Empire Beats
For nearly a decade, drummer Mark Boquist's sharp dressed band has been playing behind some of New York City's most talented singers and presenting their live revue at weddings, celebrations, fundraisers, festivals, private events, and public parties, as well as niteclubs, theaters, lounges, and halls in New York City and beyond. Their mission remains constant: to provide authentic and exciting music that celebrates and energizes guests with songs from every side of the love equation. It’s great music that makes you wanna dance & shout!
Glamorous jazz chanteuses and gutsy blues shouters front the five to nine piece band as they explore an expanding book of old school Rhythm & Blues, Rock & Roll, Jazz, and Pop music ~ familiar and forgotten hits from the past and funky new originals. Empire Beats' energetic revue recalls showcases of another era but is firmly rooted in the right now. For wedding ceremonies, cocktail hours, dinner service -- or whatever the situation calls for -- the band can pare down to a smaller combo and provide vibe-appropriate music for the room and guests. Expanding the band with multiple vocalists, dancers, and a powerful horn section for a full-on dance party extravaganza is an extra-sensory treat!
Bandleader Mark Boquist has been working for over thirty-five years in the entertainment and hospitality business playing all kinds of music on stages large and small, on recordings and broadcasts, on tours around the United States and Europe, and in slick private clubs and public dives. Beginning in Minneapolis in the early 1980s, with forays to Kansas City and then Seattle in the ‘90s, he made the move to Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 1997. The son of a Jazz man, his affinity for real American music led him to start up Empire Beats in 2011. Showcases and residencies at venerable Manhattan music halls and lounges as well as distinguished Brooklyn venues — plus numerous weddings, events, and festivals — have solidified Empire Beats’ esteemed reputation as a rocking dance band featuring top quality musicians and New York City’s most impressive young singers.