AJ's Ale House 12/30/11

Another eve eve at AJ's!, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

Our tale of New Year's Eve Eve in New Braunfels, TX, begins with the great Chris Wallis on drums taking the stage. Not a huge introduction to a tale, but the crowd loved his beats to the classic tunes they requested like Johnny B. Goode and Drive My Car! The crowd really was the big story, but I wanted to make sure Chris and I were mentioned in the narrative, so there you go. See you tomorrow night for more fun at AJ's!

AJ's Ale House 12/23/11

Christmas Eve Eve at AJ's Ale House, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

Christmas Eve Eve in New Braunfels, TX with Chris Wallis was cool. We had a big crowd, full of people who were there to visit family, and then go with said family to said family's favorite watering hole. We pulled out all the stops and tried to keep the party going all night long! Chris just keeps surprising me with his mad drumming skills, and he will return with me to AJ's next weekend for a couple of big shows ending with New Year's Eve!!!

Howl At The Moon 12/22/11

Playing Bass at Howl in San Antonio, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

After performing at the Coffee Pot in San Marcos, I headed south to Howl at the Moon in San Antonio to perform a dueling piano show on the river walk. When I wasn't on a piano, I filled in on bass or drums, while the other players jumped on horns or pianos. Lots of requests and lots of people filled the club. If you still haven't been to a Howl, you should go experience it for yourself!

The Coffee Pot Bistro 12/22/11

Ian Lee and Dan Holmes Christmas Swing Along, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

The first show of my fun-filled Thursday evening began with Ian Lee in San Marcos, TX at our Christmas Swing Along! We performed a bunch of holiday tunes for the crowd, and we even had a chance to sing happy birthday to Ian's grandmother who had come out to see him! Ian is a talented violin & guitar player, who also has a great voice. We're preparing to head into the studio soon, which should be cool. Thanks to the folks at the Coffee Pot for having us out to play a set for them!

AJ's Ale House 12/17/11

Packed House at AJ's!, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

Last night was packed out in New Braunfels, TX with Chris Wallis and I. Chris killed the drum parts of some pretty difficult tunes like "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen and "Rock and Roll" by Led Zepplin. The crowd really dug in and threw us some great requests. They stayed right until the very end, and then asked us to play longer! Thanks to everyone who came out to make it a fun night.

Cypress Creek Cafe 12/16/11

Cypress Creek Cafe with Marc Benno, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

I performed my first show with Marc Benno tonight in Wimberly, TX at Cypress Creek Cafe. It started off with a bit of a sound issue with the P.A., but it was quickly worked out for a fun show. Marc played guitar and sang his tunes while Kevin (drums), Bennett (bass), Mark & Leon (guitars) and I backed him up. The crowd danced and hung out with us all evening! Cool!

AJ's Ale House 12/15/11

AJ's in Marble Falls, TX, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

Thursday night in Marble Falls, TX was busy with requests for Joe Resnick and I. We had them up and dancing from the beginning of the night. Joe really is a great drummer, and he made it clear tonight. Fun show with a fun crowd made a long drive on a rainy night to and from the club from my house well worth the trip!

Hilton Americas Houston 12/10/11

Dan Holmes & Greg Hejja at a Piano-To-Go Show in Houston, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

Tonight I found myself performing for the folks at BHP, at the Hilton Americas Houston Texas with Ed Conway and Greg Hejja for about 1,200 people. Huge party with a band in the center of the room who played while we were on break, and a DJ in the hallway leading into the main ballroom where we were. People were migleing all over as entertainment hit them on all sides. Greg, Ed and I had a good time, and I'm glad the folks at BHP enjoyed the show!

Marriott Houston Westchase 12/09/11

Global Edge Party for Howl's Piano-To-Go, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

I teamed up with Ed Conway to perform a Howl At The Moon Piano-To-Go show for the Global Edge Consultants Christmas Party in Houston, TX. There were guests from all over the world there, so the requests we got were much more varied than some other shows I've done. Ed played great, and by the end of the night, we had them all on the dance floor!

MCM Elegante Hotel 12/2/11

Dan Holmes at Howl's Piano-To-Go Show, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

I performed with Aaron Beumeler at a Howl At The Moon's (Houston) Piano-To-Go Show on Friday night in Beaumont, TX. We were there for a company holiday party for Automated Logic. The show was great, and the crowd stayed involved from our first note to our last. Aaron really engaged the crowd throughout the evening, and at one point had everyone participating in a "My Bonnie" call-down. It was very cool to see 98% of the crowd eagerly play along and followAaron's every direction! I had a singer join me for a rendition of "Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay" which resulted in a standing ovation from the crowd. Overall, the night was a great success and fun for the crowd and us!

