I usually LOATHE wedding bands, but found Golem to be absolutely wonderful at a friend's wedding reception. No one left the dance floor all night, it seems -- and that may have been the greatest litmus test of all right there. I especially loved the klezmer-rock combination that Golem employed most of the evening -- it sure beat the hell out of the exceedingly bad and all too commonplace cover band sound that has plagued wedding venues across the country since G-d was a child. read more

I'd been asking Golem to play my wedding for a decade, having seen them live 20+ times. Once I found a bride, I finally had the Golem wedding I'd been yearning for--and still they blew me away, exceeded expectations, and impressed everyone. For both my wife and me, having Golem play our wedding was a dream come true. Golem's typical style is klezmer-rock, but they excel at so many styles when they play weddings. There were myriad highlights, from the epic, rockin', couldn't-get-it-out-of-my-head-for-the-whole-honeymoon hora to the air-guitar-inviting "Johnny B. Goode." It was surreal when my wife and I would be walking around mingling, and then all of a sudden I'd hear songs I love and insist we run to the dance floor. They did a fantastic job for "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (our first dance) and "Sunrise Sunset" (the father/daughter and mother/son dance). More so than any individual song was the totality of all. Golem played a varied set that was great whether the tempo was fast or slow, the songs familiar or unfamiliar, the language English, Yiddish, or other. At different times, Jeremy's violin, Brandon's guitar, and Curtis's trombone stood out and shined exceptionally. The rhythm section of Taylor on bass and Tim on drums was superb. Especially looking back at the video, wedding guests from all generations were dancing and having a blast. Countless people gave rave reviews! My mom was wowed and thought they were perfect, despite finding something to complain about with the music at every other wedding and bar/bat mitzvah. My father-in-law keeps saying that Annette has a beautiful singing voice. A lot of people praise how Aaron (the other singer) has such lively, exciting personality in his performance. Based on Golem's acoustic playing at the prelude and recessional for the ceremony, even the rabbi remarked how great they were. Annette was terrific to work with in the lead-up to the big day, meeting with us beforehand and fielding questions whenever they came up. She based the set list around our input and was a great emcee throughout the reception. I highly recommend Golem to any couple looking for a wedding band. Maybe you want the most rocking klezmer you can get. Maybe you want an exceptional hora but, beyond that, a wide variety of other music played by excellent musicians. They'll gladly work with you for either of those and anything in between. read more

Golem Private Events - Golem's lively, rockin' performance at our wedding! - Performing Arts Near Me

Golem played our wedding at Roberta's in Brooklyn about a year ago and were absolutely amazing. We can't say enough good things about this band. Our guests are still talking about how great the music was and it's been about a year now! First: dealing with the band. I mostly interacted with Annette. She was prompt and professional in responding to all of our inquiries and was the perfect combination of "we know how to play music that's going to start the party" and giving us the option to request particular songs that we really liked. Their repertoire is pretty diverse so we just told Annette what our style is ahead of time and she crafted that into an amazing night of music.The day of the wedding they were all there early, setup perfectly, and everything ran very smoothly. Second: the MUSIC. We had them play the whole event - from cocktail hour through the ceremony and reception. We had a mixed Israeli - American wedding and they played beautiful jewish/eastern european Klezmer music all through the cocktail hour and for the ceremony. Then for the reception they played a mixture of classic mo-town, talking heads, rolling stones, etc... I think they played Soul Man better than the original! Third: the Hora. Ok, not everyone will be into this but for all the Jews (+ people who just love the Hora), a good Hora really gets people on the dance floor. Literally there was not a single person in their seat during this. Every single person danced. It really started the party off. Fourth: the Band personality. They were amazing! It felt like they were playing a concert they were so into it. Nearly all of our guests (parents, friends, old uncles, and even the traditionally "shy folks") ended the night sweaty, worn out, and with dirty feet from all the dancing. When they did take a well-deserved break, they mingled well with our guests, enjoyed some cake + food and were really pleasant to be around. Fifth: the Price. We knew we wanted Klezmer + party music so we didn't look too much once we found them, so honestly I'm not sure how much they compare to the average wedding band in NYC. What I can say is that our money priorities were: (1) Food (2) Music (3) Booze. They were worth every penny. Also: we originally had them booked only for the reception but changed our minds at the last minute and they played the whole thing. Totally worth the extra $. Hire this band for your wedding. They will make the night. read more

Golem made my wedding the best party I've ever been to, seriously! And, if they're not lying, same goes for my guests. And that's saying a lot as many of them are from New Orleans (husband's origins). I planned my entire wedding, which really just meant I chose good people for every part. Annette was key to that! I actually didn't do any set list planning. I just told Annette I was having cocktails, then ceremony, then party/dinner and she did the rest! Their policy is to learn 2 songs. We had a New Orleans standard for our second line parade after the chuppah and a cheesy Russian song my mom wanted. For father daughter, they played an old Yiddish song -- some sisters Barry number maybe? I don't remember. And for the gentiles, they definitely played plenty of wedding hits. Honestly, by that point I was too drunk to remember. People loved Annette. Especially my mom and her Russian friends! In fact, my stepdad even surprised my mom by having golem play her 60th in a smaller iteration. If my life was a kusturica film, golem would be the soundtrack/live band trailing me as I meander thru life read more

