Very talented band that plays great 90's alternative rock music. We hired them for my daughter's…read morecollege graduation party and they played for two hours non stop with the playlist that we customized. The party was a success thanks to their contribution. They even learned a new song per my request. Highly recommend them.

They were so responsive and easy to work with, not to mention a great addition to a 90's themed…read more40th birthday party. They had a range of songs and crushed all of them. They were on time, extremely professional and friendly, and I'd highly recommend them!

My husband and I grew up as alt, pop punk kids, and knew we wanted to bring that energy into a dive…read morebar celebration of us getting married. Not only are The Last Decade extremely talented musicians, but they know how to work a crowd, cultivate the best party vibes, and generally facilitate the best time. Their set was hands down one of the best things about our special day, and the day after, they were all anyone could talk about. Seriously, thank you all for the best time.

The band played at my birthday in our front yard and it was amazing. Great vocals, killer band, and…read moreawesome vibe. The 90s and early 2000s alternative play list brought us all back. Even the kids were rocking out. Highly recommend if you want a live band to bring some energy and great music to your gathering.

Radio Gatsby absolutely crushed it at our wedding and we are still talking about it!…read more We had a solo pianist for the ceremony, a quartet during cocktail hour, and a full band for dinner and dancing. Every part of the day had its own perfect vibe and they nailed all of it. They played every song we wanted and steered completely clear of the ones we didn't, which honestly meant so much to us. Our guests would not stop raving about the music all night and weeks after! We loved every second of it. The dance floor was full from start to finish. If you are looking for musicians who will genuinely make your day feel like YOUR day, book Radio Gatsby. You will not regret it!

Radio Gatsby brought life to our Microsoft corporate event!…read moreI hired Radio Gatsby for a Microsoft corporate mixer we hosted at The Dawn Club in downtown San Francisco, and they were absolutely phenomenal. The venue has a speakeasy vibe, so I requested jazz and they delivered it perfectly. Before the event they sent over an entire book of songs to choose from, and I picked a few I liked and left the rest up to them based on my direction. It was perfect. Their versatility and ability to read the room really stood out. Noam was fantastic to work with leading up to the event. Everything was seamless, professional, and handled with care. The band showed up early with great vibes and positive energy, and they immediately helped set the tone while I focused on final setup. They brought life to the happy hour. Everyone loved them and they were a huge part of what made the event such a success. I highly recommend Radio Gatsby and will absolutely hire them again for future events!

Recently had my daughters wedding reception here. The grounds are BEAUTIFUL but working with the…read moreclub manager Jim Gorman was a complete nightmare. They have very strict rules on the volume of the music which is fine, but instead of dealing with it in a professional manner he ran around during the reception making a HUGE scene. VERY VERY UNPROFESSIONAL! Being in the event world myself along with both my daughters in the event and hospitality professions, we have never seen someone act like this during a celebration. Also, be prepared that he will charge you to the MINUTE for anything over the EXACT time that he writes on the contract. We had a few guests go about 20 minutes early to make sure that the everything was set up and bring a few last minute things I needed to get there and he counted how many were there and charged me to the exact minute. After the reception, there was a limo timing miscommunication and the limo was late to pick up the wedding party so we stood outside to wait, again he went around and counted the number of people and charged me to the EXACT minute. Had I know this we would have stood across the street to wait for the limo If you are considering this place for any kind of party with music....think again. I would not recommend having a celebration at this place to anyone!

