Very few people have the courage to do exactly what they want to do with their life. Going after a life dream is treacherous, full of mishaps and even heartbreak. With such high expectations there are bound to be plenty of moments in the journey that fall depressingly short. It’s a path that offers plenty of opportunities to quit—maybe even push you to quit. Plenty of people do.

Some don’t.

Adam Nemetz and Kelly Hubacheck have been with the Electric Piano (the EP) in Park Plaza since it was just a concept—a gleam in a papa’s eye. Adam was there when the lease was signed. Adam was there when renovations began in 2005… shooting nails through his thumb by accident. Twice. Kelly was there when the doors opened for the first time four months later. They’ve been through every up and every down the Electric Piano has had. “There’s enough blood of mine in here to make it a relative,” said Adam with a smile.

So, in December of 2007, Adam and Kelly decided to make it official. The young couple took the plunge and bought The EP outright. But it wasn’t some whim or half-planned foray that drove them to have what they now refer to as their “baby”; it was “a career choice.”

Owners Adam and Kelly.

Kelly grew up in Boston. Adam grew up in Las Vegas. Maybe it was inevitable that a couple from these two storied towns, renowned for their nightlife, would end up running a joint some day. But inevitability can be at the end of a long road from time to time, and Adam and Kelly have paid their dues.

Kelly, who has her degree in marketing, has done everything from hostess to management in the food and beverage industry. But tending bar was always her favorite. (It’s hard to beat that money, baby…) Adam, who comes from a family of bar owners, started washing dishes in Vegas when he was 15. Seventeen years later, he’s still washing dishes. They’re just cocktail glasses now, and he owns them.

The EP is everything a bar should be: classy, cozy, dark and entertaining. Adam and Kelly play the consummate hosts. They let their entertainers entertain and they let their guests have a great time. They control without being controlling. Walking into The EP is like walking into your friend’s house. You grab a drink, snag a laugh and begin to enjoy yourself effortlessly. You can’t have worries if you are suddenly void of preoccupation. Adam sums up the atmosphere in one word, “Comfortable.”

The magic of The Electric Piano comes from Adam and Kelly’s effort to create what they call “a product.” From Scotty at the door, to the way you are treated once you’re inside, to the amazing entertainers that keep the mood festive, unobtrusive, entertaining and… well… electric, customers are as much a part of the show as they want to be. There’s room to sit; there’s room to dance; and there’s always room for a beverage.

And, since “local support is almost overwhelming” Adam, Kelly and visitors who “just aren’t sure” can rest convinced that the product has been thoroughly tested, becoming an asset on an island which is notorious for quickly weeding out the unwanted.

Adam and Kelly are owner operators. The couple has put all they have into one dream. In a world that often struggles to hear, The EP is their voice (and the voice of their amazing entertainers). They’ve risked much and they’ve refused to give up when things were difficult. They saw a chance and took a shot. It’s easy to say that because of their tenacity they have been rewarded success.

On the other hand, maybe they’re just old school. Maybe Adam and Kelly are a throwback to the days when success was merely a matter of accountability. Those days when wanting success wasn’t enough, and there was no entitlement to desire. Those days when you had to earn it.

Now that’s a lyric worth remembering.

The Electric Piano is open Wednesday-Saturday, 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Wednesday is Rum Night and Thursday is Ladies Night. The vodka selection is plentiful, the clientele professional and responsibly immature, (but only because they have to work in the morning).
Reservations for private functions can be made. For more information, call 843-785-KEYS.

That’s Entertainment

The Electric Piano is proud to bring their guests some of the island’s highest quality entertainers. Shows begin at 9:30 nightly.

Wednesday: Sterling and Chevette Colvin
Thursday: Scott Morlock
Friday: Scott Morlock
Saturday: Christian Young and Chris Severs
Sunday: The Simpson Brothers

2008

--Chris and Christian started in February, 2008, playing a few Electric Piano favorites and a whole lot of something this island needs—and that’s country music. Christian leads the duo on piano and vocals keeping the crowd momentum while Stevers tears it up cowboy-style on the guitar and vocals.

April 2009

Everybody has a story. We all have trials and triumphs in our lives which we regard as the foundation of why we are who are and why we do what we do. Dana Ashworth’s story is no different, it’s just that the “how” is a little bit more incredible. See, Dana Ashworth didn’t plan any of this. Not a single thing. And not having a reason is the exact reason why he’s become so successful.
It wasn’t the cumbersome philosophy of apathy that made him who he is. The virtues, enthusiasms and choices that brought him to this point in his life weren’t esoteric exactly, either. Maybe it’s more like Dana’s music—easier to explain than to pin down: the manifestation of his life’s journey.
Every Friday afternoon, Dana drives the three hours from Aiken, South Carolina, to play at The Electric Piano (EP) in Park Plaza on Friday and Saturday nights—a gig he kind of fell into. That’s how most of Dana’s career has been—a long trip and a gig as the result. At the EP, it was as simple as “looking for a place to settle down.”
The Electric Piano’s former entertainer and Hilton Head Island legend, Scott Morlock, had hit it off with Dana during a few shows in Savannah where Dana was playing. “Right at that time, Scott called me, said they needed someone here. Then Adam [EP’s owner] called me and we hooked it up.” Dana speaks softly; he’s humble. Grateful. It’s hard not to like him. Maybe that’s what a life spent wandering can teach a person.
Dana grew up in a little town just south of Boston. He had taken organ lessons when he was kid and hated it. “Absolutely, hated it,” he said. It wasn’t until he heard the new age, instrumental style of George Winston that he started tinkering with the piano. He was 15 and began teaching himself. “When I got to college, I got some more formal training,” said Dana. “I have a double degree in music and theater with a concentration in psychology.” (Quite a journey in and of itself right there…) But, Dana didn’t want to be a musician; he wanted to be an actor. It wasn’t until he got to Maine, played in some blues bands and toured with Buddy Guy that music started to become a viable option.