The Round Table

Ernie Halter is set to release his fourth studio album, Franklin & Vermont, on June 29th. The LA based singer-songwriter who spends an exorbitant amount of time on the road shares a small slice of home with us on his latest album, which is named for two cross streets in the quiet Los Feliz neighborhood where Halter lives.

True to form, Halter pairs his skillful song writing abilities with the laid back, raw acoustic stylings fans have come to expect from him to create a solid soulful collection of songs. Halter isn’t afraid to change paces throughout the album, which is apparent as the album opener, the uptempo, catchy “Hard to Let a Good Love Go” segues beautifully to the slow, bare-bones “Angel,” which celebrates love found. Meanwhile the singer gets in touch with his country side for “We Got Love,” which was penned in Nashville with Lady Antebellum guitarist Jason “Slim” Gambill.

For the album closer, Halter teams up with label-mate Tony Lucca on the piano based standout “This Beautiful Ache,” which also features vocals from singer-songwriter Amy Kuney. The song’s premise describes both the pain and pleasure a memory can bring — something we can all relate to in life. But it’s Halter’s raw vocals set against minimalist production that makes “This Beautiful Ache” that much more haunting.

Long time Ernie Halter fans will certainly enjoy Franklin & Vermont, while the album also serves as a perfect introduction for new fans.  Franklin & Vermont hits stores on June 29th, but in the meantime, you can give Halter’s “Hard to Let a Good Love Go” a listen thanks to our friends at Rock Ridge Music.

We’ve got more Ernie Halter news for ya! The LA based singer-songwriter is set to release his next album, Franklin & Vermont on June 29th.

The album was titled after the two cross streets in the quiet Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles where Mr. Halter lives. Being accustomed to spending long stretches on the road, he discovered it’s the happiness found in the slow pace of his community that brought him to the studio.

According to press materials, Franklin & Vermont reflects the raw, laid-back, acoustic vibe fans have come to expect from Mr. Halter. Now, I haven’t heard the album yet, but I’m already looking forward to a song called “This Beautiful Ache” as it features fellow singer-songwriter and TRT mainstay Tony Lucca. Talk about full circle – it was at a Tony Lucca show where I was first introduced to Ernie Halter, who opened for Tony Lucca at the time. Stoked.

You can purchase Franklin & Vermont starting June 29th — do it — and in the meantime, get your Ernie Halter fix by grabbing his EP, 4U, for FREE at Amazon.com.

Singer-songwriter Ernie Halter is thanking his fans by treating them to a free MP3 sampler appropriately titled, 4U. The seven-song sampler is available exclusively through Amazon.com and it’s well-worth adding to your music collection.

And if you’re not an Ernie Halter fan already (why not?!), then consider this a perfect introduction to an incredible artist without even having to open your wallet. Pretty sweet huh?

Songs featured on the sampler include “Gone,” “My Heart is With You,” “Crazy Love,” “Count the Days,” “Yes I am,” “Lisa,” and “Blue Dress.”

Aside from giving you free tunes, Mr. Halter even recorded a special shout-out to all fans for their support over the years on the album closer “You’re Awesome.” No Ernie, you’re awesome for gifting your fans with music.

For the iTunes stans out there — you can download the sampler free and it’s compatible with iTunes, so you have no excuses on this one. Download 4U now! And while you’re at it, you might as well purchase his 2009 release Live, which is a compilation of some of Ernie’s greatest road performances.

Stay tuned, Mr. Halter will release a new album this summer — we’ll bring you the details once available!

Joe Firstman will perform at The Living Room in New York City this Saturday, February 13th, in support of his recently released full-length album El Porto. If you’re a fan of good old americana rock, this album should be part of your music collection. El Porto is heartfelt with immensely personal lyrics penned by Firstman, who has the innate ability to transport you to another time with his intricate delivery.

For those familiar with Firstman’s debut album The War of the Women, which I happen to LOVE, El Porto is a natural evolution. The songs that comprise the new album are simple, yet demonstrate a certain confidence of a singer-songwriter coming into his own. And, I’m not certain, but believe that “Today,” which is featured on El Porto could easily be a continuation of “Can’t Stop Loving You” from The War of Women. (Joe, if you’re reading this — give me a shout, dying to know).

(more…)

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!

Fried pickles, sweet tea, fireworks, and Tony Lucca or the perfect way to spend 4th of July. We headed to The Evening Muse in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina for an intimate performance with Tony Lucca who started his set by asking the audience to snap along to his opening number as hand-clapping is too much of a commitment upfront.

Having seen Tony Lucca perform numerous times now, I was surprised by how candid he was that night. He hit on everything from taking swipes at Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Sarah Palin all in one song to his life story through music and quite possibly one of pop cultures most talked about break-ups: Justin and Britney (more on that later). Of course he also found time to mix in several love songs and even a Billy Joel cover “Vienna.”

(more…)