We always try to keep a note of the songs we play, particularly the ones that go down well or if we find a new combination that we like. Invariably we forget until halfway through the night. Sometimes we forget completely and then try and piece it together the next day. That's what happened on this occasion, but here's the playlist from Alasdair and Susan's wedding on 1st October.

Yes. And no. You can choose SOME of the music, of course. It's your event and it's only right that you have a say in the playlist. Here's how we work it at mix'n'mac...

We send you a form with a dozen or so empty lines. You fill in the blanks and send it back. We play those tunes. Simples. We don't give you a list to pick from because (a) we don't actually have a list of all the songs we have, and (b) more importantly, that would be us influencing your choice. We'd be saying "pick your favourites from our list" rather than "pick your favourites". If we don't have your favourites, we go and get them.

We say pick a dozen so that there's time to play other people's favourites as well. There's usually only a couple of hours to fill and we like to make sure we cater for all tastes and to take a few requests on the night.

Anyhoo, it works for us and feedback suggests it worked for our past clients too. Feel free to pass comment...

The most frequently asked of all the FAQs is probably "can we come and see you before we make a booking." This is a perfectly reasonable and quite sensible question - you're about to part with several hundred pounds and you want to know what you're getting for it. We try and accommodate these requests, but it's not always possible, often because brides & grooms prefer not to have strangers at their wedding. If you're organising an event in or around Edinburgh where our ceilidh/disco package would be a good option, we'd like to offer a 50% discount in return for inviting a few guests - people who are waiting for an opportunity to see us. Alternatively, if you run a venue where we could consider doing a showcase, we'd love to hear from you. We'd also welcome some ideas on how other acts manage this key issue.

Jeepers! It appears to be nearly 6 months since any blogging was done, which can only mean it's just been too busy. Or nothing has happened.

Gig-wise it's been a great year, but watching BL grow up has been the most amazing experience. The transition from helpless baby to someone who we can interact with is awesome and bringing a smile to her face remains the most rewarding activity I know.

Looking forward to first family Chrimbly, and a hat-trick of Hogmanays at Balerno bowling club...

We've been on a wee trip across the Irish Sea to visit the fatherland. Or is that motherland? Anyway, the BL has been across the rope bridge and wandered around the Giants Causeway, which is no mean feat for one of her age! Some pics in the album.

Well, it's fair to say that it's been a momentous day. The King of Pop has left us, to be replaced by my sister's new arrival, baby Abbie born this morning. She's got a lot to live up to. Warmest congrats to Heather & John, and best not forget wee Max who needs to be reassured that he'll still be getting plenty of attention!

On the subject of babies, BL is doing the Splashathon for Tommy's on 16th July. If you'd like to sponsor her, please visit her website (!?) at http://tommys.org/laila 

Further supplies of photos from the last few years will be migrating to here from the website and the archives over the next few days/weeks.

More soon.

 

The aforementioned photos are still on the way, although they have at least managed to get as far as the desktop. Further to our opening gambit on 18th June, tweeting has already ensued and is proving easier to maintain than the blog. Nevertheless, blog we shall.
There's a bit of history to be filled in I think, what with mix'n'mac being a good bit older than the blog! Most of it's idle gossip, the salient events being Jon & Louise's wedding in April 07 and the arrival of baby McKay in January 09. She's affectionately and colloquially known as the BL. At the moment she's preferring to howl for a couple of hours at bed time rather than go to sleep. Which is nice. Still, you wouldn't change her for anything. The wee smiles make up for everything and it's great that she's starting to really interact with us.

Anyway, this is a business blog, so back to business. July looks like being a quiet month, which is fine. We're serious about what we do at mix'n'mac, but it's still the "second job" so a rest is cool. At the moment we're concentrating on increasing our web presence, hence the new blog and twitter links from the website. We've always really built our business on word of mouth, so it was great to have such a fantastic night at the Dalmahoy with Lesley & Johny at the weekend. Never had an impromptu conga before! And certainly not to a Stevie Wonder backing track.

We'd really like some people to feedback or comment on or even join the blog. It'd feel better to know that someone is reading this....

All for now. Murray mania seems to have taken hold. Joy