‘War’ takes center stage in Woodhaven

By Nick Brandon
HPR Media Services

Piano was "combatants" Bill Jacques and Dave Caruso.

Dave Caruso is enjoying where his path in music has him right now — playing in one of the hottest attractions in the Downriver area.

His show, called “Piano Wars,” combines the Trenton musician’s talents with Bill Jacques of Belleville for a dueling piano extravaganza — one that is certain to entertain people of all ages and musical tastes.

“I’m really happy to be doing this,” Caruso said. “I’ve never had such a big audience.”

The show, which takes place at Hickey’s Grill in Woodhaven, displays Caruso and Jacques playing musical favorites both old and new on two pianos with comedy, theatre and music combining brilliantly to make a memorable evening event.

“This is like I’m getting paid for all the work I’ve done,” Caruso said.

And Caruso has put in his share of work: As a member of the band “Caruso” in the 1980s, Dave and his three brothers gained a fair amount of notoriety with the younger market.

“We had some really good college success,” Caruso said. “We weren’t great musicians, but we were really proud of what we (did).”

The conception of this current chapter in Caruso’s life in music actually took place Downriver.

“Somebody came to us a year ago at a bar in Lincoln Park (and) said ‘we want to try this thing,’” Caruso said. “The idea is that 90 percent of the people at Hickey’s haven’t seen dueling pianos before.”

“It (initially) started out as piano playing with comedy … I developed into a genre.”

Caruso says that the pairing of his abilities with Jacques helps the show to be a memorable experience.

“Bill is more of a blues singer (and) I knew everything teen idol-wise.

I love it all … The cool thing about us being so different is we can cover everything.”

The show is unique in that the audience more than the musicians directs it on stage.

“The show isn’t about us; it’s audience driven,” said Caruso. “Here they’re in the show.

“We make sure and play participation and sing-a-long songs every other song.”

Caruso has even categorized and named some of the different kinds of requests he gets.

Aside from the normal “popular requests,” such as “Piano Man” and “Brown Eyed Girl,” Caruso said that people use “stumpers” to attempt to test the duo’s catalogue.

“Those are cool; people try and stump the band,” he adds.

Also there are “extremes,” where the audience will request everything from Metallica to Styx to Nirvana — and it is up to the members in the crowd as to how long the song lasts.

“People can come up and give us money to stop playing the song,” added Caruso, who has been given tips of up to $20 to stop playing certain forgettable songs.

“I think I get more enjoyment out of making people laugh than anything else.”

The show, scheduled to run through at least the end of June 2003, is not only bringing its audiences a lot of amusement, but is providing a worthy experience for the performers as well.

“It’s really satisfying,” said Caruso. “If you’re gonna give up on a music career (on a national level), you have to find what’s second best.

With “Piano Wars” and Hickey’s, Caruso has seemingly found that.

“It’s a nice place (and) they want to keep it a nice restaurant,” he added. “I love the people we work for.”

“Piano Wars” can be seen on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at Hickey’s Grill, 22301 Allen Rd. in Woodhaven. For more information, call 1-734-675-3610 or visit www.pianowars.com.

Contact Nick Brandon at SureAsEggs@aol.com.

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