Party Theming 101, Music Cont'd

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The 80’s example is an easy slam-dunk for party music. If the party theme you’ve chosen is more challenging musically, it will certainly take you more time to prepare, but can be extremely rewarding. For instance, say you or a friend you’re helping out has their heart set on that Secret Agent costume party mentioned a little earlier – you know, spies in tuxedos, thugs in black turtlenecks and parachute pants, femme fatales, maniacs with metal teeth … yeah. You’re hoping for dancing to happen, and need music. Your first thought for spy music might be a compilation of James Bond soundtracks. Good idea, but the sad fact is that much of the James Bond music, whatever its qualities otherwise, is easy-listening fare, and not well suited to dancing. (One glaring exception: Die Another Day, by Madonna). What to do?

Get out to the library and/or Amazon and obtain the soundtracks for all three Austin Powers movies. Not all of the music is danceable, but plenty is, and if you cherry-pick the danceable tracks from these CD’s you’ll be off to a good start. Next, obtain a copy of The Saint (90’s, Val Kilmer) soundtrack – the thing is pretty much end-to-end danceable (nightclub/electronica vibe), and odds are you can get this one seriously cheap. After this beginning, things get trickier, more down to pulling appropriate songs from a myriad of sources, which is where the extra time comes in. Sit down and make a list of all the songs that you know of that might possibly fit the theme, get ideas from your friends as well if the list doesn’t seem long enough, and go from there.

Which brings us to another music resource: Friends’ album collections. If you’ve invited (or are planning to invite them) to your party, ask politely review and copy tracks from their collections as well. Since they will be guests, they have a vested interest in the music being awesome, and are likely to agree if you have a reputation for returning loaned items in excellent condition. (I’m sure we all know who people don’t … grrrrrrr) The payoff: Friends that feel validated that you respected their musical taste enough to ask them for help, music that has a better than average chance of being well liked by your guests (it came in part from their collections, after all), and that saves you money that might otherwise have been spent buying songs that you didn’t find at the library. Everyone wins!

Party Themeing 101 - Music Cont'd

Picking up from where we left off last time: Music for a party follows the same basic guidelines as given for dinners and light social gatherings, but is usually a bit more difficult to assemble. First of all, you will probably need more of it than you would for a sit-down dinner, as parties normally run far later into the evening. Also, you will probably need to be a bit more discriminating as to what music you include, and where during the course of the evening you play it – unlike in the dinner/cocktail social example, the music is no longer merely an agreeable background element, but a defining element of your event, especially if you are planning dancing as an activity.

An additional consideration you will need to take into account is variety. Even when tightly grafted to your party theme, songs certainly do not have to all be from the same genre, nor is this even desirable. Who do you know who listens to only one kind of music, ever? Not a long list, most likely. And, in a big crowd of people, musical tastes are bound to be diverse. Songs from a mixture of genres not only add interest to your party soundtrack, they can also, if well-chosen for the intended audience, cater to guests’ different musical tastes, giving almost everyone something they really like to listen to at some point during the evening.

So, if you know what kind of music you want for your party, and don’t have much of it on hand, there are a number of options for acquiring it in addition to scoping out the local library’s collection. At this point you are collecting enough music it becomes less likely that all of your needs will be met by a single source.

One of the easiest ways of laying your hands on a large amount of party music is to obtain used CDs online. Unless the album in question has some sort of collector value, used CDs – especially if they’ve been out a few years – are pretty cheap, sometimes even cheaper per song than buying the same album from iTunes or some similar service. This is often especially true of soundtracks. Once the movie has been out a few years, its soundtrack album will have often slipped significantly in price, and be truly inexpensive.

As long as we’re on the topic of soundtracks, their other advantage is that they typically represent a mix of artists, who will normally be contributing songs to the album that they consider strong enough to create interest in their band. Unless you and all your guests are serious fans of a particular group, you’re probably not going to want to listen to them all evening long. With the mix of artists you are likely to encounter on a soundtrack album – or a “Best of”-type compilation (i.e. Best of Surf Rock Guitar, Greatest Hits of the ‘70’s, Best of Acid Jazz 1998-1999 – you get the idea. Heck, you probably have a few of these kicking around already) you will probably not have to acquire a large amount of single-artist albums in order to build a reasonable mix of songs.

Say you want to throw an 80’s-themed dance party. Knowing that the Adam Sandler movie vehicle The Wedding Singer was an 80’s movie featuring a steady stream of 80’s hits as its soundtrack, you check your local library to see if they have it on the shelf … typically the selection of public library is somewhat limited, but if you are able to find and rip even part of the music you need for free, the more money you have later when you go shopping for decorations or booze. If the library doesn’t have the album you’re looking for, try looking it up on Amazon next.  Given that its years old, you may find several copies, all used. You pick the best combination of CD condition, price, and seller reliability, and order away. Voila! You now have a compilation album of 80’s hits, and a good-size chunk of the music for your dance party is will be arriving in a few days. A couple more stings like this (The surreal horror-thriller Donnie Darko would be another go-to soundtrack album if I were assembling an 80's dance party) and you will be ready to dance ‘til you drop!

