We have long been considered one of the top bands in Southern California, having performed at more than 1000 private events. Kicks has performed both nationally and internationally for the highest level of social, nonprofit, and corporate events. Most of our private events are in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. Our song list spans from the best music of today to Motown, 70's dance & classic rock, 80's, 60's, 50's, etc. We include a DJ for band breaks, so your event will keep that fun high energy all through the night with nonstop dancing.
Services
Kicks, a variety dance band from San Diego, has had tremendous success since its inception in 1981. Playing a variety of music spanning 6 decades has always been a key to their success. Kicks started in the early 80's working full time in the clubs of Southern California. In the mid-80's Kicks branched out into the casino circuit in Nevada and also corporate events for some of the largest companies in the world.
Kicks variety dance band was founded in the early 1980's by vocalist/keyboardist/bassist Gary Hartson. For over 30 years Gary Hartson and his San Diego based band Kicks have provided music and entertainment tailored to meet the individual needs of his many clients. The band's musical versatility and talented musicians have made Kicks the most popular and sought after band in Southern California.
With over 600 weddings in the last 25 years, Kicks has performed at nearly every major wedding venue in Southern California. Our extensive experience guarantees your wedding will be handled in a professional, classy, and fun style. We are experts in providing the perfect mood for your wedding. From light background music during dinner for conversation, to up tempo dance music, to our state-of-the-art sound system, Kicks always provides the perfect touch.Our fantastic singers and musicians also provide unforgettable ceremony performances.
Where is your company's next event? At a sunny resort in San Diego or Los Angeles? Maybe in beautiful San Francisco or exciting Las Vegas? Wherever you choose for your corporate meeting make sure you have the finest in corporate entertainment with Kicks. Planning a wedding? This is one day in your life where you cannot take any chances, especially with your entertainment.
Reviews (8)
Melanie S.
Jun 05, 2020
My husband and I greatly respect the lead of the band, Gary. We hired Kicks over a year ago for our wedding in April after seeing them perform at two functions - once at a bar as a showcase and once at a cooperate event. We were very impressed both times. They are a fun group, and all of the band members are very talented. We "interviewed" a few bands prior to choosing Kicks, but we felt most comfortable with Kicks, largely because we felt that Gary seemed honest, real, and nice to work with, compared to other bands that treated us more like a number and just wanted to get our business.
We never felt that way with Gary. Unfortunately, our wedding fell in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we were forced to cancel our reception. Despite the band's lack of business and income during COVID-19, Gary was so understanding and empathetic and promised that he would provide us a full refund. He is a class act guy, honest, down to earth, and easy to work with!
Prior to canceling our event, we had spoken with him on the phone multiple times, and he even met us at our venue to review logistics and set up. Although we were unable to have Kicks for our event, we highly recommend them for the reasons above.
We never felt that way with Gary. Unfortunately, our wedding fell in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we were forced to cancel our reception. Despite the band's lack of business and income during COVID-19, Gary was so understanding and empathetic and promised that he would provide us a full refund. He is a class act guy, honest, down to earth, and easy to work with!
Prior to canceling our event, we had spoken with him on the phone multiple times, and he even met us at our venue to review logistics and set up. Although we were unable to have Kicks for our event, we highly recommend them for the reasons above.
Emilee V.
Nov 19, 2018
This review is for Gary (part of Kicks band) who was the DJ for my wedding Oct 27th 2018. He has been the DJ for over 200 weddings and has loads of experience yet is so affordable! He kept everything on track and was so fun and easy going. PERFECT for the wedding. I had multiple guests coming up to me telling me how great the DJ was. He's super nice and professional, easy to get ahold of, and had lots of great suggestions when I had questions. Thanks SO MUCH for making my wedding so special!
Caroline H.
Jan 19, 2018
Kicks performed at my wedding and wow- the group did a great job entertaining the guests. They really gage the audience and know what to play to get the crowd going. They also guided us with our wedding timeline and it made the whole event go smooth without a dull moment for our guests. Our guests left our wedding stating it was the best wedding they have ever been to and everyone had a blast. Gary provided, DJ, music, lights, guitar player for the ceremony and an awesome band. The band members were so GOOD LOOKING and dressed nice to the wedding, and sang and danced on stage. GREAT ENTERTAINMENT- which can make or break a WEDDING.
