201 Mesquite 12/1/23

We drove to Abilene, TX, with our drummer buddy Chris Wallis tonight to perform for a private event, where we were representing NY/NY Dueling Pianos. We met venue manager William and his pup Lieutenant Dan when we arrived, and I had to get a picture of his cute pup. The venue was beautiful, and everyone in the crowd was really nice to us. They fed us before the show, and then brought up a wide variety of requests. The stage had a couple of support posts going floor to ceiling, so there was a group out of my line of sight sitting behind the post. It didn’t take very long before they moved to the table front and center to have fun with us. Thanks to everyone at Central Texas Farm Credit for having us perform at your event! 

Moonshine & Ale 11/30/23

Heather and I met up with Kevin Humphrey in New Braunfels tonight for Live Band Karaoke. It was a bit more laid back this evening. We did have lots of our regulars come through and sing some tunes with us, and a few new people who told us they would be future regulars! I enjoy playing with Heather and Kevin. They’re great musicians! 

Luna Gardens 11/26/23

It’s my birthday today, and I got to perform with a bunch of talented artists! Now that’s a great present! Centex Productions by friend and guitarist Kevin Humphrey produced this tribute show to “The Band: The Last Waltz” in Lockhart, TX. There were about 15 vocalist, plus the five of us in the band. I played piano, Kevin was on guitar, David Beck was on bass, Dees Stribling was on drums, and Peter Huysman was on organ. The list of singers (and I apologize if I miss someone) included Dustin Welch, Leary Kelly, Travis Knight, Colton Cerny, HalleyAnna Finley, Jackie O, Michael Milligan, Grant Ewing, Tom Pyle, Mandy Rowden, Samantha, Johnny Walker, Electric Gold, and Steve Collins. My sweet wife Christine woke me up this morning with breakfast, and gave me some gifts, then came to the show and took tons of great photos of the event! The band sounded fantastic, and it was a treat and an honor to play with that huge amount of talent who graced the stage. Also, a big thanks to Kevin Humphrey for brining a delicious birthday cake to the show for everyone! 

Moonshine & Ale 11/25/23

We performed in New Braunfels with our friend Chris Wallis on drums! The crowd brought us some good requests and were very complimentary to Heather and I when one of us was off stage. Heather and Chris surprised me at midnight by getting the crowd to sing me Happy Birthday! One of the girls who was also celebrating her birthday ran up and put her “Birthday Girl” sash on me! I loved every minute of it. I have great friends! 

Sean Patrick’s Irish Pub 11/24/23

We performed in San Marcos tonight for some appreciative people! We were asked to start a little later than scheduled due to sportsball so we played a little later, too. It was nice having gig like this. 

Moonshine & Ale 11/23/23

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m thankful for great friends and a job I love. Pancho, Heather, and I performed for Live Band Karaoke tonight in New Braunfels, TX. We had fun with the singers who joined us tonight. A bunch of our regulars were there, and some fellow musicians as well. Piano player Mike Atkins popped in with his wife and played a tune. It was a great day before our show, too. Drummer Chris Wallis, Heather and her husband Chance joined Christine and I for a great meal and fun games. Then after our show, Heather and Chance came over and we played games until about 3am. It was a great Thanksgiving! 

Moonshine & Ale 11/22/23

Heather and I played our annual Wednesday night, pre-Thanksgiving show at Moonshine & Ale tonight. We were both making each other laugh all night, and the crowd always appreciates our weird interactions and humor. People filled the club, and we had lots of good requests. We’ll be back tomorrow for a Thanksgiving Live Band Karaoke show, so join us after your turkeys! 

Old Kress Live 11/18/23

I drove to Corpus Christi with my buddy, drummer, and all-around nice guy Chris Wallis. Heather wasn’t able to make this show, so Chris agreed to come fill in. I always enjoy performing with him! We performed from 10p-1a, and had some good tunes requested. Thanks to Chris for helping out this evening! 

Moonshine & Ale 11/11/23

We were told at the end of the night that this was the busiest evening in the history of Moonshine & Ale! I believe it. We played from 8:30p-1a, and even with our first note, every seat was filled and people lining up in the isles. Some of our friends from Victoria were there, as was a bunch of New Braunfels fans, and we even had some people from Corpus Christi show up! Heather was amazing (as always), and it was great to play with Jarrett who filled the drum chair starting at 10p. We’ll be back the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to launch the holidays in style! 

