Review: Matt Duke, Tony Lucca, and Jay Nash at the Canal Room, NYC
September 17th, 2009 by Jayvee
The Canal Room was rocking as the Evening of the Feeling Song Tour touched down in NYC on Tuesday night. Matt Duke, Tony Lucca, and Jay Nash provided hours of incredible music, a mini-jam session, as well as a few surprise guests including the lovely Sara Bareilles and talented Curtis Peoples. While the clear headliner appeared to be Jay Nash, it was Matt Duke’s and Tony Lucca’s sets that stole the show.
So, who is Matt Duke? Well, he’s a pint-sized (in comparison to the towering Jay Nash), singer-songwriter who has an affinity for a four letter word that rhymes with “duck.” His songs were poignant and emotional, his delivery was intense and focused. He commanded the stage he even though a rather noisy audience didn’t give him the respect he deserved on stage, which seemed to be an issue for all of the performers. Tony Lucca and Curtis Peoples confided with us post show that “the audience thinks you can’t hear or see them when you’re on stage. You can and you do. Trick is finding a way to politely say ‘shut the f-ck up.”
Next up was Tony Lucca. What else can I say about this man that I haven’t already waxed poetically on? Not much, but by far he’s, one of the most compelling performers that I’ve seen over the years. He never disappoints, each show is fresh, meaningful, and entertaining. Tuesday’s performance was no different as he busted out crowd favorites including “So Long,” “All Up in Your Place (Stalker Song),” “Close Enough,” and even a newer song “Undertow.” But it was the aptly titled “New York City,” which Tony penned while having a rough time residing here in NYC that hit home for many folks in the crowd. A friend turned to me mid-song and said “is he serious with this song? It’s like he just wrote it about my day.”
Finally, Jay Nash took to the stage. Again, I’ve never heard any of Jay Nash’s music, so I was pretty stoked to see him. His voice is beautiful with a certain roughness that set him apart from his tour-mates, however I was a bit turned off by his persona on stage. Now, I’ve never met Jay, but the vibe he was giving was quite the cocky one. Don’t get me wrong, a performer should always have confidence and believe in themselves on stage, but Jay came off as a bit of an egomaniac as not twice, but three times he unplugged his guitar, stepped to the ledge of the stage and went full out acoustic. Maybe he has a thing against speakers, I don’t know, but the first time he did it, it was cool – a different way to reach a rather noisy audience – but the second and third time left a bitter taste in my mouth. Thankfully, he invited the sweet Sara Bareilles on stage to join to sing “Barcelona” so all was forgotten for a brief moment. After Jay’s set all the boys rocked out in a min-jam session, which included Curtis Peoples joining in on “Pretty Things.” Seriously, so much talent in one place, it was truly a great show to witness.
So, don’t miss this talented group of singer-songwriters if they’re headed to your town. Check out the remaining stops on the tour at Tony Lucca’s official site. You can also catch Tony Lucca and Jay Nash’s video blog series for behind-the-scenes action from the road.
Tags: acoustic, all up in your place, barcelona, canal room nyc, close enough, concert, curtis peoples, evening of the feeling song tour, folk, homepage, homepage: news, jay nash, matt duke, new york city, pop, review, rock ridge music, sara bareilles, singer songwriter, tony lucca, tour, undertow
September 17th, 2009 at 9:31 am
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September 17th, 2009 at 10:49 am
I completely agree that Matt Duke is incredible! I’ve seen him 3 times and he never disappoints. He’s so passionate and his vocals are just amazing! We need to get his name out there, he is definitely underappreciated!!
September 17th, 2009 at 11:03 am
It was outstanding! Agree on all points. Nash’s most redeeming quality was sharing the stage with the fellow tourmates, but when he wanted the spotlight, he went unplugged and a little arrogance came through. Sara Barielles was a great surprise – I wanted more!
I need that “NYC” song.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
It was less an issue of ego, arrogance or desire for the spotlight that made me decide to keep going unplugged. I’m not certain that it was audible in the front of house, but onstage, several times that night, there was uncontrollable feedback because of some switches that got bumped on the soundboard. It was pretty much the toughest time that I can remember having onstage with sound – so unplugging was the only thing that I could do to resolve the situation. I’m a little bummed to hear that it came across to the audience that it was a matter of ego or arrogance. All I wanted was to connect with the audience. At any rate, thanks for coming to the show and the insight and feedback. – jn
September 17th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Jay, thanks for taking the time stop by. Wish we knew you were having technical issues, knowing that now put your actions into perspective. Last night your sound was great, vocally top-notch, it just seemed odd with the constant unplugging. Also it was a rough crowd, Canal Room crowds have a tendency to talk throughout sets. To this day, I don’t understand why anyone would pay to see performers and then proceed to talk through their show. It baffles me, so it could not have been easy for all you guys on stage. It was frustrating just being in the audience around those persistent talkers. Now, also knowing the issues you were going through with the soundboard – I definitely think about your performance in a different light.
September 17th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
this show was a blast. i love going to shows to see tony lucca and getting introduced to others. matt duke is added to my ipod list.
the talking throughout the crowd was very annoying. especially when i hear fans of other people be rude to me and the performer while i try to listen and enjoy the performer i came to see.
sara bareilles rocked and she was a sweetheart.
September 18th, 2009 at 10:30 am
I wasn’t at the Canal Room but I did see the three of them perform a couple of nights before in Pittsburgh and I’m in total agreement with your comments about Matt Duke and Tony Lucca. Matt Duke has a refreshing voice and a unique sense of song writing. I’ve been following Tony Lucca’s career for over eight years and I believe he is one of the most gifted artists of this generation. However I’m in total disagreement with your comments about Jay Nash’s persona. The words you used to describe it like cocky and egomaniac are completely the opposite of my experience seeing Jay Nash perform. It was the first time I had seen him play too and he left me breathless. On stage I found him to be warm, sincere, charming and down to earth. His voice is beautiful and his songs are thoughtful and soulful. I haven’t stopped listening to his CD since I got it last weekend. When the three of them sang Jay’s song Slow Down I was stunned it was so beautiful. I hope these guys tour and perform together again. They’ve got something magical going on.