Susan Erwin's Blog

Brett and Susan - NASCAR PERFORMANCE

2012-03-13T16:01:00.003-07:00

We performed this past weekend at NASCAR on the Neon Garage stage at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. We had a blast and a great response from everyone. 4 gigs in 3 days and we were worn out!

Here is a small video sample of us performing at NASCAR.

www.brettandsusan.com

Brett & Susan Taking Off

2012-03-01T03:17:00.007-08:00

I'm still very blessed to be doing what I love, and now I get to do it with my best friend and partner. Brett and I started performing together in October 2011 and we are seeing such great opportunities arise it makes us know it's meant to be. Things are just falling way to easily in place for us, and we are working hard to keep improving, building a fan base, and creating new music together.

Brett's voice is so beautiful - one of the reasons I fell in love with him. :) We have posted some videos of cover tunes on our website: www.brettandsusan.com The two most popular are THE AUCTIONEER SONG and HOW TO LOVE. One is very country featuring Brett's auctioneer skills, and the other is a country remake of a Lil Wayne song.

We are booking more and more venues in the Vegas area - Pioneer Saloon and Bonnie Springs Ranch are regular gigs. We are even performing at NASCAR Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 8-10. Also, through our connections in Los Angeles, we are now about to release our first original we wrote called "Pearly Creek." It is in the studio now, and once finished, we are shooting the music video with the same producer. The single will be released in over 600 digital markets through Universal. Can't wait to debut my original work, which up until this point has never been shared.

These photos were taken by Sal Cincotta. Brett and I were hired as models for the WPPI Convention in Vegas, February 16, 2012. Sal taught a photography class and used us as models for this look and in wedding dress/tux. Fun to get paid to have our photos taken, AND we got to keep all of them. THANK YOU SO MUCH SAL!!! WE LOVE YOU!

For performance dates, latest music, merch and more, go to our website and stay tuned as we bring more creations to you!

WWW.BRETTANDSUSAN.COM

Also please "Like" our FACEBOOK PAGE.

Much love and gratitude,

Susan

New Venues This Spring

2012-01-28T10:37:00.001-08:00

2012 has started off pretty well!

I'm performing regularly in Las Vegas in the dueling piano clubs around town.

The Aquarius Casino in Laughlin, NV has us booked for a month of weekends straight. The show is a bit different that the normal dueling piano show. Lucky Lee and I use multiple instruments and are up on a larger stage. It's more of a show than a club dueling piano atmosphere. Truly enjoying the change-up.

WWW.SUSANERWIN.COM

DUELING PIANO SHOW DATES & LOCATIONS

---------------------------------

Also, our Brett and Susan duo has a running every other Sunday booking this Spring at the world famous Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings, NV. We love it there. It's one hundred years old and so rich in history. Its said to be a ghost town, and sits nestled in an old mining district. It's truly like stepping back in time.

More exciting shows to be announced very soon.

AND.....

We also have our first original to be released by March 1st, so stay tuned!

WWW.BRETTANDSUSAN.COM

BRETT & SUSAN DUO DATES & LOCATIONS

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-12-30T05:20:00.000-08:00

If I had one word to describe 2011: "DISCOVERY"

Discovery of self emotionally, physically, in my career, and in my relationships. I've learned this year:

1) The importance of patience,
2) There is strength in nose-to-the-grindstone diligence,
3) The utmost importance in careful selection of people, things, and thoughts I choose to let influence me,
4) the gap between what I know and need and want to know grows daily in a beautiful and seemingly exponential way, and
5) above all else, LOVE is the key to all happy and peaceful things and can solve just about any situation.

SENDING LOVE AND HAPPINESS INTO THE NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FRIENDS!

Fall 2011

2011-11-01T01:49:00.000-07:00

So this Fall has been one of change and new adventures...

I really enjoyed my time at The Red Piano on the island of St. Maarten in the Caribbean during the month of August. I returned in September to Las Vegas to my 5 nights a week at various casino dueling piano venues with Steve Beyer Productions. I am getting some great stage time with some pros in the industry and soaking up as much as I can from them....learning a ton from those guys (and gals).

