Palladium Theatre Celebrates Life of Jack Kerouac, Feat. John McEuen & David Amram Tonight

What happens when a celebrated symphonic/jazz/world music artist/ex-beatnik and an acclaimed americana/bluegrass/traditional country artist/ex-hippie bring their fabled talents and a bunch of instruments to the stage? Well, if it is John McEuen and David Amram, a lot! This rare Tampa Bay performance in the Palladium's intimate, award-winning Side Door, takes place tonight, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m.

There's nary an instrument that one or both haven't mastered. Amram's piano, French horn, percussion, and flutes, along with McEuen's guitar, mandolin, banjo, and fiddle have been chosen for this performance. The music played and stories told by these two troubadours maps a path from the 1800's to now, with side trips to famous career points along the journey.

Amram has been performing since the '50's, and has played with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Willie Nelson, Leonard Bernstein to Pete Seeger and Johnny Depp. He composed the film scores forManchurian Candidate, Splendor in the Grass and Pull My Daisy -- the latter with whom his collaborator was his old friend Jack Kerouac -- and whose title song received lyrics by Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg. Amram, who shared a great friendship with the Kerouac during the last 30 years of the writer's life before he died in St. Petersburg in 1969, will perform this classic song to honor his dear friend's memory.

In addition to the McEuen/Amram performance at the Palladium on Oct. 18, a number of musical and literary events are scheduled throughout St. Petersburg during the week of Oct. 15-19 to celebrate the life and times of the author, whose books continue to inspire generations and spawn film and musical tributes around the world. For more information about St. Pete Celebrates Kerouac, visit www.kerouachouse.com or the Kerouac House Facebook Page.