D. R. Commander (piano, keyboards, vocals, equipment manager, publicist)
Influences
Mark Knopfler, Waylon & Willie, Bruce Hornsby, Jackson Browne, Chris Isaak, Eddie Rabbitt, Raul Malo, Eddie from Ohio, Leftover Salmon, Pat Metheny Group, Gordon Lightfoot, Jon Cleary, Steve Winwood, Steely Dan
Sounds Like
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I am available for sessions, gigs, and composition work. See http://www.dcommander.com for equipment and resume.
Commander grew up in the Beaumont, Texas area and was raised on a steady diet of classic country and 80's pop. He taught himself to play piano at the age of 7 by chording along with songs on the local country radio stations. This gave him a visceral understanding of chord structure long before he could ever read a note of music, and it also contributed to his somewhat guitar-like style of piano playing. DRC received classical and jazz training on the trumpet in junior high and high school and played for three seasons with the University of Houston Jazz Ensemble before hanging up the trumpet to pursue his first love, the keyboard. Commander played professionally in the Houston jazz, swing, and R&B scene throughout the late 90's before moving to Austin and returning to his roots with country dance band Laredo. Laredo had some minor successes, including opening for David Allan Coe. When Laredo disbanded in 2002, DRC began a four-year stint as the keyboardist for jazz fusion quintet The Harmony Theory, playing regular shows at The Elephant Room and a variety of local festivals. Commander was the keyboardist and a contributing songwriter for Akina Adderley and the Vintage Playboys from early 2007 until late 2008, when he left the band to focus more on his songwriting career. His keyboard playing and two of the songs he penned for AAVP, "There Goes Opportunity" and "Spring and Fall", appear on their debut album.
Commander is also a trained voice actor and scores music for the occasional independent film. He is currently in the studio working on a solo album.
We're now accepting submissions for our next mixtapes, please submit your info at www. coast2coastsubmissions. com for your chance to get a spot on the next mixtape!
