Tiffany Maki loves singing and tickling the ivories. Her performance this past Saturday shows what she can do, even with other players stepping in with little time to rehearse.

The band showed some of the best talent Grays Harbor County has to offer Saturday evening at the Founder’s Day Street Dance, in downtown Aberdeen. And Maki was glad to lead.

“We had an absolute blast,” Maki said. “It’s not the usual lineup that I have in my band, but this project — Ms. Maki and Company — started as a fun thing. I started getting some gigs toward the end of last fall. I thought ‘Gosh, I should put together the folks I just know will want to do this.’ So I called my most favorite folks and most favorite musicians and good friends.”

With only a two-hour rehearsal before a huge gig, Saturday’s lineup provided Aberdeen Founder’s Day the right music to get people up and dancing. With the section of Broadway Street between Wishkah and Heron Streets closed off to traffic, it was the perfect dance floor as people of most ages moved around the street with ease in front of GH Wine Sellars — 206 S. Broadway St.

The musicians nailed the performance. With Maki on keyboard and vocals, Brad McNeill on the tenor saxophone, Don Stone on lead guitar, Chloe Pickney on bass and Duke Harner on drums, they put together an eclectic set full of classic songs such as Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally,” The Beatles “Come Together” and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Born on the Bayou,” among many others.

The energetic performance should be no surprise to Harborites. Maki, with other musicians such as guitarist Jon Nygaard and McNeill, played to a large crowd in May at Celebrate Summer Jam. The performance was quite popular. Ms. Maki and Co. will return for another show on July 22, from 2 to 5 p.m., at Oyhut Bay Grill, 404 Salmonberry Lane SW, in Ocean Shores.

Maki said her band started playing shows in early January. While there was a slight glitch, they’ve clearly fixed it.

“We kind of found out that some of these musicians, including myself, are definitely highly regarded in the community, but they’re also very busy,” Maki said. “So I’m really lucky in the fact that I can reach other musicians I’ve played with in the past and we can still keep gigging because there’s such a great amount of musicians who are good friends of mine on the Harbor.”

Maki sad she was “super excited” to have Stone, Pickney and Harner join on Saturday.

“We pulled together and it was amazing,” Maki said. “I don’t have to worry when I have these great musicians behind me.”

Maki called Stone “one of the best on the Harbor.” She said how the area is lucky to have Stone. Stone previously co-owned Rosevear’s Music Center, in Aberdeen.

Stone’s precise guitar licks made it sound as though John Fogerty — lead guitar for Creedence Clearwater Revival — and Ed King — lead guitarist who wrote Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” — were rocking in downtown Aberdeen.

“It’s funny. There are a lot of songs that audience members love and recognize and that’s one of them,” Maki said of “Sweet Home Alabama.” “It’s actually one that a lot of bands won’t play very often because it’s played so often. But my whole concept for this band was to play things that people enjoy. Even if it’s not a favorite of the band, we know the crowds love it and they love to dance to it and so we’ll rock it the best we can. Once we get going with it and see how much fun folks are having, it doesn’t matter which song it is really. But I’ve always liked playing that song. It gets people dancing and clapping and singing along. Throwing a sax player into the mix kind of makes every song a little bit different.”

The weather, near perfect all day, got a little gusty Saturday evening.

“We’ve got some wind!” Maki said wearing a dress. “Hopefully there won’t be any Marilyn Monroe accidents up here.”

Maki entertained the crowd with one-liners and with her connection with McNeill. Maki called him “Brad Saxxy.” The red lipsticked frontwoman continued to have fun with McNeill when she started singing Imelda May’s “Big Bad Handsome Man,” with one revision. She replaced that lyric with “Big Bad Handsome Brad.” And the crowd loved it.

With Maki’s dad, John, sitting at one of the tables in front of GH Wine Sellars, Maki thanked him for her professional start in music.

Maki started playing piano at 6 years old and she started singing in high school. Her professional career began with her dad in his band, Electric Park Jazz Band. She learned a lot about the music industry during that time. And for the lifelong musician, Saturday was another lively night Maki won’t forget.

“We had an absolute blast,” Maki said. “Loved all of the dancers and the folks who just came out to listen and enjoy. It was fantastic. It was everything I was hoping it would be.”

Electric Eye band

The music stretched as far as Mount Olympus Brewing (MOB.) Electric Eye, who followed Ms. Maki and Co., later in the evening, played a lively set that featured a collection of recognizable rock songs.

And they were loud.

The band — Phil Luce on rhythm guitar and vocals with his brother Dennis Luce on lead guitar, and their nephews Jake Blood on bass and Dylan Blood on the drums — could be heard clearly at MOB. Guitarist Rullen Neifert fought the good fight to bring his own fine and unique setlist — including an instantly identifiable cover of Alice in Chains’ song “Rooster,” to an intimate crowd sitting in MOB’s beer garden.

“It was the battle of the bands,” said Rick Moyer, who photographed the street dance.

Karen Rowe, who helped put on the Founder’s Day Street Dance, thoroughly enjoyed Electric Eye’s performance.

“Amazing!” Rowe said. “Rocking! Loud. Lol. They rocked the downtown!”

Friday, July 14

6 to 9 p.m. — Dogger — The King Tide — 300 E. Dock St., in Westport

7 p.m. — Annie KIDS — 7th Street Theatre — 313 7th St., in Hoquiam

Saturday, July 15

2 to 5 p.m. — Deerswerver — Oyhut Bay Grill — 404 Salmonberry Ln SW, in Ocean Shores

4 to 7 p.m. — Colin Gage — Ocean Pours Taproom — 759 Ocean Shores Blvd NW, in Ocean Shores

5 to 8 p.m. — Six Pack Pretty — The Loge — 1416 S. Montesano St., in Westport

7 p.m. — Annie KIDS — 7th Street Theatre

Sunday, July 16

2 to 5 p.m. — The Angelic Noise — Ashley’s Pub Haus — 710 J St., in Hoquiam

2 p.m. — Annie Kids — 7th Street Theatre

Contact Reporter Matthew N. Wells at matthew.wells@thedailyworld.com

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Virgil Smith and his wife Daphne have danced on the Harbor for years. “He danced quite a bit,” Tiffany Maki, leader of Ms. Maki and Co., said of Virgil. “They’re well-known on the Harbor for dancing. They did their thing and I so appreciate them coming out and supporting us.”

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Don Stone, from left, Chloe Pickney and Duke Harner, added a strong presence to Ms. Maki and Co., on Saturday at Aberdeen Founder’s Day Street Dance on Broadway Street in downtown Aberdeen. Stone’s lead guitar work made it sound as though the late-Ed King himself was playing Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.”

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Phil Luce, center, on rhythm guitar and vocals, yells his heart out during Electric Eye’s set Saturday at Aberdeen Founder’s Day Street Dance, in downtown Aberdeen. The band also features Luce’s nephews Dylan Blood — on drums — and Jake Blood, on bass, as well as Luce’s brother Dennis, who plays lead guitar.

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Rullen Neifert, sang his heart out during Alice in Chains “Rooster” as he played a cool set at Mount Olympus Brewing. While he wasn’t part of Aberdeen Founder’s Day Street Dance, it was unique to hear two artists play at the same time, outdoors, in Aberdeen. Electric Eye, who played the second set at Aberdeen Founder’s Day Street Dance, played a rocking set a few hundred feet away.