Pier 27 2/25/12

Josh Adams performed a dueling piano show with me in Kerrville, TX under the 40 Rock name this evening, and the crowd enjoyed themselves all night long. The whole "dueling" concept was new to this room, so we educated the folks on how it works, and they instantly got into the swing of things with us. Shots were consumed and songs were requested by the people as they came up with some of the worst '80s music they could think of (at our request). It looks like this will be a regular thing in Kerrville, so come on out next time if you live near by!

Green Door 2/24/12

I drove a couple hours north to Temple, TX to a cool and funky club called the Green Door to perform a request piano show with Brian Short on drums. The place was hopping, and the crowd was singing along starting with the first song! I didn't know what to expect, as is the case with every club I enter for the first time, but I really like the layout of the venue and the people were out to party. Several of our military (Army) were also there hanging out with us, and before the night was over, on stage singing and leading the crowd through the Miley Cyrus hit, "Party In The USA"! I'd like to take this chance to thank those men and women who serve to protect our freedom. Thank you!!!

House Of Blues 2/22/12

The Houston House Of Blues was the setting for a huge private event for ConocoPhillips, where I performed a piano-to-go show with Mike Sueiro from Howl At The Moon. Several hundred people filled the club as we ran through our two hour set of music. Mike pulled out all the stops, running through tunes by Sinatra, Hall & Oats, and Billy Joel, while I kept the crowd going with Chuck Berry, Elvis and the Beatles. It was a pleasure to perform on the big stage across the piano from another talented piano player. Thanks for the great party, Houston!

Tantra Coffeehouse 2/21/12

Happy Mardi Gras! I had the most fun I've had in a long while tonight performing with Pat Whitefield (bass) and Chris Wallis (drums). We ran through bunches of New Orleans classic tunes by 'Fess, Lee Dorsey, and Dr. John, and it felt so good to play them with guys who appreciate those tunes as much as I do. We had a good crowd, and quite a few friends showed up to party with us. As and added bonus, my awesome wife came out and took some photos of the band while watching the show. I wish I could do shows like this one five nights a week!

AJ's Ale House NB 2/18/12

Chris Wallis (drums) helped me keep the crowd entertained tonight in New Braunfels, and it was one of the best nights I've ever had at AJ's! There were a few birthdays and anniversaries, and they sang along to every song. I was actually taken aback by how loud the singing was from the crowd on just our second song alone that I knew it was going to be fun. We had people on stage dancing to everything from "Friends In Low Places" to "Thriller" to "Baby Got Back" to "The Hokey Pokey". It was sheer madness, but everyone had a great time!!!

AJ's Ale House MF 2/16/12

Marble Falls, Texas tonight saw the first time I was given a request for Huey Lewis and the News' immortal classic from the film "Back To The Future", the song "Power Of Love". Nailed it. Then, "Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay". Slam dunk. When joe Resnick (on drums) and I asked for the next song, one table began to shout out for anything by Kansas, while another table instantly dismissed the first table's request by asking for "Kansas City". So, back and forth it went, "Kansas", "Kansas City", "Kansas", "Kansas City", until the Kansas people caved in and agreed to "Kansas City". What a fun, weird crowd tonight.

AJ's Ale House MF 2/11/12

I snapped a quick picture of Joe Resnick just before he started drumming on our second set tonight in Marble Falls, TX. We did our four hour show for the good folks based solely on request, like they do every Thursday, Friday & Saturday night at both AJ's locations. Some of the more unusual requests were Tears For Fears and "Any Disco...For My Wife", we played Tears For Fears and some disco for somebody's wife. I met a couple of people who told me they've been coming back regularly to AJ's to try to catch another one of my shows, which is always nice to hear. Good people filled AJ's tonight, and I hope they come back to see us again!

AJ's Ale House NB 2/10/12

Tonight was crazy in New Braunfels, TX! People were ready to sing along to any song I played, which always makes the night more fun. Joe Resnick played monster beats on the drums, while I had a steady stream of people come up and request tunes. All evening long, different women came up and sat next to me while I played their songs. It was a party crowd, for sure. You know it's nutty when I tell people that I've already played "Don't Stop Believing" and they shut me up by throwing twenties at me! Long live Journey, I guess!

AJ's Ale House NB 2/4/12

Saturday Night with Dan Holmes & Joe Resnick, a photo by Dan Holmes Group on Flickr.

Joe Resnick drummed tonight as I played piano in New Baunfels, TX. We had a good crowd, as usual, at AJ's. "Walk This Way", "What A Wonderful World", "Living On A Prayer", "Crazy", "Under The Bridge", "Johnny B. Goode" and many more were among the requested tunes, and we played 'em all! Joe, of course, rocked the drums, and we had lots of people come tell us what a great time they had with us tonight!

AJ's Ale House MF 2/3/12

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

I picked up Mikey Gammon last night from his house in Austin in the pouring rain, then headed to Marble Falls, TX to perform a fun request-based piano show for the cool crowd at AJ's. The rain fell harder as the requests flooded my piano, and eventually, the storm knocked out the power to the bar. Twice. We kept the party going until the generators popped the power back on. Towards the end of the night, Mikey showed off his mad skills by playing a solo in the dark using his electric sticks during the final drum solo of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll". Plus, we had a great song battle between "Freebird" and "Not Freebird". Not Freebird won with $36.
It was a good night all the way up through the drive home in one of the worst downpours I can remember in recent history!

AJ's Ale House MF 2/2/12

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

Joe Resnick met me in Marble Falls, TX tonight to play a request-based show at AJ's. We had a birthday to celebrate (although I have a feeling it wasn't her birthday), and we had her and her friends hang out with us for a couple of songs up on the stage. Lots of Elvis fans tonight, so I snarled my lip up and sang my best, hoodah hoodah!!!!