CORPORATE GIGS By Orange County Business Journal Monday, April 2, 2007 In a perfect world, Pete Jacobs would like

his 16-piece Wartime Radio Revue swing band to play in front of dancers who plunk down a $7 cover charge. But in reality, his band and others know corporate gigs pay the bills. Companies need bands for holiday parties, fund-raisers and sales meetings. Wartime Radio Revue, which plays big band music heard on the radio during World War II, has performed at swing dance haunts in Orange County,the Atomic Ballroom and Tia Juana's Long Bar & Grill, both in Irvine. "We are trying to keep a culture alive,the music, dance, dress,everything that was part of the scene," Jacobs said. The band has played venerable venues, such as The Derby, El Capitan Theatre and the Hollywood Bowl. In July, Wartime is set to play at A Midsummer Night Swing at New York's Lincoln Center. It spent eight years playing at Disneyland. The best paying gigs are the ones the boss springs for. Depending on the event and the company's budget, Jacobs has two other bands at the ready,the Class of '69 and the Pete Jacobs Quintet. Corporate gigs typically pay $3,500 to $5,000 and sometimes more. Aliso Viejo-based Quest Software Inc. paid the Tijuana Dogs, another local band on the corporate circuit, significantly more to play retreats in the Caribbean. Next week, the band is off to the Bahamas for a Quest gig. Jacobs' bands have performed at holiday events for Buena Park-based Yamaha Corporation of America and Torrance-based NavCom Technology Inc., part of John Deere's Deere & Co. Web sites, such as PartyPop.com, list OC bands that play corporate events. But bands typically get jobs through referrals and fans. Local event consultant Helen Brock and her husband used to watch Jacobs' band perform at Disneyland. "My husband and I are ardent fans," she said. When the time came to book a holiday dinner dance for her client NavCom, she said she didn't have to think twice. She hired Jacobs' Class of '69, a classic rock band. At corporate events, Jacobs likes to get the crowd dancing. He sometimes invites swing dancers from Shesha Marvin's OC Swing Dance Club to give Lindy Hop lessons and put on a mini show, he said. That adds to the fun, he said.

Jacobs, who plays piano and other instruments, grew up in a musical home,his dad sang opera and his mother, a classical pianist, taught piano. These days, with years of experience and exposure, getting gigs is easy, he said. "I have not had to really go out and try to drum up gigs," Jacobs said. Matt Mauser, frontman and manager for the Tijuana Dogs, said his band gets corporate jobs by developing relationships,one gig leads to the next. "You have to promote a service," he said. The Dogs' guarantee: You're going to be entertained. The Tijuana Dogs have made a decent living playing corporate events and selling CDs,pulling in nearly $200,000 last year, according to Mauser. Of course, that's split four ways for each band member. The Dogs play everything from Steely Dan, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones to quirky one-time hit songs "On and On (Down in Jamaica)" as well as its own songs,ones that fans actually want to hear. "All these Crazy Girls" is one of its songs and the name of Tijuana Dogs' latest CD. The band has recorded three CDs and is working on a fourth. The band produces and distributes its own CDs at a cost of about $10,000 each album. "It's nice to make 100% of the profit," he said. The Dogs play OC clubs three nights a week, mostly to be seen, Mauser said. That's where the band gets offers to play for corporate events. It happened that way when Anthony Moiso, chief executive of Rancho Mission Viejo LLC, hired the band after checking them out at the Harp Inn, an Irish bar in Costa Mesa. Mauser knew Moiso's daughter, who taught at Harbor Day School in Corona del Mar, where Mauser teaches Spanish part time. "He's a great entertainer," Moiso said. "He gets the gang going." Moiso then hired the band for its annual Scramblero, a private golf event at his Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, as well as other events. Mauser, who writes the band's songs, started singing Elvis songs and playing guitar in college. "People would go crazy," he said.

Call it charisma. Mauser is a hit with women. "He has a great presence," said Sheryl Masone, administrative assistant for Huntington Beach Dodge. The dealership hired the band to play for the owner's 50th birthday party. "Everybody was dancing and having a great time," Masone said. The band plays for about four to five hours. "We work hard," Mauser said. During breaks, the band mingles but Mauser has a no-drinking policy. "I tell my guys, 'We're working, never forget that,'" he said. Running a band is like operating a small business. Someone has to be the manager. Along with managing the money, that person is in charge of recruiting, and if necessary, firing band members, and keeping the ones that you have happy. "I pay them very well," Mauser said. Wartime Radio's Jacobs said he tries to hire happy people and has a core group of loyal musicians. "I can't keep everybody," he said. One of his players left to play trumpet with "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Jacobs said he can't begrudge that. "I try to have a deep bench," he said. His son Tim Jacobs also plays trumpet with the band. Bands typically are paid a deposit in advance and get the remainder the night of the gig. "Sometimes I have to ask for it," Jacobs said. The band will do some freebies. Jacobs has a passion for veteran events. "In their late 80s, they're tapping their feet and know all the words," he said. Jacobs supplements his band income with songwriting royalties and studio work, which he does in the off months. Jacobs does all of the bands' musical arrangements and writes children's songs with his wife.

"If I'm not playing, I want to be dancing," he said. "Sometimes you gotta dance."