by Dan | Oct 2, 2018 | chicago piano player, comedy music, company christmas party, company event, company event ideas, company party, entertainment, entertainment for events, entertainment ideas, holiday party, live music, live music chicago, party entertainer, party ideas, Piano entertainer, piano player chicago, piano player for hire
Have you thought of the best company party entertainment ideas you possibly can? Have you made all your final plans for the Holiday Season? I doubt it. Nobody but the most advanced planners would. Which is why it’s important to ask.
Your next company event (after Halloween) may be the biggest company party you host this year. That’s why it’s important to get it right this year.
Were last year’s company parties the best you’ve ever been to? Or did you get some cheap band … or a crummy DJ that plays all the same songs?
This year will be when you give Dan the Pianoman a call. Exceptional Sing-Along Piano Music.
Great live music and comedy. Sing along to the songs everyone knows the words to and even the ones you don’t know.
Feel Good. Laugh Loudly. Sing Louder.
It’s all possible with one phone call. 773-527-7417. Talk to Amber and see if your date is available. There are only a few weekends available in this upcoming holiday party season. Better get yours fast.
Or you might be stuck with the same old boring DJ you had last year.
“We had the best time with Dan the Pianoman. He got us all up around the piano singing and dancing. I don’t think we sat down all night.”
Company events with live music is going to provide way more long-lasting memories than with a just a DJ. So, give us a call. Great piano music – holiday party entertainment everyone will enjoy. Great live music and comedy.
So think about it for next year. Or better yet, just do it this year. Get your people together for a memorably fun night of live music and comedy. Piano music with style. Chicago Piano player Dan Gillogly travels all over the place to bring more fun than is legally allowed by law.
Not only will you be glad you called this year, everyone in your office will be thanking you for too. Call now before the choice dates are gone.
Sing Laugh. Dance. Great memories One Song At A Time.
by Dan | Apr 12, 2018 | best piano players, entertainment for events, event
Hi All …. Event Planners give Thanks to Tim O’Malley and Concierge Preferred for this excellent video. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Chicago has it all when it comes to destination management … venues, food, entertainment, music, arts, sights to see, things to do and … people to be!
by Dan | Mar 10, 2018 | best piano players, charity event music, charity fund raiser, Chicago, company event, company events, conference entertainment, corporate entertainer, corporate entertainers, corporate entertainment, corporate event, Corporate events, Corporate team building, Entertainers, entertainment, entertainment for events, event, fundraising ideas, live music, live music chicago, Musical Comedy, musician, party entertainer, party entertainers, party entertainment, party ideas, party planning, pianist, piano, piano bar, Piano entertainer, piano music, piano music Chicago, Piano music entertainment, piano player, piano player chicago, piano player for hire, retirement party ideas, team builder activities, Team Building, trade show entertainment
You Call It Piano Music Entertainment
Your Soul Calls It Thirst Quencher
It was one of those gigs where I was so happy I took piano lessons as a kid, I had stuck with it as an adult and, most importantly, remained a professional so that I could witness what I am about to tell you.
No one thinks they really need live music. Most importantly the ‘Bean Counters’ who sit around in their office and don’t realize that music truly is the universal language that we all understand.
That’s okay. We all have a job to do.
My job today is to let you know how important
live music and comedy can be for your soul.
It’s like Gatorade after a 60-minute workout. It’s like scratching an itch in a hard to reach place. It’s like a hug and a kiss from a loved one who has returned from a long trip.
Here’s the story …

