Piano Men to play Park

The ivories will be tickled Friday, April 17 as The Piano Men - The Music of Elton John and Billy Joel take the Park Theater stage at 7:30 p.m.

The group, based in Nashville, consists of co-founders Micah Snow and Chris Smallwood who each play the piano and provide lead vocals, Jesse Isley on lead guitar, Brian Kilian on drums, Justin Smith on bass, Abigail Flowers and Fain Spray providing background vocals and Owen Fader on saxophone.

Snow, a graduate from Middle Tennessee State University, appeared on Thursday morning's Town Talk with Raven and Rob on WBMC to provide a preview of what attendees can expect from Friday's show.

"Around 2013 when I finished up at MTSU I started gigging in Nashville and met Chris Smallwood, who has a similar background," Snow said. "He's from London, Ky. and we realized we both love Elton John and Billy Joel. We paired our skill sets together and, around 2015, we started playing that music live. We got some of our friends together and formed a band and started playing The Sutler in Nashville. It's not there anymore, but we've built the project over the years and have sold out a number of venues like 3rd & Lindsley, City Winery and The Mule House in Columbia. I feel like the band is cooking."

The band is comprised of several successful Nashville musicians who have played with some of the biggest names in music. Snow's credits include touring with Jo Dee Messina and Dan Tyminski and performances on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," "Good Morning America" and "The Grand Ole Opry." He has also performed alongside one local rock star.

"I have played McMinnville before with a good friend of mine who happens to be a McMinnville hometown hero, Chip Greene," Snow said. "In fact, Chip is going to sit in and sing one song with us Friday night. We're glad to have him do that."

Between Elton John and Billy Joel, there is no shortage of hit songs, creating the difficult task of trying to include as many of the must-play tunes from each as they can in the allotted time.

Snow said. "Obviously, we can't play them all," Snow said. "We could probably play for six hours and still not cover all the major hits. But we usually play two hours and 15 minutes and we try to play as many of the big hits as we possibly can. It's a nine-piece band, so you'll get a big sound. And you need those great musicians to accurately perform so many of these songs. You'll hear 'Rocket Man,' 'Tiny Dancer,' 'Uptown Girl,' 'Just the Way You Are,' 'Moving Out,' 'My Life,' 'Scenes from an Italian Restaurant' and many more."

Tickets start at $25 plus tax and are available at the Park Theater website, the Park box office at 115 W. Main St. and at the door beginning approximately one hour before the 7:30 p.m. show while supplies last.

"We've got a great band, great vocalists and one of the best saxophone players in Nashville," Snow said. "You'll get to hear us play all of these legendary songs. Both of the artists are more-or-less retired. You can't go see them, so you might as well come see us. Sing and dance along and hopefully we leave you with a little music in your heart and a good time."

"This is the music that resonates with a lot of our customers, and we all love a great tribute act, so we are really excited to welcome The Piano Men to the Park Theater stage this weekend," Park Theater Assistant Manager Ashley Gillentine Wright said. "The Local on Morford will be in the building serving beer, wine and more for our over-21 attendees and we are expecting a great crowd for the show."

The show kicks off another busy weekend at the Park Theater with The Piano Men giving way to Diggory Digger's Rock and Roar Dino Show Saturday at 2 p.m. For more on that show, see the Main Street Journal's previously published story here.