Josh Gibson of St. Petersburg entertains the community at the Station Square Lunchtime Concert Series Oct. 15 in Station Square Park in Clearwater. Gibson is part of the Wholly Cats band, but this day he performed solo, playing an assortment of American music.
CLEARWATER – Music emanates from Station Square Park each Thursday at lunchtime, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. through Nov. 19. For Myra Bowen of Belleair Bluffs, it’s the perfect escape.
Bowen has attended each of the Station Square Lunchtime Concert Series concerts since they began on Oct. 1. She arrived Oct. 15 right after three hours of kidney dialysis.
“After dialysis I’m tired and just need to relax. Three hours of just sitting in the chair is not fun,” Bowen said. “... Now I’m just relaxed and I forget about what I went through for three hours, having two needles in my arm. It’s neat. I’ll be coming here every Thursday.”
The free concert series features local musicians and is sponsored by the Clearwater Downtown Development Board, Achieva Credit Union and weekly local business sponsors. Throughout the two months of the series, numerous genres of music will be covered, including Latin, pop, country, jazz, contemporary rock and blues.
The Downtown Development Board began the series to help introduce the general population to downtown in addition to Clearwater residents by hosting the concerts at lunchtime so people who work downtown have the opportunity to participate, said Courtney Orr, downtown manager. The series is to help make downtown Clearwater a destination, she said, and to showcase positive aspects of downtown.
“I also think especially now with the economy, I think people and families are looking for things to do that are low cost or free, so it’s an opportunity to come to something that’s entertaining and doesn’t cost a penny,” Orr said. “It’s an enjoyable, stress-free, relaxing event.”
Bowen said she especially appreciates the concerts because they are both enjoyable and free. She said everyone is scraping for money in this economy, including herself because she was recently laid off after 15 years working at the same job. She said she appreciates that the city hosts free events like the concerts to help bring the community together in rough times.
Lacy Reid of Largo also enjoyed the Oct. 15 concert. She said she works near Station Square and enjoys eating her lunch in the park and listening to the music. She said the concerts could help bring more people to the park who may otherwise pass it by.
The Oct. 15 concert was hosted by Chiang Mai Thai & Sushi Restaurant, and Josh Gibson of Wholly Cats performed jazz and Americana music. Gibson, of St. Petersburg, said he enjoys playing all American styles, including jazz, swing, blues and R&B. His band, Wholly Cats, generally performs swing and surf music, and their “alter ego” band, Haole Cats, performs traditional Hawaiian swing.
Gibson said the concert series is heartening because it shows that music matters to the city of Clearwater and it helps form a sense of community.
“I feel like music is an essential expression of humanity in any circumstances, good, bad, indifferent,” Gibson said. “... I think it’s not whether we decide if music is important or not, it just inherently is important.”
Gibson grew up with a natural interest in anything musical, and his parents fostered his talent. After high school he worked a few jobs but quickly discovered that he could make money playing and singing music.
“Although there’s not much security in it, I’ve found that I can make as much or more money as people with ‘real’ jobs, and I get to do what I love,” Gibson said. “Of course, any time you mix your passion with commerce, it does change things a little bit, but for me, I feel like there’s being rich and having a rich life. Regardless of my paycheck, I use my own personal discretion and care about what I do on a a daily basis as opposed to just punching a clock. I’m a very lucky man.”
Gibson said he also feels fortunate that his musical career also allows him to be home with his young children during the day.
The Lunchtime Concert Series continues with the following schedule:
• Oct. 29 – Sandy Atkinson performs Roots Americana. The performance is hosted by Carlisle Fields.
• Nov. 5 – Valentino & Barry performs ’70s and ’80s light rock. It is hosted by MG Tower LLC.
• Nov. 12 – Walker Smith performs blues. It is hosted by Bob Lee’s Automotive Center.
• Nov. 19 – Ricky Wilcox performs classic rock. It is hosted by the Downtown Development Board.
The series is set to start up again sometime in the spring, Orr said.
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