We decided to put together a medley of some songs to fill our 13 allotted minutes. We hope you’ll enjoy it!

Total Eclipse from Soundwaves on Vimeo.

Free admission.

Proceeds and donations go to the victims of last week’s deadly fire in San Bruno.

Total Eclipse goes on stage at 4pm.

The full line up includes: The Royal Criminals, Miranda Guerrero & Cassandra Cu, Brandon Zahursky, Koreena Walsh, Justin Purtill, Jeff Desira, The Pearl Alley Band, Total Eclipse, Kevy Nova, The Refugees, and Native Elements! There is more information available on Facebook

Hopefully you will find this site easier to navigate, with more information, videos, recordings, photos and updates on our upcoming events.

We also hope that you’ll find it much easier to communicate with us, by leaving comments, sharing your personal photos and videos of the band and a updated way to request us for your next event!

There will most certainly be some cosmetic improvements to the site that will be ongoing, as well as new functionality added on a regular basis. If you have any suggestions on how we can improve the site or your experience here, please let us know in the comments section.

We are not your typical cover band. If you are looking for ‘Brick House’ or ‘Play That Funky Music,’ keep looking… but if you are ready for an impressive mix of rock and pop tunes from the rocking days of the mid 70’s to the new wave progression of the 80’s, then WE are the band for you!

If you’re interested in hiring us for your next event, please take the time to submit a Total Eclipse Gig Request Form. You can see some testimonials from a few of our past clients and fans by visiting the Total Eclipse Testimonials page. There are photos in the Total Eclipse Photo Gallery. Our set list and some demo recordings are available on the Total Eclipse Set List page.

We’re here to help.

There are several resources available to get you in touch with the perfect band for your event.

1. Ask your friends.

   There is no substitute for the recommendation from a friend. Roughly 40% of the gigs that Total Eclipse has booked have come from direct referrals by friends and family. Two summers ago, we played for the birthday party of a friend´s daughter. One of the few adults at the party recommended us for an anniversary party another friend was having. Since playing the anniversary party, we´ve booked six more gigs all in the same circle of friends. Chances are a close friend or co-worker will have a recommendation for you.

2. Party or Wedding Planners.

   If you´ve hired a wedding or party planner to help make arrangements, they almost certainly have a list of bands that they have worked with in the past. Even if you haven´t hired a professional planner, it is possible that a quick phone call or email to one might net you a few phone numbers or web addresses to check out.

3. Craigslist.

   Place a post in the Musicians or Gigs category on your local Craigslist page. Make sure you list your budget and request audio or video samples from the responders. The more details about the party you can give, such as location, date, time, number of guests, and the like, the higher quality responses you´ll get. You´ll likely get a ton of emails and will have to wade through them, but it´s almost guaranteed that you´ll find someone who can provide exactly the type of entertainment you´re seeking.

4. Gigmasters and GigSalad.

   These are a couple of online band directories that actually let you hear samples, view photos and set lists, and contact the band all in one place. With Gigmasters, you can even book the band and pay their deposit online. Additionally, they will send you reminders and checklists to keep everything on schedule leading up to the event. View one of the following examples: Total Eclipse´s Gigmasters Page or Total Eclipse´s GigSalad Page.

5. Local Music Stores.

   Most music (instrument) stores like Guitar Center have a bulletin board where bands put their cards or fliers advertising their services. You could put your own notice up that you are looking for a band. Again, the more details you can provide, the better responses you´ll get. Alternatively, you could ask the employees, who almost certainly play in bands themselves.

6. Google Search.

   This is likely how you found this article, right? Why not give it a try to find a band to play your event? Try searching for the combination of your city and “party band” or “wedding band.” You could try searching for a particular genre, too. Try “disco band” or “cover band” and see what comes up. It´s worth a shot!

Hopefully by now you´ve been able to find the perfect band for your event. If not, you could always try contacting us for help; Total Eclipse may even be available. You can fill out a gig request here.

The first thing you really need to do is find out how much other bands in your area are charging to play similar events. You don’t want to price yourself out of competition by charging way more than any other band in town (unless your band has something REALLY special). You want to be careful about severely undercutting other bands around because that can really destroy the market. It’s all about Economics 101.

The next thing that you should do is determine exactly how much time it takes to do a complete setup and teardown of all your equipment, including time for a sound check. You should have a set (base) price in mind that makes it worthwhile to load your PA and light gear, instruments, etc into your cars and set it all up.

The next item on the list is distance and travel. Is the event outside of your local travel area? Is it going to require an overnight stay? You will need to factor in these costs.

What type of event are you bidding on? Private parties, weddings, and corporate events all have different budget ranges. Clients who are hosting an anniversary or birthday party at their home aren’t going to be willing to pay as much as a wedding party who is throwing a bash for 200 of their closest friends and family.

If you want, you can set your price based on an hourly rate with different rates for different types of events. Be sure that you include an overtime rate in the event the party lasts longer than scheduled, or you’re asked to stick around and play more.

You can also base your bid on the number of people who will be in attendance at the party. This is a similar concept to how caterers would price an event.

Whatever methods you choose to determine your price, don’t forget to put everything in writing and work out all the details of payment in advance so that there are no issues later.

Real world example:

Total Eclipse uses a combination of these methods to determine how much to charge.

Typically, we use a base price for the setup/teardown time. Then we add a reasonable amount per band member for travel outside of a local 100-mile area radius. Finally, based on our research of the local music scene, we estimate a dollar amount per guest. For instance, where we might estimate $8 per guest for a birthday party, we could estimate $20 or more per guest for a large wedding.