DJ Biography: Sean Hearn

I love entertaining crowds as a DJ. I enjoy all genres of music and look forward to making new friends. I absolutely LOVE to DJ: Beat Mixing, Word Play, Tone Play, Medleys - all of it. It is super gratifying to create a vibe through music and watch the crowds at my events partying and making memories!

Since college at the U of A in Fayetteville, I have lived in many cities (Eureka Springs Arkansas, Fayetteville AR, Fort Smith AR, Laurel DE, Ocean City MD, etc.), but I always found a way to DJ in each city, usually at weddings or in clubs. Check out my journey below and the many ways and places I have found to entertain over my 30+ year DJ career.

1987-1996

I got my start when I attended college at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville - Yes I am a RAZORBACK!. As a Lambda Chi I was the guy who played the tunes at all of our hall parties.

After graduating with a Marketing degree in 1991 and accepted a sales position with Perdue Farms in Salisbury, Maryland. There, I teamed up with another young DJ and we began playing gigs up and down the east coast. During the summer months, the majority of these shows were at clubs and pubs between Rehobeth & Dewey Beach, Delaware and Ocean City, Maryland like Smitty McGee's and The Greene Turtle.

The rest of the performances were smaller private functions like wedding receptions and school dances.

I credit much of my success today to my early experiences playing at the clubs and pubs at the beach. The crowds in these venues were as diverse as can be imagined. One night might be a large tourist group from New York City consisting of people of ages from 30 to 60, the next night might be all college kids in their early 20s, and the next night might be middle aged families with kids. Not only was I required to have a large library consisting of music from many eras, but also, I dealt first hand with all types of patrons.

1996-1998

Eventually, I moved back to my college town of Fayetteville, Arkansas. There I built a new sound system and continued to perfect my craft, playing wedding receptions and school dances.

n 1997, I added lighting and special effects. These included par cans, a variety of lights from American DJ, Chauvet and Martin and special effects like fog and bubbles. I was also starting to get requests for Karaoke; so, in the following year, I added karaoke which meant 2 TVs, 3 additional microphones, song books and karaoke discs. I was still using CDs as the media; so, I had a large library to take to each function. I had about 1900 CDs that were music, and about 250 that were karaoke. I consider myself more of a dance DJ than a KJ (karaoke DJ) but I have always been about providing whatever my clients needed.

1998-2005

In 1998, I made another move - back to my hometown area of Fort Smith Arkansas. By this time, I had compiled one of the largest special effects packages in the region. My impact on the area was immediate. Not only did I continue to play private functions, but I also began making cameo appearances at clubs like Beethoven's (in the Holiday Inn which is now the Double Tree), the 5th Seasons, 57 Chevys, Ocean Club and Silks in Sallisaw Oklahoma.

For 2 years, I became the resident DJ at Beethoven's. The club was open Thursday through Saturday and some holidays. In this role, I was responsible for ensuring that the club had talent in booth whenever we were open. I emceed most of the nights, but I also hired a few DJs who were on call. I was there, behind the microphone, the majority of the time; but when I had a private gig, I would schedule one of the other DJs to stand in.

I was the boss, but we all were good friends and worked well together. Being at Beethoven's also put me on the radio. We ran a marketing promotion for almost a year on a local station - MIX96. Our show was a live 2 hour broadcast to help bring in new partiers. The Friday Night Dance Show was on the airwaves from 9:00pm to 11:00pm and it was wildly successful!

The first night we were live on air, we had 4 executives from the station standing behind the booth. First, they wanted to review and approve all songs before they were used. I explained that I had over 15,000 songs, not counting the songs I had remixed, and that this would take way too long. I went on to explain that I understood the restrictions and that I would work within those parameters; but it was obvious that they had no trust in me. We finally went live and I started doing my thing with the 4 execs and my Manager - Becky Bush - looking over my shoulder. I was talking and interacting with both our crowd and with the listeners over the airwaves. I was cutting up, but most importantly, I was jamming. Beat Mixings old school tunes with new cuts, mixing songs across several genres.

