What great people in Oskaloosa IA! We played this event on short notice after a double-quirk of scheduling, and I was incredibly impressed at how much this town cares about…it’s town. 🙂 This community works together as well as any small town we’ve comes across.

It’s our third time to Oskaloosa doing our Fun Pianos! traveling dueling pianos show, but our first public event. Our previous shows were each on days of temperatures below zero degrees. This night: 95!

The community pulled up chairs in the town square, then stood up and had fun for 2 hours with the show..it was a very gratifying evening.

Thank you for having Fun Pianos!, Oskaloosa!

Fun Pianos is proud to say that all of the eighteen dueling pianos shows from last weekend (Dec. 11 and 12) went very well. The Nebraska crowds were delighted with the six shows in Nebraska: Broken Bow, Grand Island, Omaha, Scotts Bluff, Humphrey and Lincoln. There were four shows Deep in the heart of Texas: The Woodlands, San Angelo, Houston and Monahans. To the North in the Dakotas there were shows in Sioux Falls, Jamestown, Fargo and Cedar Rapids. One show was in Rosholt Wisconsin, one was in Oskaloosa Iowa, and there were two in sunny Scottsdale Arizona.

Assigning players isn’t done randomly. In fact, when you book a show, most of the time the player closest to you is the one assigned to your event…. but that isn’t ALWAYS the case. Here at Fun Pianos, we are often asked how we decide which dueling piano players will be assigned to do each show. Although we have offices in Omaha Nebraska, Phoenix Arizona and Tampa, Florida, we have players from all over the United States who will go anywhere to do shows. It is well known that Sam is from Detroit but has been living in Seward Nebraska for some time now. Jefrey currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona, Steven lives in Los Angeles, California, and some players from Michigan as well as other states. Although Tyler is originally from the Tulsa, Oklahoma area, he lives in Tampa, Florida now along with Chris and their piano playing neighbor Keith has a place in Orlando. Katy is a Chicago girl, Steve lives in Houston, Texas and Gary just moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. With all of these players all over the place, it would seem that it would be difficult to do a show in a place like Manhattan, Kansas or Fargo, North Dakota – but Fun Pianos will go anywhere! We have been known to do shows in places as small as Grafton, NE (pop. 122) and as far away as Portland, Maine San Diego, California, Miami, Florida and Seattle, Washington. So the players who get assigned to do these shows are often chosen by their proximity to another event. If we were to do a show in Denver, Colorado – we might have a team of players come from Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Iowa, or even North Dakota or South Dakota (if that is where a previous show was). For instance, if a team were to find themselves in Des Moines, Iowa on one night, they could easily do a show in Ottumwa, Iowa the next night and then bring dueling pianos to Minneapolis, St. Paul or Milwaukee on the following night. So Fun Pianos takes a lot into consideration when choosing which piano players are going to do which shows. If you are considering having Dueling Pianos at your next event feel free to contact us at any time.

Hello!

Sorry I was out of the country on my honeymoon!! I thought the show was AMAZING!! It went much better than I had anticipated and was more than I had hoped for! My dad had been telling me he was not going to stay through the reception and he was dancing until midnight!! The guys were able to keep my grandmother as well as all of my young nieces and nephews involved throughout the piano show. I was told by many of my guests that this was one of the most fun receptions they had ever been to and the guests from the reception in the room next to ours kept stopping by my reception because the “music was better” and their DJ was “boring”! Thank You, Thank you, Thank you!! My husband, myself, our families and our guests had an absolutely amazing night!

Thanks so much,

Laurel Walsh

The show is called “Dueling Pianos,” but you won’t see these pianists competing for audience attention.

“It’s a bit of a misnomer,” said Sam Ferguson, owner and lead player of 176 Keys Fun Pianos. “It’s more about interaction with and response from the audience.”

Ferguson, Jefrey Taylor and Steven Ramirez will take their interactive song and comedy show to Rapid City at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The three will each bring their own specialty as performers to Rapid City, something Ferguson says is perfectly suited to keeping the show lively.

“Jefrey’s the perfect guy for a rock ‘n’ roll song, and a great singer,” Ferguson said. “My strength is humor, bringing comedy to the show. Steven’s a little bit of both. Plus he’s the youngest on staff, so he’s perfect for newer songs while Jeffrey and I cover older material.”

Ferguson said that the show usually has two performers on stage at a time, with the two working together as a musical-comedy team.

“It’s kind of an Abbott and Costello dynamic,” Ferguson said. “Neither performer is the sidekick, they’re equally important.”

Ferguson said that each member was adept at switching to whatever the moment called for, however.

“I am for anything that works in the moment,” Ferguson said. “My favorite way to entertain is making people laugh, but if the crowd wants to sing more than laugh, I’m happy to do that.”

Ferguson said that the key is reading the crowd and acting accordingly, playing whatever is going to get the best reaction out of the crowd in the moment.

