Wade Preston Boeger
What's New:
Updated July 22, 2010
Happy Birthday, Dad.

Thank you for coming to my first solo show at the Metropolitan Room in NYC.
It was so much fun. There are video links on the home page.
I'm doing one a month in different venues. They are posted on the calendar page, and on Facebook as well.
Again, thankyouthankyouthankyou!

I am now signed exclusively with

Entertainment Unlimited
by Ted Fass

(516) 764-2002
Fax: (516) 764-9544
info@tedfass.com
72 North Village Avenue
Suite F 1
Rockville Center, NY  11570

Scroll down for a note about what I've been up to.
There have been recent postings of the TV performances I did with Chubby Checker in 1982 on YouTube and the links and descriptions are just below. Hilarious, I was 19 years old.
There are some new and old recordings added to the sounds page.
I've also been keeping a myspace page. There are some more free downloads.
http://www.myspace.com/wadepreston
Scroll to the bottom if you'd like to get on the cyber mailing list.

Click Here For Other
UPCOMING GIGS

NEW ON YOUTUBE.COM
Bumble Boogie at a solo concert I did at The Great Neck Performing Arts Center on Long Island, NY.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=D38VxAhrWV8

There are actually lot's of new youtube vids of Wade.
Just type Wade Preston into the youtube search engine and they should all come up.

Also, check out www.myspace.com/wadepreston and www.myspace.com/wadeprestonband

Oh yeah, and check THIS out (very funny):
I did a number of TV shows with Chubby Checker when I played keys for him as a young man in the early '80's.
Among them, the short lived Friday's on ABC. Victoria Principle was the guest host.
The three songs we did on that show have resurfaced on YouTube.com.
Remember. It was 1982, I was 19. Victoria and I got along rather well.
Song # 1 - Running: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9ZZPpjBmhsQ
It was the '80's. The now infamous Kramer turned racist Michael Richards got his start on this program with skits like the one that starts off this song. What a great band we had. Drummer Sammy Merendino went on to do all kinds of great things, including the drum track to We Didn't Start The Fire by Billy Joel. Roy Robertson played sax for years and went on to start one of the most successful jingle agencies in Maryland. He now owns six, count 'em, six radio stations in the DC area.
Song # 2 - Harder Than Diamonds: http://youtube.com/watch?v=poEgGqHadA8
It opens with a close-up of my hands. That was my grandfather's ring, given to me by my dad, and I eventually gave it to my brother, Richie. Pooka shells were in, too, as you can see. It was the '80's... My good friend Robbie Walsh played electric guitar wonderfully as he still does today. The only thing wrong with this piece is Evan Pace's acoustic guitar playing. He produced the record, but never played with us except for this one TV performance. It really was a distraction with him jumping around and playing out of tune. Funny enough, when I moved to LA I called him numerous times, as he had asked me to do. Never returned my calls. Welcome to L.A., Wade.
Song # 3 - Burn Up The Night: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Vodqf8KtRss
At the end of this segment after the song I can be seen doing the twist with Victoria Principle while the credits were running. Watch it to the very end. Hilarious. When my friend Phil Melchers and I watched this on TV later that night at my hotel, we laughed so hard we both ended up on the floor in tears. True story. We probably laughed for twenty minutes. Ahh, it was the early '80's...

AND NOW THE LOCAL NEWS!

"So Wade, whatcha been up to?"