Moonshine & Ale 11/10/23

It was packed in New Braunfels tonight! Heather and I put on the best show we could, and we had tons of compliments after we finished. I’m so happy to have such a great and talented partner who makes me happy at every show! 

Moonshine & Ale 11/9/23

Heather, Kevin and I played for Live Band Karaoke. We had a packed house due in part to it was raining and Wurstfest is entering its last few days. We had many people come up to sing with us, and the crowd was supportive. Heather and I will be back Friday and Saturday for piano bar!

Dow Academic Center 11/4/23

We performed at a fundraiser in Lake Jackson, TX, representing NY/NY Dueling Pianos. They had several presentations and dinner before we performed our 45 minute set. It was a short show, but it was full of requests, and we even helped a sweet woman celebrate her 80th birthday. Now, we are making our 3.5 hour trip home!

Old Kress Live 11/3/23

Heather is so much fun to travel with! We took our show back to Corpus Christi again tonight. We had many requests from the crowd. We played songs by The Beatles, Taylor, Swift, Bill withers, and Red Hot Chili Peppers to name a few. Afterwards, we drove to Bay City to our exquisite AirBnB. Odd wood paneling, satin sheets, and pictures hung way too high are just some of its awesome features.

Moonshine & Ale 10/31/23

Happy Halloween! Garth and I played in New Braunfels for a super-fun Halloween show featuring a costume contest! I had a camera set up to capture everyone’s great costumes, but it only took about 12 pictures before the SD card failed. Fortunately, I also took a bunch with my phone, so we still got some photos. The show was full of Halloween appropriate requests, which we played most excellently as Wayne and Garth. Congratulations to the winners of the contest, and thanks to everyone for making it a fun Halloween night. Party on! 

Old Kress Live 10/28/23

Dia De Los Muertos Street Festival was happening tonight in Corpus Christi, TX, and it was jam-packed for our show! There were lots of great costumes which made Heather and I happy to see people getting into the holiday. We played everyone’s requests from 9:30p-1a, including Halloween favorites like “Monster Mash”, “Thriller”, “I Put A Spell On You”, “Black Magic Wonan” and so many more. The staff and owners are so friendly and treat us great there, and we always enjoy performing for them and their customers. We will be back on Friday, November 3rd, so mark your calendars. 

Sean Patrick’s Irish Pub 10/27/23

We performed in downtown San Marcos, TX, tonight for our monthly show at Sean Patrick’s! The World Series was on, and lots of people were in costume for Halloween, so it was a flurry of activity throughout the building. We had fun performing people’s requests, as always! A fellow piano player, Kayla Roth, showed up to watch the show, and it was great to see her again. We will return to Sean Patrick’s on Friday, Nov 24, so mark your calendars. 

Moonshine & Ale 10/26/23

Yeah, I played in New Braunfels, TX, with two amazing musicians tonight for Live Band Karaoke. Some of you know them, but it’s worth reintroducing them every now and then for all the new people. Pancho Garza is that rare breed of guitar player who is always playing the tastiest of licks while simultaneously worrying he’s too loud. He can play pretty much anything you throw at him, and he plays it well. He’s a super nice guy on top of everything! Heather is my partner and one of my best friends. She is so positive and talented, and we go together like butter and even more butter. She learns new musical techniques daily, and her growth seems exponential. The three of us play any one of 400 songs most every Thursday for people to get up and sing with us. Most of you out there have tried to learn a song, be it on recorder in 3rd grade, strummed on your brother’s guitar some, or sang a cappella. It’s hard! But playing with these two makes all 400 so easy. 

Hudson House 10/21/23

We played a very nice event in Altus, Oklahoma tonight where we represented NY/NY Dueling Pianos. It was a fundraiser for the Altus Chamber of Commerce. Before we began, they held a cocktail hour outside the venue with a Photo Booth, bar, and a solo bass player named Eric Harris entertaining everyone before the live auction and our dueling pianos show! They enjoyed our show so much, they asked us to play an extra half-hour, which we did, and had a great time!