Who Is Pianopete?

Pete and Sandra Harwell "Pete" Holmes

Age: 69 and retired
   Born 1939, Cullman, AL
Wife: Sandra (a Marlins Baseball Fan)
Children 4 (Grandchildren 13):
   Navar (Chris / Jaremy)
   Cinde (Dalton / Barrett / Gavin / Channing /
       Hank / Lucas)
   Eli (Karel / Karina / Jacob)
   Chad (Noah / Joshua)
Professional Engineer (Aerospace)
Interests: Music, Butterflies, Gardening,
    Computers, Photography, Ham Radio K4CFQ
Resides: Sunny South Florida

Pete's Business Card

The following web pages hilite the career and musical endeavors of this wannabe musician (a.k.a. pianopete) who may have been a fairly decent cornet/piano/organ player at one time. Can't say that I even came close to achieving proficiency on any of the instruments, but I had one hell of a good time along the way. I've had the opportunity to play a few solo piano gigs at one of the most prestigious hotels in the country, and hold down a keyboard spot for several years with a great group of guys in a six piece dance band and later a duo gigging around South Florida. I've marched on an endless list of football fields at halftime with an icy cold Conn cornet pressed to my lips, marched in miles of parades from Chicago, Illinois to Lake Park, Florida, and played with concert bands in outdoor band shells, auditoriums, shopping centers, and convalescent hospitals. I've even had the opportunity to give a few piano lessons along the way. It couldn't have been more fun.

Currently, I get my music kicks by playing a Roland RD-700SX through a set of Roland MA-8 micro monitors in our home music room. The RD-700SX is a fantastic instrument even when played through the MA-8s. I keep a big Peavy KB-300 keyboard amp in the closet... who knows, another gig may come my way some day.

I also keep an eye on the grandkids who are developing musical talents that range from classical (viola) to rock (keyboard, guitar, drums). Their garage band provides an excellent opportunity for me to donate some of my older equipment that still has many hours of useable life remaining.

If anyone who reads this is familiar with the events that I describe, and find that maybe I've stretched or strayed from the truth, you can either send me a correction, or just sit back and chuckle. I did the best that I could, and that is how I remember it...... more or less!

Check out the Jukebox occasionally. I may add more old tunes (much to Sandra's chagrin) as I dig them out of the storage cabinet and convert from tape to digital. These are recordings that were made for personal enjoyment only. Most are from practice sessions, and a few are live recording made at a gig. In all cases, the recording equipment was rather primitive. When converting from tape to digital, I plan to use the MP3 or Windows Media WMA format at 64Kbps. Considering that the source is usually old mono tape, this is adequate. Note: Windows Media WMA makes a smaller file than MP3 for the equivalent quality, but MP3 may be playable on more devices. I have boxes of old tape and photos and that will keep me busy for years once I retire. I might even get motivated and start actively playing again. Who knows?

Oh by the way, music hasn't been my only interest along the way. There has been electronics and amateur radio (K4CFQ), photography (see our Butterfly Photo Blog), sail boat racing (Rebel one design class), skin diving (snorkle), home design and construction (Cudjoe Key, FL), small manufacturing (custom garden lighting and an oral irrigator), and years of crazyness selling, racing and riding motorcycles (Hodaka, Penton, KTM, Husqvarna, and BMW)!!!! Motorcycles? Jeeeeeez.... Was I nuts? Fortunately, I survived the motorcycles with fingers and arms intact which allowed me to continue my music interests playing the piano/organ keyboards.

Have fun.......... pete