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Music Videos - Josh Groban - Keith Emerson

Renowned music video director Wayne Isham shot this great video of Josh Groban in my piano warehouse, on the back of an open bed truck, and downtown at The Poodle Parlor (empty warehouse set).
 

I supplied all the pianos for the video and even though the day was long (6:00 am to 8:30 pm), it was a lot of fun and interesting being part of the crew. By coincidence, the song 'Higher Window' was produced by legendary record producer Rick Rubin who

in 2021 bought a Yamaha piano from me for his studio. 

Josh Groban - 'Higher Window' music video 

A few photos from the video shoot...

Photos Copyright © GL Pianos

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Josh Groban playing a Yamaha C1 in my warehouse

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Josh Groban and I with the Yamaha C1 baby grand

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Some of the crew…

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Balancing one of my restored/rebuilt Steinway M parlor grands and a restored Baldwin L grand on their sides. The director

and I were a little worried... but anything for the shot…

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Monitoring the video...

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Balancing pianos for a unique shot

'Keith Emerson Band featuring Mark Bonilla'

I would like to thank Keith Emerson and Marc Bonilla for crediting me and my company GL Pianos on their CD ‘Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla’ & accompanying DVD.

The album is excellent and the DVD (that comes with the import version) has interviews, behind the scenes, the burning of the piano, studio and concert footage, etc.

​

Keith Emerson - "Perhaps the greatest, most technically accomplished keyboardist in

rock history" (AllMusic)

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Keith Emerson & Marc Bonilla - 'Burning in Borrego Springs' video

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 Photo courtesy of Michael Tweed

Keith Emerson, Marc Bonilla, and the burning piano 

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 Photo courtesy of Michael Tweed

Burning in Borrego Springs

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Keith and the aftermath

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 Photo courtesy of Michael Tweed

Some of the group...

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Discussing the piano and video shoot…

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Cindy, my other half helping out

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 Photo courtesy of Michael Tweed

The walk away….. Sunset Fire

This details the Piano Video/Photo Shoot on April 3rd, 2008 for the CD/DVD:

Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla

Marc Bonilla along with photographer Michael Tweed both came to my piano warehouse to see my 1926 Wm. Knabe parlor grand and agreed it would be perfect for the desert video/photo shoot. 
 

The video/photo shoot was going to be at Borrego Springs, CA. I supervised with the piano and helped with getting it in the right spot and prepping it. Michael Tweed took many great shots for the CD, CD booklet and DVD along with Mari Kawaguchi.
I also acted as one of the photographers whereas I took many behind-the-scenes photographs, 9 of which were inserted into the ‘
Burning in Borrego Springs’ video.

 

I was also invited to the recording studio ‘The Greene Room’ where Keith Emerson, Marc Bonilla, Keith Wechsler (music producer, keyboard tech, live sound engineer), and Michael Prescott (DVD producer), were working on the CD and discussing the video.
I remember Keith (Emerson), counting down with me the unusual 7, 6, 7, 5 time signature of the track ‘
The Art of Falling Down’. Approx. a month later, I went over to Marc Bonilla’s house where we all watched the completed DVD for the first time.

 

Before the ‘Keith Emerson Band’ went on tour, they also invited me to their rehearsal at ‘M-Pire Recording Studio’ (where by coincidence, I had previously worked on the piano there for the TV show ‘Ghost Whisperer’).
 

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Japan 2008 tour promo handbill

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2008 Backstage Pass

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Russian 2008 tour promo

In 2010 photos of Keith and my Knabe piano were used again for promo material for the Keith Emerson & Greg Lake tour

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Photo courtesy of Mari Kawaguchi

Keith Emerson playing the Knabe parlor grand, Borrego Springs

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Montreal, Canada 2010 billboard

Japan 2010 tour promo

I would also like to thank Keith Emerson, Marc Bonilla, and maestro Terje Mikkelsen for inviting me to a recording session

in 2012 for the album ‘Three Fates Project

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Keith Emerson’s iconic ‘Moog Modular System’ that was played on

'Lucky Man' (one of rock music’s earliest instances of a Moog

synthesizer solo 1970)

Through working on the piano burn project, I had the opportunity

to play Keith’s custom Hammond "Tarkus" C3 as well as record
with the
Moog Modular System

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Keith Emerson, Sample - Hold Module as used on

'Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression, Pt. 2'

'Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends'…

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When presets for synthesizers didn’t exist, notice the original design that Bob Moog came up with for Keith Emerson.

 Aqua Tarkus, Aqua Solo, Welcome S/H, etc.

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