*Caveat: at the time of this review, Ladera Oaks is undergoing renovations, so the grounds may end…read moreup looking different than what we enjoyed at our June 2008 wedding. However, as long as the staff and ground rules don't change substantially, future couples should have just as nice an experience as we did, because the people (and their easy-going and can-do attitudes) were what helped make our event a success.* Our initial visits and phone consults were with Jim Gorman (manager) and various members of his club staff. Upon our first visit, we felt the location, settings and conditions of use all fit very well with our style - basically, no fuss, with a well-choreographed timeline and set-up taken care of by Jim who knows his venue inside and out. This was important, given Ladera Oaks functions primarily as a country club for residents of Portola Valley, so facilities are shared with people playing tennis, kids taking swimming lessons, etc. But the garden is quite clearly separated from the pool area, and for weddings the ballroom, bar/lounge and kitchen are off-limits to all except Ladera Oaks staff, the wedding vendors and guests. The garden is very well maintained, lush and colorful, with a fountain that Jim switches off during the ceremony. There is covered brick patio, and lots of floor-to-ceiling glass windows and doors that allow guests to enjoy the garden view from the ballroom and bar area. We did our ceremony on the upper lawn, further away from the garden perimeter and the traffic noise on the other side of the fence. We had a total of 80 guests including about 10 kids, and everyone found a way to enjoy the late afternoon garden setting. The ballroom felt like it was just the right size with our 9 round tables, DJ setup in one corner and dance floor area up front. All in all, it's a really intimate and beautiful atmosphere, perfectly suited for a summer wedding. There is no dedicated bridal changing room, and we just ended up doing the dress changes and touch-ups in the small bathroom (3 stalls and a two-sink counter), sharing the space with guests and even a few club members. Brides who must have the private and classy dressing room experience replete with velvet curtains, loveseat and vanity set will not that find that here... unless this is included in Ladera Oaks' current renovation plans. As for storing wedding party accessories and my two additional dresses while they were not in use, we opted to make use of the ample closet space built into the back wall of the ballroom, which we could discreetly access while guests were up front on the dance floor. Finally, ground rules: this venue is about as relaxed as they come. The only issue on which they kept very close tabs was the sound level. This is due to the club's location - Portola Valley is a rather exclusive town, probably with a powerful and vocal neighborhood association, and these people LIKE their quiet and rural setting. So before sunset, only non-amplified, non-vocal music (think string quartets) are allowed outdoors. After sunset, all music moves into the ballroom, and any time someone tries to open the patio doors, a switch is tripped to immediately cut the power supplying the DJ's audio setup. Other than that, we thought the base rental cost was low ($2K for 8 hrs, with $50 here and there for overnight storage of reception items, use of a piano, etc.), there were no corkage or cake cutting fees, you can bring whatever alcohol you'd like and also choose your own vendors (caterers, musicians, etc.), although Jim does offer recommendations. Lucky for us, the excellent caterer we chose (Frank Schumann of Schumann's Four Seasons Catering) turned out to be a long-time partner with Ladera Oaks. Watching Jim and Frank converse and decide on the wedding day logistics in their own lingo was impressive, and put us totally at ease that here we have two highly competent vendors who actually work well together and like each other! I cannot over-emphasize how important this factor is to the success of your big day.

The absolute BEST! Our friends and family still talk about how incredible our band was... it was…read morethe highlight of our wedding! The dance floor was packed the entire night. If you're thinking about hiring Smash City, just do it. You won't regret it!

WOW. Paul and his crew are total rockstars!!! My husband and I actually found Paul during a…read morestressful time: our original wedding band canceled on us 2 weeks before our wedding. Paul was the first person I called and just talking to him made me feel better. He is a kind and genuine person, and he accommodated us every step of the way. Even though he only had two weeks to prepare, Paul and his team absolutely killed it at our wedding! I've lost count of the number of guests who came up to us and told us that Smash City Band was the best live band they have ever seen. One of our groomsmen is a professional musician, and he could not stop raving about how phenomenal each member of Smash City was. He said this multiple times during the wedding night and then called us the next day to reiterate that point. Paul and his band not only saved our wedding, but they were also the reason why our wedding was so much fun and the best night ever for us and all of our guests. They were easily the highlight of our wedding, and they made us thankful that our original band canceled on us! I cannot recommend and praise Paul and Smash City enough!!!! Please hire them so I can crash your event and enjoy their performance again (haha jk about crashing your event! But I'm serious about you hiring them...)

Alvin is a sax wizard!!!! His music is absolutely magical and he made our party unforgettable. I…read morestill have guests mentioning it to me months later!! He knows how to set the vibe and captivate people with his songs. Would 10000000% recommend booking Alvin if you're looking for a sax player!!! He's professional, so friendly, and probably the best sax player that has ever graced this earth (kenny g can kick rocks! ....no shade to kenny)

We first saw Alvin perform at a friend's wedding and immediately knew we needed that same energy…read morefor our own big day. From start to finish, Alvin was amazing to work with, his booking process was quick and easy, his rates were super clear and affordable, and he was always professional and responsive. For our ceremony, we wanted to honor my husband's culture and chose meaningful songs like Lemonade by Jeremy Passion and We Could Happen by AJ Rafael. Alvin learned them both beautifully, and his performance brought so many guests to tears -- we got so many compliments on how moving and personal it felt!! He truly added something special to both our ceremony and cocktail hour. His energy, talent, and presence elevated the whole experience, and multiple guests told us he was the best part of the day! If you're planning a wedding or any kind of celebration, we can't recommend Alvin Mata enough. He's talented, easy to work with, incredibly thoughtful with his craft, and someone we absolutely look forward to booking again in the future.

I hired this band for our annual fundraiser soirée. Mathai was extremely responsive and…read morecommunicative. The band was so good! They had a very small spot inside a museum in which to play and they handled it professionally. Their music is super fun to listen to and the guests had great things to say about them. Hire them! You won't be sorry.

From the owner: Looking to add jazz to your next event? Look no further than Bayside Swing, led by Mathai Mathews…read more I can work with you to create the perfect sound to build ambiance and bring something special to your next event