Megan Whitman, executive director of Main Street Square, said that this is the second time they’ve invited this particular Dueling Pianos group, with Main Street Square previously hosting other groups with similar shows. Whitman said that it’s a perfect show for the whole family.

“We see a variety of ages of people coming downtown for this show, from young families to older adults,” Whitman said. “It’s a great chance to create memories for families in particular.”

Whitman said that it’s a great variety show, mixing comedy with Elton John or Billy Joel classics and contemporary hits.

“They also take special requests,” Whitman said. “If there’s a song you want to hear, they’ll probably be able to perform it.”

Ferguson said that they keep up with the biggest hits, as they change from month to month.

“Last year, ‘All About That Bass’ was our biggest song for a while, and then two months later it wasn’t,” Ferguson said. “Whereas something like ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ is never our most popular song in the set, but they’re consistently in the top 10 because people know them and don’t get tired of them.”

Ferguson said that he looked forward to interacting with the audience and getting them to be a part of the show.

“If we’re just on stage, there’s an imaginary wall between us and the audience,” Ferguson said. “We want to break through that wall, become more tangible and get a more personal connection.”

Contact Max B. O’Connell at 394-8427 or max.oconnell@rapidcityjournal.com

Tailgate parties are perfect events for Fun Pianos! to entertain you.

Fun Pianos! has enjoyed spreading Husker Spirit throughout the country at many official Husker Huddle events around the country for 3 years (sponsored by the Alumni Association). These events are tailgate parties at Husker road games. With the help of the NU Spirit Squad and the Husker marching band, everyone has a great time and gets pumped up for the Husker game ahead. This year, we will be at the Miami Hurricanes game on 9/19, and at the Minnesota Gophers game on 10/17. Check out our Upcoming Events page on Face Book and get your tickets to the next Husker Huddle!

We don’t just do tailgate parties for Nebraska though… our teams are from all over the country and can get YOUR crowd of fans laughing and cheering all the way up to the game. We are happy to celebrate with you and support your team… whether you are in Iowa, South or North Dakota, or anywhere else across the United States. Give us a call or shoot us an email and let’s get the tailgate party started!

www.funpianos.com
FunPianos@gmail.com
1-888-539-7176

Don’t be left out. Make sure you join our mailing list and keep current on public shows, great deals and special announcements!
Click the link below to sign up now!

https://duelingpiano.com/newsletter

Hope you are ready for the BEST and most FUN Party that you have seen Fun Pianos Dueling Pianos play… EVER! We are taking over for your Holiday Party planning. Leave all the stress and worry to us… all you have to do is bring some people, laugh and sing along. We take the frustration and work out of planning your “work” Holiday Party!

We play all over, but here are some of our shows in Nebraska this winter season:
Bladen NE
Lincoln NE (Special thanks to our Fun Sponsor: Crystal Sauna)
Broken Bow NE
Scottsbluff NE (Special thanks to our Fun Sponsor: Crystal Sauna)
Grand Island NE
South Sioux City NE
York NE
Beatrice NE
Seward NE (Special thanks to our Fun Sponsor: Kirby Roth Insurance)
Columbus NE
Fremont NE
Norfolk NE

Get your tickets and find out more info at www.FunPianos.com/Tickets

We have 3 public shows this weekend… including our show in Valentine NE. We will also be in Cascade IA, and Gering NE doing fundraisers for some great programs. We would love to see you there! Come out and watch the most FUN interactive dueling pianos show, you won’t be disappointed!

You love dueling pianos… and you love to party and have a great time… but bringing a dueling pianos show to your event was just too expensive and in the end, just not an option.

UNTIL NOW!!!!!!

We have discovered a way for everyone to be able to bring our show to their event. If you are interested in finding out more about how…email us at funpianos@gmail.com.

We are very excited to move in this direction and can’t wait to see all of you in the future!

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We had a FUNtastic time in all the different places we performed last weekend. With 6 teams, we can cover a lot of ground. We would love to add your town to our list of “Played There” locations. Contact us to find out what great deals we have in your area.

Thanks to Big Lake MN, York NE, Sioux Center IA, Lincoln NE, Finley ND, Virginia Beach VA, Tampa FL, Ogallala NE, Aberdeen SD, Sleepy Eye MN, and Sioux Falls SD for helping make our dueling pianos show the most requested travelling piano show in the country! Our fans make our job even more FUN!

If you are one of the many small businesses in the Midwest still recovering from the economic slump, you may be thinking that it is impossible for you to host any kind of holiday party this year. We have a solution that will not only provide a holiday party for your staff, but will also thank them for a great year while encouraging them to continue their hard work through the upcoming year.

