Blog
Top 100 Things to DO DOwntown in 2015
By dwp at January 1, 2015 | 11:34 am | 0 Comment
While watching all of the "year in review" segments on TV and doing the annual maintenance on this great website, I noticed how many things were going on DOwntown and - more importantly - how many things that were going on DOWntown everyday that I missed this past year... They're not things "missed" because they were gone like B.B. Kings or Brewzzi's, but that I
Clematis Street, Top 10 Streets in America
By dwp at October 5, 2014 | 12:58 pm | 0 Comment
Clematis Street, DO West Palm's favorite street has won a spot in the 2014 Top 10 Strets of America! That's right, OF AMERICA! Wow! Clematis Street shares the list with the likes of Pennslvania Avenue and Broadway. How crazy is that? We're very lucky here in DOwntown to have so many choices for dining and enetertainment within 5 short blocks. We've always
There’s a SunFest size Music Fest Every Weekend in DOwntown West Palm
By dwp at May 22, 2014 | 2:01 pm | 0 Comment
It’s no secret we here at Do West Palm are huge supporters of live music, and we try to spread the word every chance we get about Downtown West Palm being “The Best Live Music Line Up in the World.” It’s what we’ve been constantly promoting and the topic of a previous blog which highlights the number of DOwntown acts, the number of venues, and their proximity.
The Heart of Rock and Roll is in … Country? Chase Stites certainly rocks…
By dwp at June 21, 2013 | 6:45 pm | 0 Comment
I've been in many "discussions" with my musical compatriots (and some family members) regarding the "demise" of Rock and Roll. "There aren't any good rock bands any more," they bemoan. I've been to a few rock concerts over many years, and a few country concerts in recent years, and I've come to appreciate the music I hear at these "country" concerts... I've heard
Our Interview with the Smithereens’ Pat DiNizio — 30+ years rockin’ and they’re coming to West Palm
By dwp at April 17, 2013 | 2:48 pm | 0 Comment
We’re looking forward to the Smithereens concert this weekend (4/21/13) at the Sunday on the Waterfront series here in West Palm! We had to opportunity to interview Pat DiNizio from the Smithereens this week! Here’s some of our conversation with Pat: DWP: It’s great to have you here in West Palm (thank you City of West Palm.) Is this the Smithereens' first
The Best Live Music Line Up in the World
By dwp at March 11, 2013 | 6:02 pm | 0 Comment
The City of West Palm Beach: The Best Live Music Line Up in the World When it comes to cities with live music scenes, the City of West Palm Beach is one of those special places where everything lines up perfectly. With over 200 free outdoor concerts and an additional 2,000 free acts a year, not only does the City of West Palm Beach have more live music than your
The New DO West Palm Weekly Calendar of Live DOwntown Music
By dwp at March 2, 2013 | 12:48 pm | 0 Comment
There is so much LIVE music available DOwntown that it's hard to keep track of it all. We thought this quick link may help. Live Daily Music This is a work in progress and we will constantly update the list as we get information but as you can clearly see, there are close to 200 live acts a month, mostly all for free, all within walking distance, taking place on
World class performers at a small (but world-class venue): The Backyard Bar with Jonathan Edwards and Blues Dragon
By dwp at February 9, 2013 | 12:32 pm | 0 Comment
You just never know what you’re going to run into when you explore the downtown West Palm music scene. We stopped into the Backyard Bar on Rosemary to listen to one of our favorite blues acts – Blues Dragon – (sized down for this venue) and Jonathan Edwards sat to play harmonica for a couple songs and sing one (his son-in-law sat in on guitar for one song also).
Monday Blues Night is back at BB Kings West Palm! Blues Master Bobby Nathan hosting open mic!
By dwp at January 21, 2013 | 12:36 pm | 0 Comment
Stopped into BB Kings late last Monday to check out the revived Monday Night Blues Jam and was pleasantly surprised to see they've even managed to improve on what was an excellent venue last year. The venue is the "big room," which has the best backline equipment and PA in West Palm. What other venue has a Hammond B3 for open mic night? Vince and the Phat Cats did
A post on bands and bars (from another website of mine).
By dwp at January 15, 2013 | 10:52 pm | 0 Comment
Bar Louie’s Happy Hour (and reverse HH!) a must try!
