Once amateur musicians rocking out together in their parents’ homes, David Wickert and Dr. Nick Russo today play a variety of songs, ranging from Billy Joel to Taylor Swift hits, as passionate and professional dueling pianists.
After launching their careers – Wickert as an entrepreneur and financial coach at Wealthcare LLC and Russo as a dentist and owner of Russo Dental – the two longtime friends and musicians formed the MilwauKeys last spring. Now they play gigs once or twice a month at bars, corporate events and festivals around southeastern Wisconsin.
The duo’s repertoire includes more than 200 songs – from classic rock hits to contemporary pop singles. While many of the songs they play are pulled from memory, such as “Piano Man,” others require charts as a quick reference tool. Among Wickert’s favorite songs to perform are smooth piano ballads, including “Walking in Memphis” and “New York State of Mind.”
Both stage masters also sing while jamming on the keys.
“And we have some hellacious harmonies,” said Wickert, who comes from a family of musicians. He has played the piano since age 8 and has been singing even longer.
Topping the challenges of playing dueling pianos is the struggle to keep up with new songs, according to Wickert, who aims to soon learn “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, along with a collection of Sam Smith songs.
“That’s a good kind of challenge,” he said. “It keeps us sharp.”
Playing dueling pianos also gives the pair a creative outlet that Wickert describes as a well they can keep coming back to.
“The point of putting in the time and the energy in your professional life is so that you can do the things in your personal life that fill you up inside,” Wickert said. “And I think for me and Nick that includes music.”
