In 2008, Champaign-Urbana local Shay Thiele became the first star of The Canopy Club’s new segment — Piano Man Tuesdays. Thiele kept up the gig every week until he pursued a different career in 2012. After he left, Ben Montalbano, then-senior in FAA, took over briefly.
The show’s unique setting made Piano Man Tuesdays a big hit on campus, said Kati Turk, director of events at Jay Goldberg Events & Entertainment, who attended the University during the Piano Man’s initial run.
“One of the things that really drew me to the night was: I’m not a karaoke person, but I really like to sing along,” Turk said. “To be able to sit there, at a table, with drinks, comfortable in the crowd and just scream sing-along to all of your favorites.”
Nearly 12 years since Montalbano’s last performance, Andrew Simek is taking a seat at the keys, bringing a fresh face to the beloved tradition.
Simek, a 31-year-old performer who studied songwriting and vocal performance at Berklee College of Music, began his C-U music career with open mic gigs around town. After doing weekly sets at The Space in downtown Champaign, a patron told Simek that he reminded him of the Piano Man.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“Long story short, I started getting contacted by Canopy,” Simek said. “They said, ‘You know, we’ve looked back at the Piano Man, and we think that you might be the right fit to potentially reignite this.’”
After striking a deal with the venue, the Piano Man made a resounding return to The Canopy Club on Jan. 20, bringing a recurring set to Monday nights that is brand-new to current University students.
According to Turk, who oversees all events at The Canopy Club, Simek’s knack for entertaining a crowd makes him perfect for the role.
“It really takes a very talented person to read the room and engage with the room at the same time and play as fantastically as they do,” Turk said. “Andrew’s a fantastic performer, and I will say it took us a very long time to find somebody who could do all of those things.”
Each Monday night, Simek takes The Canopy Club stage to carry on the Piano Man tradition. Playing well-known tunes, interacting with the crowd and encouraging everyone to sing along make the event feel just like it did 10 years ago.
“Whatever the newest song was, (the Piano Man) would learn that throughout the week and come and play a piano version of those songs,” Turk said. “We’ve got Andrew, who’s doing it now, doing a similar thing. He’s learned ‘Pink Pony Club’ and ‘HOT TO GO!’ — all the Chappell Roan songs.”
While continuing the tradition of learning and playing crowd favorites, Simek has put his own spin on the role.
“I’m a very animated performer — I like to introduce myself by saying that if you just imagine that I’m a cartoon character, this will go a lot easier if you think of me as Bugs Bunny,” Simek said. “I bring a very animated and flashy style.”
Simek said he was “pleasantly surprised” with the turnout for his first performance in mid-January, which coincided with the start of classes and some terrible weather.
According to Turk, Piano Man Mondays are a space for everyone across campus and the broader area to come together and share their love for the arts with a homier type of show.
“We want this night to be for the people who don’t necessarily just want to go to a bar and be at a bar,” Turk said. “We want this to be really interactive … We’re right next to the music building, and we want to be a home for those people to come over and anybody else on campus who just wants to try out something different.”
Simek mentioned his shared goal of establishing a diverse crowd of music lovers.
“We are really hoping we can bring in a nice eclectic mix of all different walks of life, all different age groups and everything,” Simek said. “I’m trying to play anything and everything that people would enjoy to get people to come in, have a good time and hopefully, maybe, sing into sort of the ether of the bar.”
The 18-plus show is free to enter, with special deals on drinks to give your week a solid start. Prospective attendees can RSVP ahead of time for the chance to win a reserved table and a pair of tickets to a Canopy Club show of their choice.
Simek expressed his excitement about bringing back the Piano Man and resuming a once-honored community tradition.
“I need to know the town that I’m living in, you know?” Simek said. “I already feel like I do, and simply releasing this as a thing I’m doing has given me a much deeper connection to the community, and that’s really nice. I can’t wait to grow it.”