AJ's Ale House 11/25/11

Busy Night-After-Thanksgiving, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

Wooo... what a busy post-Thanksgiving Friday night in New Braunfels, TX! Joe Resnick and I held the crowd in the bar for a solid three hours while playing their requests. Every seat was full by 10p, and we had several birthdays and bachlorette parties out to celebrate, so the show got very crazy very quickly. My thanks to Joe for being such a big help by keeping the show moving forward!

AJ's Ale House 11/23/11

Night Before Thanksgiving at AJ's, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

The night before Thanksgiving was a blast at AJ's in New Braunfels! Joe Renick drummed the night away, and was fantastic. I finally met Perry (the man who has mysteriously signed my checks for the past few months) and I received tons of compliments from the crowd! I can't wait for my Friday night return!

AJ's Ale House 11/18/11

Friday Night at AJ's!, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

AJ's was hopping tonight! Tons of requests flooded the piano all night long, and the people were there to dance and party. Several birthdays and engagements made for some fun, as I called them to the stage! I'm glad I was able to help out tonight, because I was called in at the last minute to perform with the great Joe Resnick at AJ's in New Braunfels, TX due to Summer (one of the other piano players) fell ill. I hope she feels better soon!

Carle Wedding 11/12/11

Carle Wedding Howl at the Moon Piano-to-go Show, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

Last night, I traveled with Jeff Gaynor to the Houston area to perform an on-site, Howl at the Moon Piano-to-go Show for a big wedding. Kevin and Stacey were the happy couple, and their family and friends were ready to party and have a good time. We performed all the fun sing along tunes, plus tons of requests (including "Stacey's Mom", which was requested a dozen times). We kept them dancing and singing all night long, and everyone had a great time!

AJ's Ale House 11/10/11

AJ's Ale House in Marble Falls, TX, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

Thursday night in Marble Falls, TX started off with people toward the back of the club, and as we played, they moved up and started requested songs! I had a fun time performing with Joe Resnick, and we ended up performing over due to the requests which kept coming up. Hope to see everyone again next time I'm in Marble Falls!

AJ's Ale House 11/4/11

Packed House at AJ's Ale House, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

Joe Resnick and I had a great time in New Braunfels, TX last night. Wurstfest was just getting started just a couple of miles away, so we were a bit afraid it might be slow, but the crowds came in for the show! Tons of requests and lots of crowd participation always makes the night more fun for everyone, and that's just how last night's show was!

One World Theatre 10/22/11

Stauch and Carpenter Wedding at One World Theatre, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

The Stauch and Carpenter Wedding at One World Theatre in Austin, TX was very elegant. I performed with Pat Whitefield (bass) and Chris Wallis (drums) during dinner as a trio for the first part of the evening, performing light jazz and blues. Then, after the first three hours, we were joined by Rob Roy Parnell (vocal, harmonica), Ralph Ibarra (guitar), Doug Mains (trumpet), and Dan Torosian (sax) for a couple of sets of good music. Fun night all around!

Dog and Pony Grill 10/21/11

At the Dog and Pony Grill in Boerne, TX, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

Tonight was another great weather evening show with Rob Roy Parnell and the band. My first time performing in Boerne, TX and it's a cool place for music! Good food while we were on break from a really friendly staff. The night was filled with blues and Rob's original material, and we even played an extra hour for the people!

Zipline Event 10/20/11

Rob Roy Parnell show in Wimberly, TX, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

A cool night in Wimberly, TX made for an easy gig on the patio after a big group's zip lining event with Rob Roy Parnell and the band. We kept the volume down, and the people danced with us for the evening. The band sounded great, and we were loving how lots of folks had glow sticks attached to their shoes. It was like a Rob Roy rave! ;-)

Hearthstone Country Club 10/15/11

Hearthstone Country Club in Houston, TX, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

Jeff Gaynor and I provided a Piano-To-Go show via Howl At The Moon Houston at a very nice country club called Hearthstone. The people were there for a three day shootout golf tournament, and we provided the final night's entertainment. This was my first show working with Jeff, and he really knows his stuff. I've said it before, gigs are always better with well-prepared band mates! Thanks Houston!

Art & Eco Fest 10/15/11

Art & Eco Fest in San Marcos, TX, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

This morning, I performed from 10a-11a for the opening of the San Marcos, TX Art & Eco Fest, where the city came up with a great outdoor festival to engage the people in a healthy and fun discussion about the city's future and how to help the environment. Lots of music, food and vendors made me wish I could've stayed all day, but immediately following this show, I hopped in my car and headed to another show down in Houston!