By dwp at December 5, 2012 | 7:26 pm | 0 Comment
Great prices on select appetizers (called "small plates" here) from 4-7 M-F and after 10 Sunday, Thursday are a great matchup with $3 draft beer (the Sierra Torpedo IPA is one of the best ipa's I've had) and wine and cocktail specials. The chicken quesadilla was enough for two and was accompanied by a great guacamole and salsa. The majority of their appetizers are 1/2
Ian Anderson, the Minstrel In the (Kravis) Gallery, proves Progressive Rock is Alive.
By dwp at September 21, 2012 | 1:21 am | 0 Comment
If the crowd at the Kravis Wednesday night is any indication, Prog Rock -- even the more traditional forms, with folk and classical elements -- is not nearly close to dead. The hall was sold out, and the few empty seats were hard to spot. Anderson, the Jethro Tull frontman, was performing the parody piece for the first time in over 35 years, for the 40th
Prog Rock, Music Legends, Great Country, Essential Blues in Downtown West Palm…
By dwp at September 18, 2012 | 6:37 pm | 0 Comment
Just wanted to throw up a few words here to highlight some of the great music this week and the last few in West Palm (and point to some of the videos we shot). Coming up tomorrow (9/19) is Ian Anderson performing the classic Thick As A Brick and his sequel TAAB2. CLICK HERE to read our more comprehensive article about the upcoming show and thoughts about the new
The SoFlo Blues Society filled BB Kings with Great Music, Great People, and Great Bands Sunday in West Palm!
By dwp at September 10, 2012 | 4:39 pm | 0 Comment
It can be pretty hard to define the "blues;" at one extreme some consider it anathema to have electric instruments at all, and others consider Zeppelin to be the greatest blues band of all time. The best blues bands in South Florida gave us a great taste of many flavors of blues on Sunday afternoon at the Blues Challenge at BB Kings in downtown West Palm Beach. Some
Continue to support live, original music here in West Palm Beach: We will!
By dwp at August 9, 2012 | 5:00 pm | 0 Comment
Thank you for your support for our KickStarter campaign. It has run its course and though we didn't achieve our funding goal we've established many connections in the south Florida musician's community. DoWestPalm isn't giving up on the DoWest Fest; we've gotten positive feedback from the community and we're going to be looking at other funding sources (corporate,
Lots of Lovers of Gwen McCrae Packed out BB Kings for the Benefit Concert in West Palm
By dwp at August 7, 2012 | 8:36 pm | 3 Comments
What a great benefit concert for Gwen McCrae! We were amazed at how well Derek Mack and Marcia Mitchell Music (and probably dozens others) organized such a wealth of musicians on relatively short notice. The backing band kept as tight a groove as you could want, and the house FOH tech for BB Kings worked his behind off to keep the spotlight on the South
DoWestPalm Loves Original, Local Music. Check out the DoWest Fest we’d like to hold!
By dwp at July 9, 2012 | 10:12 pm | 0 Comment
The DoWest Fest Kickstarter site is live! http://kck.st/Ori51t We started DoWestPalm a little over a year ago, as a one-stop shop of information about music, happy hours, and all the other great things going on in Downtown West Palm Beach. Our site began as a advertising vehicle but soon was transformed by our love for live music. We picked up a video camera with
Country Music Packs Out Cityplace with Justin Moore and Tom Jackson Downtown West Palm
By dwp at May 18, 2012 | 12:43 pm | 0 Comment
Thanks, WIRK, CityPlace and Budweiser for a great evening of country music! Country music makes many references to God and prayer, so thanks to the heavenly realm is also probably appropriate, since the weather report and the skies promised thunderstorms and torrential rain, which providentially held off until after the end of the great show. Tom Jackson opened with
R&B, Blues, Originals; a hunch pays off for great Monday night music with Issac and Val at BB Kings
By dwp at April 26, 2012 | 8:11 pm | 0 Comment
I'm batting a thousand on following my hunches the last week or so... First, Jamie Rasso, who I hadn't heard, blew me away at O'Sheas. Then I was curious about Issac and Val (and that's all I got from BB Kings Calendar -- Issac and Val). I thought that if it was the same Issac and Val Woods I found in a Google search, they might not be too bad. They were playing
Jamie Rasso Band a great addition to downtown music in West Palm with Blues, Originals, fantastic guitar/vocals.
