‘Modern piano man’ Louis B. Middleton returns to Snow Lodge this week

Courtesy Photo
For as long as the “Aspen Idea” has existed, the place and what it stands for have influenced countless artists and musicians, which is still true today.
“Aspen, as much as it’s such a popular destination, it’s such an intimate place,” said singer-songwriter Louis B. Middleton. “There are no big crowds, but quality crowds at all my performances.”
Over the past three years, Middleton has become a ubiquitous presence at The Snow Lodge at St. Regis, and the upstairs bar at Kemo Sabe, as well as private parties around town. The self-proclaimed “modern piano man” can often be found playing the piano and putting on vocal, high-energy, and emotional performances with his unique renditions of cover songs, from Elton John to Coldplay to Taylor Swift to Billy Joel, and everything in between.
“I have developed my sets now where I don’t like to stop in between songs,” Middleton explained. “I try to keep the vibe and energy going, to create an electric atmosphere.”
Middleton, who is originally from Pennsylvania, said he discovered his love of music as a young boy listening to his father play piano at home. Though his father played recreationally, and not professionally, it still had a tremendous impact on the trajectory of his life.

“I learned piano, but not traditionally. I didn’t take traditional lessons,” he said. “I learned by watching my dad play and sing, and he gave me a few lessons here and there. Otherwise, I play a lot by ear.”
He continued to play music through high school and secured a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. Through it all he said he never thought about music as a career or a way to make money. He simply played because he loved it.
Middleton first found his way to Aspen via the band Mojave Grey, in which he used to play keyboards. On one of those trips, he was asked to play a solo set, which set his career on a new course.
“My career really did take off in Aspen,” he said. I wasn’t doing the piano, vocal, or solo artist thing before, I just didn’t think about it. Jayma Cardoso from Snow Lodge really changed my life and my career by giving me some, let’s say, self-value. And then so did Jamie Contractor at Kemo Sabe. They both started booking me around the same time and obviously gave me some serious visibility.”
These days Middleton finds himself playing shows in New York, The Hamptons, Miami, Las Vegas and Los Angeles as well as overseas. But regardless of where he goes, he said he will always come back to Aspen. This week he returns to Snow Lodge on Wednesday and Thursday with his set starting at 7 p.m.
“I love the Aspen crowds,” he said. “They’re attentive, friendly and warm, generally speaking, across the board, that’s been my experience in Aspen.”
When not performing, Middleton can be found in the studio recording a mix of popular cover songs and his original music. He recently reworked a song he wrote about Aspen entitled, “Summer Snow,” which pays tribute to the place that has nurtured his career and become a home away from home.
“I wrote it years ago and redid it recently because it means something differently to me now,” he explained. “The song came from a dark place where you’re kind of looking for human connection. The lyrics are about looking for that summer feeling in the middle of winter and that’s how I feel whenever I come to Aspen. Aspen has this buzzing energy. People are happy to see me, and I’m happy to see them — that’s what the song means for me.”
Sarah Girgis is the Arts and Entertainment Editor for The Aspen Times. She can be reached at 970-429-9151 or sgirgis@aspentimes.com.
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