The Round Table

Last night, Mandy Moore played a special acoustic set at the Highline Ballroom here in NYC in support of her new album release Amanda Leigh. Full disclosure: I am not and have never been a Mandy Moore fan. In fact, the only song I know from Mandy is “Candy.” (um, is that dating myself much?) But last night, I left the show with a new respect for Mandy’s growth as a musician.

Backed by only a guitar and piano, Moore crooned her way through all 11 songs from Amanda Leigh pausing only briefly to (minimally) interact with the audience. While the crowd clearly wanted more banter, Moore was set on delivering a strong vocal performance and showcase her new sound. I have to say, the acoustic instrumentation of last night’s performance paired with Moore’s throwback vocals suit her just fine – I much prefer her unplugged.

While the tunes are catchy, there wasn’t much diversity in sound. At times, I found myself wondering if she started a new song or if I was caught up mid number. Either way, I was impressed with Moore’s ability to break away from the “pop” persona and shift to a more folk-rock sound.

The crowd favorite was the lead single “I Could Break Your Heart,” especially after Moore confided that she has to work “very hard” to sell this image since she doesn’t see herself as “a heartbreaker.” This confession prompted the audience to adorn the songstress with “I love yous,” which she shyly returned.

Be sure to check out pictures from the performance here as well as clips of “I Could Break Your Heart” and “Fern Dell” below.

Saturday night, I had tickets to check out one of my favorite up and coming bands, The Rural Alberta Advantage, at the Mercury Lounge. As it turned out, the $10 ticket also gave us entry to check out two other bands, Elevator Fight and I Was a King; both of which are flying under the radar, but not for long.

First up, Elevator Fight. Six members deep with a firecracker of a lead singer in Zoe Kravitz, yes Lenny’s daughter, Elevator Fight rocked the house. As the set started Kravitz realized the crowd was timidly standing way back from the stage and beckoned them forward. The crowd obliged and the group never looked back – jamming through 9 songs with ease and precision. It wasn’t until later that night when we chatted up the lead-singer that we realized her star-studded genes, but this girl is a star in her own right and the band has the sound that will resonate. Now, if only we can get some music from them, their myspace page only has 2 tracks up.

Next up: I Was a King, a Norwegian band that have been making a name for themselves in the indie pop world. The band squeezed maybe 15+ songs in a 45 minute set – with very little crowd interaction. The songs themselves were pretty hard-driven with distorted riffs that hit with the indie crowd. My only complaint, length of songs – some were at best 1 minute long, not exaggerating. By the time you got into the song, it was over.

The Rural Alberta Advantage aka The RAA, were the headliners of the night and they did not disappoint. The Canadian band is signed to Saddle Creek Records and their debut album Hometowns is set for release on July 7th. They’re a pretty stripped down indie-folk trio, but heavy on the percussive instruments. While frontman Nils Edenloff at times sounds like he’s straining his vocals it’s all part of the act as he strums away like mad on his guitar. Aside from my favorite “Don’t Haunt This Place (video below),” The RAA captivated the audience at the end of their set when they jumped off stage and walked to the center of the room for an unplugged song to close out the performance.

Be sure to check out all the bands at their respective websites. For those here in NYC, Elevator Fight will be opening for The Roots, tomorrow, June 2nd at the Highline Ballroom.

Congrats to Krista P., Nathan R., Allison B., Eddie G., and Ng W!! You’ve won tickets to tomorrow’s (6/2) Mandy Moore concert at Highline Ballroom in NYC.

We’ll add your name (+1) to the guest list. Please remember doors open at 7p, show starts at 8p and you must be at least 18 years old to enter. If for some reason you cannot attend the show, drop us an email at tips@theroundtableonline.com so we can choose another winner.

Thanks to all who entered the contest — this is the first of many contests to come so stay tuned! Also, thanks again to the folks at RED Music for hooking us up!

We watched Mandy Moore, the once sweet like “candy” popstar, grow up right before our eyes — deserting the bubblegum stylings along the way. And now, she’s back with a new album, Amanda Leigh, the title of which is taken from her own first and middle names. Based on the title alone, one could say the album will be a reflection of Moore who was (finally) given complete creative control of the recording process.

In support of the new album, Moore has teamed up with Best Buy for a special promotion here in NYC . On June 2nd, she’ll perform an acoustic show at the Highline Ballroom in NYC and if you purchase Amanda Leigh at a NY Metro Area Best Buy (or at Bestbuy.com) your receipt will grant you (and a guest) admission to the show. Pretty sweet, right? Be sure to check the list of participating stores in the NY Metro Area.

While space is limited and entry to the show will be on a first come first serve basis, The Round Table is hooking you up! Thanks to our friends at RED Music, we have 5 pair of tickets that guarantee you entrance to the show. See below on how to enter our ticket giveaway. Please note you must be 18 or older with a valid ID to attend the performance and must live in NYC area (or willing to travel on your own dime.)

Show Details:
Tuesday June 2nd, 8PM at The Highline Ballroom
431 W. 16th St. (b/t 9th and 10th Ave), New York, NY 10011
Doors open at 7PM

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Fill out the Name and Email fields in the comment area
2. Tell us your favorite Mandy Moore moment – it can be related to music. movies, anything.
OPTIONAL: You can only enter once, but doing these things will count as extra submissions.
3. Twitter — Retweet this: “Enter to win Mandy Moore tickets to NYC show from The Round Table: http://budurl.com/ngy2” (leave the url of your retweet in the comments — separate from any other entry so it can count as an extra entry, increasing your chances of being picked.)
4. Facebook — Post a link on Facebook pointing to this very post (leave the url of your FB link in the comments — separate from any other entry so it can count as an extra entry, increasing your chances of being picked.)

ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED UNTIL May 31st @ 11PM EST