The Live Juke Joint Piano Bar — a reincarnation of Jive and Wail dueling pianos, which closed in the same location in Maplewood in 2010 — is set to open Wednesday at 5 p.m. It’s at the corner of Manchester Road and Sutton Boulevard.
Spanky, AKA Philip Manaois, is one of the co-owners, and was on getting ready Monday morning. They built a wall on the stage, reducing the stage depth, which Jive and Wail had, and Jumpin’ Jupiter took it out. Now it’s back, with a two-way mirror. He’s not sure what they’ll do with it. “Maybe VIPSs, I don’t know yet. It would be interesting to walk back there and watch the show,” Spanky said.
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He also plans to cover the stage with cameras. “One to shoot straight down the keys, one straight over top of us, a wide shot of the stage. I’m hoping eight different cameras. We’re going to put TVs on poles. It’s the visual,” he said.
“If you’re watching the show and somebody goes into a solo I can switch to a camera that shows that, or above them — a perspective the audience wouldn’t normally get to see. Or the bachelorette girl comes up and we sit her on the piano — that’s what people want to see too, so let’s use that camera to zone in on her.”
He’s happy about the sound system too. “We spent a little money on a good board. Only the big clubs, like the Old Rock House are using the same kind of board. It sounds really good. Really clear.
“That’s it. Oh, and my mom sent me flowers.”
See Spanky playing keyboard with The Provels at a recent show at the Broadway Oyster Bar — an all Talking Heads show.