American Stage opened its riveting and musically-rich production of Seven Guitars on January 20, and the opening party featured seven of the bay area’s best guitarists. It was seven guitarists for Seven Guitars. To celebrate the run of the August Wilson play about a struggling bluesman, we’re featuring two of those guitarists this[…]

  Here’s a review and photos of this great show. Check it out! http://communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/arts-entertainment-living/blue-notes/31751-a-joyous-boogie-n-blues-piano-fest (And here’s my story written just before the 1-28-12 concert!) Hard to believe our annual Boogie Woogie piano show is now in its third year. Each year, the Boogie Woogie Blues Piano Stomp, gets bigger. Last year’s headliner,[…]

Michael Kaeshammer

We’ve got two shows coming up in the course of a few days that should be on your “must see” list. When we booked HAHN-BIN (he uses only capital letters) last summer as part of our Young Concert Artist Series, we thought he was a unique performer – a world-class violinist and[…]

 For Bill Burkette, lead singer of the The Vogues, his musical career, like his life, has been a series of reinventions. The Vogues started as high school kids doing R & B demos as the Val-Airs, with help from their high school principal in the Pittsburgh suburb called Turtle Creek.[…]

The Palladium’s intimate Side Door Cabaret is already a favorite of audiences and artists. Musicians say it’s the best place to play in Tampa Bay – a room with great acoustics where fans come to LISTEN to the music. Audiences always tell me how much they love hearing their favorite bands and singers in[…]

If it’s getting close to Christmas, Palladium audiences know that Nate Najar is coming to town with another great evening of holiday jazz. This year’s show is Friday, Dec. 9, at 8 p.m. The St. Pete jazz guitarist, who is building a big national reputation, has been doing holiday shows here[…]

Last summer we had Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones, along with New Jersey harmonica star Dennis Gruenling, in the Side Door Cabaret. The music was so much fun we decided to expand the show. Working with Tom Carter at the Suncoast Blues Society, and the blues guitarist and singer Steve Arvey, we[…]

St. Petersburg Times Fine Arts Writer John Fleming talked last week with Caroline Goulding, who is performing tonight at the Palladium.  The 19-year-old violinist is kicking off our Young Concert Artist Series. The show has generated a lot of excitement among classical music lovers and music students.  Caroline appeared Tuesday at[…]

Here’s the press release for the awards. Read down a graph or two for the Palladium’s nomination. Hopefully, I’ll see some of you at the awards gala tonight at The Coliseum in St. Pete. The press release follows: TAMPA, Fla. (Oct. 25, 2011) – Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and[…]

St. Petersburg Times Fine Arts Writer John Fleming was knocked out by the  American Stage production of “August: Osage County” at the Palladium. This show runs only through Sunday, so if you love theater, you don’t want to miss this production. Here’s an excerpt from Fleming’s review: ST. PETERSBURG —[…]

Here’s an excerpt from the Sarastoa Herald-Tribune’s review of August: Osage County. The American Stage  production is playing through Sunday at the Palladium. The reviewer is Jay Handleman. For the full review visit: http://artssarasota.com/2011-10-23/featured/review-august-osage-county-stirs-dramatic-excitement-at-american-stage/  ST. PETERSBURG — You don’t need to see Tracy Letts’ “August: Osage County” because it’s the[…]

Everybody here at the Palladium is still recovering from a very historic Sunday of jazz. Our tribute to WUSF Jazz Director Bob Seymour and his 30 years on the air was historic enough, with dozens of world-class players on our Hough Hall and Side Door stages. Then, of course, there was all[…]

Adam Hall is part of the cast of St. Petersburg Opera’s upcoming production of Die Fledermaus. He’s also a blogger who writes at http://tenordad.blogspot.com/2011/09/die-fledermaus.html Here is his take on the show: Die Fledermaus   Die Fledermaus (literally, Batman) is an operetta by Johann “The Other” Strauss, which exactly follows the plot[…]

One of our favorite traveling jazzmen, Chuck Redd, is returning to the Palladium this Thursday. He’s playing vibes with the Nate Najar Trio, as they kick off our 2011-2012 Side Door season. Over the past few years, the Side Door has become THE listening room for jazz, blues, folk, and lots[…]

Our good friends at Hotel Indigo are helping the Palladium kick-off our 2011-2012 season with a great party at the beautifully renovated property on 3rd Avenue North. I’ll be there with details of our upcoming season. Palladium favorites Nate Najar and John Lamb will provide the music. (Nate and John are headlining our[…]

If you were in the audience for the Jeff Norton Theater Awards last month at the Palladium, you know theater is thriving on both side of Tampa Bay.  You can now add “A Simple Theater” to the mix. I caught the company’s debut show, Death and the Maiden, Friday night at[…]

