Piano Barbarians

Frankie Turner is a much loved dueling pianist from Michigan recently living in NYC where he is loved by other players for his quick wit and superb ability at forging connections with audience members.  Tune in!  **Special Announcement** Mark Weiser drops by the podcast to talk about all things related to PIANO SUMMIT 2017 happening in NYC March 13-15 next year... check out www.PianoSummit2017.com for more info!

Davina Yannetty hails from East Boston, not far from where she began working as a dueling pianist at Howl at the Moon in Boston when it opened in 2010.  Davina is a wonderful singer and boasts a deep repertoire of classic rock and 90s hits.  In recent years, Davina has been traveling and performing dueling piano gigs around the world.   

iPads, Song Ownership, Drummers, X Stands vs. Shells, Rap, and Lyric Improv, CP33s vs. Privias... Steve Savage and Matt Tobin delve into all your favorite hot topics in the world of dueling pianos.  Enjoy!     

Nate Hopkins and Steve Savage are two skinny pasty dudes who live in Astoria.  They also both have exquisite gingery beards.  For serious, it was great to have Nate on the podcast to discuss his career in dueling pianos, his position at Howl at the Moon in NYC, and his musical theater pursuits.  Tune in!  Feel free to email the podcast:  PianoBarbarians@gmail.com 

Steve Savage and Matt Tobin sit down for a conversation on the first episode of the podcast after a nearly 3 year hiatus.  Steve and Matt are both dueling piano players that live and work in New York City.  Enjoy!  

Cheerio!  Today's episode features an Englishman living in New York, James Barr!  Steve and James sit down for a chat about solo piano lounges on cruise ships and the process of transitioning into dueling pianos.  James also talks about a particular sales technique that he employs with audiences on gigs.  Tune in!  

The Barbarians are back with a brand new episode featuring a conversation between Steve Savage and Drew De Four...  Drew has the distinction of being possibly the youngest player to be doing the gig for 10+ years.  Anyone fortunate enough to share the stage with Drew has a unique understanding of his superb ability when it comes to dueling pianos.  Tune in for a glimpse at Drew's philosophy on the gig!  

Today's guest is the well-traveled Orin Sands.  Steve and Orin sat down for a chat before their Saturday evening gig in Lincoln, NE, and got to talking about Orin's history with dueling pianos as well as his tenure in Holland at Crazy Pianos.  Wondering what it may be like to be a piano barbarian overseas?  Don't miss this episode!  

Deep in the mysterious, northwest-Arkansas landscape, Paul met with Stephen Winter and Piano Barbarian alumnus Brian Lee.  This podcast takes the record for most tangents in an English accent.  The merits of live music and music-capitalism will be debated and discussed with fervor because Paul read an interesting article and is caffeinated.

California King Ryan Bueter spends and hour with Paul, hashing out everything you need to know about your chances as a dueling piano player, especially on the west coast.  Also, deep dives into the male psyche and bar behaviors.

These are some heavyweight Colorado players, people.  Paul finally got a chance to nab Ashley and Piano Barbarians alumnus Eric Blumenfeld for a chat that is sure to transform modern entertainment.  Have you ever considered a LIVE POWER-HOUR?  No?  Pick up the pieces of your blown mind and listen to this.

Steve sits down with veteran traveling piano man Jeff Spence who is currently performing nightly on the NCL Epic.  Steve and Jeff do a bit of shop talk about balancing music with comedy, but focus mainly on some of Jeff's great stories from his years of performing.  Tune in to hear all about Jeff, from his first piano bar gig playing japanese singalongs in Texas, to his jazz studies with Ellis Marsalis in New Orleans.  Towards the end of the episode both Steve and Jeff get philospohical about the emotional cache that piano bar entertainers access on a regular basis at work.  A fun episode for sure, get it in your ears! 

Luke is one cool dude. We invited the UK-based artist on the show to talk about his project "Play Me, I'm Yours," which installs pianos on street corners in a city, allowing anyone to play at any time. But then learned: he also designs hospital atriums. He creates glass sculptures with lightning. He sends hot air balloons up over cities to play music and inspire peoples' dreams. And he's colorblind. Jarret speaks with him about his artistic process, installing street pianos in Boston in Summer 2013, and the differences between foxes and hedgehogs.

If a Piano Barbarians host should be stranded in LA because of a blizzard in Denver, he should take the initiative and track down old friend Kelsie Clark for an interview.  Paul did just this. He and Kelsie delve into life in California, song fads, and Kelsie's feature-film debut.

Part 2 of the epic Savage/Genuardi interview series, in which Steve and Joe delve into health and singing techniques.  Paul's "Whiskey Method" goes unappraised.  Relax your ears and enjoy.

Joe Genuadi has worked at Howl at the Moon for nearly 20 years! Steve and Joe recently sat down in Orlando to discuss Joe's history with the gig. This is the first of a two-part series. Be sure to check back in a few days for Part 2 featuring a discussion of Joe's work as a voice coach and keeping vocal chords healthy while maintaining a full schedule.

Congratulations to the entire Piano Barbarian family as we crest into our 50th episode!  Paul randomly bumped into Frank McGlynn and Dave Puszykowski in Denver last week, and they were gracious enough to be guests on the podcast 24 hours later.  This episode features a deep-dive into straight-to-video Disney animation, which is a requirement for any podcast reaching 50 episodes.  It says so in the podcast manual.

After a year of running Piano Barbarians from different corners of the earth, Paul and Steve had a chance to work together in Denver for New Year's Eve.  They tell their survival stories of the night, and wax on the future of the music and entertainment industry.  All this from the comfort of their pajamas.

Steve sits down with The Piano Whore himself, Mark Weiser of NYC's "Shake Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos."  Steve and Mark get to the root of Mark's philosophy on a "New York Style" dueling piano show, as well as some discussion of Mark's stake in musical theater scene in the big apple.  Tune in!

It's been a while since the hosts have gotten together for a chat.  Steve has been busy recovering from pneumonia, Paul has been busy interviewing guests and keeping the podcast alive.  Jarret has been busy surveying real estate in Boston.  That being said, we're back with another episode discussing a variety of topics... "new country" music, facebook dramas in the DP forum, cover charges, and celebrity encounters in the world of dueling pianos.  Tune in!