I played mixed sets with vinyl and CDs that were a combination of new and old songs. I played old standards as well as remixes I had made. The crowds grew and so did my popularity. I loved the notoriety, but for me, it was always about the music and meeting the people. I loved having the ability to introduce people to music both new and old. I loved being able to pull the crowd out onto the floor through the music I was playing. I could get them out with a trusted Banger and then mix in something that worked from another genre.

Afterwards, I would have people approach the booth and ask, "What was that?" I could educate them on the particular song and why I liked it. Eventually, many of my favorites became their favorites.

It was a cool cycle. Every night was different, always a fun ride. I enjoyed sharing my tastes with my crowds. I have fond memories from those years as a resident jock and being on the radio.

2005

2005 brought another opportunity. I had a buddy, "BIG CHIEF", who was managing the Electric Cowboy, also in Fort Smith. I met him when I played in Sallisaw at Silks Lounge which was right beside the horse track: Blue Ribbon Downs. He wanted to increase attendance on Thursday nights; so we collaborated and decided to have a Thursday Throwback Dance Party.

Even though the Electric Cowboy was known as a country venue, for about a year we had a regular Thursday night dance party. The regulars enjoyed the variety and it pulled in a new group of patrons. The main theme was the 90s era, but I also mixed in trash disco and a few new cuts.

Blessing or Curse?

So, I want to share an interesting ability I have acquired as an entertainer. I am not sure whether it is a blessing or a curse -- I DJed in clubs and at weddings so long that I have developed a talent (although affliction might better describe it!). For years, I have patrons come to my DJ booth maybe intoxicated or maybe just a little goofy. They might say, "Hey, can you play that song, you know…," then half hum and half speak 4 or 5 words, and I had to come up with their song.

Now in everyday life, I am in a conversation and people say a word or a phrase and I hear it as a lyric. Once, I was driving my mom from Alma to Fayetteville to watch a Razorback basketball game. It was maybe an hour drive. She doubted how bad my situation was; so, I agreed to tell her every time I heard a different lyric on cruise up the hill. Through our casual conversation, the number was in the high 20s. It still happens to this day - you can imagine, it gets a little weird sometimes!

2006-2007

Although I had become quite a fixture in the Fort Smith area, I never lost my love for the people in Fayetteville. I loved the bar scene, but the money was in private functions. I could make more in 1 private event in NWA than I would in 4 or 5 nights spinning in a bar. With the opening of the new road (HWY I49), I played about as many shows up in Northwest Arkansas as I did in my hometown of Fort Smith.

I was at a bridal fair in NWA and met RoAnna McDaniel who was then the Banquet Coordinator for the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. She and the other Eureka Springs venues were struggling to find quality entertainers to travel to their town. The thought of a 2 hour commute to do a show seemed silly, but she talked me into giving it a shot.

In no time, I found that I was getting lots of calls by out-of-towners to play in Eureka Springs. The Crescent Hotel, Basin Park Hotel, and Best Western Inn of The Ozarks, all in Eureka Springs quickly became a large portion of my business.

It is a Huge destionation for Weddings! Many people travel to the world renowned Thorncrown Chapel to get married each year. They travel to Eureka Springs and bring friends and family for the ceremony. They then needed an entertainer for the reception. I was getting calls from Dallas, Memphis, Charlotte, Chicago, New Orleans, Denver, etc. It just exploded!

These crowds were a natural fit because it was very similar to groups I encountered during my performances back on the Eastern Shores of Delaware and Maryland. These groups were very diverse in age, ethnicity and where they were from. Eureka gets guests from all over the United States. I played polkas for the Midwesterners, Zydeco for the Louisianans, 10-steps for the Texans and literally everything in between.

It was around this time that I also started doing sound and lighting installations. I have always wanted to own and run my own club, so this was the next best thing. I would help new club owners spend their money. I was hired to plan, create and install lighting and sound systems. I had a hand in the original install or updating equipment in such places as Shooters Pool Hall, Midland Bowl, Area 51, Silks Nightclub, '57 Chevys and several churches and homes. Each install required creativity to get the right look and sound for that venue.

