Arlen Music Productions

There are truly NO WORDS to describe Ken Arlen’s EVOLUTION ORCHESTRA. Wedding bands were my now husband’s only priority when we began planning. Ken was the first director that we met with, and we HAD to have him. My husband, a «sneakerhead,» even gave up wearing Jordans in the ceremony to have Evolution Orchestra. From the moment that the cocktail hour began with the electric violins to the final song of the evening from the 15 piece band, our guests NEVER stopped dancing. By having a dance set immediately following our first dance, guests did not have a chance to lose interest in our reception. They were continuously drawn in, dancing EVEN during dinner courses. There was literally NO MOMENT where someone was not on the dance floor from beginning to end. The atmosphere of our reception was ELECTRIC! We were married on October 10, 2015 at people ARE STILL talking about how incredible the music was. In fact, family friends who attended our wedding just got engaged and their first choice for a band at their reception is Ken Arlen Productions. I have two younger sisters, and they, too, have already selected their wedding band for when the day comes. WE TRULY CANNOT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE AMAZING KEN ARLEN PRODUCTIONS!

Top notch! We hired Arlen Music Productions for the pianist at our wedding ceremony in October. A good friend of mine was singing the song to which I would walk down the aisle and I needed someone to accompany him while also providing instrumental music for the rest of the ceremony. They charge by the hour so it worked perfectly for the pianist to play the needed ceremony music (4 full or partial songs in total) and music for the half hour before the ceremony as guests arrived. They also included having the pianist arrive ½ hour early to practice with my vocalist friend. I dealt with Mike in communicating my song preferences. Being the Broadway fanatic that I am they were all Broadway show tunes and all but one they already had the sheet music. The remaining song they took care of getting the music for their use. They even worked directly with my vocalist friend regarding the key for his song.
The number 1 reason why Arlen Music was so great? After booking them I hardly gave it another thought– including the day-​of. After telling Mike what I was looking for and we finalized the contract all I did was send a quick email the week before asking for our pianist’s name, confirming location and time details and providing contact information for my good friend who was serving as my day-​of coordinator. On the day of my wedding I arrived at the venue to find my friend practicing with the pianist. That was the only interaction I had with him. As a former event planner I can’t express how wonderful it was to not have to give it a second thought on my wedding day when I wanted my only concern to be having a good time and enjoying the moment. Everything was seamless and I had my friend deal with giving him the final payment and tip.
Other reasons why I was impressed by our pianist:
1) My friend who sang for the ceremony was. My friend knows music. He was a musical theater major in college and used to make a living doing musical theater. He told me that he was impressed by our pianist’s skill and professionalism and his seal of approval is my seal of approval.
2) He had a sense of humor and knew how to improvise. We had a little snafu with seating before the ceremony. I had wanted seating of guests flipped from that traditional bride’s family and friends on the left and groom’s on the right. This way my people could see my face during the ceremony and my groom’s family could see his. Well, apparently someone noticed it wasn’t the traditional way and thought it was by mistake so they announced for the guests to switch sides. Then, just before the ceremony one of my friends noticed and told them that the original seating was intentional so they then made another announcement for everyone to get up and once again switch sides. The whole thing was rather absurd and comical. I later found out from our officiant that when guests were once again switching sides following the second announcement the pianist started playing the Jeopardy theme song. Well played, Sir– I totally appreciate him making light of an already silly moment.