     I still play private parties, corporate events and small theaters, solo, with the Movin' Out Band, and once in a while with The Billy Joel Band, when they are not on the road. While it was two years ago now, the whole "stunt Billy" thing at Shea Stadium was an amazing experience, and I am forever grateful to Billy and Tommy Byrnes for putting me in Billy's chair. I will never forget that.
     I am promoting two major things right now. I put together a live / multi-media theater style show / concert called "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me." It includes the original Movin' Out Band from the Broadway production, stories and photos from the Movin' Out days, some bits and pieces of trivia about the songs that may not be readily known, and of course wonderful performances from what I still consider to be the best band in the world. Biased as I may be, they are great musicians, and I am very lucky to be playing with them. And of course, it would be nothing without the brilliant song writing of Billy Joel.
     We debuted it at John Cranford Adams Playhouse at Hofstra University in June of 2009, and we sold out three shows. That created a buzz, and that buzz has managed to make its way to some new venues. I hope that this show will have some long term legs. It's a good one, a tribute to a legendary American composer who happens to be a Long Islander. It's also a great excuse to have a reunion of "The most dangerous band on Broadway." We can't help it. When we get together, we have a blast!
     The buzz brought Entertainment Unlimited to my door and now I finally have some decent management. As of April '10 I am signed exclusively to EU. 'Bout time I found sound good management! Check out the Info page for details about EU and Ted Fass, the man in charge.
     I have also been doing concerts with smaller versions of the MOB. The five piece version (me, guitar, bass, drums and sax) is a lot of fun for me because I am the piano man and the synth guy at the same time. It keeps me very busy. We do shows as a with a six piece version, including a synth player, and the seven piece with another sax player. I include the multi-media aspect of the concert if the venue can accommodate it. Oh, and occasionally sax player extraordinaire Cliff Lyons and I do a duo thing which is just a blast. We even do a trio with guitar, of the last three we've done two were with Chris Jucino, a wonderful guitarist who did many a sub job on Movin' Out on Broadway.
     I have also been doing a solo show called "Piano, Microphone, Audience." (Check out some vids, links on the home page) Just me and a grand piano. It's quite a liberating feeling to just play solo and go off where ever I want when ever I want, and respond immediately to the audience. Those shows are so much fun for me. Not that my keyboards and sampler are a bad thing. They in fact make the five piece version of the MOB possible. But with just a grand piano, there is no technology to get in my way. Hence, the title of the show. The acoustic grand is truly my axe, and what I was trained on.
     Thanks to all the people who have been coming to these solo shows. Especially the most recent one at The Metropolitan Room in NYC. I'm doing one a month in different venues, and making sure each show is very different from the last.
     It's been slow going, but I am still in the process of notating a collection of my instrumental material, with the hopes of publishing the finished results. It's taking me forever, but it will include my version of Bumble Boogie (which is finished!), Sugar Punk (my ELP on speed version of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies that can be found on one of the Broadway Cares Equity Fights Aids recordings), Boogie In  Monk Suit, The High Class Boogie (inspired by the solo in High Class Snot and the fact that I really can't stand the words to that song anymore), and Graveyard In Lockport. I'll probably throw Untitled and Rain In The Woods in, too. The most time consuming aspect of this project has been trying to transcribe out my own solos. But now that I have discovered the Amazing Slow Downer program, I've been able to tackle that problem head on with quite a bit more efficiency and accuracy. I know you can do that with Logic, but it's bit more involved...
     I started writing an opera for a small string ensemble a long time ago when I lived in CA, but Movin' Out came along and I put it on the shelf. I'm trying to start that up again, as there has been some interest in my earlier string ensemble music. I'm not so much interested in the opera anymore as much as just performing with a small string ensemble. So, I'm trying to get that going, too. I made friends with some of the string players at Billy's Last Play at Shea event, and that's been wonderful motivation to get the "string thing" going again.
     I am spending most of my time in PA now, recording, writing, practicing, enjoying the quiet. You know you can't buy good neighbors, so when you have them it's kind of like winning the lottery. I can't begin to express my deep appreciation for the kindness that my friends here in PA have shown me. I will probably never leave for that reason.
     There are concerts that are open to the public coming up. Check the calendar and come on down if ya can!
     Lastly I have been writing and recording again, and little by little that next Wade CD is becoming a reality. I have five songs so far. Long time coming, but I hope to have it out sooner than later. I'm also working on a Christmas CD at the same time, and odds are that will be finished before the original one. I'm really aiming for finishing both this year.
     Well, a guy can dream ...

And that's what I am up to!

I truly appreciate your indulgence.

Thank you,

Wade

Okay, hopefully I'll see you soon.

Lotzaluv,
Wah-doo

Wade in South Beach, FL
Photo by Angelica
Email:
wade@wadepreston.com or
Wadeprestn@aol.com
They both go to the same mailbox

The Cyber Mailer Updates
If you'd like to be on the cyber mailing list, Email me at wade@wadepreston.com and I'll send you an update when I've got something new to tell you. I will not give or sell your Email address to anyone. I only put people on the cyber mailing list by their permission. Everyone receives a blind carbon copy so you can't be spammed.
You can ask to be removed at any time and I will immediately honor your request.

Thanks!

Wade