CEDAR FALLS - As a child, Tony Bohnenkamp begged to drop his piano lessons.

Today, the former drummer of The Nadas is glad his mother remained firm.

"She told me: 'Stick with it. You never know what is going to come from this," said Bohnenkamp, who will tickle the ivories Friday at The Hub. "Now I play music for a living, and I own a piano bar and a recording studio, so I guess Mom was right."

The Des Moines man, best known for his dueling piano act with Jared Hall, will play with a handful of local musicians at his Cedar Falls gig. Songs by Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffet and Bill Withers will keep fans singing throughout the night, said Cory Talbot, a Cedar Falls bass player who will join Bohnenkamp onstage.

"Tony takes all the typical covers that everybody else plays and plays them in his own way," Talbot said. "His shows have a lot of energy. People always have a lot of fun."

Bohnenkamp writes his own music, but rarely performs the pieces in public. When entertaining, he prefers to highlight well-known songs.

"I love the party aspect of playing covers because everybody knows all the songs and they are all the songs people like to drink to and sing along with," he said. "I miss playing original music with The Nadas, but playing a Journey song and seeing every single person in the bar singing along at the top of their lungs is a pretty cool feeling too."

Other musicians featured at Friday's performance are Brent Eustland on guitar and Dante Ware on drums. The show starts at 9 p.m. Admission is $5 or $7. The Snozzberries will open the night with tunes from 6 to 9 p.m.

Marcus Kjeldsen, co-owner of The Hub, expects Bohnenkamp to bring in a big crowd. The piano man has performed in Cedar Falls for several years, first with The Nadas, and later as a solo act or performing alongside fellow piano players.

"I think the biggest thing about Tony is he's just a regular guy, the type of guy you'd like to hang out with," Kjeldsen said. "He sings songs that people know, and just creates a great vibe for the place."