My now husband and I gave the honor to my father to find the entertainment for our wedding, knowing that we would not be disappointed with his choice. Based on his deep passion for music and entertainment he found Ken Arlen and the Evolution Orchestra, and all we can say is WOW! He is the sole reason we were introduced to this amazing orchestra, and we are forever grateful for his decision to hire Ken and the rest of these amazingly talented musicians and performers.
Our wedding was 2 weeks ago, and still people are asking how we came upon Ken and the Evolution Orchestra. From the moment cocktail hour started it was an array of beautiful classical strings, that forever set the memory of elegance and romance in our minds. We had no idea that the night could get even more spectacular. The ballroom opened to our guests, and within minutes Ken had us tearing up the dance floor with our family and friends. Our guests were loving the opportunity to dance before dinner even started! Ken did a spectacular job of drawing our guests in to all of our wonderful moments, such as cutting the cake and having our firsts dances. The Evolution Orchestra was not just a wedding band, but a truly talented group of performers. Guests were raving that the cover renditions of many songs sounded better than the originals!
Now you would think dinner was a time for the band to take a break, but No! again the strings emerged with modern rock classics. Many guests chose to bypass the salad course as they belted out the string version of Bohemian Rhapsody. My husband and I sat along with our guests in absolute amazement! We could not believe what an amazing group of talented and artistic performers we were in the company of. We were, and still are, so honored to have Ken and his orchestra perform and truly make the most memorable experience of our wedding.
For our wedding the music was one of the most integral parts of the night, and from the moment our celebration started Ken and his fellow musician set the most amazing atmosphere in our Grand Ballroom celebration! Ken listened to all of our requests, and played everything we requested and more. It was as if he knew exactly what we all wanted to hear before we knew ourselves! For the entire night our guests couldn’t even be told to stop dancing, and the dance floor was packed from beginning to end!
We are forever grateful to Ken and the entire Evolution Orchestra. Arlen Music Productions truly is the best decision we ever made. Hands down the best orchestra, and most talented and professional group of musician in Chicago for any event!
— Colleen & John

Choosing Arlen’s Front of House band for our wedding was the best decision we ever made. There are almost no words to properly describe how AMAZING this band truly is. We were married on October 24^th, 2015, and people have not stopped talking about the band since. David, the band leader, does such a fantastic job – every song sounds like the original version, but with added excitement and pizzaz. It was actually hard to get people to sit down for their food, as they were all on the dance floor the entire time. We couldn’t believe it. The band was probably the most important component of our wedding, and boy, did we choose right. These guys are the real deal – hands down the best wedding band in Chicago.

Wedding May 23, 2015
My husband and I extensively researched bands for our wedding. Entourage was the first one we listened to and, out of the list of bands to consider, we kept coming back to, and we are so happy we selected Entourage! My husband and I and my parents could not have been more impressed. From the first song, we knew the dance floor would be packed all night. They played a variety of the music from the songs we selected and each song, regardless of genre, was fantastic. My 80 year old grandmother and my parents were just a few of a hundred guests who never left the dance floor. They really made the night perfect and we are still being complemented on how amazing the band was!

For our wedding on 3÷28÷2015 we hired Indigo to play and it was the best decision we ever made.
Our dance floor was packed from the moment they started playing and no one stopped dancing until the last song. Every song they cover sounds better than the original and their vocalists are unparalleled.
We worked with Dan Nicholson, who was the bandleader for Indigo, and he was so wonderful to work with from start to finish. He listened to our ideas, offered great suggestions, and made sure that the dance floor was packed. He was also a wonderful MC throughout the evening, making our reception run smoothly.
Everyone who talked to us after our wedding had something great to say about the band and wanted to know who we used. We highly recommend Indigo and Arlen Music Productions, you cannot find anyone better.

Front of House rocked the house at our July 2014 wedding! First of all, this band sounds so perfect that I felt like the recordings of the originals were playing all night. I had a friend tell me she felt like Rihanna was actually present! We considered many bands and Front of House’s sound and professionalism was unmatched. If you like their online samples, they sound even better in person! From the inquiry process, wedding planning meetings, last minute changes, and day of coordination and performances, the Ken Arlen Group and Front of House were absolutely professional and outright amazing to work with. David, the band leader, in addition to having a beautiful voice, musical versatility, and a fabulous MC personality, is very organized and experienced. He really understands how weddings flow and how to keep the dance floor packed all night long. We trusted his instincts and our dance floor was packed from the first song to the last. The group learned and perfectly performed our first dance song (without sheet music, but from a YouTube cover!) with ease as well as a few other tunes that weren’t in their rotation list. They exceeded our every expectation, and we will be recommending them to every couple we know. Front of House is a class act that’s worth every penny– they were the highlight of the night and made our wedding an unforgettable night of fun and dancing! Go ahead and make the best decision of your wedding planning and book them now.

