It's a familiar refrain.

A mom makes her reluctant child take piano lessons.

That's how Adrian Eschenwald started his musical career, and he has no plans of stopping.

Eschenwald's solo project he calls No Demo will help headline a show Friday, March 28, at Phantom Power, 121 W. Frederick St., Millersville. Doors will open at 7 p.m., and the music will begin at 8. Fuzztide Jones and Taylor Zeager are also on the bill. Tickets are available on http://www.eventbrite.com by searching for "Phantom Power" and will be sold at the door.

Phantom Power has a setup similar to the legendary Chameleon Club in Lancaster that is now closed, said Eschenwald, a Hempfield High School graduate who previously worked as a writer for Engle Printing & Publishing Co., Inc. "It's a pretty cool venue," he said.

Eschenwald mostly performs original songs he wrote while playing a guitar or piano. He can also play the drums but does not currently have a kit.

After using the stage name Augustus Graves when he first started performing music five years ago, Eschenwald now plays as No Demo, a nod to the movie "A Ghost Story." "It's a movie about a lost soul wandering around before he goes to the afterlife," he said. There is a scene with a ghost in a parking garage with the words "No Demo" written in graffiti, which Eschenwald assumes to be an abbreviation for "No Demolition."

"The phrase was bouncing around in my head," Eschenwald said. "It's a degree of separation. I write songs about personal things, and this adds a layer of abstraction to it. I guess it's a paradox. It's a vulnerable thing to write a piece of music and play something that is emotionally significant to you, but also, I want to be a little disconnected from it."

He characterizes his music as "spinless reverb rock" based off a comment written under one of his YouTube videos. Someone wrote, "Oh great. More spinless reverb rock. Do something new." Instead of getting upset, Eschenwald leaned into it. "It's kind of a joke, but I also felt like it described the music really well," he said. "It was intended to be mean, but I really liked that."

The lyrics are inspired by his emotions. "I'm only inclined to write a song when I'm feeling a lot of things," said Eschenwald. "It's usually not a conscious thing where I think I will just sit down and write a song."

Putting pen to paper helps him deal with those feelings. "It's cathartic," he said. "I think it's also very validating in a way. It could be any range of emotion. I think I gravitate toward a lot of sad stuff for whatever reason, but it could be feeling any emotion like when good things are happening."

Piano is his favorite instrument, having started playing when he was 7 years old. "I remember being really mad about because I didn't really want to do it," Eschenwald said. "Then, after a couple years, it became my favorite thing ever." He learned how to play the guitar five years later.

He is grateful his mother, Ella, insisted he learn to play the piano. "She's been an absolute inspiration for me, and I owe my relationship with music to her," he said. "My mom taught me the importance of connecting with art and keeping my heart open to the magic in the world.(She) and my dad (Adolfo) are two of my biggest supporters."

He dreams of turning his hobby into a profession. "That's something I want to check out," he said. "I'd love to just be able to do that, but whatever I am doing, I'm going to be writing and recording music. I don't see it going away. If it paid all my bills, that would be sick."

He realizes he needs to boost his social media presence. Eschenwald's music can be heard by searching for "No Demo" on Spotify. His Instagram account is @nodemolition. It's no longer necessary for acts to sign with a record label to gain popularity outside of the local music scene. "If you have a MacBook and $40, you can distribute your music," he said.

The downside is there is no barrier to entry since it's so easy to put music out there. "It is a great thing that it's not gate-kept," he said. "But also, now it's saturated with people who have music (online)."

People he trusts have advised him to take his music on the road. "My friends who are active and putting a lot into it say the name of the game is touring and physically bringing your music other places," said Eschenwald, who mostly plays in central Pennsylvania but has made short tours into New England. "It's funny because people always talk about how terrible touring is. I haven't really toured yet, so I need to find out for myself, at least once."

Eschenwald added, "That way, I will know I gave it a shot. If it doesn't work out, I will just go back in my room and write another album. I will keep doing it. It can get discouraging. Obviously, I want to be doing it full time, but either way I'm still going to be doing it and trying to get better."