We provide the venue, the entertainment and the food. You provide the people, along with many other small business owners and managers who will bring their people, and we have a Big Fun Pianos! Party for Your Small Business. It’s that easy. Tickets to the event are affordable, the food is delicious and you get an amazingly FUN show that will provide lasting memories for your entire office.

Holiday parties are important. Not only are they a great way to say thanks for a job well done, but they have the added benefit of being a great way to team build. Our Big Fun Pianos! Party is designed to get everyone involved. The hilarious dueling pianos show is completely request driven, so you determine what we play. Our players have one goal, to do whatever it takes to make the night the MOST FUN you have had. In order for that to happen, they will have you laughing, dancing and singing along. We have provided the perfect atmosphere for your staff to set work aside and just for a few hours, let loose and have FUN! You may be surprised at the team building that naturally occurs when your staff can eat, drink and have fun together. According to Deborah Sweeney, CEO of MyCorporation.com, “If there’s an element of friendship in the workplace, work doesn’t seem so much like work. Holiday parties are a great place to start building those relationships.”

If you are in or near York, NE… We will be at Chances R Restaurant on 1/9/2015.

Get your tickets HERE for York.

If you are in or near Seward, NE… We will be at the Lied Senior Center on 1/23/2015.

Get your tickets HERE for Seward.

We have less than 2 weeks to go until we take over the Chances R Restaurant  for a night overflowing with FUN!

Bring your staff and treat them to a delicious dinner and a FUNtastic show. We can’t think of a better way to let your employees know how much you appreciate them. Laughter and fun will continue to resonate throughout the rest of the year when your staff remembers the great time they had at the show.

Make sure you and your staff are at the BEST dueling pianos show in the country, on January 9th, 2015 in York NE! Get your tickets now:

Get Tickets HERE

The show is only 3 weeks away! We have less than 40 tickets left for you to see the nation’s outstanding dueling pianos show at “Chances R” in York NE. Don’t wait any longer! Get your tickets HERE

We are taking our dueling pianos show to the fine folks in  Flagstaff AZ, Coralville IA, Davenport IA, Wichita KS, College Station TX, Fargo ND, Scottsdale AZ, Roseau MN, Hastings NE, Tyler TX, Irving TX and Omaha NE…. Whew! That’s a lot! If you missed out on booking us for this year, it’s never too early to book for next year! We would love to help make your event, wedding or party the most FUN your guests have ever had. Make sure to check out what people are saying about our show here! What People Are Saying

Our clients are so happy with our dueling pianos show that they just couldn’t keep it to themselves.

We had a FUNtastic time last week getting to help so many towns and companies celebrate the holidays with our FUN PIANOS dueling pianos show. This season is a wonderful opportunity to give generously of our time, talents and gifts to people that are less fortunate than ourselves. We have also been a part of some amazing fundraisers for communities as well as private fundraisers for individuals dealing with unimaginable circumstances.  We feel grateful to be able to be a part of making the holidays FUN and memorable for everyone.

Fun Pianos was the entertainment for a fundraiser held in Kankakee, IL last week. We don’t always get to hear about the outcome of the fundraiser, but this time, we were sent the following review:

” The show was great. Not one person had a bad time…all are talking about doing it again…
Thank you for all your help. The guys were so much fun … and (The tips they generated for this fundraiser) went to a young lady here in town who was waiting for a heart. Guess what, she was called that day for a heart and had surgery the next day.
So thanks again, I think you’ll hear from us again.”

We are so proud to have been a part of helping to save that woman’s life. We want to wish that young lady a quick recovery and hope that she lives a long life filled with FUN!

Fun Pianos by 176 Keys Dueling Pianos is a FUN way to make your FUNdraiser a HUGE success. Contact us to find out more information.

Fun Pianos by 176 Keys Dueling Pianos has never been accused of being too quiet! As a matter of fact… we like to have so much FUN, we can hardly contain it. We are taking our show to 15 different events in the next 4 days! We are going to haul out the “jolly” in everyone! Check out some fun facts about “Silent night”…

Silent Night (1818)

Words: Josef Mohr
Music: Franz Xaver Gruber
Arguably the world’s most popular Christmas carol comes in several different translations from the German original. It started out as a poem by the Austrian Catholic priest Father Josef Mohr in 1816. Two years later, Mohr was curate at the parish church of St Nicola in Oberndorf when he asked the organist and local schoolteacher Franz Xaver Gruber to put music to his words.

An unreliable legend has it that the church organ had been damaged by mice, but whatever the reason, Gruber wrote it to be performed by two voices and guitar. It was first performed at midnight mass on Christmas Eve 1818, with Mohr and Gruber themselves taking the solo voice roles.

Its fame eventually spread (allegedly it has been translated into over 300 languages and dialects) and it famously played a key role in the unofficial truce in the trenches in 1914 because it was one of the only carols that both British and German soldiers knew.

– http://www.historyextra.com/feature/christmas-songs-oldest-ones-are-best