The Lodge 10/29/16

 

 Yesterday was a very, very long day. I performed a Howl2Go (Howl At The Moon) dueling piano show (with a band) for the Hughes wedding in Fredericksburg, TX. Heather Ray (piano) and Jay Wimberly (guitar) met me at 1p in San Marcos to drive up together. We arrived and set up from 2:30p-4:30p, and quickly realized that we didn't have enough time to go eat before guests began arriving. Chris Wallis (drums) and Kevin Humphrey (bass) arrived at 6:30p with a bag of food for us, and then we waited for our turn to take the stage after dinner and first dances and cake cutting. 

What the bride didn't know was that her bridesmaids reached out to us secretly to perform "It's All Coming Back To Me Now", a Celine Dion tune with altered words instead of a speech. It went great, and when the dance floor opened at 8p, people danced and sang until the event wound down at midnight. We had several songs we learned just for this wedding, and all of the musicians I worked with did an absolutely great job of pulling together and making the event fun. The groom even got up (he sings in a band) with his piano player and did a couple tunes with the band!

After folks began to leave, we tore down and loaded out, and began our drive home at 1:30a. We made it all the way back to San Marcos, 3:30a, five miles from home, and the two-lane road which heads into town, the only road which heads into town, was blocked and shut down due to an accident at a frat house. We waited about a half hour, but nothing was budging. So we had to turn around and drive south to New Braunfels, the head north to my house. We arrived shortly after 4:30a. 

It was a long day with a few minor setbacks, but the show was great and the event was beautiful. Thank you to my all-pro team for all you do, and congratulations to the newlyweds!

Gourdough's Public House 10/28/16

 

After helping my wife with some automotive trouble, I had a nice dinner with her before heading to my gig in downtown Austin with the always entertaining Chris Wallis on drums. We had a great crowd and a steady stream of requests tonight! I enjoyed the randomness of Motown to Primus, '80s pop to '70s cheese, everyone seemed to have fun. Job well done, Chris Wallis!

Moonshine & Ale 10/22/16

 

I played in New Braunfels tonight with the fantastic Andrae Blissett! We had a great crowd from our very first song until our last. Some tunes I'd never considered trying hit the piano, so I gave them a shot, and mostly sounded like I meant to play it. Andrae was easy to work with, and even though it was our first show together, it felt like we had done it a hundred times before. I feel so lucky to always have the opportunity to work with pro musicians!

Moonshine & Ale 10/21/16

 

Chris Wallis and I played our show in New Braunfels tonight! Lots of requests, as usual, and quite a few odd balls. I happily played the random Stevie Wonder and CCR tunes folks asked for. It's always fun playing shows with Chris! 

Treff's Tavern 10/20/16

 

Tonight marked the first of our new weekly piano bar show in San Marcos, Texas! The amazing Mikey Gammon played drums while I played piano. We had a good turnout with lots of good requests. My favorite request by far was "Piano Pan" by Bob Dylan. I'll be back in a couple weeks to play some more tunes!

 

Rockey's Piano Bar 10/15/16

  

My second of two shows tonight took place in Round Rock with John Duran to a packed house! We had some great dancers, including a random guy who was dancing with everyone, and an attractive woman who decided it would be a good idea to reinact the scene in Dirty Dancing where the woman is lifted by the man. It ended with both of them on the floor. 

Treff's Tavern 10/15/16

 

I played drums for the inaugural request piano show behind the great Tommy Raye on piano. This was my first of two shows tonight, and it was fun playing with Tommy. I look forward to playing the new San Marcos club next Thursday on piano. I'm heading now to Round Rock to play some piano at Rockey's!

Escondido Golf and Lake Club 10/14/16

 

David Lee and I played a private event in Horseshoe Bay, TX tonight. There were about a hundred women in attendance, and they started off the evening with a buffet and some light dinner music from David and me. We played about an hour, took a break, then came back to the stage to take requests and help the women dance and sing the night away. I had lots of fun with David, and I hope we get a chance to work together again soon. Thanks to Groovelabs for including us in the festivities!

 

Grind House Coffee & Cocktails 10/13/16

 

I returned to Kyle, TX to take requests on my piano. I enjoyed all the Beatles tunes people asked me for. I'll be back soon at Grind House to take more requests!

Hurst Beans Plant 10/9/16

 

I filled in for the great James Hill on keys today in downtown Indianapolis with Duke Tumatoe and The Power Trio for a Colts tailgate party. AJ and Joe are a superb rhythm section, and it was fun to play Duke's tunes with them. I really enjoyed getting a chance to not only play with Duke again, but also hear his guitar playing, which is, and always has been, great. My wife took all the photos of the event for us. As a bonus, on our break, I had a chance to catch up a bit with my buddy Kristi Lee (of podcast and Bob & Tom Show fame)! 

 

 

 

Zydeco's 10/8/16

 

For my second of my two-night stint in Mooresville, IN, I performed with Jack Joseph (bass) and Mark Clark (drums). I really enjoyed both Friday and Saturday at Zydeco's. It's like a family reunion when we play there. Deb (the owner) told us she was really happy to see Mark and I play together again. It took some convincing, but we finally made it clear that this was actually the very first weekend Mark and I gigged together. I love Deb. 

 

Zydeco's 10/7/16

 

I had so much fun in Mooresville, IN tonight with Bill Ritter and Mark Clark, playing DanHolmesGroup songs, that I wish it didn't have to end! My wife took some great photos of the band, and Deb had an issue figuring out the technology. Deb is one of the owners of Zydeco's, Bill plays bass, and Mark is the drummer, for those of you who didn't know. This actually was the first gig I've performed with Mark, but he knew every tune, which made for a very fun night. Mark and I will return tomorrow night with bassist Jack Joseph for another evening of music at one of my favorite places in the world!

 

 

 

Static Shack 10/6/16

 

I had the pleasure of recording for Duke Tumatoe today. He had me play along with him on a track for a new album he is working on. Alan Johnson was behind the mixer, doing what he does best. It was great to record again with these fellas!

 

Gourdough's Public House 10/1/16

 

The amazing Chris Wallis joined me for a show in downtown Austin tonight. We had a fun crowd with weird taste in music. For instance, I had a guy ask for NWA, and then Chopin. Yep. It was that kinda night. The bachelorette brought her crew up to sing "Don't Stop Believin'". And just because it was October 1st, I played lots of horror themes in preparation for Halloween!

Moonshine & Ale 9/30/16

 

Roger Glenn played drums with me tonight in New Braunfels. We had a somewhat quiet crowd, but they were still into bringing up requests for random songs. "Tempted" by Squeeze, "Blister In The Sun" by Violent Femmes, & "Tennessee Whiskey" just to name a few.