String Babes & Betty Boop for King Features Syndicate 100th Anniversary

If there’s one group of people who know how to have a great time, it’s the entertainment media! King Features Syndicate is one of the largest distributors of print media, including columns, cartoons, puzzles, and games, and they own some of the world’s most recognizable characters. Two of these – Popeye the Sailor Man and Betty Boop – were in attendance alongside Phat Strad at the King Features Syndicate 100th anniversary party! As an acoustic quartet, the ladies of Phat Strad performed their favorite tunes with no tracks, and still wowed the crowd with their technique and solos. Beatles arrangements were a particular favorite of the attendees, and the girls were even able to take a few requests for other classic rock anthems! By the end of the night, everyone was dancing and singing to the music – Popeye and Betty included. Now that’s entertainment!

Acoustic Ambience – Phat Strad Creates Atmosphere at Four Seasons Hotel

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In a town like Las Vegas, it’s easy to get caught up in the ubiquitous club scene: famous DJs with residencies at every hotel, dance beats playing on the casino floor, pounding soundtracks during Cirque performers’ acrobatics, and even EDM blasting from cars and limos driving by! But classy hotels like the Four Seasons realize that sometimes you need a break from feeling like you’re at a party – and for that breath of fresh air, they gave us a call. In both the Four Seasons and Mandalay Bay hotel lobbies, six ladies of Phat Strad played acoustic duo sets with a rotating break schedule that ensured the music never had to stop. Guests were noticeably impressed with the upscale atmosphere created by beautiful ladies playing classical music, and the girls frequently garnered spontaneous applause and cheers from the patrons. Those enjoying the show would sometimes even throw the girls some song requests, which they were – more often than not – able to accommodate! It was certainly a lovely and unexpected acoustic afternoon on the Strip!

We’re Lovin’ It! Phat Strad Strings for McDonald’s at Sands Expo

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One great thing about being based in Vegas is that we are often the first call for entertainment during convention season. Companies love bringing their employees to Vegas as a reward for jobs well done or as an escape from the daily grind, and we love to be a part of that escape by providing a style of entertainment many of the guests have never seen before! The Sands Expo in the Venetian, with over 2,000,000 square feet of space, is a prime destination for conventions and a venue we play in regularly. McDonald’s recently took over much of that space for a huge event to highlight all the different facets of their business and show how they are making progress in today’s fast-paced world. The ladies of Phat Strad were stationed around the main entrances of the space to greet the guests as they arrived, and we provided an upbeat soundtrack for them as they browsed the many booths and displays. We loved to see them smile!

Salon Strings: Phat Strad Grand-Opens HUE Salon and Spa

What better venue is there for a fashion-forward female band than a salon? The ladies of Phat Strad, performing as a trio, felt right at home at the grand opening of Las Vegas’s brand-new HUE Salon and Spa. Playing our sets standing in between manicure stations and styling chairs, we had a blast entertaining the well-coiffed guests, providing an upbeat party atmosphere as they snacked on tasty hors d’oeuvres and browsed the salon’s trendy fashion and jewelry boutique. HUE’s website describes it as “a place where exceptional guest service, talent, and beauty come together,” and we like to think that describes us too…so with such a perfect combination, it’s no wonder the night was wonderful!

Phat Strad Grand-Opens New Inspirada Community in Henderson, NV

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It was a beautiful day for an outdoor banquet in Henderson, Nevada, when VIP guests gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the brand new Inspirada Housing Community! The Inspirada development, with over 85 acres of parks, playgrounds, and pools at its heart, was master planned with outdoor activity and recreation in mind, so naturally the grand opening party took place in just one of many impeccably landscaped parks. Phat Strad had the honor of providing the entertainment for the festivities, and we had just as much fun as the guests! Although the first part of the evening was spent playing background music while the VIPs enjoyed some delicious catering, nightfall brought on an impromptu dance party of kids and grownups alike to our unique Phat Strad renditions of upbeat Top 40 pop hits! Like the guests, we had a great time at the event, and a few months later we were delighted to find ourselves in the newspaper as part of Inspirada’s ad campaigns. Hello, Happy indeed!