AJ's Ale House 10/13/11

Live Music in Marble Falls, TX, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

Tonight marked my first show at the second location of the Rock N Roll piano show club known as AJ's Ale House. I drove about an hour-and-a-half northwest of my home to reach the club in Marble Falls, TX. Very cool set up with a huge stage was waiting for me, as well as the very talented drummer, Joe Resnick. We played from 9:30p-12:30a, and then I rushed back home to get some much needed rest!

State Fair of Texas 10/8/11

It was a beautiful day in Dallas, TX today as I joined up with Rob Roy Parnell and the band on the Chevrolet stage at the 125th State Fair of Texas. We played two hours of Rob's music, as University Of Texas took on Oklahoma University in the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl. Tons of people flooded the fairgrounds, which made for a fun afternoon show. Dave Milsap (on guitar) joined us for this show, and sounded great. Chris Wallis (on drums) and I were running on only a couple hours sleep, but the energy of the show easily motivated us. Coffeeboy (on guitar) and Pat Whitefield (on bass) filled out the sound behind Rob. Fun, fun, fun!!!

AJ's Ale House 10/7/11

Chris Wallis (on drums) was back with me again tonight for a crazy Friday night show, which was an appropriate beginning to a crazy gig schedule for the two of us. Naturally, we had a great crowd who brought up some great requests, and Chris and I covered them all to the best of our abilities. But as soon as the show was done, we had to tear down as fast as we could so we could get back to Chris' house for about 4 hours of sleep before having to get up to drive to our big show tomorrow with Rob Roy Parnell at the Texas State Fair in Dallas! Whew!

AJ's Ale House 10/6/11

Last night, the great Chris Wallis (drums) joined me for his first show at AJ's in New Braunfels, TX, and he helped me keep the people dancing. We slammed through every request which came across the piano, including some Beatles, Queen, Elton John and, of course, Journey. Sometimes, your first night can be rough on you, but not for Chris. He handled every tune I threw at him with grace and confidence. Good job, Chris, and we'll both be back tonight at AJ's for Friday night fun!

AJ's Ale House 10/1/11

Interesting crowd tonight in New Braunfels, TX. Lots of different kinds of tunes requested, most all were unusual choices. A few typical requests popped up, you know, "Sweet Caroline" and "Don't Stop Believing", but so did "Fly Me To The Moon" and "House Is Rockin'", as well as "Get Down Tonight" and "Tipitina". Joe Resnick held down a beat for all the tunes with no problem, and the crowd stayed until the very end!

Chartreuse Hair Studio 10/1/11

Fun party tonight celebrating the 2nd anniversary of the San Marcos, TX hair studio! I performed while an art show took place inside the studio. Lots of people came to wish the owners well while enjoying wine and Greek food. Immediately following my performance, a belly dancer took the floor to entertain the folks. Great weather and a cool space filled with nice people made for a great evening.

AJ's Ale House 9/30/11

I was setting up at the club in New Braunfels, TX when I found out a scheduling error had been made for the drummer, Joe Resnick. He was sent to the wrong club, and was trying to make it to AJ's as fast as he could. No problem, though. It just meant that the beginning of the show, I played solo piano, then when he arrived, we busted into the more rock stuff. Good crowd, fun night, and Joe sounded great as usual!

AJ's Ale House 9/24/11

Tonight was a party in New Baunfels, TX with Brian on drums while I played piano. A big bachlorette party was there from the beginning for bride-to-be, Kristen. Lots of fun with them, and also with everyone else who filled AJ's. Towards the end of the night, the crowd got on a big 80's kick, so the last 45 minutes sounded like a Kay-Tel double CD special of the best of New Wave. Totally tubular, dude.

Farmer's Market 9/24/11

This morning, I performed for the San Marcos Farmer's Market on the square, in front of the Texas Music Theater. I couldn't have asked for nicer weather! It helped that I was in the shade, but it didn't get too hot until after my 10am-11am set. The folks seemed to enjoy my music. I had lots of great feedback from the people roaming the market after I finished. Hope to come back to perform again soon!

AJ's Ale House 9/15/11

Hey everybody! Tonight was packed with piano players and drummers and drummer-piano players who all had a chance on the stage. First, drummer Mikey took the stage with Kayla, a new piano player to AJ's. Then, I swapped places with Kayla to play a couple hours with Mikey. Mikey let Kayla sit in for a couple of songs on drums mid set with me still on piano. After Mikey returned to the stage, we played a few tunes together, and then his lovely wife, Summer (who is also a regular piano player at AJ's) came up and took over the piano, while Kayla took over drums. Finally, Mikey and I took the stage to close out the night. Wooo hooo! Party!