I cannot even begin to express how f*cking (pardon my French) awesome David Sherman & the entire Front of House band is.
They played our wedding on November 1, 2014, and it was better than I could have ever imagined. They were on top of everything the entire night, even making sure myself and my husband were happy with how the evening was going.
The music, vocals, MCing, and everything was beyond incredible. The one «wish» I had for our wedding was that the dance floor would be packed the entire night, and I kid you not, it was overflowing ALL night long.
Aside from the actual «product», dealing with David and everyone at Arlen Music Productions was so easy and professional, and we never once felt that they didn’t have everything under control.
November 1, 2014 was truly the greatest day/​night ever, and FOH played a HUGE role in that. I would recommend them to anyone, for anything… I just can’t wait until I get to go to a wedding that they are playing at so I can hear them again!

Front of House… WOW!!! David Sherman… AMAZING!!! This band played at my wedding this past Sat ¹⁰⁄₂₅ and just rocked the night away. The dance floor was packed the entire night. We got so many compliments about the band… they made our party. We met with them beforehand and they honored all of our requests. They were super easy to get ahold of before the wedding and also made sure we were happy the night of the event. We highly recommend them!

David Sherman — Front of House — Played our wedding on 9÷6÷2014. Party. Hard.
They were absolutely wonderful. No one touched their cake cause every seat was vacant. I could not have been more pleased with their performance and attitude. Give ‘em a call.

FRONT OF HOUSE BAND ROCKED! They traveled to WI for my wedding and they were amazing! Highly recommend!

‘Front of House’ came highly recommended by our wedding planner and after meeting the band leader (David) and seeing some video/​audio, we decided to hire them for our wedding at the Peninsula on 8.31.14. They were absolutely awesome and we couldn’t be any happier. Their great music and high energy level kept our guests on the dance floor the ENTIRE night, outside of meals and toasts. We highly recommend FOH because not only will your party rock, but David is really cool and easy to communicate with.
Jennifer & Ted

A live band was a must for my daughter’s wedding because of the sound and energy the performers bring to the party and also because the leader of the band is supposed to be skilled at reading the crowd and tailor the music choices to the mood in the room. We chose David Sherman and FRONT of HOUSE because their sound on their website was equally great no matter what genre they were playing. They are the professionals we hoped for and more!
As part of the planning process, David guided our choices and explained how and why some choices work better than others. The ceremony music we chose was lovely as was the cocktail hour music. The band roared to life as the doors to the ballroom were opened, and no one had to be encouraged to take to the dance floor or to stay there all evening. Our guests have been raving about the band, which to us is one of the top two most important ingredients for a successful party.
I can’t wait to see our wedding DVD because, like most party hosts, I was too distracted to concentrate on any one thing for more than a minute and I want to hear the band again. Another reason why David was so valuable — we had a tight timeline to which David adhered faultlessly. I had perfect confidence in his ability to manage the events of the evening. Several times during the evening I found David at my shoulder asking if I was ready for one thing or another and if all was well. It doesn’t hurt that he looks like and is as gracious as Prince Charming. Oh, and did I mention that he is a fabulous musician and performer? He seems to love his work. He has made countless hosts very happy and has brought out the joy in their guests.

We decided to hire ‘Front of House’ for entertainment at our wedding, and there’s no doubt in my mind that we made the right decision. Our wedding this past weekend was absolutely spectacular, and they were a huge part of that. They had the crowd going the entire time, were attentive to our requests and style, and truly were entertainers. We’ve received endless compliments already about our band, and would highly recommend them to anyone for any event. They made our night exactly what we dreamed it would be!

You have got to be kidding me, Indigo!
I’ve been lucky enough to attend my share of weddings, and I have two sisters who got married before me — I’ve seen my share of Chicago bands! That’s why, when our wedding came around, I knew exactly who I wanted — INDIGO. I actually booked them before I booked any other vendors!
They know how to own a room and keep people up and dancing for hours on end! They play such a well-​balanced mix of music for every person — even the older people at our wedding were up jamming! On top of that, they’re just an amazingly fun and kind group of people who made sure that we were happy every step of the way. I cannot say enough about them — and neither can all of the people who attended our wedding! I’ve already been asked for their contact info by 5 friends!
Thanks so much, Indigo, for making our night so perfect!

