Tampa Bay's Palladium Theatre Opens Season with NAT's PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES, 10/1

The Palladium Theatre opens their season with The New American Theatre's presentation of PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES, running October 1-3 and 7-10. Tickets range from $30.50-$41.50. For more information or to purchase tickets, call the New American Theater Box Office at 727-575-9241 or visit www.newamericantheater.org. You can also follow the The New American Theatre on facebook or twitter, or visit their blog at http://newamericantheater.blogspot.com.

PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES tells the story of the pump boys sell high octane fuel on North Carolina's Highway 57 and the sassy dinettes, Prudie and Rhetta Cupp, who run the Double Cupp diner next door. Between changing tires and baking pies, the gang performs a rousing, down-home mix of country western, rock ‘n' roll, and blues in this charming tale of friendship, romance and life's simple pleasures.

Next in the Palladium's lineup, Local blues great Sandy Atkinson and her band,The True Loves will celebrate the release of their new CD which was recorded live last summer at the Palladium. The band includes Dean Germain, Cannon Quinn, Ben Jammin, Phil Christman, and special guests. The concert is Friday, 10/15 at 8 pm and is presented as a part of the Palladium's Side Door Cabaret Series. Tickets are $10 advance or $12 at the door. To listen to a sample of the CD, visit http://www.sandyatkinson.net/disc.htm.

On Sunday, 10/17 at 8 p.m., the Palladium presents Bombay Bellywood. The Bellydance Superstars have taken an ancient art form and interpreted bellydance much as Cirque de Soleil has added to the interpretation of the circus. Blending traditional and tribal bellydance with Indian dance styles rich in costuming and infectious music, this extravaganza is Cairo meets Bombay in San Francisco and New York with a touch of Buenos Aries and Chicago. Ticekts are $32-$40 in advance and $38- $45 at the door. For more information, visit www.bellydancesuperstars.com.

The Palladium's Side Door Jazz program presents an Evening of Latin Jazz featuring O Som Do Jazz, and Guisando Caliente on Thursday, 10/21 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.

O Som Do Jazz (the sound of jazz in Portuguese) recaptures the spirit of 1960s Brazilian Bossa Nova, samba-jazz and baião. The band features Rio de Janeiro singer Andrea Moraes Manson and band members from Cuba, Columbia and the U.S. playing the great Brazilian songbook of Tom Jobim, Edu Lobo, Marcos Valle, Baden Powell and others. O Som Do Jazz includes keyboardist David Cubillo, drummer Mark Feinman, bassist Alejandro Arenas, guitarist Alfredo Rivero, trombonist David Manson and saxophonist/flutist Austin Vickrey. Guisando Caliente leans toward Cuban jazz, and features the piano of Kenny Drew, Jr. with Frankie Piniero on percussion.

The Palladium's Side Door Jazz Also presents Coo Coo Ca Choo on Saturday, 10/23 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. For more information on the group, visit www.coocoocachooband.com. The band plays originals, Beatles, Animals, Beach Boys, Jimmy Reed, Walker Brothers, Fortunes, Hendrix, Cream, Sly and the Family Stone, The Young Rascals, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Steve Miller and more.

The Side Door also presents Valerie Gillespie with Special Guest Jose Valentino Ruiz on Sunday, 10/24 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20. For more information on the artists, visit www.valeriegillespie.com.

Gillespie's group performs a mix of instrumental and vocal jazz. Valentino is a 21-year-old flutist with proven jazz and classical skills, and significant background in solo performance. Valerie's newest CD is titled A Little Rough Around The Edges, and is comprised of some of the tunes most requested of the band, like "Over the Rainbow," "Mack the Knife," "It's Not Easy Bein' Green," "September Song," and "Straight, No Chaser."

Finally, the Side Door presents the Rowan Cunningham Band on Friday, 10/29 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. For more information on the band, visit http://www.rowancunninghamband.com

The Rowan Brothers, Chris and Lorin, along with champion fiddle-player Sue Cunningham, play Bluegrass-flavored Folk and Americana with a sound all their own. Guitar, mandolin, and fiddle combine with tight vocals to create rich and vibrant music that will make your toes tap. The Rowan Cunningham Band's passionate songwriting, dazzling instrumental work, and captivating harmonies promise a night of unforgettable music.