2007

In 2007, I moved back to Fayetteville. I found that the majority of my shows were in Northwest Arkansas and Eureka Springs and the decreased driving time was welcomed. Being a University of Arkansas alum, I have always been a huge Razorback supporter and loved the area so it was a seamless transition. My shows in NWA now consisted mainly of Weddings, Corporate Christmas Parties, Proms and Fraternity Parties. I still do the occasional club gig, but not as many as I used to.

I am a consummate professional. I love what I do and I am always striving for perfection and looking for ways to improve my shows through the music. While Music in Motion is definitely a business, I purposely restrict my number of annual performances to an average of between 40 and 50 a year. This keeps me fresh and always anxiously anticipating my upcoming performances.

With the ever changing technology, there were other ways to achieve similar results as spinning vinyl with CDs. In 1998, I added the Denon Digi-Scratch Mixer. This allowed me to take a main stream dance song on CD, like "Men in Black," "Mumbo #5," "Push It," etc., and create a new sound. I was still using CDs, but I could manipulate it, just like it was vinyl. I am old school and I like to touch the media and be hands on; I like to feel the buttons and knobs as I am creating the new sound. I am also visual, to this day, I remember what songs were on which compilation disc and where it was in my collection.

Eventually, I made the move to being totally digital. I admit that this move was the hardest, but I am now loving the digital era. I use a platform called Virtual DJ for most of my gigs. I have Serato which is also very popular in the club scene, but I prefer VDJ for its versitility. I have a few different midi players that I use for different occasions. Currently I stick with the Pioneer DDJ-400 for smaller parties and I bring my DDJ FLX10 to the bigger ones. The technology these mixers use is incredible. I can remove lyrics, beat juggle, layers sounds, they allow for lots of creative expression.

In layman's terms: the music, video and karaoke files are all in digital files that are played through whichever program I choose on my laptop. I use the midi player, which has the feel of a mixer and mini turntables to actually perform and manipulate the digital music files. The midi player syncs up with the digital program so whatever I do on the player translates and does the same thing in the program to the music. To see examples, check out my REMIXES PAGE.

I still beatmix and remix all the time. This is one of the things that I really enjoy and that sets my shows apart from many other jocks. With the internet and TV Shows featuring music and DJS, I think my audiences are much more informed and even more demanding. At my shows, regardless of how simple or small, I never just play songs - I MIX MUSIC!! Some of the remixes are live, some are things I have done in my studio and copied, but they are included in every show. The overall song, tempo, and lyrics remain the same, but the bass line and feel of the song is presented is much different - I think improved.

After so many years with my ear in a headphone, I hear the old songs that were used to create the new ones. Artists like Eminem, Will Smith, even Bruno Mars use samples from the old tunes to create the new stuff you hear today. I love to mix the old songs back into the new ones. I have had parents at Proms and school dances hear my mixes of the old and new mashed together; then come up and say "I knew I had heard that somewhere". It is fun to bring them into mix and I feel sure there are conversations between parents and their children on the ride home discussing what I have done. In some ways, I think it helps bridge the generational gap and I am humbled to be able to play a hand in that. The new music is fun but almost always, even if in a smnall way, a takeoff of an older song.

I am generation X and the group before me are the baby boomers. Generation Y and Z and Millennials have a ton of different types of music that they like. They have everything from EDM (Electronic Dance Music), Art Punk, dubstep, Goth Rock and many, many more. This doesn't even address music in different ethnicities and genres like Country or Reddirt, Hispanic and European tunes. A good DJ can make them all work together. It is all about the music and the beats.

