PREVIEW
Sing-along Rock 'n' Roll Duelling Piano Show
Thursdays and Fridays
Garage
All the spirit of Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry, minus the fire and racism
Duelling rock and roll pianos hit the stage in Calgary
It's a quiet Friday night at the Garage in Eau Claire Market. It's still relatively early and people are clustered around pool tables and ordering drinks. Admittedly, it doesn't appear that the crowd is there to see a show, but they're out for a good time and, after a certain amount of spirits, a good time is what they'll get.
I'm gathered around a table with Peter Robinson (The Livin' In Swing Orchestra, The Coco Locos Salsa Orchestra) and Johnny Summers (Johnny Summers Quartet), who are both neck deep in independent projects. Tonight, they're on stage with local blues legend Kelly Jay (Crowbar), rotating duties between two $35,000 grand pianos ("the best two pianos on any one stage in Calgary," says Peter). It's quite the sight.
"What I try and do is just make Calgary a fun place to live, throwing out all kinds of different entertainment," explains Peter, who started the weekly duelling piano show in June. Every Thursday and Friday, Peter and a guest pianist play off each other on the keys while singing their favourite hits. Audience members are encouraged to shout out requests all night long.
The concept came to the Garage after its owners saw a similar event at a watering hole in Texas. They had an exhilarating time, saw that the crowd was enthusiastically involved, and decided to present the festive night to Calgarians. They sought out Peter, who flew to Texas to witness the event, and became equally enthralled with the prospect of a Calgary version.
"There were hundreds of people, lineups to get in, and people were coming in for stag parties and birthday parties. It was totally interactive."
Their songbook – available for patrons to leaf through to select requests – includes a wide selection, from "Louie Louie" and "Great Balls of Fire" to "I’s the Bye" and "Hair." It's certainly a mixed bag of songs and the guys will play anything if it will please their crowd.
"We're musical whores. We'll do anything for a $20 bill. It's a musical playground for us," says Peter. "It's completely spontaneous, and as much as we try to rehearse and prepare, you just never know what's going to happen. For me, that's the appeal of it."
"You have to have a sense of humour – you can't take it seriously" says Johnny.
"And it's fun to stump the band."
The last couple songs that stumped the group were an Ozzy Osbourne song and "Pasties and a G-string" by Tom Waits. That was until I requested AC/DC (which the guys valiantly attempted). Occasionally featuring guest musicians such as Irene Besse, Peter says that people should come while they can still get in the door. |