When deciding on a band and entertainment for our ceremony we had a many choices. We watched Front of House during a free concert and we were amazed; we brought some friends along who said it was more like a concert than a band! After meeting Mike Goldman with Arlen Music and his band leader David Sherman we knew we had the right team to make our event memorable.
We had a specific type of music we wanted played and they not only listened but came through for us. We also asked David to sing us a special song we had chosen during dinner and he made it fun and personal. Late in the evening they started to play music we didn’t ask for, but everyone was having a great time — as he mentioned, he knows the feel of the crowd so it worked out great. But be sure to be specific to what you want to be sure they know.
They made us feel and our ceremony feel important to them and that it wasn’t going to be just another ceremony… it was going to be just as important to them as to us. What we didn’t want was another wedding band, we wanted our guests to feel like they were at a concert… and they sure did. Our guests were blown away by their sound & appearance.
We would certainly work with them again and would recommend them for anyone who wants a great, professional band who is able to customize to any event.

Ken Arlen is the best band in Chicago, hands down!
My husband and I saw them at several weddings before we were even engaged, and every time, we said to each other, «This band is amazing; we have to have it.» We were ecstatic (jumping up and down) when we found out that my parents had already booked them probably seconds after my husband proposed.
People will say that booking a good band is the single most important wedding decision, and it is. After months of planning, you want your guests, your partner, and you to all have the best time of your lives. With Ken Arlen’s band, rockin’ n rollin’, raging, and having fun is guaranteed. This band is amazing!
Ken was so warm and lovely to work with in our meetings beforehand. His assistant Pam was thorough and prompt in answering email, as well. Then, on our wedding day… magic happened. Honestly, these are the most talented musicians in Chicago. My friends were continually in awe of how good they were. My bridesmaid said that she and my other friends kept telling each other, «This is ridiculous. It’s like a wedding and a concert at the same time.» People were rocking out even during dinner.
Ken Arlen’s Orchestra was crucial in making our wedding the best experience of our lives. I may never have that much fun again, and I’m pretty okay with that. We raged, we danced our asses off — and then my husband and I stayed up all night talking about how amazing it was. It was such an overwhelmingly wonderful celebration!
As a side note, my dad was so smitten with the band, he and I have talked about trying to become roadies. If you’re ever wondering who the weirdo wedding crashers at your wedding are, it’s probably us (just kidding) (Sorry I’m not sorry)(no really though, just kidding).

As good as gets.
Got to hand it to this band and Ken Arlen, they have hots of range and put on terrific event at recent wedding was at. Clearly, they have lots of experience and I’m certain they made both families very happy. Got the entire package described by others with dancing violinists and the entire package.
Can’t see from artistic point, or frankly andy point of view how you could go wrong with them.

…and I would give 5 MILLION stars if I could.
We hired Entourage for our home wedding after loving their performance at my sister’s wedding two years ago. They impressed us then and completely blew us away now. After just one meeting with David Young (MC/​trumpeter/​genius), he understood the vibe that we were going for and executed it perfectly. And we can tell that it’s all a testament to the band’s versatility because it was quite a different vibe that my sister was going for at her wedding (sophisticated/​elegant at my sisters; a bit more alternative/​casual at ours). Pretty much EVERY guest had come up to us by the end of the night saying, «THIS BAND IS AMAZING. Where did you find them?!»
Another great thing about David Young and Entourage is that they really went out of their way to learn what we wanted. We provided them with a list of about 15 songs that we love and hoped they might know. We weren’t too optimistic, as they were also quite random! But he said that even though they didn’t know any of them, they’d learn 8 or 9 of them just for the wedding. Um, IMPRESSIVE! We noticed every time one of those songs came on and loved every minute.
In sum, AAAMMMAAAZZZIIINNNGGG. You’d be silly to hire anyone else. :)

Arlen is a company with a couple different bands. We used Entourage, which is one of the slightly smaller (and cheaper) options for our wedding in August, and they were PHENOMENAL. We got compliments all night long on the band, and a number of people asked for their info. The minute they started playing the dance floor was packed. They had some great suggestions on the order of events that helped improve the flow of the night and guarantee people would be out on the floor shaking their groove thing. David, the band leader, is charismatic and made a great MC for the night.
Highly recommend if you’re looking for a wedding band in Chicago!