Party People: Local DJ Turns Hobby Into Full-Time Job

Who hasn't enjoyed a bit of nostalgia when the block party DJ spins that old time rock-n-roll? The feet get to stomping, and then the body starts to sway almost by instinct. It can't help but lead to smiles and memories of high school dances, road trips or hanging out in somebody's basement.  

That's the kind of sentiment that gets New Lenox's Michael Haak, co-owner of , moving and grooving about the opportunities he likes to provide clients when he serves as the DJ. Although he's never taken a radio broadcast media course or acted in theatrical production, Haak's natural born instincts for being the life of the party just burst with energy when he's in front of a microphone.

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Haak, 30, is a part-time police officer in the southwest suburbs and a full-timer in the community-based music industry. He and his DJ partner, Tony Bonanno of Romeoville, have joined forces and expertise. Haak is the entertainer, and Bonanno is the technical master. Bonanno will never speak in front of the crowd, but he keeps everything organized and moving smoothly.

"We can provide an unforgettable experience for you and your guests," Haak said. "We have over 43,000 songs in our music library and the ability to download nearly any song on demand."

A New Old Business

For 12 years, the DJ service has been a part-time job, but Haak said he's recently made it into a full-time role, struggling at times with all that goes into that—a true business plan, finding investors and more.

"I started a DJ service when I was only 15," he said. "My mother drove me to my first engagement with the home stereo equipment in the trunk. It was at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Oak Lawn. I remember the speakers blew out in the first half-hour. We recovered though. We had some back-up speakers and just played the music a little quieter."

An overall Officer Friendly type, Haak said, music and making people happy just seemed a perfect career.  

"I love any kind of music," he added. "I play music that suits all generations. I listen to all genres such as Christian music, rock-n-roll, country-and-westerns, all of it." The aim here is to keep up-to-date on what's popular in each genre.

In all honesty, he said, working as a DJ is not as easy as it looks. It's part art form and part science. "Not only do we bring music to an event, but we bring creativity so that everybody has a good time."

Block Parties and Elegant Soirees

From small, intimate weddings, block parties, quincinerras and elegant soirées, Southside Music Solutions is prepared, Haa said. It takes a bit of research, some savvy about ethnic heritage and a dash of ingenuity to create the right environment, he said.

A St. Patrick's Day party is a totally different experience than a homecoming dance. The way that the music is introduced is unique to the circumstance, noted Haak, who makes a point to familiarize himself with  social etiquette afforded in certain cultures.

And depending on the situation and the size of the crowd—50 to 900 people—the DJ service needs to arrange for the right kind of light show, if any, and for a timed-right fog disbursement.  

One of Southside Music Solutions' fans, Brandi Pavoni of Midlothian, hired the firm 10 years ago for her wedding and credited Haak with pulling the whole thing together.

With only a few weeks preparation time between the engagement announcement and the wedding, Pavoni said a lot of details just got left to the wayside. "We didn't have a song picked out to enter the reception hall; we didn't have a favorite song picked out for the first dance."

But Haak spent some time getting to know them, and he pulled it all together, she said.He played country-and-western music and rock.

"He understood our personalities and made suggestions," she said. "Everybody had a good time."

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