Europe!

Last month we were lucky enough to get a gig in Lausanne, Switzerland at a music club that brings in different acts from around the world. It was so much fun. First, the Lavaux region of Switzerland is possibly the most beautiful place in the world. The club put us up in a hotel smack dab in the middle of Lausanne with a view of Lake Geneva and the Alps. It was heaven. The shows were really great as well. A very different crowd that we are used to (all Swiss-French). I was shocked at the song knowledge of the people...some barely spoke English but knew all the words to the American/British songs. Our repertoire was a bit different...more Robbie Williams and Queen. And the #1 most requested song? No, not Piano Man...not Journey...but 'It's Raining Men.' I kid you not. I got a good chuckle every night when people brought up their requests...again, English not being a first language. I got songs like 'I While Survive' and 'Sweat Child of Mine.' Classic. Here are a few pictures from our time in Lausanne...

Walking around Lake Geneva

The beautiful city of Lausanne. One of the hilliest cities I've ever been to. No need for the gym here!

A view of the Lavaux region of of Switzerland. One side of the lake are the Alps and the other side are vineyards. So beautiful!

We took a small train up to the top of the vineyards.

We snuck a picture in the vineyard. Possibly not permitted.

This one explains itself.

Up in one of the mountain villages for lunch.

It was hard not to just keep taking pictures!

After Switzerland we took an 8 day vacation to Paris. It was magical. As you may know, Paris is my favorite place in the world. Well...it still is. We were blessed the entire time in Europe with unbelievable weather (sunny and in the 70's every day). While in Paris we walked an average of 8-10 miles a day and ate out at some beautiful restaurants and enjoyed the cheap wine (afterall, it's less expensive than water or soda!) The 8 days flew by and by the end I was not ready to go...

Jeff's favorite building in Paris...Notre Dame. We visited it several times throughout the trip...spectacular.

Taking a break from behind his camera.

The french crepe. Heaven.

Fontaine de Medicis, one of the fountains inside the Jardin du Luxembourg.


The second fountain in the gardens: Fontaine de l'Observatoire.

We took a day trip to Giverny, France, the home of Claude Monet. There we were able to visit his famous gardens, pond, and lily pads. So breathtaking.

The floral colors were so brilliant.

Posing on the bridge that Monet made famous.

The next day we went to the Musee de l'Orangerie where Monet's large lily prints are displayed. He created these paintings just for this space. Sadly he passed before he could see them installed.

Another trip to Notre Dame.

The sky opened up just so I could capture this amazing shot.

Now we are in my favorite building in Paris...l'Opera Garnier.

It's not easy to capture the tour at night, but this one turned out pretty well!

Our last night in Paris. Drinking a bottle of wine underneath la Tour Eiffel. Not a bad way to end our trip!

We had such a great time and can't wait to go back!

Daniel Chesterfield

I am terribly behind on my blog posts...but in the meantime, I thought I'd share one of my favorite videos. I dedicate this to all of our wonderful magician friends who are actually very talented. Enjoy!!

Disney Show Band

I was visiting old videos and thought I'd share this one. Good times from the Disney ship. This feels like a lifetime ago!

Best of Seattle!

Every year Seattle Bride magazine has a "Best Of" competition. And every year the same band wins for the Live Entertainment category. Well, this year we are trying to mix it up!

If you find the time, please visit Seattle Bride Magazine (http://seattlebridemag.com/seattle-bride-best-2011-ballot) to vote for us! The voting process ends in a couple months, so feel free to vote soon and often. They make you fill in your name, email, etc, but will not give out your information. They also require you to vote for at least 10 categories. I would suggesting voting for your own vendors or places you like to go.

I know this is a bit time consuming, but how great would it be for us to win in 2011! Thank you!

Goodbye '10...hello '11

2010 was a fantastic year for us. In fact is was our best year yet. As we are celebrating the new year tonight, we thought it would be fun to take a look back and a quick look forward.

