When Synia Carroll takes the Side Door stage this Friday night for her “Synia Sings Sarah (Vaughan)” concert,  it will represent the completion of a personal journey for the Sarasota-based jazz singer.   “I felt called to do this show,” Synia told me during a phone interview this week. “Sarah’s[…]

Palladium favorite Nate Najar is back on his home turf this Friday night (March 30) with The Bossa Nova All-Stars, a band of musical luminaries that includes the Brazilian singer Maucha Adnet who toured for 10 years with the bossa nova legend Antonio Carlos Jobim.   The rest of the[…]

After a stunning performance on March 14, Our Palladium Chamber Series returns on Wednesday, March 28, with another very special program.   Jeewon Park will be performing Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Jeewon, Jeff Multer and special guest Julian Schwarz, will play the Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 1 in the second[…]

One of my dreams for the Palladium is that we’d be the site of a Florida Orchestra Masterworks concert. This Saturday, March 24, that dream is coming to fruition when the orchestra takes the stage to perform a program that includes the music of Mozart, Haydn and Schubert.   Tickets[…]

If you’re like me, you don’t really see the point of this whole Saint Paddy’s day thing. Green beer? Yeech! Irish drinking songs? Thank you, no!   So for this year’s St. P’s day on Saturday, March 17, we’re doing something a little different. We’re welcoming back Uncle John’s Band,[…]

The Travelin’ Man, Roy Book Binder, is back at the Palladium’s Side Door tonight (Friday, March 16) for a night of acoustic blues, stories and an opening set by his buddy and fan – Damon Fowler.   For tickets and info, call our box office at 727-822-3590 or follow this[…]

I hope you can join me Wednesday night at 7:30 when the Palladium Chamber Players return to our main stage with another stirring musical adventure.   This time Artistic Director Jeffrey Multer has created a program featuring Mozart, Rachmaninoff and Schumann. And our regular players – Multer, Park, Arron and[…]

Hard to believe it’s been nine years since our first Boogie Woogie Blues Piano Stomp. And it is always a favorite with Palladium audiences.   Liz Pennock brought me the idea for the Stomp and has been our talent coordinator for all the shows.   Tonight she and her musical[…]

I always start my Monday checking on ticket sales for upcoming shows, and what struck me was how few tickets are remaining for the five nights of the St. Petersburg Jazz Festival that opens this Wednesday, Feb. 21.   Four of the shows are in the intimate Side Door, which[…]

We are excited to welcome the Grammy-winning pianist and arranger, Bill Cunliffe to the Side Door on March 1. You can follow this link for more info and tickets to what promises to be one of the best jazz shows of the year.   Leading up to that show, I’m[…]

I love the One City Chorus and I think you will too.   One City is a true community chorus and their first Palladium show was a very special night. Creative Loafing has called the group’s performances “joyous, uplifting and beautifully sung,” and presented One City Chorus with a Best[…]

The Palladium’s Side Door has become to go-to-venue for CD release parties by the top talent in our area. This Friday night we’re excited to host another CD release for the Backtrack Blues Band. And all the music was recorded live at the Palladium!   The group has established a[…]

There is real magic in the air and on the stage with the current St. Petersburg Opera production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.   Tampa Bay Times Music Writer Andrew Meacham penned a rave review, which I’ve attached below. Tonight is your last chance to see this production and tickets[…]

I stopped in the Mahaffey Theater Thursday evening for the first (annual?) Besties Awards, presented by the folks at Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, the local tourist development shop. I thought I’d mingle a bit, enjoy the free drink coupon, and slip away.   But no, this was a very fun night[…]

If you want to see the St. Petersburg Opera Company production of The Magic Flute, you don’t have time to wait!   The Sunday matinee is sold out and only a handful of tickets remain for tonight’s opening night performance. Palladium Box Office Manager Megan Byrne told me that Tuesday’s[…]

So great to hear Selwyn Birchwood today on Sirius XM Radio’s Bluesville channel.   The tune was Guilty Pleasures from Selwyn’s new release, Pick Your Poison. The album debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard Blues Chart.   We consider Selwyn our own down here at the Palladium. The one-time[…]

