It’s Saturday night at Vicenzo’s Ristorante, and it’s dark and intimate dining room is filled with happy couples engrossed in their individual conversations as Bobby Sullivan takes his seat behind the baby grand piano. The collective sound of the couples’ voices fills the room with a steady and muddled buzz as the first subdued notes ease their way out of the piano. However, as the notes become more emphatic and Sullivan begins to sing, the sounds of conversation die off, and one by one the couples break their gaze to turn and look upon the man producing the wave of sound that now engulfs them. By the time Sullivan reaches the first chorus, the room is his.

It is a scene that has played out many times before, as Sullivan (a resident of Sylva) is one of Western North Carolina’s most prolific musicians, playing nearly 300 shows a year. His playing schedule is relentless, but to Sullivan, the thrill he gets playing to a live audience makes it worth it.

“My drive has been musicians of the area that are workhorse musicians. They are playing 300-plus shows a year. Guys like Warren Haynes and Edwin McCain. Those guys are just machines when it comes to playing night after night. It’s all about the live show. It’s all about the gig. I could care less about the studio or if there are 10 people or 10,000. It’s all about the playing,” said Sullivan.

Sullivan plays a healthy mix of covers and original material. He performs the expected piano greats such as Elton John or Billy Joel but also performs songs by artists as diverse as Led Zeppelin and Seal. While his voice is impassioned and powerful, it is Sullivan’s playing style that is the most striking aspect of his performances. He pounds the keys in an explosive, almost violent manner that is sure to remind anyone who witnesses it that the piano is truly a percussion instrument.

“I’m a pounder, man. I hit those keys. I’ve been known to break piano strings. I definitely play with aggression,” said Sullivan.

It is a style Sullivan began honing late in his teens and early 20s, and Sullivan recalls fondly his first years as a musician-in-training.

“I bought myself this little, cheap keyboard and just started learning songs on it. I lived in my car for about a year and a half while I was doing that. It was neat. I would go to Virginia Beach and watch the sun come up, look at the ocean and surf. I just enjoyed those times when I didn’t have any bills or anything like that. It was great and I learned to play music,” said Sullivan.

While many parents might have cringed when their child expressed interest in becoming a professional musician, Sullivan’s mother and father embraced his love of music and encouraged him to pursue his dream.

“My mom encouraged me to sing. My mom and dad are more like my brother and sister. They are proud supporters of everything I do. My dad is at every show he can physically make. He is the weekend warrior show-maker. Mom is the one always going, nope, you can sing it better. She has done that since day one,” said Sullivan.

Now 34, Sullivan is a full-time professional musician with a new CD titled Letters to Eileen set to be released in mid-September and an East Coast tour scheduled for next year that will take him from Boston to Miami. In the meantime, he will continue to play local venues such as O’Malley’s in Sylva (every other Sunday) and Vincenzo’s Ristorante in Asheville (every Wednesday night). His CDs are available at In Your Ear in Sylva.