Highlights of 2010

Mexico
We started off the year by performing several shows for the Pioneer Corporation in Cancun, Mexico. We kicked off our new show option where we perform a 90 minute dueling pianos show followed by a 90 minute dance party with our band (drummer-extraordinaire Glen Schricker and guitar-god Chris Vazquez). We got to perform and stay at 5-star resorts down there and even had a few days off to explore. We took a trip to one of the 7 wonders of the world, Chichen Itza. Our time in Mexico was a definite highlight of the year.

Vegas
We performed several times in Las Vegas this year at the world famous casinos on the strip. We always enjoy the chance to head to Sin City...but are always very happy to get home.

Space Needle
We had our first show at Seattle's landmark, the Space Needle. The view was spectacular, the load-in challenging, and the show a lot of fun (it was for BP - pre oil spill).

EMP
We also had our first show at the Experience Music Project in Seattle. It was a great venue to perform in...and just one night after Heart played on our stage!

Repeat Business
This was the year of repeat business for us. We had several companies and organizations who asked us back for a 2nd, 3rd, and in one case, 5th repeat performance!

Fantastic Hotels
We had the opportunity to stay in some of the nicest hotels and resorts this year. We are definitely spoiled in the accommodations our events take us to. This year we got to stay at the Ritz in Naples, the Bellagio in Vegas, the nicest resorts in Cancun, the Westin in Chicago, a penthouse suite in Playa del Carmen, just to name a few!

No Cruise Ships
In the 9.5 years Jeff and I have been together, this was the first year we did not step foot on a cruise ship. We can't begin to describe how great this is! In fact, in the last two years, we have only done one five-day cruise. We are very much enjoying the next stage of our career.

A Very Microsoft Christmas
This holiday season was our busiest one yet. We had 7 corporate parties just in the first half of December. Many of these were for the Microsoft Corporation. We are lucky to have such a huge, successful company in our backyard (especially one that throws so many great parties!)

Corporate Success
Over the last several years, Jeff and I have created the perfect corporate show. We take all of the best aspects of the dueling pianos concept, add our own twist, adapt for any audience and event, and the result is a show that keeps our audiences asking for more. We are extremely proud of our show and believe it is the strongest of its type.

Looking forward to 2011...

Next year is already shaping up to be just as exciting as 2010 if not more so. Just in the first two months of the year, we have shows in Seattle, Vancouver, Mt. Hood, Phoenix (at the Biltmore), Houston, New Orleans, Charlotte, and San Fransisco. We are also looking forward to performing in Switzerland in the spring and then vacationing in Paris.

Happy New Year to all!

Vegas, baby!

We have had the busiest holiday season yet and a highlight of the season was a show we had at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The event was for Bridgepoint Education and we had a blast! Our show was part of a multi-day conference where they had entertainment each day, including a performance by Cirque du Soleil. We were the last night of the event after a 5-star dinner and the award ceremony:

This is a photo taken with my phone from the back of the room. If you look really close, you can see our pianos way up on the stage. It was pretty great having two large screens projecting video of us (especially for those audience members way in the back). The ballroom of the Bellagio is absolutely gorgeous and the decor was just stunning.



Backstage of the show



Our greenroom. They had A LOT of soda for us.


Another greenroom shot.


A video of backstage

Being Christmastime, the Bellagio was beautifully decorated for the holiday season. Below are some photos from the 'garden' of the casino:

We are fortunate that our job takes us to some of the most beautiful places in the world and we get to stay in some of the most beautiful hotels in the world. The Bellagio is definitely high on the list of gorgeous rooms....

The hallway leading to our room.

Our room (we were upgraded to a suite!)

Bathroom

Bathroom 2

After our show in the ballroom, the company had a *sweet* after party in The Bank. They rented the entire nightclub in the casino and partied into the wee hours of the morning. Below is a not-so-legal video we took...

We make several trips to Vegas a year for work, but this was definitely up there for us. The client was great and we had such a wonderful time.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!