Sing Like No One Can Hear You
This guy was your typical office worker who didn’t have anything else going on his life except to be an office worker. He was kinda grumpy. He had no sense of humor. He had no friends. So he was the guy that made everyone feel a little uncomfortable.
He wore the weird shirt that didn’t appear to coordinate with his tie – or anything else that he wore for that matter. And his hair was always a little bit messy. He didn’t talk much because, well, he liked to be quiet.
Let’s call him ‘Ralph’.
What nobody knew about ‘Ralph’ was he had watched his Mom die of cancer when he was 10 back in 1969. As you can imagine it was horrible.
She was a single Mom. He was an only child. They were not members of a church so there was no support network of any kind. After she died he went to live with an aunt he had never met, in a state he had never been to, with an ‘uncle’ who wasn’t married to his aunt. They had no other kids either. His aunt was nice enough and all. But let’s just say ‘nurturing’ was not a concept she knew much about.
School was also a little rough for Ralph in this small rural town of about 4000 people. They were nice and everything. But having come from a large city school, he felt lost and way behind the other kids.
He wasn’t very coordinated or even remotely interested in sports. He just didn’t get the importance of all that running around and throwing balls and stuff. No one had ever shown him how and he didn’t have any allegiance to one team or another. So, seriously. Like, what’s the point?
The thing about his new school tho was they had a choir as part of their curriculum. He had no idea how it would change his life.
Choir allowed Ralph to be around other people – especially girls. It allowed him to comfortably shift into his changing voice as puberty set in. It allowed him to express his emotions which ran so deep and so pensive at such a vulnerable and tenuous time of his life.
He stayed with choir all through middle school and high school. He didn’t excel at singing. He was never a featured soloist or anything. He just really enjoyed it for reasons that a growing young man could simply not explain.
But that’s where it ended. College was not in the picture for Ralph. He went to work and learned finance. He was actually pretty good at analysis. He eventually learned the accounting business with a small local firm that had hired him right out of high school.
In 89 that small local firm was bought out by a much larger one which then grew into a multi-billion dollar corporation through the 90s. He was a good and consistent employee. He was promoted regularly but never to management. He got transferred back to his hometown city in 98 where he just slipped easily into the anonymity of the hustle and bustle. He lives there to this day.
He never married. He never joined a church or a community choir.
He doesn’t do much of anything in the way of outside activities. He likes going to the movies. But he feels too shy to search for anything. No one ever gave him permission.
Until one night in February, his company event consisted of a large Holiday Party featuring piano music entertainment.
‘Ralph’ was sitting alone, kind of in the background. I don’t think he was eating much off the buffet. I didn’t notice his beverage of choice. But I did notice he was alone.
When I perform I never call anyone out. I never embarrass anyone. What I use is a technique I call “A Saucer of Milk”. It’s like when you want to call a cat over. You don’t yell or command. You just lay out a saucer of milk. If you want what we have to offer, (and your soul knows you do), then you’ll be over in time.
This story is getting a little long. So I am going to finish this tomorrow.
In the meantime, thanks for listening and let me know when you want to have great live music and comedy in the form of piano music entertainment and interactive, sing-along fun that brings people together and creates lifelong memories for everyone in attendance.
by Dan | Feb 20, 2018 | charity event music, charity fund raiser, Chicago, chicago dueling pianos, chicago piano player, Entertainers, entertainment, entertainment for events, event, fundraiser entertainment, fundraising event, fundraising ideas, live music, live music chicago, party entertainment, party ideas, piano, Piano entertainer, piano music, piano music Chicago, Piano music entertainment, piano player, piano player chicago
It’s always interesting when I get a call to do some fundraising for your church or school from someone who wants me to play piano music at their charity event. But they think the piano can only be relegated to background music.
It’s true we can offer some beautiful ambiance.
But there is so much more to what I bring to the table. What I offer for your fund raiser entertainment is to bring people together. But if I am also going to be the background piano player first, then I need to bring them in differently than if I am your headliner entertainment.
That’s exactly what I was able to do here for this church fund raiser. Check this out …

Thank YOU!!!
You’re Welcome!
It’s always a pleasure to help raise funds for churches and schools. I never get tired of it.
We have a wonderful community here in Chicago. A real mixture of people and cultures and needs. St Nicolai has been around for 125 years now. Think about what that means. All the different changes this community has seen over the decades. From working class families to immigrants to 2nd, 3rd and now 4th generations of people living and working ad dying in the City of Chicago.
I’ve been living and working in Chicago as a musician since 1981. I grew up in the suburbs. I came down here to U of I as it was called back then. Now our kids have grown up here and call these neighbors their friends too.
I’ve known Dave Antieau for a long time. He’s been the pastor at St. Nicolai’s for several years now. He started off as one of my piano students back when I was teaching full time.
His wife is a wonderful woman who is just as active in the community as David is. They’ve seen me perform live music at a mutual friend’s wedding. It’s all the same thing for us.
Bring people together with the power of music and
create great memories. Let us do the same for you and your fundraising efforts.
Call now 773-527-7417

sacred power in live music charity event entertainment, fund raiser, fund raiser entertainment,
by Dan | Feb 17, 2018 | anniversary party, Birthday party ideas, Chicago, company event ideas, corporate event, Corporate events, Entertainers, entertainment for events, fundraising ideas, graduation party, holiday party, holiday party music, live music, live music chicago, Musical Comedy, musician, party entertainers, party entertainment, party ideas, party planning, pianist, piano, piano bar, Piano entertainer, piano music, piano music Chicago, Piano music entertainment, piano player, piano player chicago, piano player for hire
So I have finally found one of the most perfect party ideas AND it will cure your next President’s Day.
Throw a party. Yes. That would be throw a party during Presidents Day and bring in a piano player and a award winning chef and see where that would lead.
I have many items on my bucket list. I frequently get new party ideas along with all my new song ideas and lyric ideas. But I don’t think I ever came up with throwing an afternoon party on Presidents Day.

No Need To Wait Until Next Year for Great Party Ideas
Well it happened for me yesterday. And what a success! Not a lot of people. Only about 10, maybe 12 folks. A few of their kids showed up. We ate great food, we sang some great songs, we sat down with friends and made great memories. You can too.
Plus, and here’s the good part, you don’t have to wait until next year’s Presidents Day. Start thinking about your outdoor BBQs and your graduation party ideas and your anniversary party ideas. We can make this another fantastic event filled and life long lasting memory creating event that will last a lifetime.
Call me to see what kind of ideas I can come up with for you and your memory tank.