A small group of Venice locals are organizing on behalf of Nathan "The Piano Man" of Venice.

Nathan Pino is one of those Venice souls you recognize instantly with his music, his kindness, and his presence. At 73 years young, he has been playing his piano on the Venice Boardwalk for 23 years. Many of us grew up watching him play. Whether we know him personally or from small moments at a local coffee shop or hearing him play on our way to the beach, he feels like family for a lot of us.

Recently, Nathan’s piano and his setup were damaged and confiscated during a city cleanup and he was issued a citation. He also had his van towed earlier this year. This shook all of us who love him, and the video of the event made its way through our community with a lot of heartbreak and confusion.

Nathan is unhoused and he considers Venice his home. We want to help him, and we are being mindful of his comfort and privacy so as not to overwhelm him or create unwanted attention. We want to restore what he lost, protect him from further citations, and support him with dignity and care.

Why this matters:

Nathan is a Venice legend. He is part of what makes this place feel like home. Losing his piano felt like losing a piece of Venice. His music has given so much to all of us. Now it is our turn to give back.

COMMUITY SUPPORT:

Giving Back

We recently met with Nathan on November 30th, 2025.

He was overwhelmed with gratitude when hearing about the intention to rally the community to support him.

We asked him what his immediate needs are and he let us know which items would be most helpful to meet his basic needs during this challenging time.

A New Grand Piano

We are working to get a Grand Piano donated to Nathan. We will give updates on this as we are able to achieve this goal.

Your monetary donations will go towards:

Piano Transportation and longterm nightly storage

LAPD informed us that large items cannot stay out overnight. With your help, we can ensure:

Basic and Immediate Needs including:

We want him to feel safe, supported, and cared for during this time.

Citations, Legal Matters + City Support

We are connecting directly with Brian Averill from Venice Neighborhood Council, who has worked with LAPD contacts and CD11 to understand what happened so we can prevent it from happening again. Everyone has been generous in their willingness to support Nathan and ensure he is treated with care going forward.

A Note from our Friends and Neighbors

People across Venice have been sharing their memories of Nathan. From café stories to childhood street walks, from Burning Man artists who admire him to locals who have listened to him for twenty years, the love and support is already here. We are simply organizing it in a way that reaches him with care.

Our Promise

All funds will go directly to support Nathan's needs and we will use every donation with full transparency. This GoFundMe is run by Lindsey Klucik (Squid), Erin Desmond, MandyJane Slaybaugh and Brenna Desmond. We will keep you continually updated.

Thank you for helping us protect someone who has given our community so much joy.

With love,

The Venice community

Photo credits:

Image 1: Rebecca Hill/KPCC

Image 2: MandyJane Slaybaugh

Image 3: Unknown

Image 4: Michele McPhee