From the owner...

Hi, my name is Justin Prahar, and I'm the owner/operator of Sounds To Go.   When you hire "us," you hire me!  Every step of the way, I'll be working with you personally.  No impersonal office staff, no subcontractors, no surprises.  You call me, e-mail me & meet with me to plan your event.  Most importantly, you TRUST me when the time comes to represent you to your closest family & friends, and to help all of you have an unforgettable time.  I don't take this trust, or your decision lightly.  Since I hope we'll be working together closely, I'd like to tell you a bit about myself, and my journey.

I was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, and my passion for music and electronics started at a young age.  I've always been around electronics, and I started taking gadgets apart long before I understood how they worked or how to put them back together!  My grandfather owned a camera repair shop where my father worked, and where I worked on and off during many summers growing up, and for a couple of years after school.  Entrepreneurship, and a strong work ethic weren't buzzwords, and weren't anything we ever really talked about.  It was just something I learned from my family who led by example.

My love for music was aided by my father's record collection, and I still listen to a lot of the same music I grew up on then, and so much more.  I love classic rock, psychedelic & modern rock, many different types of jazz including big band, avant-garde & progressive jazz, some industrial, all sorts of genres of metal, along with classical and many types of world music & and more.  Everybody says it, but my musical tastes really are all over the place!  This breadth of exposure gives me a great knack for musical programming, and for helping my clients set different moods for every part of their special event.  I love the challenge of working with high-level guidance and putting in the time to find just the right musical selections to fill and enhance each and every moment.  And if your tastes are a little - or a lot - off the beaten path, that makes preparing musical programming for your event even more fun!

When I was 13, I started playing guitar (who DIDN'T want to be Eddie Van Halen in 1987, right?), and though I had been listening to music pretty intently for a while before that, I was pretty much all-consumed with music from that point on.  While other kids were playing sports, hanging out, going out, and getting into trouble, I was in my room playing my guitar.  Sometimes practicing meticulously, sometimes noodling randomly for hours on end, but always having fun!  My experience as a musician exposed me to the performing and recording aspects of music, live sound equipment, and all sorts of cool and nerdy toys.  I still enjoy playing guitar & bass whenever I can.

Fast forward several years.  I meet and marry my wife, and best friend in the world, Laurie, and we relocate to Roseville, California with our 6 month old daughter to start our new life together.

Almost out of nowhere in 2004, I decide that I want to try my hand at being a DJ.  "Come on... I can do THAT..." I said.  It did seem like a perfect fit after all.  I had the extensive musical background & knowledge, and I had experience with all of the equipment involved, so why not?  My first "gig" was a 50th anniversary celebration for a friend's parents.  I'll never forget that first event.  There was an elderly couple present who were high in spirits, but limited in mobility, who shuffled eagerly to the dance floor as I started to play "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" by Johnny Mercer.  I realized that they may not have heard, let alone danced together to this song in 40-50 years or more!  To see this couple who couldn't even really stand up straight or move that quickly strutting on the floor like they were still in their 20's just reaffirmed for me that this was something I would LOVE doing.

That was the beginning of Sounds To Go!

Fast forward again, and here we are today!  Every event I do has many moments like the one I just described, and has a character all its own.  Since starting my business, hundreds of memorable weddings and other special celebrations later, I have learned that there is so much more to being an entertainer than "just playing music," and "being a DJ" is really only a part of what I do.  As much as I love the power of music and the effect it can have on people, the enjoyment I get out of simply playing music and playing with my (very cool) toys has grown to include something else.  Namely, the great satisfaction that I find in helping to facilitate awesome events - tailoring my performance to the needs of my clients, and in helping them to customize their event to represent their own personalities and styles... creating a celebration that is always uniquely theirs.

I hope you'll enjoy this site!  I have tried to give you more helpful, useful & relevant information than most DJ websites do.  I understand you're making a big decision, and I want you to have as much information as you can so you can make the most informed choice possible when it comes to entertainment for your event.  I hope that whether you hire me or not, you will find useful information on this site to help you in selecting your DJ entertainment, and in planning your wedding.

Well, that's about it for me...  Now I want to hear about YOU!  I do hope you will contact me so we can work together to realize your vision for your special occasion.

Thank you for reading, and for considering my services.

Justin Prahar

Owner/Operator

Sounds To Go