Eric Nicolas here, writing to tell you some basics about One Love. I started the band in the mid-’90s, playing a few Fridays a month to crazy-happy dancing crowds at Manhattan’s legendary Le Bar Bat and at other clubs around New York.
We didn’t call ourselves an "event band" or a "party band" or a "wedding band." But we soon found that our way with a crowd did lend itself to those kinds of shindigs.
Through hundreds of shows and private events on three continents, we’ve secured our reputation as one of the reliably, truly great party bands of the East Coast.
NYC has the deepest talent pool on earth. I’ve always been blessed with the greatest, most versatile and positive-minded players. Our members have performed and recorded with The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Bon Jovi, Prince, Cyndi Lauper, Ray Charles, Rod Stewart, Britney Spears, and many others.
Despite the star power of our band members’ resumés, One Love’s main lineup has remained stable year after year, and band members make a point of maintaining their positions. When, as occasionally happens, a player must take leave for a tour, s/he is seamlessly covered by a One Love colleague. One former long-term member is currently (as of this writing) touring with Sting, another with Bruce Springsteen. That’s show biz...
One Love’s secret weapon is our vast and very diverse repertoire. People ask me what style I "really" play; what do I like best?
Truth: while we each may be "more" funk, or rock, or jazz fans in our private moments, as a band we really love playing every genre – as long as our audience is having fun, so are we.
We customize every event to our clients’ tastes, requests and desires. I’ve honed an ability to read a crowd and call the right song at the perfect time that’s pretty well-known by now: this keeps every dance floor full and the crowd going nuts until the very last song (and, not unusually, the encore song after that). Everybody – our audience and us – goes home wrung out and happy.
Every single event is important to us, and when we play for you, you are our top priority. When you want to connect, you have our full attention.
If you’re thinking about booking us, we’ll make time for a preliminary meeting or phone call right away, so we can start to get to know you and learn about the kind of event you are planning. Once you engage One Love you have full access to both me and managing director/bandmember Melissa Rodnon, and we welcome you to email, call or text us at any time, with any kind of question.
We come to every party as if it were the most important event we’ve ever done – because right then, it is. Whether a wedding or any other kind of celebration, we know that your party is the most important night of the year for you, and we will give it the respect and attention it deserves.
How big is the band?
One Love can rock a party at any size, from Eric’s popular solo acoustic guitar & vocal set to our full-strength 15-piece band. Our most popular band size is the 10-piece, including three lead singers and our crushing three-piece horn section. See below for more details about band configurations and options for all kinds of celebrations.
Will you learn new songs?
YES. We customize the repertoire for every party, based on your requests and tastes. While our song list is extensive across every genre, there may be a special song – or two, or five – that you want to hear that is not already on our list. We’ll gladly learn your special requests.
Do you travel?
YES. While New York City is our home base, One Love has flown all over the US, and to Mexico, the Caribbean, Brazil and Europe to perform at private events. We regularly travel up and down the east coast, and our “local” area includes most of NY, NJ, CT & RI.
Do you carry insurance?
YES. We have a comprehensive $2M General Liability Policy.
Do you come with a sound system?
YES. We travel with a top-of-the-line sound system and our own professional engineer, who makes sure that the music sounds great – and is never too loud – all night long.
What if there’s a hurricane?
Many of you will be planning beautiful outdoor summertime weddings, and while we can manage every detail of the music for your party, no one controls the weather. In the event that your event cannot take place due to an extreme weather event or other civic crisis, we will work with you to reschedule, at no extra charge.
DANCE BAND OPTIONS
One Love can be as big or as small as your party calls for, based on your budget, your desired repertoire, and the size of your party.
Below are our most popular configurations for a full dinner-and-dancing celebration.