A Wedding Reception

A quick story on a wedding reception I did:

The groom was Hispanic and the bride was Chinese. I don't speak Spanish, but I wanted to include his group so I got him to send me a list of his 30 favorites. I had him break them down as: old favs, slow, new hits, etc. which was important because I had no idea what words were being sung. Al I heard was rhythm and beat. I bought the ones he suggested and spent hours listening (and planning). YES, real DJS have a plan when they arrive! We don't just play the same old songs at every show. It always makes me laugh when I hear some DJs say oh I have 25,000 songs (which we all do). My question is how many of those do you actually use. If you could create a list of what MOST DJs play over their last 2/3 months, sadly you would find they play the same 200/300 songs. Not me! I bet my number would be 4 or 5 times that. Yes, the majority of the songs, for me, is to have them to be able to handle the request, but I still use more than most. Yes, if you are streaming you have access to everything, but I own my music. The only time I will use a song streaming is if it is a request that I feel like must be included for the event.

OK, so back to the wedding - of course, I couldn't understand any of the lyrics, but it all goes back to the music: rhythm, tempo, beat, etc. I made myself notes for each song and even created cue points to use and practiced mixing them into some of the new songs.

At the event, I mixed them in the sets as if I knew them and made them a big part of the show. It worked and there were many times that the floor had multiple generations and ethnicities.

You know how sometimes you know you are being talked about? Well, after the night was over, I began tearing down my set. I noticed 4 guys - all Hispanic, that were watching me, talking and kind of laughing. I thought they were making fun in some way; so, I approached the group, introduced myself and attempted to ask what the conversation was about. They were friendly, but with the language barrier could not explain it to me. I found the groom and asked if he would help explain what they were trying to tell me. After a brief exchange, he started laughing too, which frustrated me further. He then explained that they were his buddies; one of which was a DJ at a local discotheque in Tontitown that they all like to go to. Some of the songs that he, the groom, recommended were ones that he had heard his buddy play at the club. Anyway, the 3 guys were actually giving their DJ buddy a hard time, not me. They were saying that I mixed the Latin music better than he did and I didn't even know the words. That is what DJing is all about!!

Present

It all goes back to "It's just music". Some I like and some I don't, but my shows are all about my clients. To do my job, I have to be able to play what they like and this means being versatile and creative. If you look hard enough, no matter how far off the beaten path some genres seem to be, they have an origin or some path that leads back to something recognizable and familiar.

I love it when I am booked to play a show that will include music that I am unfamiliar with: it gives me a chance to learn new music. My Music Library is wide-ranging and I always bring a full bag of tricks to try spice up and personalize every event I play for and make it unforgettable.

I was a regular at DJ/KJ conventions in Las Vegas NV, Knoxville TN, Atlantic City NJ and Atlanta GA, and I still attend an occasional DJ convention, where I focus on networking with other entertainers.

I love interacting with other entertainers (young and old) from all over the country and even the world. I think the second you think you are too good to learn, you get old and start losing it! I love the opportunity to get to talk to other entertainers and see what their take on the business is and learn how they handle certain situations and some of their mixing techniques.

In the 2000 November edition of Mobile Beat Magazine, an international publication devoted to DJs and Entertainers, I was given the distinction of Odyssey Case All-Star. Back then, this honor was given to a few DJs annually who the magazine felt were at the top of their game. Mobile Beat considered the entertainers' abilities, equipment, and overall customer satisfaction. I was honored to have been included.

Naturals Baseball

My first visit to Arvest Ball Park in Springdale was as a member of the NWA MSBL (Northwest Arkansas Men's Senior Baseball League). I was a catcher for a few squads in the league over the years. We won the championship one year, but we never returned to the championship game.

Eventually, the MSBL partnered with Arvest Ball Park and started having the championship game there at the stadium. They would allow me access to the booth; so, I became the PA guy. I would set up my laptop, announce the game and play all of the music drops. In 2015, I joined the Naturals Baseball Pressbox Team as one of their Public Address Announcers. I have always been a huge baseball fan; so this was quite fun for me. I was able to enjoy the games but also work in an entertainment role. As a PA guy, I announced all of the batters coming to the plate, and spoke live advertisements for the team's sponsors. Being in the booth, I also gave some advice on drops and snippets of songs that could be used to add humor for certain situations like pitching changes, strikeouts, homeruns, etc.