Dan Holmes Group

I had a great time performing with Gumbo Ya Ya in Florence, TX, today. Kenny Felton (drums) invited me to fill in with Paul Hollis (guitar) and Dave Evertson (bass), so I did. We played a bunch of New Orleans grooves out on the back deck from noon to 3p. It was windy, but really pleasant. It was a great way to finish off the weekend. 

Heather was off this weekend, so Kayla Roth and I perform in Cedar Park together. We had at least three birthdays celebrating with us, and had a great crowd of people all requesting tunes, singing and dancing. I haven’t shared the stage with Kayla since back in the AJ’s Ale House days of 2011-2012! 

We took our dueling pianos show out to Boerne, TX, to play a private event for a small group of lawyers and judges. It was fun having a small group of people who were really into our show. We had plenty of great requests, and we loved as they danced and sang with us. Heather and I always like making people happy, and one person from the event was so pleased, they took the time to give us yet another 5-star Google review. It’s humbling! 

Heather, Christine and I started our day by heading to a Harry Potter-themed coffeehouse called The Coffee Mugg, then down to Padre Island National Seashore where we swam and sat in the water for a while, just talking and relaxing. Those two women are so much fun, and we always find fun stuff to do together. We had a burger on our way back to the AirB&B, then got cleaned up and headed to our show in downtown Corpus Christi. We played through our requests and finished up at 1am. Heather headed back to San Marcos, while Christine and I stayed in Corpus. Tomorrow, we’re meeting friends in San Antonio to see “Book of Mormon”! 

Art Walk was happening when we arrived in Corpus Christi for or show tonight. All of the streets are filled with vendors and all of the shops are open. It’s a big part of why we’re always here on the first weekend of the month. We had a great crowd, including one fan who sent up a request and said they’d been following me since 2014. That kinda stuff never gets old. I loved reading that note! On our drive down before the show, we had a chance to see the Thunderbirds practicing for the Great Texas Air Show over San Antonio. It was pretty cool to have them buzz over us on the highway. 

Wow! What a fun crowd we had in Belton, TX, tonight! It was just a few seats shy of sold-out, and they were there to have fun. There were several requests tonight that were firsts for us, and I loved them all. I mean, where else could you not only request your favorite rock or pop tune from the past 70 years, but also Kermit the Frog, Tom Lehrer, Dr. Demento, and the Marx Bros? And we played them, and everything else we possibly could in our three-hour, non-stop show! One family came up to us after the show and introduced their young son, and told us he’s taking piano lessons now, and he was moved to tears of joy during our show. That’s why we do what we do. 

We love our Victoria friends! Christine came to the show with Heather and I and took a ton of great pictures throughout the show. The place was packed, and everyone was sending up fun requests. The staff took great care of everyone (because they are rock stars) and we had a great time catching up with them before the show. We always look forward to our Victoria shows! 

Heather and I played Live Band Karaoke in New Braunfels, and we had tons of fans and friends in the audience from our first downbeat through the very end of the show. Kevin Humphrey joined us on guitar, and we had a great show together. The club packed out by about 10pm with potential singers. So glad to see bunches of people we haven’t seen in a while like Sarah, Randi, Sam, Brandon, Susan, Taylor, Anna, Damon, Len, and so many more! After our show at the end of the night, fellow piano bar player Kayla Roth appeared from the crowd and had a nice long chat with Heather and I. It feels good to have so many great people show up for us. 

I sat in with the Long Lost Locals again tonight in Austin, TX, on 6th Street. It was a bunch of fun performing with Nathan, Micah, and guest drummer Charlie Jones. I had a fella come up after the show and told me his father used to play piano with Willie Nelson in the ‘70s, and then told me I was one of the best keyboard player he’s seen anywhere. That’s a big compliment, and one that was hard for me to take, but I really appreciated the sentiment! It’s always nice when someone connects to what I’m playing.