Note: this review only applies to the professionalism of Emerald City, not the actual DJ…read moreexperience. It started off fine with Dan from EC. I currently don't live in Seattle, but my wedding will be in Seattle. So I spoke with Dan over the phone, we even did a Skype session to discuss what musics I like, what uplightings I wanted, everything was going fine. I was ready to move forward with Dan, so we scheduled an on-site visit. Because I am from out of town, we made the appointment two months before the actual visit. Then a week before the appointment, I emailed Dan to confirm, and he said no problem. Guess what, the NIGHT before the appointment, after 10pm, I got an email from Dan's brother, saying Dan just realized he has another "engagement" at the same time slot the next day and couldn't make the appointment. Now here comes my complaints: First of all, if an appointment was made two months in advance, you work your schedule around it. I was only in town for two days to visit friends and family, and I made sure I stuck to my appointment, why can't you?! It'd be different if you have a family emergency, then I'd understand. But noooo, he had "another engagement". I was completely speechless when I read the email. Speaking of the email, here comes my second complaint--show some respect to a prospect customer, at least CALL, APOLOGIZE, and say you can't make it to an appointment you made two months before. Not only didn't Dan have the respect and decency to personally call me, he even asked his brother to EMAIL. I wish I could copy and paste the email here, but I assure you that the email was not apologetic at all. It was just a normal email, stating Dan couldn't make it to my appointment the next day because he has another engagement. Third and lastly, even after the fact, Dan didn't make an attempt to reach out to me, to again, APOLOGIZE. Sure I am just one bride and will only get married once, but I have a wedding planner and I make sure she will never recommend such unprofessional services to any of her other brides. Not to mention I have enough younger friends in Seattle who will eventually get married. In summary, again, this review only applies to their professionalism. But ask yourself, if you are a bride, do you want to hire someone that's flaky? I think not.

Dan was an exceptional DJ at our wedding! He brought his wife along to man the photobooth (which…read morewe HIGHLY recommend... so much fun!) and they were great! Dan played exactly the music we wanted, and was open to the reasonable requests from all our guests! The volume was perfect, and he was very professional throughout the entire event. He was such a good sport... our wedding was all outside and it POURED. Being a DJ, I'm sure that's one of the worst things that can happen, with all of the expensive equipment, etc. No complaints from him, though. I'm more than glad that we hired him :)

Leslie DJed our wedding in Snoqualmie last month and we couldn't have asked for a better DJ. From…read morethe beginning, Leslie listened to us and was very communicative. She even sent us samples of her style but was also more than open to specifics we wanted to play at our wedding. Leslie was also a very authentic and warm presence at our wedding. We enjoyed having her and her assistant. They were very professional and made our day so special.

Sean DJed our wedding at the Seattle Aquarium earlier this month, and we couldn't have asked for a…read morebetter experience! We had numerous guests remark to us starting form the cocktail hour how great the music was. Sean kept the dance floor bumping the whole night and was gracious about receiving requests. Many family members that don't tend to stay late at family weddings stayed and danced the night away. Sean was great to work with leading up to the wedding, letting us share moods with him through a Spotify playlist, and working with us to get the dance rituals (e.g., first dance) and entrances right. We recommend Sean to anyone in the Seattle area looking to host an event where people have a good time. Thanks Sean!

I came in looking for a small travel size guitar. Hannah welcomed me with a smile and took time to…read morefind me exactly the guitar that would fit my needs. She (and Darren) gave me expert advice, and I ended up with a guitar that was great. They even did a pro set up on the guitar (awesome service BTW!!) Highly recommended!!!

Go here!!!! Very very helpful and friendly staff. They…read moregenuinely wanted to help me get the best deal and did not try to upsell me on anything, which was a relief. They weren't condescending to me as a beginner either, and gave me the information I needed. Great atmosphere, super chill and laidback. Incredible prices too. I got a fender amp for half the price of what it would be at other shops.

