The Round Table

Although we’re still early into 2010, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’ve been anxiously awaiting the latest release Lost Souls Like Us from Benjy Davis Project. With anticipation like that, I guess it’s fairly easy to be disappointed with the final outcome. Don’t get me wrong, Lost Souls Like Us isn’t a bad album, per se, it’s just not overall representative of what I was expecting from BDP after the well-rounded, emotionally stellar Dust. And it certainly doesn’t live up to the high bar set by lead single “Stay With Me” a mandolin-driven song about love with room for interpretation, whether in the moment or reflection, with intensely personal lyrics written by Benjy Davis himself.

The album opens with “Mississippi,” a pretty safe ode to the wandering road-life as only a young musician can paint. It’s followed up by the light-hearted “Get High” that the college kids are sure to eat up. While these tracks aren’t necessarily throwaways, they’re also not particularly memorable, which seems to be the issue with the album until the midway point where things start to come to life.

Aside from “Stay With Me,” which is one of our favorite songs hands down, “Slow Wind” is beautifully reflective where Davis shines both vocally as well as lyrically. “Check Your Pockets” brings some good ol’ sunny southern rock courtesy of the guys’ Louisiana roots, which is sure to have you singing along to.

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My favorite Louisiana natives, Benjy Davis Project, are getting set to release a new album, Lost Souls Like Us and we’ve got the official tracklist and cover art. BDP has gone through a bit of a line-up shuffle as of late, but the group is still comprised of original members Benjy Davis (shocker) and drummer Mic Capdeivelle.

The band recently dropped their new single “Stay With Me,” a mandolin-driven song about love with room for interpretation, whether in the moment or looking back on it. It’s quintessential BDP with a focus on intensely personal lyrics written by Benjy Davis as a result of life experiences.

Check out some footage of Benjy Davis Project in action that was captured at Sullivan Hall back in December. Official track-list for Lost Souls Like Us is after the jump, the album hits March 2nd.

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Benjy Davis Project came to rock as they headlined a Rock Ridge Music showcase at Sullivan Hall last night. The often subdued Davis released his inner showman as his band wailed behind him complete with guitar solos and pulsating drums as they brought some southern heat to a chilly November night here in NYC.

It was a noticeably different lineup for BDP, which only included original members Benjy Davis (no brainer there) and Mic Capdevielle (drums). The new addition, Patrick Thorton (bass) and Brian Fechino (guitar), definitely brought a fresh sound to the group. Though, I’d venture to guess the liquored up college-crowd failed to notice the new lineup as they faithfully sang back all the lyrics while groping each other. Seriously, kids are talented these days and clearly have no shame.

But BDP managed to stay focused as they played the standard crowd favorites off their latest release Dust, including “I Love You,” “Same Damn Book,” “Sweet Southern Moon,” and “Still Sweet.” They also mixed in some older material in “Do It With The Lights On,” and “Louisiana Saturday Night.” Have to admit, though I enjoy BDP unplugged, witnessing them plugged in up made for a nice change of pace.

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We’re continuing with our free music Wednesday to get you through the day, thanks to our good friends at Rock Ridge Music. On November 11th three of Rock Ridge’s finest, Benjy Davis Project, Andrew Hoover, and Joe Firstman will team up to perform at Sullivan Hall here in NYC.

Let’s just say it’s a singer-songwriter showcase made in heaven — all that’s missing is the amazing Tony Lucca. Hey Rock Ridge, can you get Tony on board?! I digress.

Download a free sampler of BDP, Andrew Hoover, and Joe Firstman now. Then purchase tickets to the show at Sullivan Hall at 7:30p on November 11th. We’ll see you there – we expect a group sing-a-long. Check out our past coverage of Benjy Davis Project and Andrew Hoover.

Yup, the economy is still in shambles and there’s not much we can do about it. The good news is our friends at Rock Ridge Music are giving away music from some of their best artists for free. That’s right – free – as in no strings attached.

Simply visit their site and download music from bands like Sister Hazel, Benjy Davis Project, Reel Big Fish, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies. They’re also featuring tunes from awesome solo acts like Tony Lucca, Ernie Halter, Josh Hodge, Andrew Hoover, Pat McGee and more.

If you like what you hear, be sure to visit the artists’ sites and purchase their albums. We all love free music, but it goes a long way to support these guys and gals that work hard to entertain us. Thanks for continuing to be awesome Rock Ridge!

Sorry Benjy Davis and Tony Lucca, heck even Sondre Lerche, I’ve decided my end of the summer crush is Andrew Hoover. What? You’ve never heard of Andrew Hoover? Well, it’s about time you did.

The twenty-one year old, blue-eyed soul-man is set to release his debut album Chances, Stances, & Romances on September 22nd and if the lead single “Lie to Me” is any indication of what’s to come then the future’s bright for Hoover. The upbeat track features hints of R&B, soul and funk with a clever universal pop twist that should appeal to many folks.

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This past weekend, a few friends and I piled in a jeep and trekked to  North Carolina for a brief escape from the daily grind. We received a tip that one of my favorite indie artists, Tony Lucca, was performing at The Evening Muse in downtown Charlotte on July 4th with another group called The Benjy Davis Project so we figured we catch the show.

Since we’re always in search of good, new music, we arrived early to watch The Benjy Davis Project who opened for Tony. We were very impressed as we were treated  to a flawless set, which began with Benjy Davis performing a few acoustic numbers solo. He was later joined by his backing band including Mic Capdevielle (drums), Matt Rusnak (bass guitar), and Jonathan Lawhun (electric guitar).

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