Q: What is the current lineup of Pineapple Wine?
A: Pineapple Wine always performs as a seven-piece group including guitar, drums, bass, keyboards, trumpet, sax and female lead vocalist. All the men in the band also sing either lead or backround vocals providing rich harmonies and authentic vocal arrangements.



Q: What is the history of Pineapple Wine?
A: In the early seventies 5 guys, all friends since grade school, put a band together to play Rock-n-Roll and have some fun. Our lead singer had recently been to Hawaii where he saw for sale wine made from pineapples...and a name was given to the band! We were asked if we could play for a 25th Wedding Anniversary, so we learned some standards, ballads and polkas, and in June 1973 Pineapple Wine made its first appearance. We were well received and got a booking for a wedding. Through word of mouth Pineapple Wine got more and more bookings. Some events would get booked year after year with the same group. For example, from 1979 until 2007 we played for every New Year's Eve party at Wagner's Country Inn...now we are featured at Harry's Steak House in Independence. There are many families where we have played at the wedding reception for each child.

For the first 15 years, Pineapple Wine performed with 5 male members. Under very friendly circumstances, the lead singer left the group in 1988. We replaced him with a female lead singer, and a few years ago we added a trumpet and sax. A few years ago we replaced our original bass player, but three of the original five members are still with the band, and recently celebrated 30 years of Pineapple Wine!



Q: What type of music do you play?
A: We cover everything from standards and big band up to today's top 40 hits. We specialize in dance music from the last 6 decades.



Q: For what type of events are you available?
A: We perform at weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, corporate events, anniversary parties and occasionally in nightclubs.



Q: How far from Cleveland will you play?
A: Pineapple Wine prefers to play in the Northeast Ohio area, within 2 hours of Cleveland. This area includes Warren and Youngstown to the East, Akron and Canton to the South, and Lorain and Sandusky to the West. If the reception is more than 1 hour from Cleveland, we would charge an extra fee for the longer travel time.



Q: How long do you play and how many breaks do you take?
A: Most parties are four hours in which we will generally take three fifteen-minute breaks. During our breaks we play CD's through our system FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE giving you continuous music. Some other bands charge extra for this service. In addition, as soon as we have our speakers setup, we provide backround music even before we begin performing. If you want us to perform for an extra hour of music, an additional fee will be charged.

Ask us about our partners in fun, The Soulmen, Blues Brothers imitators to entertain when we are on break.






Q: When do you arrive to setup?
A: Generally, we arrive about 90 minutes before our contracted starting time. This gives us enough time to have our speakers setup and have music playing one hour before we actually play. While this music is playing we continue to get ready, tuning instruments, hooking up microphones, etc. If it is desired that we setup 2 or more hours before the start time, an extra fee may be charged.



Q: Why is your price so much less than other bands?
A: Pineapple Wine is not a business, but rather a group of friends that enjoys playing every weekend. Every member of the band has a regular job, so we do not depend on the band for our livelihood. In addition, Pineapple Wine has low overhead...we do everything ourselves! We do not use roadies to setup the equipment, we do not use technicians to work the lights, we do not use sound men to control the sound...we do it ourselves. In fact, even this website was put together and maintained by one of the band members. Other "orchestras", "productions" or "companies" have many extra people to pay, besides the musicians you see on stage!

But most importantly, we simply LOVE to play! We have so much fun playing we want to do it as much as possible, so we charge a FAIR and REASONABLE price, but we can keep our price low so more people can afford us.



Q: How do you control the volume?
A: We have a high-powered "state of the art" sound system for superb sound with volume levels adjusted to YOUR preference. Over the years we have noticed that the proper volume is often a concern and we make that one of our priorities. I'm sure you have experienced a party that was virtually ruined because the band or DJ was "too loud". Throughout the evening, one or more of the members will go out onto the dance floor and listen to our overall volume and we will adjust accordingly.

We generally start out very quietly as we provide backround music during dinner, then turn up a little as the action heats up. We never overpower your guests, as we want to please ALL of them, even the oldest members of your gathering.



Q: What are the advantages of using a live band?
A: Live music creates REAL energy and excitement, which simply cannot be captured by recorded music played by a DJ. We can create a mood that will get the crowd dancing without having to resort to the kinds of antics that DJs sometimes use.



Q: Will you learn a special request?
A: Usually one or two as long as you provide us with a tape or CD no later than 2 months prior to the date of your party.



Q: How do we pick the songs we want to be played at the reception?
A. About a month before the date, we will ask you to take a look at our songlist on this website. You'll think about which song you want for your first dance, for you special dance during the night, etc. Also we need to know about 15 or 20 of our songs that you REALLY want, along with maybe a few that you really DON'T want. We want to get a feel for what you are looking for...more polkas, less polkas, more oldies, less oldies, etc. The rest we will fill in from our experience of handling a crowd.



Q: How does the band dress for a wedding reception?
A. The gentlemen in the band wear tuxes and our female vocalist wears formal evening attire.



Q: Is it possible to view the band?
A: Occasionally we play local night clubs, and arrangements can usually be made to come out to a function and view the band. However, each facility has it's own guidelines. So give us a call to make arrangements in advance. Go to the page that has our schedule to find out when and where we will be playing.