Dueling musicians focus on entertaining the audience by battling for their attention with musical instruments, such as pianos and guitars, as well as singing. Lewis said the idea behind the bar came from his experience as a dueling pianist as well as his belief that the region could use a new entertainment option.
“There's amazing places to eat. There's amazing places to hang out, but there's not a lot of places to actually let loose and have fun,” Lewis said.
The setup
Lewis said after performing for several dueling piano bars, he became a traveling dueling pianist during COVID-19 and decided to establish his own business to plant his roots while practicing his passion.
Since opening Two Tones Dueling Piano Bar, the new entertainment venue has quickly gained attention and popularity, Lewis said.
“We've had so many people that want to come in that we've had no choice but to expand,” he said, adding that the bar's capacity allows them to host up to 310 guests. Lewis said they are in the process of adding two additional bathrooms to the bar to further increase the capacity.
The details
On dueling piano nights, Two Tones Dueling Piano Bar offers free table reservation options as well as VIP and high-table reservations starting at $100. Lewis said he recommends guests make online reservations three weeks in advance.
The piano bar also hosts karaoke nights and private events, and offers travel show services. While the bar is designed for guests age 21 and up, Lewis said the bar is holding Sunday Brunch the first Sunday of every month for families to enjoy regardless of age starting Feb. 4.
Also of note
Two Tones Dueling Piano Bar provides its entertainment experience with interactive audience participation, live music comedy shows or dueling piano nights held Thursday through Saturday.
With experienced musicians, the piano bar offers guests the chance to request songs for dueling piano musicians to play and participate in the performance.
“The audience is the show in a lot of ways, so it's completely different every single night,” Lewis said.
Lewis said Two Tones Dueling Piano Bar aims to recruit dueling pianists to train to their standards and to teach musicians to play the piano while engaging the audience.
“We're looking at training the next generation of dueling piano players and keeping this going after we're gone,” Lewis said.
- 27832 I-45 N., Oak Ridge North
- www.twotonespianobar.com