I'll be back in the Caribbean in Aruba at Soprano's the entire month of December 2011. It is a solo piano gig, but a very high energy, request-driven and crowd interactive show like those shows you have seen me in at dueling piano venues. Very excited to be performing there for my first time and to spend my first Christmas in the Caribbean!

Most recently I have been collaborating with Brett Rigby. We are working on our original duo act which is Country/Americana/Folk. His voice is amazing, and our duo act will surprise you....lots of good music in store....We are most recently cutting a Christmas album and releasing singles, covers and other music together on our website: www.brettandsusan.com. Check us out!

Tonight was Halloween! Great time at the Paris Casino & Hotel with Billy Kraus aka Axl Rose. I was "Wilma-AAAH!"

Happy Halloween. Happy upcoming Thanksgiving and I do hope you all have a beautiful holiday season!

All my love,

Susan

How To Love - Brett and Susan [Cover]

2011-10-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

Videos from St. Maarten

2011-09-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

Live on air at Island 92 in St. Maarten during August 2011. I performed there at The Red Piano. Great crowds, beautiful island, amazing people to work with and for.

Sebastian Gomez is the guitar player you see in these videos. He is a bartender and performer at The Red Piano. In fact, he and his brother will be the performers for the month of November 2011. They are awesome!

Someone Like You *Live on Island 92* from Red Piano SXM on Vimeo.

Sex On Fire *Live on Island 92* from Red Piano SXM on Vimeo.

BACK FROM SXM!

2011-09-08T21:07:00.000-07:00

DOWNLOAD THE NEW TRACK
Hello to all!

I just returned from the Caribbean where I performed at THE RED PIANO all of August. While I was there, I visited the radio station Island 92 several times. One of those times, I was able to perform on air with Sebastian Gomez (guitar player from The Red Piano) on the Adele cover song "Someone Like You". The track from that live performance is free to download on my website (www.susanerwin.com) under the media page.

UPCOMING VENUES - VEGAS & ARUBA!

I have returned to Las Vegas and I am now performing regularly 5 and 6 nights a week in various casinos. For example, Paris Casino, Harrah's Casino, Plaza, Monte Carlo, NYNY, and private events. If you are planning a trip to Vegas, be sure to catch a show! Check peridocially for updates to my calendar each week to find out where I will be if you are in town.

Also, in December I will be in Aruba performing in a venue much like The Red Piano in St. Maarten. I will be at Soprano's Piano Bar, so come share in the holiday spirit in the Caribbean!

"LIKE" MY NEW FACEBOOK MUSIC PAGE

www.facebook.com/susanerwin

Add me and stay tuned to updates!!

The Daily Herald Article

2011-08-07T09:05:00.000-07:00

THE DAILY HERALD ANNOUNCES SUSAN PERFORMING AT THE RED PIANO SXM.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A COPY

Karakter - SXM

2011-08-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

Having a great time in St. Maarten this month...performing at The Red Piano every Tu-Su night 8-1...

Great crowds so far, lots of fun...come out and request your favorite songs, dance on the piano and be merry! :)

The video I'm sharing below is of one of my favorite places to hang out in St. Maarten - a Beach bar/grill called Karakter. Great food and drinks, great mix of cultured people, and amazing atmosphere!

THE RED PIANO - AUGUST 2011

2011-07-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

HEADED TO ST. MAARTEN ON SUNDAY!

2011-07-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to get back to The Red Piano this August. This past March I was there and had such a great time. I was able to explore the island, take day trips over to Anguilla and Prickly Pear. I even had my own radio show on Island 92 during Happy Hours on Fridays with the help of my good friend Soc who runs the station.

This August I will be doing something new. I'll be streaming live from my new webcam channel, so stay tuned for event times and details...

Here I come again SXM! Can't wait!!!

Here are few pics from last March!

laying on the beach everyday... love my life! ;) xoxo

Piano Mom MJ hosts us here at her house!

With Bobbie - local St. Maarten celeb! ;)

With the owners of the Red Piano - Jason (left) & Drew (right)

at the red piano at the red piano

on the radio with Soc - Island 92

my view from the red piano

exploring Orient Beach on the French side

The Buzz - GO RAZORBACKS!

