Ricky Liontones Tour 2025!

It’s that time of year again! The Ricky Liontones Trio is heading out for some shows on the East Coast and the Midwest. It’ll be my first time visiting Philadelphia (and Poughkeepsie), so I’m excited for some new experiences!

For those in Chicago, we’re bookending the tour with local shows at some legendary venues: The Cubby Bear on August 14, and Live Wire Lounge on August 22.

Our final show of the run will be an afternoon set at Nest Fest on the south side.

More shows to come!

KEXP Session

I’m excited to announce that I was a part of a KEXP session with OPLIAM earlier in the year, and the session is now live on YouTube! KEXP is an independent radio station based in Seattle that films and records some of the best artists in the world. We flew out to their legendary studio for a session in January, and had a great time recording a handful of Liam’s originals.

Big thanks to Liam for the opportunity, and to the rest of the band for turning in such a memorable performance. You can watch the whole session and interview with Liam on YouTube!

Return of Smooth Tuba Tuesday

It’s been a little over a week since we lost a smooth legend in Roy Ayers. His passing inspired me to post the first new installation of Smooth Tuba Tuesday in a long time, a tribute to his hit song “Everybody Loves The Sunshine.” After the hiatus, it felt great to be making this content again— I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did! Moving forward, I hope to continue making more Smooth Tuba Tuesday content, even if I don’t have the time to make a new video every week.

I have some fun live shows to announce in the next week, too! Friday night I’m playing with Ricky Liontones at Bobby’s Eastside. I played there last year with the Taylor Street Organ Trio, and it’s a great venue that I’m looking forward to playing again. Saturday we’re playing at the House of Blues, located in the heart of downtown Chicago during the height of the St. Patrick’s Day mayhem. Anyone looking for some fun music after checking out the green river should come find us!

New Stuff

Last weekend I got to take on yet another new role: clinician for a rock band! I’ve been a judge and clinician for the annual music competition hosted by George Westinghouse College Prep, and this year the fine arts faculty expanded the competition to include two groups full of great young rockers. I didn’t know what to expect from such an unusual role, but it was actually really fun to work with them on the songs that they prepared. Talking to these young musicians also helped me put my work into a fresh perspective—right in time for a bar gig later that evening! A life in music never ceases to run out of surprises, and last weekend was no exception.

Nor will this weekend: I’m going to be part of a video shoot on keys, then later traveling to Peoria to play bass with country song slinger Isaac Durst at Crusens. I’ll even find the time for a D&D session the next day.

Here’s a show I’m really excited to play! This Wednesday I’ll be playing with Ricky Liontones at the Cobra Lounge, along with Code Noir and Satin Banshee. You can still get tickets at Dice.fm!

(Another) New Band

Once again I’ve taken on the mantle of another new band. Led by Ricky Liontones, this outfit performs as “Lions of the Tone Age”, featuring songs from every era of the legendary hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age. We have a few shows lined up in the coming months, which I’ll be able to announce very soon. In the meantime check out the clips above, taken from our show last night at Reggies for their classic album night!

We’re also doing a set of original music at Cobra Lounge on February 26, along with The Code Noire and Satin Banshee. It should be a good night!

Happy 2025!

Happy New Year! 2024 has been a fun ride for me across 20 different states, with performances in at least half of them. In my travels I got to see a lot of new places and meet a lot of new people, and there will be many more in 2025!

In 2024 I really dove into classical piano, presenting half a dozen recitals with a variety of repertoire from as many sources as I could imagine. In addition to the traditional Western classics, I performed music from Africa, South America, and Asia, and discovered works from throughout the annals of music history. And—of course—I’m hoping to perform even more new music over the next year!

I have other big plans for 2025, including some new projects… You’ll have to wait and see what I mean!

December Shows

As school rolls into finals week and my teaching duties lighten up going into the holidays, I have some time to reflect on the wild year I’ve had so far. Interestingly, my “Spotify Wrapped” playlist consists almost entirely of music that I’ve had to learn for a gig or class, and so it provides a good overview of my music making this year.

At the top of the list you can find the fascinating collection of Studies in African Rhythm that I learned for an international-themed classical piano recital. There’s also plenty of other classical piano pieces, along with other classical works I had to teach in school, hard rock (Ricky Liontones), smooth R&B (Smooth Tuba Tuesday), and a host of other popular hits that I played with cover bands and jazz standards from combo gigs. Highlights of the music that I didn’t have to learn for a gig include Mdou Moctar, Hiatus Kaiyote, Arooj Aftab, Brittany Howard, and Kim Gordon (look them up if you don’t know them).

