who we are
Melbourne live music, run by two people who have spent their whole lives on stage.
Enquire nowA ten-year run, finally made official
Real Good Music isn’t a new business. It’s the name we’ve finally put on something we’ve been doing for a decade.
We’re Ben and Teila — a married pair of musicians who met eleven years ago and have barely stopped performing together since. Weddings, corporate galas, birthdays, festivals, and two seasons aboard Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady with our band Tapes, sailing from South Africa to Spain. We’ve lost count of the rooms, but every one of them taught us the same thing: the music isn’t the point. The way the room feels is the point.
So we built a service around that idea instead of around a setlist. Flexible enough to scale from a solo ceremony set to a full band and DJ, honest about budget, and run by people who have already seen whatever is about to go wrong on your day.
Who you're actually hiring
At the heart of Real Good Music are two people, not a booking agency. When you enquire, you speak to us. When the day comes, we are the ones who turn up.
Ben
Singer, pianist, guitarist, saxophonist, songwriter, producer and DJ. Twenty years and close to a thousand performances in, across more countries, projects and genres than is sensible to list. The less glamorous half of his CV is the more useful one: seven years running large-scale events around the world. If something goes sideways at 8pm, he has already fixed it once before.
Teila
Our front woman, and the reason people stop talking and start watching. A world-class voice with the stage presence and charisma to match — equally at home holding a silent room through a ceremony and starting the dance floor an hour later.
Zach & Conan
Our long-time bandmates in Tapes. They step in whenever the night calls for a bigger sound, scaling us from a duo to a full band.
A trusted roster
Beyond the four of us we keep a rotating roster of professional musicians we have played with for years. You are never left short a member, and nobody unvetted ever walks onto your stage.
You'll never hear us say "that's not our job"
Couples plan the music. Almost nobody plans the audio — and that is where a day quietly comes unstuck. The song that starts three seconds late while you are walking down the aisle. The microphone that is too quiet for the speeches, then squeals during the toast. The perfect playlist that is wrong for the actual mood in the room. We take all of it.
Ceremony sound
Aisle, vows and signing songs cued to the second, with microphones that carry all the way to the back row.
Speeches & toasts
Mics set, levelled and monitored all night, so nobody has to tap one and ask whether it is on.
The mood of the room
We read the crowd and play to it. Beautiful and in the background, or loud and sweaty — usually both across one night.
Any genre, any size
Solo, duo, trio, full band or DJ. Acoustic pop, soul, R&B, country, folk and whatever else you ask us for.
A saxophone, when needed
The fastest way to lift a flat dance floor. We keep one in the car for exactly that reason.
Whatever else comes up
Cueing the playlist between sets, covering a moment on the mic, tracking down a missing extension lead. We do not keep a list of things that are not our job.
We are also not a one-genre band, and we do not fade into the wallpaper — unless that is exactly what you want. We will crack a joke to settle the nerves before the speeches and happily make fools of ourselves if it gets a laugh. Having a good time is the specialty. We play requests and we are glad to work from your list, but the best nights are the ones where you tell us the feeling you are after and trust us to find it.
What people say afterwards
Almost all of our work comes by word of mouth. These are the words.
Teila and Ben played at our wedding reception and were AMAZING! They set the best mood for the evening, with the perfect balance of songs, and made our first dance absolutely magical. All of our guests raved about how great they were. Our wedding truly wouldn't have been the same without them.
Real Good Music plays at our premiere B2B Retail Excellence Awards every year, and for a reason! They are professional, easy to work with, responsive, and outrageously talented. They know exactly how to work the room and get everyone in a good mood after a long day of networking.
I just wanted to say the most enormous thank you to you both for playing at our wedding. It was an incredible day, and having you both there to help us celebrate our love story was absolutely perfect. Everything was immaculate and loving and enjoyable for everyone.
Teila and Ben were the perfect musical accompaniment to our special day. They performed a range of songs beautifully, including our own choices. They were really professional on the night and during the lead up. We couldn't have asked for anything more.
Questions we get asked every week
Do you supply your own equipment?
Yes. We own our PA outright and bring everything the room needs, including microphones for the ceremony and the speeches. Lighting is available on request. If a room is big enough to need more than we carry, we will tell you honestly rather than under-power your day.
What if a band member is sick?
You still get a full performance. Beyond the four of us we keep a rotating roster of professional musicians we have played with for years, and one of them steps in. In ten years of gigs we have never left a client without music.
Do you have liability insurance?
Yes. We hold current public liability insurance and can send a certificate of currency straight to your venue if they ask for one. We also have a registered ABN and invoice accordingly.
Do you play requests?
Yes. Send us the songs that matter and we will learn them. We will also ask you for a do-not-play list. Beyond your must-haves, the best nights happen when you let us read the room and choose.
Can we give you a setlist?
Absolutely, and plenty of couples do. We will work through it with you, flag anything that might not land the way you are expecting, and build the running order around your key moments.
Can we give you a do-not-play list?
Please do. We ask for one as standard. If there is a song you never want to hear at your wedding, we would much rather know before the night than during it.
What style of music do you play?
Whatever suits the room. Acoustic pop, soul, R&B, country, folk, party classics and current chart material, plus DJ sets when you want the night to keep going. We are not a one-genre band.
Can we watch you perform before you book us?
Often, yes. We play public venue gigs around Melbourne regularly, so ask us what is coming up and we will tell you where to find us. We can also send live footage if the timing does not work.
When is payment due?
A 40% deposit on the signed booking agreement locks your date. The balance is invoiced 14 days before the event, payable by the card link or bank transfer on the invoice. Exact amounts are on your quote.
What is your cancellation policy?
Written notice. More than 90 days out, the deposit is the cancellation fee. 30 to 90 days, 50% of the total fee. Less than 30 days or a no-show, the full fee. The signed booking agreement is the contract; this is a summary.
Tell us about your day
Send us the date, the room and the feeling you are after. We will tell you honestly what we would do with it and what it costs. No hard sell, and no package you did not ask for.
Looking for a one-of-a-kind song written and recorded for the day? That lives over on our custom song page.