By dwp at April 22, 2012 | 8:36 pm | 0 Comment
It's not terrible often I hear a trio really cut it live, but the Jamie Rasso Band gave us a fantastic performance at O'Shea's on Clematis last night, with Jamie Rasso on guitar and vocals backed by Bassist Robert Bernhardt and Cliff Guest on drums. Rasso looks to be in his 20's but plays and sings like he's been doing this for decades... When we saw the band
We’re Looking forward to great Sunfest Music Just Around the Corner (and Down The Street)
By dwp at April 12, 2012 | 1:25 am | 1 Comments
With the 2012 SunFest just a couple of weeks away, it’s a good time to think about all the great concerts we’ve seen there over the last few years… SunFest has brought a fantastic lineup to West Palm every year for decades now. And for every one that comes to memory, there is a great one coming up… One of my favorites was Journey in 2004; their
Another Chilly But Fantastic Night of Music at Clematis in West Palm Beach January 6, 2012
By dwp at January 6, 2012 | 2:21 pm | 0 Comment
Hailing from the Midwest the chill was equivalent to a midwestern June (or July) night -- nothing to stay inside for -- but the temperatures in West Palm Beach made us think the city promoters might pass on the show. We're glad they didn't! An enthusiastic crowd "braved" the 60 degree weather to hear the first performance of "Orange Sunshine," and the show was
So Many Things to Do In West Palm, and So Few Hours to Post Them…
By dwp at December 1, 2011 | 5:07 pm | 0 Comment
It's about time I put some commentary to the dozen or so of new YouTube videos we have on our YouTube channel, covering West Palm Music and Community events... Where to start? BB King's Open Mic night is building more attendance every week, and there's been some great players and great music. Big Vince and the Phat Cats host the night. It's mostly blues with some
Shopping Clematis Street on Saturdays in West Palm Beach
By dwp at November 18, 2011 | 11:09 pm | 0 Comment
You don't want to miss one of the coolest shopping experiences in West Palm Beach: Clematis Street on a Saturday. The West Palm Beach Green Market brings dozens of vendors with food, produce and all sorts of great gift items right to the waterfront in the downtown area. Here's a walk-thru video from the opening day in October: If you want to work the street in
You Can Play Your Blues Away, or Dance the Night Away…
By dwp at October 31, 2011 | 5:29 pm | 0 Comment
Do you love the blues? Do you play the blues? Do you love Latin Music? Would you like to learn to dance Salsa? If you answer yes to any of these questions, there’s a couple of ongoing events of note going down at BBKings… Mondays (for the foreseeable future, at least) Vince (of Big Vince and the Phat Cats) is hosting open mic nights at BB Kings. Vince
The Visual Arts Are Alive and Well in Downtown West Palm; Galleries Galore!
By dwp at October 26, 2011 | 9:31 pm | 0 Comment
I’m finally getting around to putting down some notes on the visual arts scene in West Palm. You have to forgive us for our nearsightedness. We’re musicians – you know, performance art – you know, Rock and Roll … While we tend to ignore the other art forms, we want to highlight the amazingly rich resource present in the visual arts in the downtown
Blues in its Most Essential Form: Guitar, Bass, Drums, Beer. Damon Fowler Blows Away CBN!
By dwp at October 14, 2011 | 4:30 pm | 0 Comment
Clematis by Night brought back to the stage one of our favorite blues players, Floridian Damon Fowler (from Bradenton). The West Palm weather was perfect for this evening concert facing the waterfront, a far cry from the last time he played CBN. In the depth of last winter Damon played here and it was in our estimation one of the best acts in recent history. There
Bobby and the Renegades is a band to watch!
By dwp at October 14, 2011 | 1:08 pm | 0 Comment
On Tuesday Crazy Fingers was scheduled for BB King's, but someone messed up the scheduling so at the very last minute Bobby and the Renegades filled in. These guys sound better every time I see them. They told me they got the word on the way to band practice and turned around and headed to the club. Thanks, guys! I'd come down to hear Crazy Fingers (a great Dead
The Kinected: Some of the Best Original Music Around
By dwp at October 2, 2011 | 11:42 pm | 0 Comment
There aren't a lot of bands that sound as good when I review the video as I remembered them live... Listening live I tend to miss the pitchy vocals, the missed riffs and dropped bass lines, which I catch later when I listen to the video. Not so with The Kinected. Not only do they have some of the catchiest hooks and melody lines in their original material, they nail
It’s looks like the Wonderama Band is ready to make an impact in downtown WPB…
By dwp at October 1, 2011 | 3:00 pm | 0 Comment
The newest project from local drummer Steve Dupree looks to be a hit in local music venues.... The Wonderama Band was formed to fill a bit of a void in local music. I spoke to Steve this week. "I wanted to put together a great sounding Top 40 band for the South Florida market," Steve told me. Steve said he has nothing against the R&B trend many bands in the
Sunday at the Meyer/Waterfront with Tributes/Originals has been good/great.
