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 Tampa named Selwyn Birchwood.   We loved him from the start – even when his first show sold […]

When I decided to launch the Palladium Cabaret Series I knew I wanted a big name to kick it off in style. In the cabaret world, it doesn’t get much bigger than Ann Hampton Callaway.   A leading champion of the great American Songbook, she’s made her mark as a singer, pianist, composer, lyricist, arranger, […]

This year’s edition of Nate Najar’s Jazz Holiday features a line-up of local and international jazz stars and promises to be one of the best shows of the year at the Palladium. The show is Thursday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 p.m.   Nate starts with some of our favorite local players,  John Lamb, on bass, […]

I’m grateful to be included along with other St. Pete arts folks who shared wishes and hopes for our town in 2020 in the St. Pete Catalyst.   You can connect with Catalyst and read my article and others by following this link.   Thanks to Joe Hamilton and Bill DeYoung of St. Pete Catalyst […]

WE’VE GONE CRAZY! That’s right, for one day only, YOU CAN SAVE BIG! We’re selling out to the walls! Everything must go!!  The boss is away so we’re having a sale!!! We’re overstocked so you can save big!!!   Pick any sales cliche you like but don’t miss out on great deals on some of […]

For the last few years our pal Damon Fowler has been kicking off our Thanksgiving weekend with an all-star blues show on Wednesday.   It’s on Wednesday because Wednesday is actually a Friday since Thursday is a holiday. Right?   Anyway, it’s a great night to celebrate the start of the holiday season with a […]

Pianist Matthew Graybil appears in concert tonight (11-25 at 7:30 p.m.) at the Palladium. This is his return concert as part of The Chopin Project.   In a review published this week by the Bradenton Herald, the reviewer praised Graybil as a “fine pianist” with  ‘flashy finger work and operatic material’ who plays with “angelic […]

I’m so excited to again partner with The Chopin Project for a series of piano concerts by some of the finest artists in the world.   The 2019-20 series kicks off next Monday, Nov. 25, with the return of a young artist who is already a favorite with Palladium audiences.  Matthew Graybil will be performing […]

In case you haven’t heard, two rock icons are visiting the Palladium’s intimate Side Door Cabaret Wednesday night for an evening of acoustic songs and stories.   Peter Asher, who rocketed to fame in the ’60s as half of Peter & Gordon, went on to be a Grammy-winning producer of albums by dozens of artists […]

After a sold-out visit last December, Jason Marsalis is returning to the Palladium Side Door on Thursday, Nov. 21st at 7:30 p.m.   The drummer and vibes master will have his Vibes Quartet with him for this show and you can expect this outfit to be absolutely swinging.   Veteran music journalist Eric Snider interviewed […]

Our buddy Bill DeYoung, the music writer and author of books like Skyway and I Need To Know: The Lost Music Interviews, has penned a story about the long-strange history of the Mad Beach Band.   These stars of the 1980s Beach and Buffett scene, are returning to the Side Door this Saturday night at […]

Mike Cornette, the big daddy of WUSF’s All Night Jazz at 89.7, is airing his interview with Jason Marsalis tonight (Thursday, 11-14) between 9 and 10.   Tune in to hear Jason talk about the vibe quartet he’s bringing to the Palladium Side Door next Thursday (11-21) and more. Jason will also be appearing next […]

Consider yourself warned. if you are a fan of the Mad Beach Band, be sure and get your tickets for the band’s Saturday night reunion concert in the Side Door.   Mad Beach sells out the Side Door every time they visit and this show will be no exception. Less than 40 tickets remain for […]

After a sold-out visit last December, Jason Marsalis is returning to the Palladium Side Door on Thursday, Nov. 21st at 7:30 p.m.   The drummer and vibe master will have his Vibe Quartet with him for this show and you can expect this outfit to be absolutely swinging.   Veteran music journalist Eric Snider interviewed […]

This summer my family and I visited the Franklin Roosevelt house in Hyde Park, N.Y. and one of the highlights was seeing video of Marian Anderson’s performance on the national mall. Eleanor Roosevelt was instrumental in organizing that concert after Anderson, a black soprano, was denied permission to perform in a Washington D.C. theater.   […]

  We are partnering with the Warehouse Arts District for a celebration of the work of Toni Morrison next Tuesday evening at 7.   The free event is on  Nov. 12 in Hough Hall and will feature readings from Morrison’s work and a documentary about the groundbreaking author who died in August.   For more […]

I was thrilled that Tampa City Ballet chose the Palladium for its first foray across the bridge to St. Pete earlier this year.  That show focused on historic Ybor City in the days when the cigar industry flourished.   This Friday at 8 p.m., Paula Nunez is bringing her young company back to the Palladium […]

The Funniest Man Alive is coming back to the Side Door this Saturday night (11-02) at 8 p.m. and this time, I’ll be in the audience to laugh along with everyone else.   The last time G. David Howard played the Side Door I was on vacation and missed the show. Not this time. And […]

The highlight of our Side Door Summer series was the debut performance by Gloria West and the Gents in July. Gloria leads a swinging, old-school jazz ensemble that makes people get out of their seat and dance.   I’m excited to bring them back this Friday night at 8 p.m. in the Palladium Side Door. […]

You always knew when Dale Mackenzie Gross was in the building.   He’d usually start in the Palladium box office to find out why we hadn’t sold all the tickets two weeks in advance for the trio of Scottish singers or Newfoundland step dancers or bluegrass pickers he was bringing to town. The lack of […]

While a lot of stand-up comedy today seems aimed at twenty-somethings, I know lots of people 40 and older who like to laugh – especially at themselves.   We’ve got two stand-up comedy shows coming up aimed squarely at the demographic that didn’t leave the crib with a smart phone clutched in their tiny little […]

This week’s issue of Creative Pinellas’ Arts Coast Journal, the online arts magazine,  has a story from veteran music writer Eric Snider about Little Jake Mitchell and Charles Steadham. They are appearing together this Saturday in the Side Door with Little Jake and the Soul Searchers.   The Soul Searchers – a classic soul review […]

You can now ignore  my earlier blog about how few tickets we had left for Thursday’s Miles Davis tribute by James Suggs. THE SHOW IS SOLD OUT!!   I’m hoping you didn’t ignore my blog earlier and you got your tickets to this show. If so, I’ll see you there!   SO IGNORE ALL OF […]

Little Jake Mitchell is returning to the Side Door after two sold-out shows that had our audiences singing, swaying and clapping along. He’s bringing back the Soul Searchers, a big band that now includes guitar, bass, two drummers, grand piano, Hammond B3, a full horn section and some surprise guests. We’re adding a section to […]

St. Petersburg Opera, which has its performance home at the Palladium, kicks off its 2019-20 season with one of the most popular operettas in history – The Merry Widow.   Kurt Loft, the music writer who provides notes for our Palladium Chamber Series and the Florida Orchestra, has done a preview of the production for […]