By Nanette Wiser
COASTAL CREATIVE Yuk it up 1/12 with Shannon Ford’s “Probably A Podcast” live. She isn’t here to inspire you or help you better yourself in any way… but she can guarantee you’ll laugh … either with her or at her. She covers everything from her year-long stint as a reality TV “villain” to pop culture to what happens when you have everything in your life going great and then the bottom drops out and you gotta figure it the f*ck out. Buckle up and come along for the ride! On 2/10, come see NYC’s Shafi Hossain’s hilarious stand-up performance. He is currently the host of the podcast “Culture Clash Comedy Podcast” – a podcast about the history of things through the West and East perspectives. www.coastalcreativetv.com
MUSICAL MAGIC A Tribute to Sarah Brightman makes its debut at The Palladium 2/21 and is the perfect Valentine Day’s gift! Presented by classical crossover soprano and producer Elona Krasavtseva, the showcase highlights Broadway songs, classics, pop and rock songs from world-renowned English soprano and actress Sarah Brightman.
Experience Brightman’s repertoire through a new lens of musical magic brought to life by Krasavtseva. She offers a rare combination of breathtaking vocal performances, a children’s choir, and musicians directed by Global Music Awards winner Alex Nakhimovsky. Experience Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, Memories, Dust in the Wind, Whiter Shade of Pale, Scarborough Fair, Stranger in Paradise, Phantom of the Opera, Time to Say Goodbye, Schubert’s ‘Ave Maria,’ and Webber’s Pie Jesu. This last piece will be performed with the Lumina Youth Choir of Tampa led by artistic director Deah McReynolds. https://bit.ly/3NiEox8
THE LISTENING ROOM FESTIVAL If you love music, you will adore the 13th Annual Listening Room Festival. The main showcase is at the Palladium Theater. The music is acoustic-driven genres varying from folk, to blues, country and soul. Multiple house concerts with professional touring artists are scheduled during the festival.
Listening Room Festival is one of the most unique festivals in the world. Each spring, four contest-winning artists are invited to play a tour of “house concerts” around the Tampa Bay area. For five nights, music fans from Ocala to Ft. Myers offer up their living rooms or backyards for live concerts performed by acoustic singer-songwriters. Attendees include friends, neighbors, as well as fan-members of Listening Room Network. The biggest event is the March 1 Showcase at the Palladium Theater in downtown St. Petersburg, where you can see all the featured acts in one night on the big stage. www.ListeningRoomFestival.com
BLUES ME AWAY Also at The Palladium 1/14, catch Roy Book Binder & Rev. Billy C. Wirtz each perform a set in the Side Door for a special Palladium Double Bill evening of blues and stories. Who can say they were friends with the Rev. Gary Davis, Pink Anderson, and Robert Lockwood? And toured with Arthur Big Boy Crudup, Hot Tuna, JJ Cale & Bonnie Raitt? Roy can. He has the stories, the licks, and the mystery of timeless music in his fingers. He’s been featured on a PBS special and interviewed by Terry Gross on “Fresh Air.” Billy C. Wirtz is a radio host, gifted pianist and American musicologist who defies easy classification. The brand is Music, Humor and History, and he promises to deliver generous helpings of all the above at the Stomp. He has been featured as a special guest on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise for the last 20 years and hosts the popular “Rhythm Revival” on WMNF Fridays from 3-6pm. Catch Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti 1/18 crooning the best of Dean, Frank, Tony and others. www.mypalladium.org/event-listing