Cicely P.
Feb 21, 2017
My guests and I were thoroughly impressed with Kicks band at our wedding last month! They have a great list of fun songs perfect for all ages to dance all night. Gary also helped contract a string trio for the ceremony at the Prado. I was sold after watching performance videos of several local bands online- they are definitely the best! Highly recommend.
Amanda M.
Apr 17, 2016
This review is for Gary who DJ'ed my wedding in January 2016. I was planning my wedding from across the country and for whatever reason, I was having the WORST luck finding a band or DJ. Everyone was so unresponsive or rude, but Gary was my shining light! He was very responsive and checked in with me when I was still making my decision to see if I had any questions.
I originally wanted a band, but found it to be way out of our budget, so Gary worked with me to come up with a perfect option for our wedding. I was in panic mode a week prior to my wedding because my coordinator wasn't being very responsive or transparent with me, and Gary stepped up to the plate and told me he'd help out if I needed it since he's so experienced with weddings and how they should flow - it was a really nice gesture! Fortunately, my coordinator came around and everything went smoothly. Fast-forward to the wedding day and Gary was amazing!
We had our ceremony at a separate location from the reception venue and Gary setup and took down his equipment with no problem. The ceremony venue did not have any electrical outlets and had rules against a gas-powered generator, which we found out days before the wedding, but Gary took it in stride and made it work! I gave him a long list of songs and vibes we wanted during different parts of the day and he delivered!
We had lots of people on the dance floor and everyone really enjoyed themselves! Gary was also great at making announcements and making sure the reception flowed nicely, which took that stress off me. Gary is awesome and I highly recommend him!
I originally wanted a band, but found it to be way out of our budget, so Gary worked with me to come up with a perfect option for our wedding. I was in panic mode a week prior to my wedding because my coordinator wasn't being very responsive or transparent with me, and Gary stepped up to the plate and told me he'd help out if I needed it since he's so experienced with weddings and how they should flow - it was a really nice gesture! Fortunately, my coordinator came around and everything went smoothly. Fast-forward to the wedding day and Gary was amazing!
We had our ceremony at a separate location from the reception venue and Gary setup and took down his equipment with no problem. The ceremony venue did not have any electrical outlets and had rules against a gas-powered generator, which we found out days before the wedding, but Gary took it in stride and made it work! I gave him a long list of songs and vibes we wanted during different parts of the day and he delivered!
We had lots of people on the dance floor and everyone really enjoyed themselves! Gary was also great at making announcements and making sure the reception flowed nicely, which took that stress off me. Gary is awesome and I highly recommend him!
Megan F.
Jul 17, 2014
These guys played our wedding last weekend and we are so happy and impressed. Many of our guests said they had not danced so much at a wedding in years! The band can sing pretty much anything and in most cases they sound better than the original artist! Gary is super helpful and knows exactly what he is doing to make things go smoothly. We also had their steel drum player do the music for our ceremony and it added a great touch to our waterfront wedding. Thank you, thank you!
Audrey N.
Jun 05, 2014
Gary of Kicks Entertainment was the DJ for my wedding last week. Five stars simply for singing a requested song that he didn't have a digital version of. Throughout the entire wedding planning stages, Gary was extremely easy to work with and he always responded to my emails quickly. He has great connections in the industry as well - he recommended an excellent acoustic guitarist for the ceremony who was amazing!
Only opportunity for Kicks I can mention is in regards to song lists. There wasn't a whole lot of guidance as far as suggesting songs for various times throughout the night. I've heard some DJs provide a "suggested songs" list with songs to consider for cake cutting, first dance etc; Gary didn't have anything like this. But other than that, highly recommend!
Only opportunity for Kicks I can mention is in regards to song lists. There wasn't a whole lot of guidance as far as suggesting songs for various times throughout the night. I've heard some DJs provide a "suggested songs" list with songs to consider for cake cutting, first dance etc; Gary didn't have anything like this. But other than that, highly recommend!
Jessica G.
Apr 19, 2014
These guys are great for weddings, social occasions and corporate affairs - really top notch performances and the artists are so flexible! Gary deserves props for his leadership of this stellar group and for his willingness to go above and beyond for his clients and fellow vendors. As a planner, I would be happy to coordinate any of their future events!
