Based in southeastern Massachusetts and formed in 2015 by some of the area's most accomplished musicians, Hit Play has quickly earned a solid reputation as one of the hottest live wedding and event party bands in New England. The band’s leader, guitarist and singer, Ryan McHugh is well known in the Boston area for his ability to entertain a room by utilizing his 22 years of experience working professionally in the live music industry. Drawing on this experience, Hit Play performs in top club venues from Boston to Newport and at top wedding venues all over New England. The band is well known for their incredibly versatile repertoire - consisting of anything from rock, pop, funk, country, alternative and hip-hop to name a few. Ryan will work with you to select the perfect song choices for your event. Unlike most Boston wedding bands that have a set list of songs that vary only a little from one event to another, the band can call from a variety of genres during performances to perfectly fit the crowd and the vibe of your event. With nearly 400 songs to choose from and state of the art sound system and uplighting, Hit Play will make the night perfect. When you book Hit Play for your wedding you will not only get an incredibly energized performance, but also unparalleled service throughout the entire planning of your event. Hit Play promises to be here for you to answer any questions and make your event one you will never forget!
Lead Vocals
Band Leader
Lead Vocals/Guitar
Drums/Vocals
Bass/Vocals
Keyboard
Saxophone
Trumpet
Next level, high-energy Boston wedding entertainment including ceremony and cocktail hour music. (optional)
We provide MC service for the entire event, cocktail hour, and reception and DJ'd music during band breaks.
We can provide microphones, sound system and live acoustic or DJ'd music for the ceremony.
We hired hit play for our wedding in July of 2025 and I would hire them again and again! Ryan was great to work with and listen to us and even offered some great suggestions. We had Ryan handle the ceremony, cocktail and reception music and all three were amazing. The band was fun, energetic, and even better than we could have imagined. Hit play is the band for your wedding I promise it!
- David, Married on 07/19/2025
My husband & I booked Hit Play for our December 2022 wedding. We, and our guests, truly are speechless and for many reasons. Ryan acted as MC and did a fantastic job with the ceremony music, cocktail hour music, and reception introductions, transitions, and music. Ryan even performed a life rendition of our first song dance (it's an older song from the 1930's and did not have an appropriate recorded version for our first dance vision). This meant he learned the entire song, lyrics and all, and played it on his guitar. It was incredible and exactly how we envisioned it, except BETTER. We are so thankful to Ryan for learning that song for us, and can't thank him enough. It made it truly special! In addition, we've heard nothing but compliments and good things from all of our guests (ranging in age from 84 years old to 3 years old) about the live music performed by the band and the DJ music. The band sounded fantastic, the song selections were perfect, and all of the different instruments and vocal ranges were just simply outstanding. Lastly, rounding the night off with that last song (that the band also had just learned ahead of our wedding, and was performing it live for the first time together)...wow. It was all around such a fun day/night, largely in part because of Hit Play. We don't know what to say to express how grateful and thankful we are for finding and booking Hit Play for our special day, so: thank you to Ryan and all of the bandmates so very much. You all were a huge part of creating our dream day/night, and we are grateful to have found you guys. If anyone is considering booking a band for a wedding or other big event, look no further than Hit Play!!!
- Megan , Married on 12/17/2022
We heard about Hit Play Band from a friend that saw them at another wedding, and we were beyond happy they were recommend to us! Ryan was so easy to work with. He was super responsive throughout the whole process and made sure he heard our vision and brought it to life. We had a couple of zoom sessions with him ahead of time as well so that he could really make sure he understood what we were asking for the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. He was flexible with his timing to ensure that we had extra dancing time, and even DJed for some time after the band was done. He was incredibly accommodating to us, letting my husband perform his own song, and even letting him join the band for a song. The band played a great variety of music and kept everyone engaged. We could not be happier with how it turned out - all the guests were up and dancing the whole night. Thank you Ryan and Hit Play for helping make our wedding perfect!
- Rachael , Married on 09/09/2023
Hit Play was the icing on the cake of a truly special, highly personalized, and overall amazing wedding reception! Ryan worked closely with us leading up to our wedding day to ensure we could include some very special songs, including some odd requests for the kids in attendance! Non-traditionally, the groom picked the first dance song in secret in order to surprise me, the bride. Ryan was great in keeping this detail from me, creating a wonderful moment as we began our first dance as a married couple that I will never forget! He and the band were incredible from start to finish. From cocktail hour, to announcements, to maintaining the flow of the evening, and getting the party pumping on the dance floor, everything was excellent! They even played a couple extra songs at the end that, in retrospect, topped off the evening perfectly. This band is obviously very experienced in special events and knows how to do it right. We have even gone to see them at public venues since the wedding and loved them!
- Karen C., October 2019
For Booking or for pricing info please fill out the form below. Our band leader (Ryan) will reply with pricing info and availability ASAP.
Here is the updated list of public gigs in Mass and RI to watch the wedding band live! Ask any questions, talk to the musicians, and get a really good feel for how amazing and different the band is compared to everything else out there.
Every Other Tuesday, 8 - 11pm
Sunday, August 30th, 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Wednesday, September 2nd, 9:00 pm - 12:00 am
Thursday, September 3rd, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Friday, September 4th, 9:00 pm - 12:30 am
Sunday, September 6th, 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Wednesday, September 9th, 9:00 pm - 12:00 am
Thursday, September 10th, 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Friday, September 11th, 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Thursday, September 17th, 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Friday, September 18th, 10:00 pm - 12:30 am
Wednesday, September 23rd, 9:00 pm - 12:00 am
Saturday, October 3rd, 9:30 pm - 1:00 am
Wednesday, October 7th, 9:00 pm - 12:00 am
Thursday, October 15th, 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Saturday, October 24th, 9:30 pm - 1:00 am