SPOKANE, Wash. — As many entertainment venues are back in business, the Ridler Piano Bar has reopened at 50% capacity while also expanding use of the popular Ridler Piano Barge.
Steve Ridler has owned the Ridler Piano Bar in downtown Spokane for five years and his son, 21-year-old Chaz Ridler, began playing there last year. Shawn Stratte also plays with the band.
The musicians got creative last year during the lockdown and created a new, COVID-safe venue. In a fun play on words, they called it the Ridler Piano Barge. They turned a floating dock into a barge to entertain people on Deer Lake, where they live.
Now that nice weather is approaching, the Ridlers are going to expand and upgrade their use of their floating dock, starting with the dock itself.
They now have a pontoon boat that will float and travel better. They are planning to perform on more bodies of water this year.
"We'll be able to go to Coeur d'Alene or Priest River or to the coast because we'll have the trailer that can do it," Steve Ridler said.
PHOTOS: Ridler Piano Barge
Steve Ridler said they hope traveling to more places will set them up for gigs in the future if COVID-19 forces another shutdown of their bar in Downtown Spokane.
"It was like, two weeks was all it was going to take, then all of a sudden, eleven months later we still weren't playing," Chaz Ridler said. "So we're trying to make sure we're not going to be stuck, you know, where we were at in the beginning."
To keep the barge afloat, the musicians take song requests like they would at the bar. People will ask for a popular song through Venmo, a payment service app, with some sending tips ranging anywhere from $20 to $100.
The Ridler Piano Bar is now open at 50 percent capacity on Fridays and Saturdays.
KREM staff members contributed to this report.