This is old stuff. But the swing band was a big part of my life for a while, so I'll keep this up for another couple of years.

AND VIVO PRESTO SWING

This article came out on August 6th, 1998 in the South Bay Weekly section of the Los Angeles Times. That was the same day Vivo Presto Swing played it's debut gig at Pointe 705 in Hermosa Beach, CA. The story is by Gina Paccalo, and the photo is by Brian Pobuda, who I both hereby thank for being so patient with me. Scroll down to read the text.

South Bay People
WADE PRESTON

A popular South Bay musician gets into the swing of things

HE IS
    The man behind the swinging, big band sounds at Pointe 705 in Hermosa Beach.

REINVENTING WADE
     Wade Preston, a longtime favorite of South Bay club crowds, makes his swing debut tonight at Pointe 705 in Hermosa Beach with his new seven-piece band, "Vivo Presto," and Italian musical term that means "very fast." In addition to Preston on the piano, the band features female singer Shauna Steiner, along with a stand-up bass, drums and a three-piece horn section.
     "This is a real departure from anything I've done in the past," Preston said. "Every now and then a human being needs to reinvent themselves."

PIANO-PLAYING PRESCHOOLER
     Preston's love affair with music started at age 4 when his parents realized he spent more time banging on the piano they bought for his older sister than she did and gave him piano lessons.
     "As a really little kid, I just was hopelessly attracted to anything musical," he said. "My parents used to suggest that I do something else ... maybe go out and kick a ball around like a normal child and I always said, 'No.' "
     As a teenager in Massapequa, N.Y., Preston mastered the saxophone, flute, and all types of tuned percussion, such as the xylophone. A high school chorus teacher inspired him to sing and helped pay for his piano lessons after Preston left home at age 16.
     "That was, by far, one of the most generous things anyone has ever done for me," he said.

DOING THE TWIST WITH CHUBBY
     Preston's early influences were classical musicians such as Mussorgski, Stravinsky and Bartok, artists who could paint a picture with music, he said. Eventually, he tuned into the popular rock sounds of Yes, Led Zeppelin, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
     Preston was 19 in 1982, selling organs in a mall when his boss encouraged him to audition for the new Chubby Checker band. Preston was hired on the spot as Checker's keyboardist and spent a year on the road playing with the band.
     The experience gave Preston a taste of fame. He performed on several national TV shows, including "American Bandstand" and "Solid Gold." Among his most memorable moments are doing the twist with "Dallas" star Victoria Principle on live television and playing a tune for the late Andy Gibb on Gibb's dressing room piano.

THE WADE-HEAD DAYS
     Preston left New York for Los Angeles in 1984 and spent several years working day jobs and struggling at night with various bands. Finally, in the late 1980's he found success playing solo at various South Bay beach clubs. He formed a three-man ensemble known as the Wade Preston Band that developed a devoted following and packed the house at every gig. Preston, now a Redondo Beach resident, remembers those years as the "Wade-head days."
     During the 1990's, Preston produced his own CD, "No Present Like The Time," which he sells at his performances. Last year Alesis, a Santa Monica-based synthesizer company, chose to sponsor Preston. The company featured him in several company ads and provided him with the equipment for his own recording studio. Preston is working on his next CD, which is due out in early 1999.
     Despite the ups and downs of his career, Preston is now content creating and performing his own music and the music of his idols. His advice to others is simple.
     "I do believe in my heart that you can please everybody, you just need a huge repertoire and a lot of patience," he said.

A slightly larger shot scanned off of the newspaper article. The shot was taken inside the Viola Room inside Pointe 705. My Dad actually made that little wooden piano from scratch. It really plays! The facial hair was short lived, until Movin' Out in 2002. The ponytail went soon after, never to return.