We had Golem perform at our wedding in April, and they were awesome. They helped cater to our mixed Jewish, Italian, and Irish guests, and learned a song for our first dance. Annette was great to work with through it all, and we got lots of great feedback from our guests. And when my little ring bearer really wanted to hear Uptown Funk, the band didn't know it, but they played it on their computer during their meal break at the last minute. He was so happy to hear his favorite song! Would definitely recommend them to play any event. All we wanted was a wedding where we wouldn't hear cheesy, overplayed songs, and they delivered all that and more. read more

If you are looking for a band for your wedding and you want one that will induce a dance party that doesn't stop, Golem is it. They were absolutely phenomenal at our wedding, and we heard nothing but rave reviews from our guests, photographers and the staff at our venue. Reasonably priced and fabulous to work with, Golem made the event. Although Golem plays punk/hipster klezmer music in concert (and is awesome), my husband and I are not Jewish and our wedding guests were a mix of New Englanders, Oklahomans and New Yorkers -- some Christian, some Jewish, some neither, both young and old. Annette, Golem's band leader, had no problem weaving together Golem's original music with rock, big band and country covers that appealed directly to our guests. There was not a single guest who did not get out on the dance floor. In fact, we had a hard time ending the party because everyone wanted to keep dancing. Annette is a true professional and easy and fun to work with during the entire wedding process. Check out their website and talk to Annette. From their wedding repertoire, she will figure out a musical selection perfect for you. And their electric guitarist is awesome. read more

Golem played our wedding in Brooklyn and did an amazing job setting exactly the right tone--the perfect mix of classic Jewish music with skillful & soulful takes on the secular classics, kept a diverse wedding of religious Jews, secular Jews, and goyim dancing their tushies off with equal aplomb throughout the whole night. It was the perfect soundtrack for a perfect night. Annette was amazing to work with--set our minds at ease, and not only about the music. A consummate professional. We heard from tons of our guests throughout the night and since that it was the single best wedding band they had ever heard. But Golem is much more than a wedding band--the fact that they are a solid unit that plays together or not at all meant they had a cohesiveness that brought the kind of energy you get at a concert, with the passion, intimacy, and joyousness of a wedding. We cannot possibly recommend Golem highly enough. Sign them up TODAY. read more

The band is excellent: great music (a punkish version of klezmer), energy, good sense of mood/audience. They played at our June 2013 wedding in a non-traditional space in Brooklyn; they made it all work, adapting to last-minute schedule changes. We had a mixed American and Russian-speaking crowd, and Annette (singer, MC, who speaks Russian) made it all work beautifully. The band even learned a few 70s-era Soviet pop songs for us, and Annette worked in a Yiddish song we requested. We felt very comfortable in their hands. The music was awesome--and beautiful when it needed to be. The dance floor was packed all night. Highly recommended for their skill and professionalism. read more

Golem was the best wedding band EVER!! So much singing, dancing and joy - dozens of people came up to us and told us how much they enjoyed the music. We couldn't get people off the dance floor all night. They are funky, offbeat, spectacularly full of energy - definitely not your typical wedding band, but they will keep everyone on their feet all night long! We had an Orthodox Jewish wedding, and Annette was so accommodating of some of our more religious relatives' requests. Their signature mix of Yiddish, Russian, Ukrainian, soul, funk, party favorites and off-the-wall originals made our wedding unique, inspired, and unforgettable. Would 100% recommend Golem to any bride and groom who want a wedding full of funky klezmer energy, Jews and non-Jews alike! And they are so great to work with and will accommodate even the craziest requests. ;) read more

Golem played my daughter's Bat Mitzvah in Miami. Too bad reviewers are limited to the top available numerical rating of 5.0 here, because the band amply deserves a 10.0! And I'm not a grade-inflated reviewer! My daughter, husband and I fell in love with Golem when we heard them at a relative's wedding, and we simply had to arrange for them to come down to FL. It's hard to describe the wonderful, warm, energetic, engaging, musically sophisticated, playful, intense, and consuming performance they gave. Simply put, the band made our party. I can't think of a single adult who attended -- from guests to professionals (including photographer, video person, soundman, caterer) -- who hasn't asked for the band's name and commented that they were the single best band they had ever heard at a private celebration. One overheard comment: these people are way too good to play weddings and Bat Mitzvahs! But thank goodness they do! And the adults were hardly alone in their praise; I found it remarkable that the notoriously difficult demographic -- 13 year olds! -- was completely satisfied: they were on the dance floor all night and all apparently told my daughter thereafter that they had no idea Jewish music could be so cool and fun. Well .. with Golem, it is! In addition to being phenomenal and creative musicians, I also found each member of the band to be warm, nice, gracious, and -- amazingly for their talent -- modest. They all made us feel that they were happy to be celebrating with us. Band-leader Annette is a gem -- so smart, so organized, so easy to work with, so responsive, so sensitive to keeping expenses down for the client. I literally cannot think of a single reservation I have about Annette or the rest of the band. It was an honor for us to have them share their music with us in person. My daughter will always remember her Bat Mitzvah -- both for the spiritual importance of the ceremony and because the music was transcendant. Thanks, Golem! read more