VENICE, CA — Saturday, November 29, 2025 — Community stepped up on the Venice Beach Boardwalk today, as a donated piano was delivered to longtime performer Nathan “The Piano Man” Pino with the help of two small Westside businesses who volunteered their time, trucks, and hands to get him playing again.
Blue Mule Hauling, a family-run local hauling company owned by Amanda Arreola and her husband, coordinated the pick-up of the donated piano in Los Angeles after seeing Santa Monica Closeup’s coverage of Pino’s instruments being removed and destroyed during recent city cleanups. They brought in additional support from Scotties Flatbed, another Westside independent hauler, who volunteered a larger truck to safely transport the upright to the boardwalk.
“We saw Nathan had gotten his piano taken away and we were able to help him find a new piano and bring it down here for him to play for everybody,” said Amanda Arreola. “We got some help from Scotty’s tow to get it down here — it was a little bigger than our truck could handle. We’re looking forward to having lunch at the Sidewalk Café and listening to him play.”
Amanda said the pickup was easier than expected thanks to the flatbed truck’s extendable bed, eliminating the need to carry the instrument down stairs. The donor, who inherited the piano from her mother — a woman who walked the Venice shoreline every morning and knew Pino’s music — was “very happy” to see it go to him.
Pino arrived to find the piano waiting at his regular spot and expressed gratitude to the crews who made the delivery possible. With help from neighbors and small business owners, he is once again equipped to share music with visitors, locals, skaters, families, and longtime boardwalk regulars — a reminder of how quickly the Venice community can rally around one of its own.
Santa Monica Closeup continues documenting public events and community-driven moments across the Westside, including the restoration of music to the Venice Beach Boardwalk.
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