Bio
D. R. Commander’s musical style is not easily categorized, but to him, it seems like a perfectly natural product of his many diverse musical experiences. Commander taught himself how to play piano at age 7 by chording along with early 80′s country and pop songs on the radio stations in his hometown of Beaumont, Texas. He received classical and jazz training on the trumpet in junior high and high school and played for three seasons with the University of Houston Jazz Ensemble before hanging up the trumpet to pursue his first love, the keyboard.
Commander played professionally in the Houston jazz, swing, and R&B scene throughout the late 90′s before moving to Austin and returning to his roots with country dance band Laredo. Laredo had some minor successes, including opening for David Allan Coe. When Laredo disbanded in 2002, Commander shifted gears and began a four-year stint with jazz fusion quintet The Harmony Theory, playing regular shows at The Elephant Room and a variety of local festivals. He was the keyboardist and a contributing songwriter for Akina Adderley & the Vintage Playboys from early 2007 until late 2008, and since leaving that project to focus more on his solo career, Commander has performed with a variety of other artists, including Michelle Shocked, Flounders Without Eyes, and Anna Mae Mitchell. In recent years, he has also volunteered as an accompanist with the Studio E vocal performance class and as the pianist, pit boss, and orchestral arranger for the UT Law School “Assault & Flattery” pageant.
Commander is currently in the studio working on his first solo album, “Seven Cities“, which he is producing entirely by himself.