Brian Holmes
The Big Man in the middle.
First thing's first: Brian played center on his basketball team growing up. He sprouted to 6'2" at age 12! He has since been in a growth drought, severely limiting the expected contract offers from the NBA. What he took away from the hardwood, though, was a dedication to do the small things for the greater good of the team -- setting picks, screening out, throwing the occasional elbow -- eh, the other guy had it coming.
The next place he played center was in the restaurant business -- as in, center of the restaurant, the heart: the kitchen. Though ten delicious years makin' finger lickin' yum aren't enough to have him consider himself a chef, he can make a tri-tip that'll make you wish you had tri-mouths to eat it with. He also proudly notes his membership in PETA (People for the Eating of Tasty Animals).
But if you want to know Brian Holmes -- you know, like "know" Brian Holmes, he's in the following story. Pull up a chair:
Brian was DJing a wedding where the groom had a special bottle of wine -- a bottle he had been given at his graduation from high school. The groom vowed to save it for his wedding. 22 years later, the big day had arrived.
The groom handed the bottle off to the coordinator with a big smile. A few minutes later, the coordinator returned with the bottle's neck broken and a half-hearted (at best) apology. The groom was nearly as shattered as his prized bottle. Brian jumped in and asked the groom if he could try to make a save. The groom shrugged and said, "Sure". Brian went into the kitchen, got a filter and strained the wine into the carafe (for as long as he could until the coordinator burst in and kicked him out). Brian left the kitchen, with the caveat that they actually finish the job for the groom's sake.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, the coordinator walked out proudly with the carafe as if he'd done it all himself. Was Brian upset? Not in the least. He left happy knowing the groom's big moment had been saved.
That's the big man's big heart you hear beating.
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"We had a great time and Brian was wonderfully professional and also very patient with our hard-to-please crowd. Thanks so much for your services!"
-Rowena Chiu, Menlo Circus Club, December 18, 2009
"Brian was GREAT! he really turned some lemons into lemonade at our wedding. As you may have heard it rained at the last minute and Brian helped with the movement of 200 guests from outdoor forum to indoor forum in 20 minutes and was able to provide expert timing in the music from the ceremony to the reception. He truly was a hero! I will definitely recommend him to anyone who even mentions DJ in the future and thank you again for your generosity in providing us with your services ... Denon and Doyle is top notch!!"
-Mike and Minh Ferris, Dunsmuir House, December 6, 2009
"I just want you to know that we are so glad we hired Dennon and Doyle to DJ our Wedding! Brian Holmes was the perfect DJ we had in mind and he did everything we wanted and more! He showed up on time, dressed to impress, and played exactly the kind of music we wanted. Not only was he professional and thorough; but my husband and I did not have to worry about a thing the entire night. Brian made sure everything was taken care of, and the night went as smoothly as possible. It was so nice not to have to worry about a thing!
And lastly, he surprised us with the "shoe game" (it's where the bride and groom stand back to back and the DJ asked a series of questions, and we had to answer by putting my shoe up or my husband's shoe up). I didn't know Brian was going to do that and it was PERFECT!! I have received so many compliments on the DJ, and especially this game! Brian Holmes is an excellent DJ and I would recommend him to anyone! Please, if you need any testomonial from me regarding how pleased I am with Dennon and Doyle, as well as Brian Holmes, be sure to ask me! I would hire Dennon and Doyle again in a second!"
-Lindzie Navarrette, Wine & Roses, November 14, 2009
"Brian was fabulous! He really knows how to get the party started."
-Diane Daily, Pavilion By The Bay, September 12, 2009
"Brian was great! He was very professional - on time and ready to go. I told him that I would tip him large if he kept the dance floor busy and he did. I gave him a list of extra possible songs when he got here and he was able to find and use almost all of them. Thank you, also for your vigilance in finding appropriate music for the dance. Thank you. We hope we can use your company and Brian again."
-David Besin, Woodside Priory, October 3, 2009
"We were thrilled with how our wedding turned out - much due to Brian's work! Brian was not only attentive to us, but followed the crowd's lead in terms of music preferences. Each time I looked out to the dance floor (when I was not on it) it was full! Brian also went out of his way to surprise us with a fun game -- we totally enjoyed it.
Thanks again for such outstanding work. Not only was Brian great, but I had many questions along the way and each member of your team was quick to respond in a very friendly and helpful manner. We will certainly be passing along our recommendations!!!"
-Christine Serventi, Solage Calistoga, September 5, 2009
"Brian was AWESOME!!!! The best if we ever do a party we would love to have him."
-Whitney Mercer, Private Residence, August 29, 2009
"Brian was awesome! He immediately took control of the reception (in a good way). Everything from the entrance to the anniversary dinner to the last dance. He made everyone at the wedding feel special. One of my bridesmaids told a story about a dance we had made up to a song back in high school (Freshman Year) and he found out what the song was and made sure to play it. 'No Diggity' I also asked him to play a few songs -- and he was all over it. He even suggested a picture to the photographer that is by far one of JT and I's favorites: he noticed how much we were dancing, so he put the dj headphones on me and gave JT the mike and we acted like we were spinning. It was so great.
I would highly recommend Brian to all the newlyweds who love to dance and have fun. Our reception was a celebration of the beginning of our lives together. And was it! Everyone was on that dance floor from the Ringbearer, age 7, to my Grandpy, age 90. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
-Paula Demartini, Hotel Monaco, August 22, 2009
"Brian Holmes knocked it out of the park. The whole DJ crew was really helpful and on top of everything the whole night. We felt we had a pretty tall order in having a family member MC over dinner speeches, much of the music picked out but with "gaps" that Brian had to fill in, a live band, and a couple (us) that doesn't like surprises! Brian surprised us with the shoe test but we can't thank him enough for doing so. It became a really great central event of the reception. We are huge music people and Brian took that to heart and really went with it. Thanks again. "
-Briana Curren, San Francisco City Club, August 1, 2009
"Everything went fantastic! Brian played great music that got us onto the dance floor, was extremely classy/professional, and most of all we appreciated the fact that he was very much aware of the time during the evening and kept things on track - we lost track of time and would have run late otherwise!"
-Julian Fong, Bancroft Hotel, June 27, 2009