Palladium’s Side Door Summer series kicked off with some sizzling and sultry music over the weekend

Normally I like to write about upcoming shows in this blog – since I can’t sell a ticket to something that’s already happened.

However, this past weekend deserves some virtual ink. We kicked off the Palladium’s Side Door Summer series with Sarasota Slim on Friday night and Kat Hefner’s band on Saturday and both nights were off-the-charts good. I knew both acts were top notch – that’s why I hired ’em – but they surpassed my expectations. You know a show is hot when the audience doesn’t wait until the end for the standing ovations – they just jump up in the middle of songs.

Gene Hardage, aka Sarasota Slim, showed why he’s still one of the bay areas best guitar slingers and bandleaders. His rhythm section – drummer Steve Holcumb, Sugar Bear on bass – locked in some powerful grooves, allowing Slim and Josh Melms, to trade guitar licks and it was all lifted into the air by the Hammond B3 and piano work of Dave Friebolin – who has toured the world with some of Chicago’s best bluesmen.

Slim pulled out some dancable tunes from his new CD – “Get Up, Get Down” – and paid homage to his influences – particularly Johnny Winter and Jimi Hendrix. When he pulled out his version of Jimi’s “Star Spangled Banner” mid-way through the second set – everybody in the packed house was on their feet.

Saturday night was billed as jazz, but Kat Hefner and her brother, Stan, who brought in a B3 and knew how to use it, defied genres. Kat is a jazz singer, an R&B diva and beautiful woman who knows how to work the stage. She brought down the house with an Aretha-worthy work up of Buffy Saint Marie’s folk tune – “Until It’s Time For Me To Go.”

Butch Thomas, who has shared the stage with Sting and other musical greats, was a great addition on sax. Palladium favorites – Ron Gregg on drums and Vincent Sims on guitar – rounded it out in fine fashion. Kat’s show attracted some top local musicans who dropped in to listen – including John Lamb, Sasha Tuck and Stan Hunter.

The show ended with Stan Heffner riffing on Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”

Did I mention that you should have been here?

Our Side Door Summer series continues this week with Jim West, bringing his Hawaiian slack key guitar sounds on Thursday, and the St. Pete Blues Allstars on Friday night.