2011-07-18T18:07:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Justin Acri @ The Buzz in Little Rock, Arkansas for having me as a guest last week on his show!

I hope to come home to perform for a Buzz Tailgate sometime this Fall to support the Razorbacks. I love seeing and meeting people out here in Vegas who are from my home state - Arkansas. I even called the hogs with one lady in a crowd hundreds of people.... no one knew what the hell we were doing, ha!

CLICK HERE - ARTICLE ON THE BUZZ BLOG

If I do make it back for a tailgate performance, you can bet I'll be playing my keytar with a cover something like this:

RADIO INTERVIEW WITH ACRI

2011-07-14T01:51:00.000-07:00

LISTEN LIVE TO THE INTERVIEW WITH JUSTIN ACRI ON THE BUZZ 103.7

ONLINE LIVE STREAM

FRIDAY - JULY 15, 2011

10:00 A.M. CENTRAL TIME

HOME TO MISS ARKANSAS PAGEANT 2011

2011-07-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

I'm making an appearance at the 2011 Miss Arkansas Pageant this Saturday, July 16 at the Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

For tickets and info CLICK HERE.

For fun, I thought I would share a write up about me back in my pageant days when I was Miss University of Central Arkansas competing in the Miss Arkansas pageant.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD!

2011-06-19T11:36:00.001-07:00

I wrote a poem for dad and created a video of pics put to music and my voice when I was little. My voice was recorded by my grandmother on cassette tapes that I found recently.

Here is the poem I wrote for dad this morning about remembering being little in the garden he would have every year. He tells a story about how I was little and digging in the dirt in the garden next to the cow pasture. I looked over and a large cow had its head at the fence and was looking and smelling of me. It scared me and made me scream, cry and run away... he laughs when he tells this story.... :)

The Disgraceful Cow's Garden

by: Susan Erwin, June 19, 2011

In the garden

that cow looked at me

leaning over

how could it be?!

I ran so fast

and screamed so loud

to alert my daddy

of the disgraceful cow

the garden was big

the corn stood tall

I think it was about half an acre in all

No worries back then

just a little girl with a grin

eating strawberries before we washed 'em

that was no sin!

fishing crawdaddies in the creek

riding tractors and four-wheelers, feeling the wind on my cheeks

no better memories than these

when I was a little girl, about as high as my daddy's knees...

time makes us grow up

get old and life seems harder

but I'll always be grounded

from my childhood with memories

like those in that disgraceful cow's garden.

NEW GOLD PIANO

2011-06-16T11:46:00.001-07:00

My new piano purchased from a gentleman that was a performer for years here in Vegas... Awesome story on how I came to find it... Gold antique finish customized Yamaha.

....in my living room at my new place in Las Vegas Country Club Estates...

....Ellie immediately jumped up there like she knew her spot....

Then I added my own personal decor with old vintage vinyls on the wall...

Stevie Wonder, Willie, Ray, Janis, Johnny Cash & Elton John....

I heart Vegas!!!

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Tam O Shanter,Las Vegas,United States

SOME OF MY FAV VEGAS ROOMS

2011-06-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

HARD ROCK CASINO & HOTEL

RUMOR

HARD ROCK CASINO & HOTEL

EL CORTEZ IN OLD DOWNTOWN VEGAS

HARD ROCK CASINO & HOTEL

FOR BOOKING HARD ROCK CASINO - www.hardrockhotel.com

MORE PHOTOS ON HARD ROCK ROOMS - CLICK HERE

THE POWER OF .COM

2011-06-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

I may be considered a geek for all my gadgets that connect me to the online world, but I, like some of the Gen X-ers, and now over 98% of Gen Y-ers are online interacting better than we do in the physical world. I have seen it coming for years and participated. 50% of the population is 30 and under.

Some people turn their nose up to online social media, but they will be left behind in a big way...in my opinion, they already are left behind...

A.M. VEGAS & POWER OF .COM

2011-05-27T01:09:00.001-07:00

Took this on the way to the gym early one morning... Beautiful skyline with morning light!

