Raggin' Piano Boogie

My name is Danny Kean. I am a self-promoting, entrepreneurial, Ragtime, Boogie Woogie Piano Guy and the sole proprietor of the Entertainment Property known as Raggin' Piano Boogie. This is a piano with a sound system in the back of a completely self-contained pickup truck. I have enough sound to fill a city block, and enough energy to fill a state. My faithful canine companion of twelve years named Boner sits on top of the piano as I perform. Boner does not do tricks; he is just my buddy and hangs out with me. The fact is, along with his friendliness and love of people, Boner upstages me by just sitting on the piano.

Raggin' Piano Boogie is looking to travel South to the hurricane affected areas as soon as possible. How this is going to happen I am not sure. This is especially considering that the truck has almost 200,000 miles on it. I am also clueless at this point as to where I will going and for what reason except that I would like specifically to help lift the spirits of and bring a soundbite of distraction to people affected by and still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This travel venture is going to happen as it is now or never and I choose now. I have always wanted to extend myself beyond my comfort zone in order to gain more life experience. Raggin' Piano Boogie will bring something new and refreshing for everyone and create as many fun sound bite performances as possible. These appearances will be geared towards the many volunteers as well as those working hard to cope with or recover from their losses. My idea is simply to communicate a sense of caring and respect for as many people as possible through the energy of music, my dog named Boner, and the Raggin' Piano Boogie concept.

An addition, I would like to provide a venue if just for a short time for anyone who plays the piano and no longer has a piano to play with. If you think about it, along with everything else, all the home, church, school, restaurant and performance hall pianos were destroyed and are now gone forever. Here is something that most people may not know. Piano players, I am talking about those who love to play for enjoyment, all ages of adults and children who are taking piano lessons and those who perform as a sideline or in a full time musical career, go crazy when they do not have access to their "fix" for an extended period of time. I want Raggin' Piano Boogie to provide a release for people to just play for their own enjoyment, for friends, family members, a group or just to be able to say that they performed on the Raggin' Piano Boogie truck. Everyone, expertise or not, who wants to play on the Raggin' Piano Boogie truck can perform anything that they want to, even their weekly piano lesson exercise if that's what they would like to do. The invitation is inclusive for all age groups and levels of sanity.

Raggin' Piano Boogie has been providing musical promotion and entertainment throughout the northeast of the country for what is coming on 19 years full time, twelve months a year, rain, snow, sleet, heat etc. I have made a successful living with Raggin' Piano Boogie for a career especially considering that it is not a conventional career and along with the fact that I have never used a management team. Raggin' Piano Boogie has valued relationships of eighteen years through repeated bookings with several communities in my area.

I have gained a vast amount of experience in learning the ways of many different people and with business in relation to performance venues, placement and how to facilitate the performance idea of a man playing the piano in the back of a pickup truck. It is most fun when I cross paths with someone, a "like" soul, who wants to utilize Raggin' Piano Boogie in a new way. People who create ideas such as for a hand safety day demonstration inside a chemical plant, as an announcement that a celebration parade is coming down the road, or for a soundbite like streak across a football field for half-time entertainment.

In June of this year for the first time in my life, I began to improvise and create original music. This has been fascinating for me. It is a process of growing musically for the first time in 20 years. I have been enjoying an improvisational stream of consciousness with present thought and feeling that is musically in the moment. With this music there is no planned structure or thought and it is completely different from the Ragtime and Boogie Woogie music that has been associated with Raggin' Piano Boogie. The first time I performed my original music in a public space I had a booking inquiry. I have only played for a few people so far and there has been a strong interest for me to record and sell the music. To start with, I would like first to share this music freely. I plan to do that via the internet with live on streaming performance. As part of a commitment to my personal growth and my willingness to share what I have to offer, I am planning to set a specific time where I can connect with my audience nightly for a thirty-minute tete-a-tete.

On the road by day Raggin' Piano Boogie will continue to perform wild Ragtime and Boogie Woogie Piano Music and during the night, whether it be by candlelight or moonlight, new improvisational music will emerge.

I cannot move forward with or achieve the above goals alone or without assistance. The desire to be included and to include others with my life dreams and realities has always been an integral part of my personal makeup as well as the persona of Raggin' Piano Boogie. I would like to ask you to contribute with me in this adventure. This can be accomplished in many ways. I will explain in detail on the following pages. Financially is always the easiest all around. I realize that I am taking on a large project but those who have known me for most of my life can vouch that Danny Kean has never been able to do anything in a small way. I think the best part of this request is that as you contribute you will be able to "check in" on just where Raggin' Piano Boogie is, where your contribution is going, and listen to the musical performances nightly. Please consider participating and look into the other pages on this site for more details.