In my 10 years here at the Palladium there have been a lot of musical highlights, but I have to say the top was seeing Chester Gregory perform as Jackie Wilson in the concert show, The Eve of Jackie.   The show was so good, we decided we had to[…]

All of us at the Palladium are so proud to be the performance home of Beacon 2018.   Our artistic directors, Helen Hansen French and Lauren Ree Sloane, promise another an evening of dance, film and performance that will inspire and entertain you. It seems like were just only yesterday[…]

Palladium Paul is no dummy. He has figured out that picking good partners is the key to success. And 15-years-ago in Los Angeles I started a new partnership (she likes to call it a marriage) with Eugenie Bondurant, an actor and acting teacher.   Now, we’ve won the MUSE Arts[…]

Martin Luther King Day is officially Jan. 16, but at the Palladium we are celebrating all month with a diverse collection of shows that celebrate the sound and spirit of soul.   The party starts Friday, Jan. 5, when we present Soul Party, a double-bill featuring two of St. Pete’s[…]

As we look forward to 2018 and a year-long celebration of the Palladium’s 20th anniversary, it’s good to remember how we got here.   We are able to balance our budget each year thanks to the endowment created by our founders and the generous donations of our friends and supporters.[…]

They say time goes fast when you are having fun, so I must be having a lot of fun.   Another year has literally raced by.   The good news is that December means the return of one of my favorite Palladium traditions – Nate Najar’s Jazz Holiday concert on[…]

Palladium tickets are always a bargain, but today only we’ve got an even better deal for our friends.   A whole list of your favorite Palladium shows, and some you might not know are your favorites yet, are on a special online-only sale today.   Check out the link below[…]

One of our favorite jazz musicians, Chuck Redd, is headed back to the Side Door this week for a very special show.   He’s appearing with our favorite young jazz trio, La Lucha, and doing a night of music by Frank Loesser (Guys and Dolls) and Cy Coleman (Witchcraft). The[…]

I was around for Ybor City’s first renaissance, in the 80s and 90s, when artists, writers and musicians reclaimed the Tampa historic district from decay. One of the highlights of that era was the opening of the Jazz Cellar in the basement of an old cigar factory that had been[…]

The Piana from Savannah is coming back!   Palladium favorite Victor Wainwright is headed this way with his  horn band –Victor Wainwright and the Train. The show is this Friday night at 8. Backtrack Blues Band opens.   Victor and the boys – including members of the Memphis horns –[…]

We’ve got a big dose of original Florida soul music coming to the Side Door Friday night when we present from Gainesville, Little Jake and the Soul Searchers.   We’re also celebrating the release of the new book, Florida Soul, by our buddy and University of Tampa professor, John Capouya. […]

There are still some seats available for tonight’s final performance of the crowd-and-critic pleasing production of Charles Gounod’s Faust. Faust is the opening show of the St. Petersburg Opera’s 2017-18 Palladium season.   The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Call the Palladium box office at 727 822-3590 for tickets or[…]

The Palladium and some members of the Palladium artistic family picked up Best of the Bay Awards from Creative Loafing on Wednesday night.   Our jazz man, Nate Najar and his trio won as Best Local Jazz Ensemble   Our favorite opera company, St. Petersburg Opera, took home the award[…]

You might want to bring your sweater when you visit the Side Door for one of our “grand reopening” shows starting this Friday.   The Side Door nightclub was closed during August and most of September for brand new air conditioning and some new paint. We also hung some wonderful[…]

Buffyfest descends on the Palladium this Saturday, along with one of the stars of the iconic show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.   I was prepared to write a piece setting our audiences up for this one-of-a-kind show by the Florida Bjorkestra, but the Tampa Bay Times did it for me.[…]

We’ve all been through a lot over the past week, so maybe this is a good time for some fun and great music. The Palladium came through the storm well and we had a cast of very talented people ready to perform the hit musical “Webb’s City,” that celebrates the[…]

In the theater business September is normally considered the “Dog Days.” Performance seasons get going in October in Florida, but not this year.   After taking a break for Labor Day weekend, the Palladium roars back with a month of shows that offer something for everyone. I’ve linked all of[…]