Silly in front of the sign....

New .com thanks to my brother Dillon.... www.susanerwin.com After 7 years I finally got it... So I'm .net AND .com now....

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:S Las Vegas Blvd,Las Vegas,United States

SING-A-LONG & EINSTEIN

2011-05-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

When I was a young child, I had this little book with bunnies and it had scratch-and-sniff in it. I can't remember the name of it for the life of me. I loved the smell, and to this day if ever I smell that very distinct berry smell my mind immediately takes me back to 1985 in Magnet Cove, Arkansas, sitting on the brown shag carpet in my room in front of my book case where the other books and I hung out.

Like smell, certain songs I hear take me back. To me, music is what feelings sound like. Whether happy or sad, there's nothing like a song to let you hear what your heart feels. I'll never forget my first boyfriend bringing me a cassette tape that had Firehouse's Love of a Lifetime on it. Though obviously our relationship wasn’t true to the title, I wore that tape out, and still to this day, whenever I hear that song, I mentally teleport to my front porch watching him pull up my gravel driveway in his dad’s Bronco.

Or the way I rocked Vanilla Ice out of my window in about 6th grade after getting off the school bus on my dual cassette tape boom box so the neighbor boys would hear it and think I was cool. (That was so not cool, Susan. Wow!)

Or how about cruising in my '96 white Camaro around the "strip" in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with my best friend, Lindsey, blaring Tori Amos' Cornflake Girl and Alanis Morissette's entire Jagged Pill album over and over. I don't care who you are, that made us cool. Ha!

Fast forward to college: If I hear any song from the Dixie Chicks Wide Open Spaces album, I immediately think of the drive from Magnet Cove to Conway, Arkansas, where I went to college. It was about an hour drive I made often on the weekends, and I distinctively remember what the road looked like when I hear those songs.

So why do we go back in time when we hear those songs? I can’t explain it completely, but I do know that we find some kind of comfort and entertainment in them.

When I started performing as a dueling pianist in Little Rock, Arkansas, at Willy D's, about 6 or 7 years ago, a few respected male duelers summed up the concept for me. In fact, Mike Mathews told me, "I can explain this gig to you in three sentences. We're all in a living room with a piano. Everyone's drinking and partying and having a good time. You happen to be the one that knows how to play the piano while everybody's singing along to their favorite songs." To this day, I clench to that statement, I'm sure more than Mike realized I would. And many more respected duelers along my path have given me advice that I've seen first-hand to be true in what I do as a dueling pianist. We call the concept "Sing-a-long".

A few of these things I've learned about Sing-a-long are:

1) People love the songs that bring back a feeling they had from their formative years. If music is what feelings sound like, i.e. the first time you had certain feelings like falling in love, having your heart broken, etc., then the songs that first translated those feelings for you are the ones you remember most.

2) Everyone wants to be a rock-star. Even the shyest person secretly wants to be on stage in front of people, pouring out their heart, singing and entertaining. I think it is a natural feeling for us all. I can pick out shyest person at a table, bring them up in front of my piano, and through the art of sing-a-long make them dance like Elvis and have the crowd cheering for them. They transform from shy person to rockstar in seconds, about 98% of the time.

3) Music bridges every socioeconomic gap. The chemistry ignited in a crowd of people who are all singing together in unison is tribal, and brings out some kind of instinctive harmony in all of us. From Gregorian chanting to American Indian fire chanting and dancing, we derive some sort of strength from rhythmic music performed in unison.

4) Add alcohol to any crowd and I can get them to do the Chicken Dance. Enough said.

Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist who has a knack for explaining the highest level physics to the layest person, says, "Music is the voice of God traveling through ten-dimensional hyperspace." He goes on to say, "physics are nothing but the laws of harmonies on a string - music. And the mind of God that Einstein worked on for the last 30 years of his life was cosmic music resonating through dimensions of hyperspace."

