CABARET
NEWS
SOUTHEAST & SOUTHWEST USA
FLORIDA: NEW PIANO BAR OPENS IN KEY WEST, FL
Owners Pat West and Chip Allen announce the opening on their piano bar THE KEYS (1114 Duval Street, Key West, FL - 305-294-8859 - http://www.akeywestpianobar.com ). Target date for opening the club had been October 1st, but in true Key West fashion, things didn't actually come together for opening until Tuesday, October 21st which happened to be the first day of Fantasy Fest, when the first beer was sold at 6:00 pm.
Steve Barcus was on the piano (a beautiful 7-ft Yamaha Grand which had been shipped down from New York) with Kelly Howe as singing waitress while Julie Sheppard, George Sanders, Shawn Curran and Bobby Peaco represented the club in the annual Headdress Ball which was held under a tent a few blocks away. After the ball, they joined Kelly and Steve to host the After Party for the ball-goers here in the club, and the room quickly filled with a rowdy yet appreciative crowd of locals and tourists alike.
The rest of Fantasy Fest week and this past week of "recuperation" from the festivities has seen a nightly crowd of curiosity-seekers, piano bar aficionados, and a growing number of regulars coming back night after night. There are many NYC'ers who vacation here or who have a house here, and are shocked and delighted to find the familiar faces we have from their favorite piano bars in New York.
During this past week, Steve Barcus had to get on his motorcycle and head to a gig in Texas, and in his place, Erik James was at the piano the past few days. In addition to the performers from NYC, they have on staff a few of the local Key West favorites such as pianist Bobby Nesbitt, singer/actor Mark Watson, JB McLendon (aka drag favorite "Gassy Winds"), and transplant from NYC's DON'T TELL MAMA, Traci Reynolds (who is also the booking manager/webmistress for The Keys). Another NYC transplant, Patrick Shank, is the General Manager.
This week, the club welcomes a new NYC crew for the next two weeks: singer/actor David Colbert, the one and only Terri White, and pianists Joe Regan and Michael "Sparky" Edelstein.
Pat West and Chip Allen have dedicated The Keys to the memory of Pat's son Andrew West, who many may remember as a talented pianist, singer and composer in his own right who was taken from us way too early at the age of 20 in 2001.
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