Great guitarists take the spotlight this Saturday night in a show headlined by vocalist Whitney James and two incredible guitarists – Dan Heck and LaRue Nickelson. We’re calling the show: Guitar Hero!   LaRue is the go-to guitarist in our area who moves easily through various genres, while always sounding[…]

This weekend we are welcoming back one of our favorite performers and introducing a newcomer to our stage. We’re bringing in a double bill of Lauren Mitchell and her band, along with Ari McManus and her band – Ari and the Alibis.   Both women are soulful singers with big[…]

For August, the Palladium is going upstairs! Our Side Door nightclub is getting some additional air conditioning and other improvements this month, so the fun and music will be focused on Hough Hall.   The Side Door will have a festival re-opening weekend on Sept. 29, 30 and Oct. 1.[…]

Part of the fun of my job is finding talented young performers and making them part of the Palladium family. A few years ago, one of those youngsters was a guy right out of the University of South Florida named Selwyn Birchwood.   We loved him from the start –[…]

Here at the Palladium we love introducing great new artists from our area. This Friday is one of those debut shows that I am thrilled to announce.   I’d been hearing about Siobhan Monique for a while and caught an early show at Ruby’s Elixer. She has the voice and[…]

As we planned out Summer of Soul program I knew we needed to give our patrons a “religious experience.” So of course, I had to call Rev. Billy C. Wirtz.  He’s the Master of The 88 Key Disaster, King of the Atomic Boogie, the paino man who can make you[…]

After performances over the July 4 weekend and a couple of very fun school shows, St. Petersburg Opera’s final performances of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods are this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.   I’m looking forward to seeing the show Friday night myself,since I wasn’t around for the holiday weekend.[…]

The fastest-selling show at the Palladium this summer features a 7-foot, silent clown who sings other people’s hit songs.   That’s right, Puddles Pity Party, coming up next Thursday, July 13, is moving close to a sellout in advance. You can get your tickets by calling the Palladium box office[…]

Our newest Palladium sensation, The Florida Bjorkestra, is returning after a string of killer shows featuring the music of Bjork, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Tori Amos and more. These concerts, featuring 18 instruments and voices, are not boring tribute shows, but present music by these edgy artists performed by some[…]

Two new blues albums are topping the charts and getting lots of attention these days. Taj Mahal and Keb Mo have finally gotten together for a album called “TajMo.” And our own Selwyn Birchwood has just released his new Alligator Records album: “Pick Your Poison.”   You can see shows[…]

I’ve just returned from a two-week trip and happy that I’m back in time to see Tuesday’s final performance of The Tales of Hoffman, presented by St. Petersburg Opera.   The show has been getting great reviews from patrons and that was echoed this weekend in the review by TB[…]

  I am very excited to be playing the Palladium! This show, as has been the case for all of my USA tour dates before and after, are part of my web series Popp Over America! (More on that below). For this Side Door show, I will be performing solo[…]

It was already a good Sunday morning, I was up early with no obligations for several hours – our Mother’s Day celebration was a dinner. I’m sipping a home-brewed cappuccino and sitting in my favorite chair with my two best Sunday morning friends – The New York Times and The[…]

Thanks to Creative Pinellas for asking me to be the Guest Editor of the monthly newsletter.   This month we’re featuring some of my favorite artists and performers – Mark Sforzini, of St. Petersburg Opera and the Tampa Bay Symphony; Glass artist Catherine Woods; Bluesman Selwyn Birchwood; and an interview[…]

Very proud of our jazz pal –  pianist and new dad, John O’Leary. He’s done a successful Kickstarter campaign to support a new recording that combines his love of science and music.   John is a regular at the Palladium, performing as part of La Lucha, O Som Do Jazz[…]

Hard to believe but our 2017 Palladium Chamber Series is wrapping up on May 10. It will be the fifth concert of this season – our most ambitious ever. And this concert will feature all four of our core Chamber Players ensemble – Jeffrey Multer, Danielle Farina, Edward Arron and[…]