Now, before you dismiss this as silly theoretical talk, here's a quick caveat: I'm a self-proclaimed geek. Before I discovered sing-a-long, I was pursuing physics and mathematics in college. I do believe that somewhere in music and resonation a crowd demonstrates a harmony of frequencies, frequencies like those of electrons that make up the atoms that derive our existence, all the way to the macroscopic harmonies of the universe that we have yet to completely understand. I've also observed that fundamentally, when playing Piano Man or Don't Stop Believing, a crowd of people will resonate at the same frequency and, somehow, we're ALL better for it.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is enough of my wisdom for today. Please come check out my show soon, and jot down on a request form, "make me resonate," if you want a genuine laugh out of me. My latest news and performance dates can be found at: www.susanerwin.net

NEW ONLINE MERCHANDISE

2011-05-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

Check out my online products that I personally designed. Cafe Press is a great way to create merch and never have to touch a product or pre-order.

ONLINE SUSAN ERWIN STORE

Back in the Sky

2011-05-06T19:26:00.001-07:00

Back in the cockpit soon at Monarch in Vegas. This DA40 and I will soon be BFF on my trips to L.A. Garmin1000, logging cross country and starting my instrument... So excited!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Las Vegas, NV

MY MOVE TO VEGAS

2011-05-04T02:45:00.001-07:00

I found a great place in the LV Country Club, and the move was eerily smooth. Already busy with a crazy schedule this week -

Wednesday - Paris Casino with Dave Mauk

Thursday - MGM Grand Private Corporate Event with Kevin Krohn

Friday - Harrah's Casino

Saturday - Hard Rock Casino

Whew!!! Lovin' Life & the Spring Weather!

Suze

Las Vegas Performance Dates

2011-04-19T22:27:00.001-07:00

More Las Vegas dates coming!

NEW YORK NEW YORK

I will be performing at New York New York on Sunday, April 24 at 3 p.m.-7 p.m.

PARIS

Performing at Paris Casino on Sunday and Monday April 24/25 at 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Poem for Mom

2011-04-05T22:48:00.000-07:00

My mom is amazing and she finally got a Facebook page. I wrote this on her about me statement:

Mom finally decided to get out here and join us in Facebook-land. Only because she knows she can check my pulse out here if she cant find me otherwise. LOL. I asked her for her login to upload a profile pic, and couldn't pass up the opportunity to write what I think of my mother in this section, since she has gotten to it yet.

So here is a poem written by me, Susan Erwin, this afternoon, April 5, 2011:

Debra Erwin, my mother, born of her mother, Dorotha Lee
Two of the most amazing women in the world, undoubtedly
She is all your childhood fun, laughs, and bedtime stories
She is the safest yet most fun place you wanna be.
No one is more grounded, loyal, and trustworthy.
A lady with a deep southern drawl and hospitality.
She is a woman of God's grace and the utmost integrity.
Just please laugh at her corny jokes, sorry mom, they sometimes can be. :)

She is kind, only to a fault when she assumes others cares like she.
She is stronger than you know, yet on the outside she's a soft breeze.
But she can put you in check with a force of light so Godly
It'll feel like angels just spanked you, if need you be.
I can't count how many times she has not allowed me to see
Her tears or pain when I was down and lost at sea.
She owned duty to be my lighthouse, her guiding light shining strong & brightly.
She'll see beauty in all & will help you,a person, better be.

She is a prayer over the phone in a time of need.
She is a smile and song from the church piano she leads.
She is a powerful squeeze on my hand when discipline I did need
She is a devoted lady of faith to God, her husband and children - theres three.
She is an AMAZING daughter, and I only hope to be as good of a daughter as she.
So, here's to hoping fruit truly doesn't fall too far from the tree.
Though times I feel far from it, I'll always know where my roots were once seed.
I LOVE YOU MOM, from your eldest child, the daughter, only.

(Hope when you log in and read this it is a bright light during your day!)

Guest Radio DJ - Island 92

2011-03-18T10:46:00.001-07:00

Friday - March 18, 2011 happy hour from 4-7pm eastern.

Watch live online at www.island92.com. Click on webcam AND "listen live" to hear it.