Larger or smaller bands also available.ONE LOVE 12pc FULL-STRENGTH DANCE BAND – best for parties over 200 guests
Guitar/lead vocal, bass, drums, keys, 1 lead male vocalist, 2 lead female vocalists, sax, trumpet, trombone, violin, percussion
ONE LOVE 10pc COMPLETE DANCE BAND – best for parties over 150 guests *most popular*
Guitar/lead vocal, bass, drums, keys, 1 lead male vocalist, 2 lead female vocalists, sax, trumpet, trombone
ONE LOVE 8pc CORE DANCE BAND – best for parties under 120 guests
Guitar/lead vocal, bass, drums, keys, 1 lead male vocalist, 2 lead female vocalists, sax
ONE LOVE 7pc BASIC DANCE BAND – best for parties under 100 guests
Guitar/lead vocal, bass, drums, keys, 1 lead male vocalist, 1 lead female vocalist, sax
Popular additions:
Violin (rock, country, classical for ceremony)
Percussion (Latin, rock, acoustic sets for dinner)
2nd sax (for a full horn section)
CEREMONY ENSEMBLES
While the traditional classical string quartet will always be a favorite, One Love offers some fun and unique options for your ceremony. In addition to classical music, all of our ceremony ensembles can play classical-sounding arrangements of your favorite songs, from Beatles to Top 40.
CLASSICAL GUITAR
CLASSICAL GUITAR with FLUTE *most popular*
CLASSICAL GUITAR with VIOLIN or CLASSICAL TRUMPET
PIANO with VIOLIN, FLUTE or CLASSICAL TRUMPET
CLASSICAL STRING TRIO
CLASSICAL STRING QUARTET
FULL CHAMBER ENSEMBLE (strings, 5pc or more)
Ceremony pricing includes custom arrangements of any songs you request for your Processional, Bride’s Processional, and Recessional.
COCKTAIL ENSEMBLES
Most of our clients choose our classic jazz trio for their cocktail hour. Piano, bass and sax offers elegant and lively background music while your guests are greeting each other and mingling, before or after your ceremony.
As with the rest of your party, we customize… we’ll talk about exactly what you want, advise as needed, and create a small ensemble for your cocktail hour to reflect any tastes.
Some popular cocktail options include:
BRAZILIAN JAZZ and BOSSANOVA
BLUEGRASS/ ROOTS BLUES/ AMERICAN FOLK / COUNTRY
SINGER-SONGWRITER (piano or guitar)
CLASSICAL CHAMBER MUSIC
FUN STUFF WE CAN ALSO DO
GOSPEL
One Love partners with a roof-raising gospel choir that can be an unforgettable addition to any ceremony or party. Their repertoire includes traditional gospel as well as their own arrangements of R&B classics, Top 40 and more. Typical choir size is 8-12 singers, but can it be as big as fifty.
BAGPIPES
Whether your family’s roots are in the Scottish Highlands or you just like the sound, our authentic Pipe Major in complete traditional uniform will welcome your guests for the Gathering before your ceremony, lead them to your cocktail hour afterwards, or perform at any part of your event.
HORA / FREILACH / JEWISH
One Love has done hundreds of Jewish weddings, from assimilated Reform to the strictest Orthodox celebrations minus female singers. Our horn section is led by our sax player who also plays authentic Klezmer on clarinet, and our hora sets can go as long as your families and friends can keep dancing.
BIG BAND
The timeless sound of a Big Band orchestra is a perennial favorite, especially for retro/classy New York-themed parties. Orchestras can be as big as space allows.
BRAZILIAN SAMBA
Eric and Melissa’s long involvement with the music of Brazil has connected One Love with the best Brazilian musicians in New York, including Samba drum corps, Samba dancers, Maracatu drum corps, Brazilian jazz ensembles, Brazilian vocalists and more.
TRADITIONAL GREEK MUSIC
One of our lead female vocalists is Greek-American, and though raised in Queens, NY, has lived in Greece where she had a successful career as a Greek pop star. She’s devoted to the authenticity of her culture’s music, and if you would like the Kalamatianos, Zebekiko, Sorti or Tsifteteli danced at your wedding, One Love can do it!
ITALIAN, FRENCH, SPANISH AND MORE
Our love of world music and our fluency with Romance languages has delighted families with Italian, French or Spanish / Latin roots. Eric speaks and sings in fluent Italian, French and Portuguese, Melissa in French and Portuguese, and everyone can sing in Spanish. Eric has even sung in Japanese, which he learned syllable-by-syllable for a Japanese-American bride!
CLASSICAL AND CHAMBER ENSEMBLES
Traditional string trios or quartets lend elegance to ceremonies and cocktail parties. Our top-level players have an enormous classical repertoire and can also play classical-esque arrangements of your favorite songs.