By dwp at September 26, 2011 | 9:17 pm | 0 Comment
Sunday at the Waterfront (formerly Sunday at the Meyer) has been good this summer, with a stream of great tribute bands interrupted nicely by the great performance from Edwin McCain in August. We hope to see a great show coming up October 16 with “UV,” a U2 tribute band (originally from Canada?) with plenty of good reviews we’ve found from fans in south
Congratulations, Blues Dragon! Goin’ to Memphis to the Int’l Blues Challenge!
By dwp at September 24, 2011 | 12:34 pm | 0 Comment
Congratulations to Blues Dragon for winning the regional International Blues Challenge Sunday, Sept 18 at BB Kings in West Palm Beach, Florida! Kudos to BB Kings for providing the perfect venue for the perfect blues competition right here in downtown West Palm! We were busy covering a number of different events (a great tribute band on the waterfront; free food at
Coming to your YouTube: HD Video for Do West Palm
By dwp at September 16, 2011 | 4:17 pm | 0 Comment
We place a high priority at DoWestPalm in providing great information for downtown West Palm visitors, so they know all the things to do in West Palm; we place a high priority on great, CD quality stereo audio for our videos we record. And we've taken the step of upgrading to HD video, to more closely match the level of audio we try to achieve. If you have the
Has “Season” Started Early?
By dwp at September 11, 2011 | 10:57 pm | 0 Comment
Living in South Florida and especially Palm Beach is pretty much on and off. Like night and day, yes and no, up and down and goodbye, hello. With the weather just about perfect all year long it's not the leafs, the cherry blossoms or the snow that signifies the change of season, it's the people. Those who come down to escape the cold or those that take a much
Country Music? Good Country Music? Downtown?
By dwp at August 26, 2011 | 4:12 pm | 0 Comment
While Clematis By Night has a moratorium on country music (we'll have to work on that), there's a couple of venues that drop some great country acts into the mix. Of course, WIRK's acoustic country series at CityPlace with the likes of Randy Houser and Craig Campbell was a big hit this summer, but there's still some good shows right down on Clematis. World of Beer
Two for Two: The Perfect Tribute Band and Perfect Blues Band, Back to Back
By dwp at August 25, 2011 | 2:04 pm | 0 Comment
A Perfect Tribute Band... Odyssey Road is one of the best tribute bands I've ever heard, hands down. No, they don't look like Journey (for the most part), but they have the sound and arrangements nailed down tight. I can speak with some authority on Journey; I know Deen Castronovo, the drummer (he played on my kit when he was growing up), and I've heard them live
Free. What a great word. What great music!
By dwp at August 15, 2011 | 8:41 pm | 0 Comment
Where else can you find great live music like West Palm? I just spent some time looking up live music venues (preferably free) at some different cities I'm familiar with around the country. There's not a lot of places that have a lineup like West Palm does this weekend: Free Reggae music Thursday (Clematis by Night); Free jazz Friday night on the Palm (Clematis
Blue over the loss of Kona, but buoyed by great blues (and some other improvements) at BB Kings!
By dwp at August 8, 2011 | 2:29 pm | 0 Comment
Had some sad things going on last week, and some positive things happening as well. It was the blues last week for those of us who were fans of Kona Grill's great seafood and sushi, as the chain decided to close the West Palm location. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to the great crew that has served us so well at Kona. They weren't a big music venue -- Thursday
Samantha Russell and World of Beer: A Perfect Marriage 8/4/11
By dwp at August 5, 2011 | 7:06 pm | 1 Comments
The Samantha Russell Band (acoustic version) sounded great Thursday (as usual); World of Beer is a fantastic place to drink beer, is a great place to listen to music, but is a terrible place to get good recorded audio (believe it or not, our camera does get good audio upon occasion). We got some footage from the floor (with plenty of beer-drinking-noise accompanying),
It Was Hot and the Bros Had Us Hoppin’ at McCormick and Schmick’s
By dwp at August 3, 2011 | 2:53 pm | 0 Comment
It was hot and it was hoppin' as McCormick and Schmick’s recognized National Dance Day July 30 w/The Blues Brother Review and free dance lessons by the Dance Tonight staff (and M&S will be hosting dance lessons on a weekly basis through August!). The Side Bar was packed with cold beer (at a decent price, too) and the adjoining room was packed out with
Down At Clematis And Up In The Loft (at World Of Beer with Trial By Fire)
By dwp at July 29, 2011 | 11:33 pm | 1 Comments
So when you walk into World of Beer on Clematis in West Palm (and I believe all the WOB's are set up this way) you have to look to the sky to see the band. They are nested well above the bar in a little alcove, and it's difficult as heck to see them up there (but you can hear them great). Thursday night a great three piece called "Trial By Fire" was playing at World
It’s a Live Music Downtown Saturday Night BC in West Palm
By dwp at July 26, 2011 | 10:51 am | 0 Comment
Can't really call it a bar crawl, when you have so many different venues to hit, and try to catch a little bit of video at each one... more like a bar sprint! So we went from fountain to fountain -- probably missing some live music -- but you can get an idea of how much is going on downtown on a typical weekend night. It's easy to forget about the significant
Relaxed but Rock Solid: Derek Mack Band on a Hot Clematis Night
By dwp at July 23, 2011 | 11:53 am | 0 Comment
To call "relaxed" the high energy act that is the Derek Mack Band seems a bit odd, but it's refreshing to watch a band that is so comfortable with what they do so well that they can relax while they do it... Derek's band took over Clematis Thursday for a few hours and made all the crowd a part of the Derek Mack Band family. Watch the videos for the energetic, but
SATURDAY Night DOwntown!