I have a couple of shows to announce today, with more very exciting things to come. First, on December 13, I’ll be playing with Ricky Liontones at Liar’s Club for the millionth time this year, this time opening for Masonic Wave. We’ll also be paying tribute to Ricky’s original band from a decade ago, Polite Machines, with music from their catalog.

Next, on December 20, we’ll be a part of a major event happening at The Piazza in Aurora. Put on by Rock 95.5 in Chicago, “Holiday Havoc” will feature a slew of major rock artists, including Anberlin and Eve 6, and yes, us! What’s more, I’ve been told that you can save $5 on your ticket if you buy them online using this link and the code “ricky” at checkout!

Private Performances This Weekend

It’s been a wild few months for me, hosting a music festival with my girlfriend and company and spending two weeks touring the country with OPLIAM. I’ve gotten to see and explore some places I’ve never been before, including Seattle, Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam, and Arches and Red Rock Canyon National Parks. I’ve learned more things and had more unforgettable experiences than I could possibly recount here, and it makes me very grateful for the kind of life I get to live.

Of course, the fun never stops, as I have yet another full slate of shows coming up this weekend. The first is my final classical piano recital of the year, this Friday at the Three Crowns Park senior living facility. It’s been a pleasure to work on this repertoire over the last year, and I always relish the challenge of creating fresh, compelling programs that engage audiences. I may even have to take my performances public next year! If you are interested in seeing me play classical piano, you can find clips like the one below on my social media pages.

On Saturday, I’ll be playing keys for an anniversary party in my second show with The Stingers, a fun cover band that features a lot of great classic rock and R&B. One of my favorite things to do with the group is to use my MIDI keyboard to play famous horn lines along with the saxophone player—although they would be more fun to play on the tuba!!

Finally, on Sunday morning, is a gig that you can actually attend! It’s another show at Boat Drinks with Ricky Liontones, in what I believe will be our fourth appearance this year. With a view of Lake Michigan and Soldier Field, Boat Drinks is one of the coolest bars in Chicago hands-down, and I always have a blast playing there. We will start the music at 9AM to help tailgate the big Bears-Packers game happening next door, so get there early to start your day off with a good time!

Summer Music Roundup

This summer, as always, was full of exciting adventures around the country! Here are some of the highlights:

I celebrated 5 years with Zoe by spending a romantic weekend in Milwaukee and dinner at Petite Vie Brasserie.

I saw Aurora Borealis for the first time in my life in northern Michigan, and visited Arches National Park and Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

I performed at five music festivals in three different states, and half a dozen house/block parties from Chicago to Colorado.

I presented three classical piano recitals, including an “Olympic” program featuring music from around the world, and a special performance on a dock at Torch Lake in Michigan.

I performed an original score for a live comic book reading with Snack King Comics.

I recorded new tracks for upcoming releases by Chicago artists Ricky Liontones and OPLIAM at Bricktop Recording and Shirk Studios.

I got 1.5 million views on a single Instagram reel, by far the most I’ve ever had.

In total I had shows in 10 different states this summer, including places that I’ve never visited (like Seattle), and drove through at least 10 more. Here’s a smattering of beautiful sights along the way:

Here’s a list of the venues I’ve played at this summer (excluding private events):

Beat Kitchen

Brat Shop (Kehosha, WI)

Cole’s Bar

House of Blues

The Bunker (St. Charles, IL)

Boat Drinks (x2)

Imperial Oak Brewery Festival

Midsommarfest

Good Old Days Festival (Grand Junction, MI)

Not Your Father’s Music Festival (Aurora, IL)

Yardapalooza Festival

Subterranean

Fitzgerald’s (x2)

Pux Cider (Grand Rapids, MI)

Café Mustache

The Studio (Lockport, IL)

JBJ’s (Nashville, TN)

Bootlegger’s (Alexandria, LA)

Bayview Yacht Club (Alexandria, LA)

Liar’s Club

The Washington (Burlington, IA)

The Casita (Pueblo, CO)

Silver Moon Brewing (Bend, OR)

Mississippi Pizza (Portland, OR)

Blue Moon Tavern (Seattle, WA)

Pillar Forum (Minneapolis, MN)

As you can see, I’ve had a busy summer… but I’m not finished yet! With multiple local shows over the rest of this month and more tour/festival dates and an album release coming next month, the music never stops!