Our new season at the Palladium – which begins in September – has all of us excited. It turns out John Fleming and the St. Petersburg  Times are also excited about what’s coming up in 2011-2012.  Sunday’s Latitudes section (8-28-11) featured a major story on the season – Fleming, the Times[…]

Playwright Bill Leavengood was worried that local critics might think his new comedy, Lourdes of the Flies, was too juvenile and silly. Leavengood made his rep in this area with more weighty work  including the hit musicial “Webb’s City.” And, sure enough, Mark Leib, writing in Creative Loafing, said just[…]

St. Petersburg Times fine arts writer John Fleming published a story on the Jeff Norton Theater Awards, which debuted Monday night at the Palladium. To read the story follow this link: http://www.tampabay.com/features/performingarts/too-few-theaters-too-many-awards-at-first-annual-jeff-norton-theater-awards/1187603

Going through a box of keepsakes a few weeks ago, I found a picture from the mid-1990s: The actor Jeff Norton and the sometime actor, Paul Wilborn, posing in costumes that are a little bit Shakespeare and a lot more like 1950s sci-fi spacemen. We were doing “Return To the[…]

In a jazz community with some great piano players, Kym Purling is one of the very best. He’s a regular in our Side Door Cabaret and on our main stage in Hough Hall. He most recently headlined our jazz benefit for Nepal. Now Kym will be spending more time on[…]

 For those of you coming on board the SS Palladium during our upcoming production of Bill Leavengood’s hilarious new play, Lourdes of the Flies, you’ll want to check out the following video of boating safety tips from the class chaperone, Mrs. Clincher. Her tips are posted on You Tube. You can click this[…]

After three albums of southern-fried, take-no-prisoners songs, Grant Peeples says his new songs are headed in a different direction. His as yet unreleased album will be called Prior Convictions and the straight-talking Mr. Peeples is throwing around the words like “introspective.” “There will be no ‘LeftNeck’ songs on there,” Grant told[…]

People talk about the arts reaching a critical mass in St. Petersburg. I think it’s passed that stage. The selection of arts and performances – along with new restaurants and clubs – has evolved from mass to massive. Keeping up can be downright staggering for a middle-aged arts patron and[…]

My buddy, Rob Rowen, a gallery owner and music lover, has developed a non-profit that provides meals for school children in Nepal. Rob came to me with a proposal to do a benefit featuring some local jazz greats. We jumped at the idea. The show is Wednesday, July 13, 7:30 p.m. in our[…]

With the return of the great ’60s band – Coo Coo Ca Choo – this Saturday, I thought it would be appropriate to bring back my blog post from their last show at the Palladium’s Side Door. So here you go: If you grew up in Tampa in the 1960s, as[…]

I remember Jim West as one of Tampa’s best guitarists back in the guitar heavy days of the late 1960s and ’70s.  Jim and I were also in a contest to see who was the skinniest, geekiest kid at King High School. I won. Jim evenutally headed off to Los Angeles and found[…]

Normally I like to write about upcoming shows in this blog – since I can’t sell a ticket to something that’s already happened. However, this past weekend deserves some virtual ink. We kicked off the Palladium’s Side Door Summer series with Sarasota Slim on Friday night and Kat Hefner’s band on Saturday[…]

We’ve been doing blues shows at the Palladium’s Side Door for almost three years now and somehow we’ve not presented the big daddy of Tampa Bay blues guitarists. But we’re making up for that this Friday when Sarasota Slim brings his full band and his new CD  – Get Up,[…]

The weeks leading up to a St. Petersburg Opera opening night are always a wild time in our old theater. Stage hands build sets on the Hough Hall stage, singers warm up around the grand piano and the Stavros Room – normally home to our Side Door shows – turns into a sprawling costume[…]

Proving that last year’s ranking was no fluke, St. Petersburg again tops the AmericanStyle Magazine’s listing of the top 25 arts destinations. The magazine focuses on mid-sized cities. Tampa and Miami also made the list. But St. Pete, riding high on the opening of the new Dali Museum and the[…]

I joined the sold-out crowd last Saturday night to see Bonnie Raitt and Buddy Guy at Taste of Pinellas. The official title was “Bill Edwards Presents A Taste of Pinellas” and it was clear that Edwards was making a statement with the weekend event. His company, Big 3 Entertainment Group, won the contract[…]

Tampa Bay Magazine published its annual “Best of Tampa Bay” edition and again, the Palladium earned top honors. Here’s what they said: “Best Community Performing Arts Center – The Palladium at St. Petersburg College.”  “This architecturally beautiful, 850-seat  community theater is committed to representing cultural diversity and emerging artists, as[…]