By dwp at July 23, 2011 | 9:28 am | 0 Comment
Tonight’s the big Saturday night in DOwntown West Palm! Yes, we’re not in season but let’s start at the City Place fountain and see what there is to DO from the CP fountain to the Clematis fountain City Place Fountain – The Solid Gold Band BB Kings – The All Star Band Blue Martini – Valerie Tyson Improv – Steve O O’Shea’s – Stranger
If You Work “In The Biz,” There’s Some Affordable Beer and Bites in Your Future
By dwp at July 22, 2011 | 12:41 pm | 2 Comments
If you work in the hospitality industry in Downtown West Palm, it can be "feast or famine" (monetarily speaking), depending on a) the "season" b) who's in town c) the "season" d) the weather e) the "season." But even if the tips are sparse, there are some feasting perks for being "In The Biz," (or in SIN -- Service Industry Night, as some places put it). Here's a few
Surprised by Jazz at West Palm’s Jazz on the Palm: Dr. Ed Calle
By dwp at July 16, 2011 | 6:43 pm | 0 Comment
I've been to a few free jazz gigs in West Palm, but Friday's Jazz on the Palm blew me away. I wasn't familiar with him, but apparently Dr. Ed Calle has performed on hundreds of albums, with artists such as Gloria Estefan, Julio Iglesias, Michael Bolton, Bob James, Bobby Caldwell, Rhianna, Extreme, and Vanessa Williams. He's been nominated for a couple of Latin Grammys,
Downtown Dodges the Rain for Clematis by Night with Flavor
By dwp at July 15, 2011 | 12:05 pm | 0 Comment
After a two-week hiatus, Clematis by Night came back this week with a hot band, a hot competition and a hot but rain free evening. "Flavor," the band of the night, debuted at CBN with style, flair and great sound. The crowd started out a bit sparse; just 3 minutes southwest it was pouring rain, so many may have decided to see if downtown would stay dry and warm, which
David Shelley and Bluestone put the Blues back in BB Kings West Palm Beach Downtown
By dwp at July 14, 2011 | 4:36 pm | 0 Comment
If you love the blues but haven't heard David Shelley lay down great original electric blues music, you've gotta catch this cat and his top notch band sooner than later. He's at BB Kings on Wednesdays in July! Shelly puts his own twist on the blues, throwing in some extra percussion at times, and has the backing band to take the music anywhere he wants to...
Off the Hookah puts on a great party for its anniversary on Clematis in West Palm
By dwp at July 14, 2011 | 4:08 pm | 0 Comment
The 300 block on Clematis was closed down Wednesday for some deconstruction Wednesday; if "deconstruction" means breaking it down to essential elements -- of music and fun. $20 bought a wrist band and night of food and all sorts of music and other amusements. Right around 7:30 the big horse trailer pulled onto Clematis with two real live camels and their handlers.
BB King’s: Great Bands, Great Venue; Where are the Crowds?
By dwp at July 13, 2011 | 5:38 pm | 0 Comment
BB King's in West Palm Beach is definitely one of the nicest venues of its type in South Florida. To me it has that sort of campy House of Blues feel without being a full concert venue. Though I love the House of Blues, it's dang hard to catch actual blues there, though. Our local BB King's, while not purely a blues venue, has more blues acts than many of the
