entertaining!"

Jason & Kirstin Reu