Party Theming 101: Music

As mentioned earlier, music is one of the most important elements in setting the mood for your party. There are places you can skimp, there are things you can leave to chance – but music should not be one of them.  Music can make a good party great, or suck some of the life out of an otherwise well-executed event. Some of what follows initially is a recap, as we're getting back to a topic previously touched upon, that was not fully explored.

  

Music selection for a party is a personal choice, so the first question to ask yourself is, simply, “What music do I and the people I am inviting really enjoy listening to?”

The next consideration is, as always: “What kind of event is this”?

The answers to these two questions should provide you with most of the information you will need to select your party music– there’s no more point in playing music that no one likes just because it fits your party concept than there is in, for instance, playing Christmas music you normally enjoy at a Halloween party; both (admittedly extreme) situations are party-killers. Instead, the goal should be to present music that is at least a little tuned-in to your event, and that all or most guests present will probably also enjoy, or at least find inoffensive.

Consider two cases. The first is either a dinner party for a few couples, or perhaps a laid-back appetizer and cocktail social for a slightly larger group; the second case a lively house party where dancing, games, and general carrying-on are expected – let’s assume an adult-oriented Halloween costume party for house party example. In both of these cases, well-chosen music will  a) Match the theme of the party, if any, and b) reflect the rhythm that you want to have at your event (Even if you all love AC/DC, you may not want to roll it out for a Sunday night meal with friends, any more than you’d pull Kenny G off the shelf for a raging dance party. Can we say "Mutiny?" ).

  

Music for a dinner or low key apps-and-drinks social is relatively easy. In this case, the primary function of this music is to provide a pleasant level of background sound that does not compete with conversation but will also help fill the silence if there is a period in which no one is talking (like those long silences during the meal when everyone is busy chewing). The music should not be so loud, catchy, or otherwise intrusive that it makes it difficult to talk, or makes people feel like wiggling around in their chairs -- but it should be something most everyone present will find pleasant, or at least unobjectionable.

At a party where a lot of conversation is expected, instrumental music is often good a choice, as lyrics tend to be a little more disruptive when people are speaking to one another (go figure). However, songs sung in a language no one present speaks often works well too – the non-understood lyrics become like just another instrument in the musical composition for the average listener. For instance, at an appetizer-and-drinks party, a compilation of lounge music can be a good choice, as it is often instrumental, sometimes in a foreign language, and normally pretty low-key.

If there is no particular party theme for your dinner or cocktail social, just about any music you like that fits the above criteria will do. If you do have a theme in mind for your occasion and want to accent it with the musical choices, this is still pretty easy – for instance, if you’ve laboriously prepared a lovely French meal, a little French café music playing in the background will be a great touch. If the dinner is Creole, a little New Orleans Brass may be your ticket … or if you’re serving a Russian dinner, perhaps a little Rimsky-Korsakov or Shostakovich (sp?) would provide just the right ambience for your caviar-and-blini, piroshki, and vodka repast. However its executed, it is surprising how the simple addition of a matching “soundtrack” to your event can enhance the dinner experience for everyone present. 

If you do not happen to own any fitting music, and don’t want to spend any additional money for music for single evening’s company meal, there is recourse: Be sure to check out the collection at your local library.  The Putamayo series of recordings is often readily available, and provides a huge variety of reliably good, listenable music from all over the world – French, Italian, Turkish, Asian Lounge, you name it. If you have your sights set on that Italian-American dinner for close family or friends, for instance, you could use the Putamayo Italian Café CD,  Or, if you prefer a Rat Pack, Godfather-esqe vibe for the dinner (Volare!), look for CDs from the Mob Hits series for a spirited addition to the evening’s fun.  For that matter, a compilation of Italian opera themes would be great here too – its hard to go wrong with a little Pavorati when you’re dishing out the pasta.

Pretty simple stuff, inexpensive to execute (or free, if the local library comes through for you here), and a big boost to that special occasion – what’s not to like?

We'll delve into music for that wild drinking party next time.

Theme-Setting 101, Color Use

Faux human remains aside, at least as high on the decorating list should be the liberal use of color. Practically every conventional holiday theme comes with its own specific color palette -- Christmas in the U.S. is red, green, and white, Easter is in pastels (yecccch), St. Patrick’s Day is green, etc. 

Non-holiday parties are similar – selecting appropriate colors is almost always a good idea.

If the party is for someone - like a milestone birthday - the obvious choice is to use the birthday boy or girl’s favorites colors, if they have any ... or black, if its one of those over-the-hill parties. For some reason, black is also popular (at least in the U.S) as a 'pirate' color, especially when combined with red ... just look at any pirate costumes you find in stores or online. So, for an adult pirate-themed party (fun!), black and red  … would be solid, expected choices ... and so on.

