Always happy when the local paper takes a look at our shows. This week, TBTimes arts writer Andrew Meacham previewed not one but two of our weekend Side Door shows.
Meacham interviewed Ward Smith, the actor and comic who is organizing our Friday night comedy show (which also features a band). Then, he previewed our one-of-a-kind Sunday show featuring the music of Bjork and Kate Bush. That show is built around the 15-piece Bjorkestra, led by pianist and arranger Jeremy Douglass. The show features several singers including Palladium favorite Whitney James.
To read the entire article, follow this link. Here are the bits about our shows:
Comedy Roots: Ward Smith and Friends
When it comes to comedy, Pinellas County has Coconuts Comedy Club in St. Pete Beach and Snappers Grill in Palm Harbor — but not much in St. Petersburg. Ward Smith, right, is trying to change that. The actor and comedian organizes occasional summer shows at the Palladium, and the one he has lined up looks like a nice mix of talent.
Of his own comedy, Smith said, “It’s a trip, not so much down Memory Lane as Amnesia Boulevard.”
The son of late longtime WTVT-Ch. 13 news anchor Hugh Smith, he has performed with some of the greats, including Jay Leno, Jackie Mason, Jerry Seinfeld and Rodney Dangerfield. He’s got stories for all of them.
“Dan Whitney, now known as Larry the Cable Guy, used to open for us,” Smith said. “Now he makes $2.5 million a performance and I work in a church basement.” (The Palladium is a former Christian Science church.)
Also performing are comics Lou Angelwolf, whom Smith called a “spiritual leader of the Tampa Bay comedy community”; and Amanda Jordan, above, who brings a “vivid edge” to her work. Longtime musician Jerry Outlaw, former leader of the Frank Zappa tribute band Bogus Pomp, will entertain with the HubbTones.
The show starts at 8 p.m. Friday at the Palladium Theater’s Side Door, 253 Fifth Ave. N, St. Petersburg. $15 advance, $18 day of show. (727) 822-3590. Or follow this link to the box office.
Full of Love: Bjorkestra
The name alone sells it: the Florida Bjorkestra.
Since its inception, the 15-piece ensemble that pays homage to the popular singer has delivered an eclectic mix of quirky harmonies and chamber-pop renditions of Bjork favorites including Human Behaviour, Hyperballad and Army of Me. Bjorkestra unleashes strings, horns, guitar, percussion and piano to drive its unconventional sound home behind vocalist Jamie Perlow.
The fare ventures outside the Icelandic singer. Whitney James will also sing selections from the work of Kate Bush, whose diverse influences and singular style have been compared to that of Bjork.
The show starts at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Palladium. $15 advance, $18 day of show. (727) 822-3590. Or follow this link to the box office.
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