I have been working with Pascal for just over a year and I cannot speak highly enough of Pascal as…read morea guitar instructor. He is not only an exceptionally skilled musician but also an excellent teacher who has transformed my playing in just a short matter of time. Pascal can easily and clearly explain material and concepts, often approaching things from multiple angles to ensure complete understanding. Whether we're working on lead guitar techniques, rhythm guitar fundamentals, or diving into music theory, he maintains a strong balance that keeps lessons engaging and comprehensive. His teaching style is also approachable and professional, which has helped create an environment where I feel comfortable asking questions and pushing myself to improve (something I was nervous about, having never played guitar previously). Although I was at first hesitant about the commitment of in-person lessons, I have also really grown to appreciate the fact that lessons are in-person. Pascal has an eye for detail and a very well-trained ear, which allows him to provide real-time adjustments on everything from basic technique to nuanced elements like the way in which the pick is being held, thumb position, hand placement, and arm angles, etc. I believe these types of corrections that would be difficult to identify on my own (again, having no prior experience), and would likely not come through in most online/recorded lessons. These small refinements have made a large difference in my playing ability, to the point where even minor adjustments (like a slight adjustment to wrist angle) allow me to play a chord or a progression that I was struggling to play on my own during practice. As others have commented, I would also recommend double lessons, which I find to give me a great amount of items to work on before my next lesson. On a personal note, I genuinely look forward to my lessons with Pascal. Pascal's enthusiasm and encouragement have motivated me to practice consistently and focus on development in ways I do not believe I would have if I were learning independently. I also do not feel pressured if I have a busy week and have not been able to dedicate as much time to the material (although that rarely happens, as I enjoy the material so much). My wife has even commented on how much progress I've made in such a short time (she likes listening to me now). As someone who firmly believes you get what you pay for, I can say without hesitation that Pascal is worth every penny. If you're looking for a guitar instructor who will genuinely invest in your growth as a musician, Pascal is an excellent choice.

If you want to be able to pick up a guitar and confidently turn the music in your head into…read morereality, Pascal will get you there. He has the experience, skill, and patience to tailor each of his lessons to provide meaningful and rewarding progress towards your musical goals and, in my case, beyond what I thought I was capable of. I started playing guitar as an adult, and had little idea of what I wanted to get out of the hobby. After years of sporadically learning pieces of songs from online lessons, I came around to the conclusion that I enjoyed guitar enough to take it more seriously. Initially, structured online lessons yield great results, but I quickly started hitting skill plateaus that forced me to move in a different direction to feel like I was making progress. After diversions into music theory, gear acquisition, and some in-person instruction, my interest in guitar was stronger than ever, but I just wasn't getting that much better at playing the thing. Then I found Pascal's website and thought he sounded like someone I should reach out to. The first lesson I had with Pascal completely changed my view of what I could get out of guitar in such a positive way. Biased by my previous experiences learning other instruments, I went in thinking that learning could either be structured and chore-like, or relaxed and fun, but unproductive. I was wrong. Pascal immediately put me on a track that was both structured and personal, and made me enjoy playing so much more. I wish I had hours every day to devote to practicing, but I struggle to find even minutes most days. Even with that constraint, the progress was immediately tangible. One of Pascal's greatest strengths is explaining why he's teaching something and laying out realistic expectations for progression. I became much more aware of the small increments of progress I was making and my basic skills improved dramatically. As lessons progressed, the connections between the lessons became more and more clear. The fretboard transitioned from being intimidating to comfortable, and the fear of getting "lost" started going away. At no point did I have to sit down and memorize anything to get to that place; it happened naturally with the lessons. I waited to write a review for a couple years because I wanted my recommendation to be credible for someone like me: a person whose interest in playing guitar has exceeded their skill and is looking for a teacher to bridge that gap. If that sounds like you, I wholeheartedly recommend reaching out to Pascal!