Thank you Soc, for having me on air this month in St. Maarten!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

St. Maarten @ The Red Piano

2011-03-08T11:42:00.001-08:00

I'm in St. Maarten for the month of March. Here are some photos of what I've been doing!

On the radio Island 92

Simpson Bay - my backyard

The Red Piano

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Guntar

2011-01-09T04:15:00.000-08:00

Kid Rock needs this, or me to rock out with him...

Hogtar

2011-01-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

Another creation of mine. Watch out Arkansas...football tailgates next year!!

Kustomizing Keytars

2011-01-07T11:40:00.001-08:00

George Barris, "King of the Kustomizers" and I are working on custom interchangeable covers for my keytar. A couple of my ideas come from shoes I love. I hope to make on for Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, or even Glee. I can take pretty much anything and make a keytar cover design with it.... Try me!

I will be performing at the car show George puts on every year in May...Culver City. I will use a cover maybe like this.....

CARTAR

DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA

DWOLLA-tar
Company revolutionizing money transfer... www.dwolla.com. I'm going to record a video promo for them performing with a cover something like this.

New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball

2010-12-27T11:09:00.000-08:00

NYE 2010 @ PianoPiano!
555 W Foothill Blvd.

Claremont, CA

Make Your Reservations Now!

Online reservations available 24/7.

Masquerade costumes encouraged!

$50 per person, presale only.

Includes:

Reserved table in your name
Gourmet Appetizer Buffet
5 Hours of Dueling Piano NYE Fun
Tons of NYE party favors, and
A split of champagne for everyone at midnight! We will book up, make your reservations now!

Garsteck & Aprel Williamson

2010-11-08T16:25:00.000-08:00

Took some new photos with Garsteck Photography October 24, 2010

I used Aprel Williamson for my hair & make-up.

Aprel paid such attention to detail and made sure she was doing what I liked.

I love what she did!

Shoot Location: Downtown Los Angeles, CA
Walt Disney Concert Hall Building

I love this building!

It's an icon for downtown L.A. and we shot at night, so the grays and silvers worked well for a more black and white shadow-mysterious look.

A few of the photos from the shoot:

Check out all of the pics on my website gallery------> Susan Erwin Website: Photos

Lady Gaga Halloween Costume

2010-11-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

HALLOWEEN 2010

We had a great time at Piano Piano on Saturday night. There were a lot of people who came out for the costume contest. The club staff and performers couldn't participate in the contest, but I went all out anyway. We had a great time!

Pic of Lady Gaga I used as my inspiration:

Here are the pics of what I came up with. I ordered the costume and modified it a bit. I also made my own Keytar cover. (She plays the same exact make and model Keytar as I do.)

My cover wasn't quite as detailed as Gaga's, but it worked. I am about to use the one I created for Halloween as a pro-type and start making much more elaborate interchangeable covers for it to use during all of my performances... fun! If Lady Gaga is reading (ha!) I would love to make you a cover for your Roland AX Synth!!!!

Susan Erwin as Lady Gaga Halloween 2010

A girl asked me if I really play the keytar, or if it was just part of my costume. :)

Here is a video my friend Randy took while I was performing. I think our tempo got a little carried away, but fun anyway.... :)

Happy Halloween and Fall to everyone!

Love ~ Sus.

www.susanerwin.net

St. Maarten - March 2011

2010-10-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

Come see me in St. Maarten for Spring Break next year! Booked at The Red Piano in the Pelican Resort Hotel & Casino. I will be there March 1-31, 2011.

Stay updated on my schedule by viewing my Calendar: www.susanerwin.net/calendar

Vegas Trip

2010-09-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

I had a great time in Vegas! I couldn't believe how dry the air is there. I knew people said it was dry, but WOW! I performed with Mike Tuten and Joe Shank. Tuesday, my close friend Carol and I went out to look at other venues... stopped in to The Encore and Harrah's.

Come see me perform at The Derby in Mission Viejo, CA on the following dates:

Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010
Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010

And as always, I'm at Piano Piano in Claremont, CA Wednesday through Saturdays. Make your reservations for the weekends, shows are selling out as we enter our busy season!

