How does he do it?
Paul Wilborn is one amazing guy. He manages to book a whole summer of incredible performers and bands in the intimate Side Door Cabaret. Creative Loafing is so impressed they give the Side Door a “Best of the Bay” Award. And now he proves that he can also predict the change of seasons.
Chris Thomas King
That’s right. the Side Door Summer schedule was set back in June just as the humidity really started to rise. The season kicked off with two great rock bands – Coo Coo Ca Choo and The Marty Balin Band. Through the long, hot summer there were blues bands like Selwyn Birchwood, Sarasota Slim and Lauren Mitchell Band (don’t miss her next time she’s in da house – the girl can sing!), and jazz acts like La Lucha, Stan Hunter and Denise Moore and Then Some. We threw an aAll-Blues Weekend and packed the club three times for the St.Pete Blues Allstars, Backtrack Blues Band and Chris Thomas King (King’s show was a highlight for many).
Lauren Mitchell
Of course, Damon Fowler steamed up the place in August, as did another Palladium regular – Nate Najar.
Side Door Summer ended with a big weekend on Sept. 21, 22 and 23. Friday night featured Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones, who celebrated the release of a new CD of blues, swing and rockabilly; Whitney James, the incredible jazz songstress, sold out her Saturday night show. She offered songs from Rodgers and Hart, Sting and Neil Young and made them all sound like she owned the tunes. Keyboard master Shawn Brown was in the house on Sunday as we celebrated the upcoming release of a new music documentary – Killer B3s.
Then on Monday, as if drawn by an occult hand (oops, maybe too mild a metaphor); No, as if Mother Nature was keeping track of time by consulting the Palladium music schedule – the weather changed.
Side Door Summer ends on a Sunday and fall arrives on Monday.
Paul Wilborn. Is he a master prognosticator? Or was it just dumb luck?
I think the evidence speaks for itself.
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