I just had my wedding in June and booked with Tom from Otto-Matic. From the very beginning, Tom was…read moreincredibly accommodating, personable, and easy to communicate with. Planning with him was seamless, and he made us feel confident that everything would run smoothly. All night our guests couldn't stop talking about how much they loved the music, and Tom did an amazing job reading the crowd and playing songs that kept everyone dancing. Tom truly went above and beyond to make our wedding unforgettable. We couldn't recommend him more highly, and we're so grateful he was part of our special day. Thank you, Tom, for making our wedding everything we hoped it would be and more!

All we can say is WOW! Otto is the absolute best. Not only did he make our wedding a real party,…read morebut the lighting he provided was unbelievable. Otto definitely kept the party going and we had ZERO technical issues between the music, microphones, and lighting, which I feel is somewhat rare at big weddings. We also hired a saxophone player and Otto literally timed the lighting to go with the saxophone player's performance during dinner, it was spectacular. We are so appreciative for Otto helping us make our wedding a night to remember!

Mike is such a talented musician, and such a lovely person on top of that. You definitely won't be…read moredisappointed if you work with Mike!

Mike really knows his stuff when it comes to music, from performing, down to the nitty gritty…read moretechnical details of recording and producing. I've worked with Mike in an educational capacity-- he was the instructor and conductor for a community orchestra I was part of. He was a strong communicator and director, provided excellent direction and advice, all while maintaining an easygoing attitude. He's excellent with people and does a fantastic job teaching. If you're on the fence about hiring Mike, DO IT! You won't regret it.

Curt was very professional, and a great addition to our wedding! He arrived on time, and started…read morehis set up promptly. I gave him a list of music I wanted to hear and he played it well and mixed it well! A lot of the music I gave him was foreign stuff that is not widely available and he managed to find it! Thank You! We had a great party and lots of dancing! he was good at feeling the crowd. He even got on the dance floor to show us his moves, and at the dj booth he was also breaking it down! You can not beat the quality! Thank You Curt!!!

Curt did a FANTASTIC job as our wedding DJ a couple weeks ago. He was very accomadating via email…read moreand told us exactly what we needed to provide him with. We worked on an extensive music playlist and sent it off to him about a week before the wedding and he had it completely under control! We did not have time to run through the ceremony beforehand with him but it went very smoothly. He was a fun, interactive DJ who helped announce important parts of the evening (i.e. cake, first dance, when the photo booth was shutting down, exit, etc.) and he took requests from the bridal party. For the cost and service, Curt cannot be beat. We were leaning towards not having a DJ and just having an iPod set up with someone in control of the music, but I'm really glad we went with Curt instead. This way we didn't have to stick a friend or relative at that station the whole night and we didn't have to worry about someone else making announcements. Thank you so much for being such a huge part of our special day we really appreciate it!

quite a drive for me living just south of Olympia, but well worth it, next time will give myself…read moremore time to enjoy the area & this amazing music shop. found Crossroads had the Martin in stock I was looking for thru the Martin website, had tried a big box music store near Seattle but pretty much ignored so walking into Crossroads & immediately greeted & attended to by Sara, one of the owners of the "mom & pop" musical instrument shop was very pleasant. The Martin Jr in stock was hanging with the other guitars was ready to play & she set me up to try it out. They had a good selection Martin accessories including a good assortment of guitar strings including the Martin brand so I also bought a spare set of the Martin LifeSpan Phosphor Bronze Light strings. I was short on time so did not get a chance to fully take in the ambience & experience of Dan & Sara's music store, but reading up on Crossroads before hand on their website & stepping into their store, I felt the warm embrace of some good vibes, and appreciate their community involvement in local music events in this very charming waterfront town. I like contributing to local businesses so I not only walked away with a very nice Martin acoustic electric guitar, it felt rewarding to give back. I hope to explore more of the Washington peninsula & look forward taking more time visiting Port Townsend & Crossroads Music.

Great selection! They had many more Ukes than your average Guitar Center and many higher end models…read moreincluding KK and Martin that can be hard to find even in Seattle and Bellevue. The owners were friendly and helpful and encouraged trying out different ideals. (I loved the wonderful KK baritone) and gave useful and helpful tips on restringing. My kind of music store - they are passionate about their stuff and it shows.