We’re still in the final leg of our 2010-11 season, the biggest and most successful in Palladium history but we’ve also been focused on the future. For those who can’t wait for a preview of the Palladium’s upcoming season – here’s an advance peek at just some of the highlights: AUGUST[…]

Upright Citizen’s Brigade, the troupe that spawned some of the biggest stars in comedy today, including Amy Poehler and Rob Riggle, are bringing their brand of insantity to the Palladium Tuesday night, April 19. Since we’re always trying to support our local talent, we’ve added the Tampa-based improv group –[…]

Bring your shillelagh, your dearests and your favorite leprechauns, and get ready to dance a jig to the Irish music of Cork’s Jimmy Crowley,  and Dublin’s Brendan Nolan, otherwise known as Two Irish Troubadours! These two seasoned musicians will perform traditional Celtic music as well as their beloved original tunes on Friday, March 25 in our[…]

Signaling the start of the month of the ‘wearin’ of the green at the Palladium, last Friday night, March 12, proud Canadians and appreciative Americans all, joined in the merriment wrought by outstanding Cape Breton fiddler Andrea Beaton. Winner of the 2010 East Coast Music Association award for Instrumental Recording[…]

St. Pete’s own living legend of acoustic blues, Mr. Roy Book Binder, spent 30  minutes visiting with Larry Lisk on WMNF’s Mo’ Blues Monday show this week. You can listen to an archived recording of that show – Roy’s in the opening hour – by going to WMNF Radio on the[…]

Roy Book Binder, known around the world for his acoustic blues playing, songwriting and storytelling, calls St. Petersburg home. But after touring eight to nine months each year, the Travelin’ Man doesn’t work in the area during his winter break. But last year we changed that when Roy played to a packed[…]

 How and why did you and the group come to choose the Weavers as an inspiration? Growing up in California, I discovered and admired Pete Seeger and the Weavers from afar from their records. When I moved to New York some years ago, I realized I was in the heart[…]

The February return of the Palladium’s Encore Chamber Series, now in its 11th season, always reminds me that the year is passing fast. Our season, which started last September, is now more than halfway through. We’ve been too busy to celebrate but this season has been the Palladium’s biggest and[…]

Jim White writes the BlueNotes’ blog for the Pittsburg Post-Gazette and divides his time between Pittsburg and our The Burg. Here, repeated with his permission, is his report on our Boogie Woogie Blues Piano Stomp. For more check out: http://communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/arts-entertainment-living/blue-notes/27268-boogie-n-blues-piano-feast First published Monday, Jan. 30: At the risk of repeating[…]

The following are excerpts from a short speech I gave to the SPC Values and Visions luncheon on Thursday, Jan. 27, in the Stavros Great Room at the Palladium: Welcome to the Palladium at St. Petersburg College. You’re in our Side Door Cabaret where the best jazz and blues musicians[…]

I love lots of our Palladium shows but as a piano player myself, the Boogie Woogie Blues Piano Stomp has to be my favorite night of the year. We first presented the show last January and it returns on Saturday, Jan. 29, with four more rockin’ pianists. This year’s model[…]

Times arts writer John Fleming did a wonderful preview of Buglisi Dance Theatre’s upcoming performance in Sunday’s arts section. The New York City company, which features St. Petersburg’s own Helen Hansen French, appears Thursday night at 7 p.m. If you missed it here’s the link: http://www.tampabay.com/features/performingarts/buglisi-dance-theatre-previews-new-work-at-palladium–in-st-petersburg/1146161 Fleming also wrote a[…]

The young company Buglisi Dance Theatre renews the Graham technique in all its full-bodied glory…Everything is here: those potent torsos, contracting, releasing, spiraling; legs, arms and heads alert to every surge of emotion. They have inherited her theatrical mastery of lighting, costumes and stage space, her way of making us feel that each dance is an encounter with destiny.
Margo Jefferson, The New York Times

A couple of years ago Doug Wilson brought his Elvis tribute show to the Palladium. The world of Elvis tribute artists is a mixed one at best. I had seen some bad versions and some great ones – particularly El Vez, the Mexican Elvis. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Doug.[…]

I spent 25 years as a journalist and as every year draws to a close, journalists are required to come up with  lots of “best (or worst) of the year” lists. Now that I’m at the Palladium, looking back on a year of great shows, and talented artists, seems like[…]

If it’s getting close to Christmas, it means that Nate Najar is coming back to the Palladium.  The St. Pete jazz guitarist, who is building a big national reputation, has been doing holiday shows here since 2005. This year Nate and his trio, along with some special guests, take the[…]