What do you call that thing? "Keytar"

2010-09-14T13:54:00.001-07:00

At performances, people ask me what it is called.

Wikipedia says this:

A keytar is a relatively lightweight keyboard (with or without a built-in synthesizer) that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a strap. Keytars allow players a greater range of movement compared to conventional keyboards, which are placed on stands. Controls for pitch bends, vibrato, portamento, and sustain are placed on the instrument's "neck".

The latest keytarists have been Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Lights, and click here to see the full list.

I want to "bling" mine out. Right now it is just plain white - the Roland AX Synth. I want to make a way for interchangeable covers. Like the cell phone covers, except for my keytar. Anyone have any ideas?

Of course I found out Lady Gaga did hers this way...

And so did Alicia Keys...

I want one to match my heels, whatever pair I am wearing. Like a fashion accessory that goes with my outfit. :)

Vegas & Photos from Garsteck Photography

2010-09-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

I am headed to Vegas to perform at the Palazzo this coming Sunday through Tuesday - September 19, 20 and 21. I'm excited to see Carol, a close friend from back home, while I am there! She is letting me stay with her and her husband, Jay.

Come see the show if you are around!

The Palazzo - Salute Lounge

Sunday/Monday I go on at 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Tuesday evening I am on from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

CHECK OUT MY PHOTOS FROM MATTHEW GARSTECK PHOTOGRAPHY

GALLERY OF ALL PICS

The Jesus Wall

2010-09-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would share....

Very excited about the upcoming photoshoot September 7th at The Jesus Wall Studio with Photographer Matthew Garsteck.

Stay tuned for the results!

Susan

Fall in Cali'

2010-08-31T11:48:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. It's been a while since I posted, so I wanted to update you on what has been going on.

I'm loving living in California and very happy to have such amazing weather, a great job, and plenty of opportunity on the horizon. I am performing Wednesday through Saturdays at Piano Piano. I've been here long enough now to have built relationships with our

amazing regulars; they make my weeks so enjoyable at the club. I got my keytar several months back, and love playing it!

I went home to Arkansas to see family and friends at the end of July. It was so good to see everyone, but the humidity-slap-in-the-face weather as I stepped off the plane was a reminder of how AWESOME the weather is in California. I got to see some sorority pledge sisters while I was home, and really enjoyed spending time with my family and brother, Ethan, who is growing up and planning where to go to college. Can this be happening? :) He is an amazing violinist and I'm so proud of him pursuing his music.

Emily, Kristen & Me at Em's House

I brought my little girl, Ellie, home from Arkansas to live with us now. She's now a Hollywood Hills girl... new name tag with addy and everything! She is 5 and a half now and not an ounce over 4 el bees.

I've been taking vocal lessons from Joel Ewing in Hollywood who has so many accolades I can't even begin... plus name dropping is kind of frowned upon out here. I have seen so much improvement in just 2 months with him.

I have another photoshoot coming up with Matthew Garsteck on Sept. 7th.

I had some new shots (in the pink shirt below) taken by Andrew Vasquez - a photographer just getting started. Shoot Location: Claremont Train Station. He did a good job.

Photo by Andrew Vasquez

See MORE PHOTOS from the Andrew Vasquez shoot

More to come....

Susan

Piano Piano Photo Shoot

2010-06-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

On Friday, June 25, 2010, The club used Michael Herbach's work for our promo material. The piano players from Piano Piano all got together and posed for individual shots, as well as group photos. Hair, Nails and Makeup by Essentials Day Spa & Salon located next to the club as part of our Doubletree Hotel & Club facility.

A HUGE THANKS TO MICHAEL HERBACH & ESSENTIALS DAY SPA!

Here are some of the shots Michael took. I try really hard to be a model, but I admit, I am NOT! My "sexy face" looks like I am pissed. Ha! If someone wants to give me pointers on modeling facial expressions, please do! :)

Stay tuned for more of his photos as we select them.

Me, Ryan Bueter, & Ana Guigui

My Lady Gaga impression monster claws.

New Blog

2010-06-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned for my latest posts, or visit www.susanerwin.net to check out my performance schedules.