AJ's Ale House 9/10/11

Tonight was crazy in New Braunfels, TX! I had my first show with Brian (with an "i") Short, on drums, this evening, and he was fun to perform with. Every song I threw at him, he stepped up and hit it. The crowd was in a good mood and ready to sing along. For some reason, "Bennie and the Jets" was requested (and played) multiple times, and every time they'd sing along. Also, there were a bunch of people celebrating different things, and they all were great sports for letting me sing to them!

AJ's Ale House 9/9/11

Joe Resnick and I were back for more fun tonight in New Braunfels, TX. We both agreed on how cool the crowd was tonight. Great requests, people singing along, and everyone was there to have a good time. My favorite request of the evening came from four guys out to have a good time who really, really, really wanted to hear "Walk Like An Egyptian". I did my best to perform it for them, and they danced, like Egyptians, for the entire song. Cool.

AJ's Ale House 9/8/11

Joe Resnick and I played tonight in New Braunfels, TX for about three hours of every kind of song you could think of. Bob Marley, Beatles, CCR, White Stripes, Radiohead, Dr. John, Otis Redding, Van Morrison and so many more. The crowd arrived a bit late, but we still had fun with them. Joe can really play just about anything he wants to, and he proved it over and over again this evening. Tomorrow, we'll return for more mayhem!

The Legendary White Swan 9/6/11

Our first night at the Legendary White Swan was cool. Not too many people, but that was expected for our first show from 6p-9p on a Tuesday night. I still had a great time performing with Chris Wallis (drums) and Pat Whitefield (bass). We are in the process of refining our sets, and this is a great venue for it. I'm hoping to build Tuesday nights into something special in east Austin. If you're reading this, come out and say hi next week! We'll be at the 'Swan at least through September on Tuesdays.

AJ's Ale House 9/2/11

Folks in New Braunfels, TX were rocking tonight with Joe Resnick (on drums) and I as we played every request they threw at us. Joe's a great drummer, and he backed me up on everything from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Lovin' Spoonful. I made a few new fans tonight who were very gracious to us about our performance. Then, as I was about to leave the club, I checked my email and had a few new fans from Japan, too. Thank you to everyone for being so supportive of live music!

Tantra Coffeehouse 9/1/11

Rafael "Coffeeboy" Ibarra on guitar joined me tonight for a fun show at Tantra Coffeehouse in San Marcos, TX. We played quite a few blues tunes and some New Orleans soul, and while on break, I had many people come up to tell me how much they liked what we were doing, and what a great guitarist Coffeeboy is. One of the cool ways we approached some of the tunes was with the help of the app Garage Band on my iPad. We used some swinging drum loops to accentuate our sound, and it worked out great. I look forward to the next time Coffeeboy and I get a chance to jam!

Coffee Pot 8/26/11

Chris Wallis and I rocked San Marcos, TX tonight for a two-hour long set. This was a somewhat experimental show to see what kind of songs we might like to do as a duo. I had a great time, and Chris really showed what cool grooves could do to some classic tunes. I'm excited to work on this project with him, and I hope to see a bunch of you at our next show. BTW- Great food and coffee tonight at the Coffee Pot! If you get a chance, go have a sandwich...

AJ's Ale House 8/25/11

I played in New Braunfels, TX with Joel Duhon on drums for a night of requests from the crowd. We played a little bit of everything, and seeing as how this was the first time I'd met Joel, much less played with him, it went great! He is rock-solid and was very easy to work with. I definitely gave him a bunch of different styles to play, and he tackled them with ease. The crowd grew as the night went on, and by the end, they were wanting us to play all night. Again, another fun show at AJ's!

AJ's Ale House 8/19/11

Tonight, I played for the first time with drummer Mikey Gammon (who is great, btw) at the cool club in New Braunfels, TX. About the last thing I think you should do when you have a terrible head cold is to sing for three hours, but I did anyway, and Mikey was great about singing some high notes spontaneously. We slammed through a whole slew of requests, and on "Brown Eyed Girl" I asked Mikey a question, and when I looked over to get his answer, I realized I caught him on auto-pilot while he was watching a TV show where they were trying to get a shark off a boat and back in the water! We laughed about the Big Fish for the rest of the night!

AJ's Pub 8/18/11

Other than the persistent requests by one man for the Scorpions, all of the tunes were cool tonight that the people wanted to hear in New Braunfels, TX. The "Scorpions" guy was cool, too, but for some reason, he thought I was just holding out on him. Finally, I convinced him that I really never listened to them, so he requested a bunch of Elvis songs, and the night was a success. Joe Resnick played drums tonight and made the evening way more entertaining for me and the crowd! I had the end of a cold I was getting over, so I was worried I wouldn't be able to sing, but the more I played, the better I felt. Ah, the healing power of music!