For your decorating, color doesn’t just have to be streamers, though those are useful, certainly. More practical are paper napkins, cups, and plates – as long as they need to be at the party (and we strongly recommend they are, to preserve the host’s sanity during cleanup)  they might as well support the party theme too. Its easy to find solid-colored paper plates, cups, and napkins -- and rather than get all the same of one color, we recommend playing mix and match – if you’re having a Halloween party, for instance, get orange plates and plastic silverware, and then black napkins. Colored plates and such do cost a little more, but this can be largely mitigated by ordering from a bulk supplier like Oriental Trading Company or M&N International. And, solid-colored paper plates, cups, and napkins are still cheaper, normally, than springing for printed themed paperware, like plates, etc. with colored pictures of jack-o-lanterns all over them -- and, in my opinion, just as effective. What are your guests going to do with that jack-o-lantern plate, anyway? Put food on it so you can't see the picture, that's what.

When extreme decor attacks!

Theme-Setting 101 ... Dem Bones

I know I said that lights and music are the lynchpins of successful party theming -- and I've covered some lighting, so you're now probably expecting me to discuss music. 

Thing is, music is a huge topic, so for now I'm going to continue discussing decor, as long as I'm on the topic.  -- and, will get to music later. 

So yes ... party lighting is a great idea. A close runner-up for most versatile party decorations, after your lighting, are human skulls, or even full skeletons if you can manage it.

Yes, you read that correctly. Bone decorations (fake, obviously, but realistic is good) work for a surprising number of party themes, and if you plan to throw a number of parties that aren’t, say, Christmas and Easter (a skull is right out as a tree-topper), its great to have them in your party war chest. Consider a few examples:

• Halloween (obvious)
• Mexican Day of the Dead - an artistic, geometric pattern executed from an arrangement of bones on the windowsills - or on a Dia de los Muertos altars with some marigolds and a few beers -- is just the ticket.
• Pirate party – partial or full skeletons dressed in tattered ‘pirate’garb and still clutching weapons, with ersatz coins and gems scattered around. Or just a fake treasure pile with a few skulls mixed in for good measure.
• Tiki party  -- skulls on bamboo poles around your yard!
• Cannibal party – tiki party variation (channeled through Papua New Guinea perhaps?), skulls on poles again or for the big bang, a full-on, charred-looking skeleton on a big grill or spit over a fake fire
• Wild West party – what’s the Old West without Boot Hill? Or, for that matter, a skeleton in tattered western duds hanging from a porch rafter or somesuch out front, to let your guests know where the party is.
• Swords and Sorcery party – similar to the pirate party idea; every self-respecting dungeon needs at least one hero’s skeleton in shattered armor in the corner.
• Cinco de Mayo – a single skull centerpiece, festooned with a sombrero and/or chili lights, and maybe a lifelike plastic scorpion … cheesy? Absolutely, and wouldn't have it any other way.
• Psychadelic 60’s party – full skeleton in Grateful Dead duds, sitting on couch in relaxed pose … OD victim?

 … and so on . If you still don’t believe me, consider Disneyland. Just how many bones are in that park, anyway? It sometimes seems you can scarcely look at an attraction (Tomorrowland excepted) without encountering boneheaps, even avoiding obvious examples like the Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted House rides. Bones are great for theming, perfect for getting that extra shudder or laugh from your guests when they encounter them -- thoroughly worthwhile investment. The best deal, if you can find it, is a net bag of styrofoam-over-wire bone selection, often available from outfits like Oriental Trading Company around Halloween.

A Dia de los Muertos Ossuary!

Weekend Break

Well, we talked a bit about lighting ... but now its the weekend, my wife's been hospitalized for a week, and time's at a premium, so will be keeping this one short. There's nothing quite like life being fairly screwed up to remind one why focusing on making some good times is important.

We have a big party in 6 weeks, and the hostess's recovery will take at least that long. What to do? I am reminded of friend's story about 'Stone Soup', where a traveller enters a village where no one household has enough for an adequate meal. By contributing a 'magic stone' to a huge pot, and encouraging each villager he speaks to to contribute what little food they have -- a couple carrots, a turnip, etc. -- they eventually find they have collectively created a big pot of soup that can comfortably feed the whole village.

Same thing with a big house party. There's no freakin' way my wife and I could pull this whole thing off ourselves, so we contribute the 'stone' -- which in this case, is coordination of our good friends' talents and time. The band playing will be composed of friends who are so-gifted ... their matching band shirts will be made by my wife, and a few other friends who can sew. Food for 50-60? A few more friends who enjoy big cookouts and are only too happy to lend a hand with the grilling - not to mention that their BBQ is fantastic!

And so it goes ... volunteer bartenders, friends who will help decorate ... before long, even with my wife out of commission, we'll have a party!

Like I said, this is going to be short. It's the weekend, so I'll leave you with another original drink - still playing with Catdaddy:

An American in Paris

2 oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1 oz Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 dashes Fee Brother's Peach Bitters
1 oz club soda

Shake and strain everything but the soda into a cocktail glass. Add soda, stir well, and serve.


A bit sweeter than I myself personally prefer, but the flavor combination is solid, and the ladies I know like it.