Phat Strad Fights Cancer with Las Vegas Fundraiser

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One beautiful and sunny Las Vegas spring day, Phat Strad headed south of the Strip to the M Resort for an upscale gala event hosted by Gulf Oil. With its stylish and tranquil atmosphere and beautiful views of the desert scenery, the venue was the perfect place for the party – a fundraising benefit to support cancer research. The ladies of Phat Strad, sporting pink accents for the cause, provided uptempo background music for cocktail hour while guests mingled, chatted, and visited the booths of the various vendors in attendance. Once the guests headed inside for dinner, however, the string quartet went backstage to prepare for one last set: joining models on the catwalk for a charity fashion show, with a grand finale performance of Katy Perry’s “Firework” that brought the audience to a standing ovation. Truly a wonderful evening for a wonderful cause!

Phat Strad Opens for Gavin DeGraw in Scottsdale, AZ

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Fall is always beautiful in Arizona, and it was an especially lovely day when the ladies of Phat Strad arrived in Scottsdale for an exclusive country club event. The stage was set on the rolling hills of the club’s perfectly maintained golf course, and guests mingled on the club’s back terrace. The scene was made even more beautiful by an assortment of top-of-the-line cars around the perimeter provided by Maserati, one of the evening’s sponsors. As the sun started to set and dinner was served, Phat Strad took the stage for an evening of well-known operatic themes, classic rock anthems, and sing-along pop hits (and most of the audience was indeed singing along by the end!). After the girls’ rousing sets, special guest star Gavin DeGraw took the stage…but we heard more than a few audience members whisper “shhh, don’t tell, but we liked Phat Strad better!” All in all, it was truly a night of real beauty and real entertainment!

Electric String Girls Run the “Real World” at the Hard Rock Hotel

IMG_2540Processed with VSCOcam with b1 presetThings got real at a party in the Hard Rock Hotel’s Real World Suite when the ladies of Phat Strad walked in! Surrounded by beautiful furnishings, pool tables, hot tubs, bars (for both drinks and cigars), giant fish tanks, and even an in-room bowling lane, guest couldn’t help but have high expectations for the party – and as usual, Phat Strad delivered. Playing four marathon sets of everything from classical standards to classic rock, the ladies provided a nearly non-stop soundtrack for the merrymaking, from opening cocktails until the last guests were walking out the door. Between eating the delicious food, relaxing in the luxurious surroundings, and singing along to Phat Strad’s versions of all their favorite rock n’ roll hits, attendees certainly had a night to remember…long after they had to return to the actual real world!

Electric String Girls Meet “High Expectations” for Forbes & Porsche

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Go ahead, put us on a pedestal! In one of our most adventurous shows to date, Phat Strad serenaded guests and VIPs from fifteen feet in the air at an awards dinner for Porsche and Forbes Travel Guide. Stationed on their own platforms in each corner of the room, the four girls provided a surround-sound experience in multiple dimensions – in addition to encircling the dining area horizontally, the ladies were lifted and lowered during songs for vertical surround sound as well! The visual experience was also enhanced by cascading crystals hung under the platforms to resemble small waterfalls. Guests couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw this creative display, and couldn’t believe their ears when they heard our creative takes on their favorite classic tunes. We think it’s safe to say we exceeded their high expectations!

Classic Design with a Modern Twist for Rolex Bellagio

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There were several reasons that Phat Strad was the perfect choice of entertainment for a small, VIP-only event at the Rolex boutique in the Bellagio Hotel. First, the group’s historical lineage mirrors that of the watches: the string quartet and the art of horlogerie both date back hundreds of years, begun by people who put the utmost care and respect into their craft and developed techniques and mechanisms still in use in the present day. Second, both Phat Strad and Rolex have taken their rich histories and created a modern variation that is fresh, visually appealing, and always classy. And third, both Rolex watches and the ladies of Phat Strad are great luxuries to have at a party! The girls, in elegant black cocktail, were able to deliver a great show and also sneak in a photo shoot with local photographer Darrell Craig Harris, who we have to thank for these pictures.