MAY JUNE 2017

Grand Central Growing In Entertainment Opportunities
By Randall Owen
I remember the first time I played some songs at a backyard
party. I had been practicing my list and had enough songs to last
the evening. All in all, I was received pretty well and kind of got
that “star” effect for a couple brief moments. Sometimes a
singer would join in or another instrumentalist and we'd get
into a groove that was very entertaining and fun. I would
venture to say most performing artists at any level have
experienced moments of joy, of comfort, and sharing which
gives us a buzz, a natural one too. After it happens a few times
it can become a driving force for some, but for most of us it
becomes an infrequent joy as we find other things which give
us a rush and take up our precious time.
Frequently, I look for guitars online at Goodwill Industries or
E-bay and I see a lot of 1970's era guitars for sale. Makes me
wonder what ever happened to all the players and poets who
used hang out at the spots around St. Pete where we could get
a little louder, and wilder; places like Gandy Beach and Shell
Island. But life has moved rapidly on for this picker and because
I have found so much good music online lately, music I like, I'd
have to say the itch to play my old Yamaha FG-180 started to
bring me back. Whether it an instrument you play, or the words
you say, the way you dance, or tell a joke, it seems that old
feeling of joy returns every so often to most us. Maybe it's
passion.
We are fortunate here in the Downtown area of St.
Petersburg. The Grand Central District runs through the heart
of St. Petersburg and is a burgeoning art and music scene
which offers a wide variety of live entertainment venues for
performing artist. The District located just west of downtown
from 16 to 31 st Streets and between First Avenues North and
South. According to the website StPete.org, “This District
houses a unique blend of galleries, antique stores, specialty
retail, as well as Florida’s largest new and used bookstore,
Haslam’s . Host to many special events and festivals
throughout the year, including one of the largest LGBTQ
parades in the nation each June, the Grand Central District is
surrounded by historic neighborhoods for those wishing to
live, work and play in St. Petersburg.” Not only has a retail
district emerged down Central Avenue but many of the
services required to maintain more patrons, like restaurants,
bars, and coffee and tea houses. It is now bringing performing
artists into many of the new venues to help the customer
experience.
There are four great venues in the Grand Central District for
emerging performing artists to find those moments again, or
to hone your skills for becoming your own act or show at one
of the music venues. Punky's Bar and Grille on 31st Street and
Central Avenue has a well-run Open Mic on Mondays, “Magic
Mondays” hosted by local artist DeLaren Withers and has
guest shows on weekends. All varieties of art, from poetry to
rap to solo instrumentalists are welcome at Magic Monday.
The Hideaway Cafe, known for its vision of asking for original
material to be performed and its status as a “listening room”
make it a quality place to perform and view local creative acts.
The Hideaway is located on Central Ave. at 17 Street No. and
has an Open Mic Night each Thursday evening. At 24 Street
and Central Avenue, The Queenshead Eurobar has
performances on selected weekends and a continuing Open
Mic on Thursday hosted by Steve Isaac. This venue is more
inclined to acoustic guitars and vocalists with both covers and
originals material. The Cage Brewing Company on 21 St. and
First Avenue So. also offers a mixture of Open Mic Nights and
guest acts. The Wednesday night Open Mic show is hosted by
Barry Ertel and offers full band equipment, drums, bass,
guitars. etc. Afterwards a jam session usually gets going too.
Finally, a new building and location has combined to offer up
and exciting venue for solo acts, duos or bands. The Sawgrass
Teahouse and Performance Venue offers a full staged PA with
monitors, a drum set, and other options. The old warehouse is
a good size area for patrons, and the building has its own
natural acoustics which offers a great sound. Previously on
Central Ave. the Sawgrass Teahouse and Performance Venue
has relocated to 2460 Emerson Avenue So.
Both the Sawgrass Teahouse and The Cage Brewing Company
have jam periods and encourage performers to work with and
interchange with each other and learn new sounds or find the
one they are looking for. Great places to start your Open Mic
life.
So, if you’re looking to get out and finally perform the act
you've had in your head all these years or hone one you've
been working on then check out the venues which are growing
up within the Grand Central District of Downtown St.
Petersburg. And if you want good local talent to enjoy in the
future then help us by getting out to any of the shows and
supporting the establishments which are growing in The Grand
Central District.
56 BUZZ Magazine May-June 2017