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).

Firstman is currently on tour with label-mate and fellow singer-songwriter Ernie Halter. Halter has recently released a new live album, which offers a mix of solo acoustic and full band performances, including a stripped down piano rendition of fan-favorite “Whisper.” For our readers in the tri-state area, you’re not going to want to miss Firstman and Halter team up this Saturday, February 13th at The Living Room starting at 8pm. Everyone else, enjoy a

free download of Joe Firstman’s “700 lb Piano,”

Benjy Davis Project

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.

Prior to BDP taking the stage, Andrew Hoover played an energetic solo set, which included his lead single “Lie to Me,” off his debut album Chances, Stances & Romances. Over the course of twenty minutes, Hoover managed to warm-up an inattentive crowd with his mix of bluesy rock and had them drunkenly dancing along by the time he wrapped his performance. Pretty impressive for a young artist.

Hoover was followed up by the elder-statesman of the group, singer-songwriter Joe Firstman, who treated the crowd to a taste of Americana with “Marlene & Her Sisters,” a chorus-less song as an intro. He capped off his set with a medley of “Breaking All the Ground/I Can’t Stop Loving You” from The War of Women. NYC fans, you can catch Joe Firstman performing tomorrow at The Living Room at 8p.

Footage of BDP below:

“I Love You:”

“Sweet Southern Moon:”

credit: Ben Renschen - http://www.benrenschen.com

Calling all NYC music fans,  Joe Firstman will perform tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 13th) at The Living Room at 8p. After migrating west from his home in North Carolina, the talented singer-songwriter found his muse in LA — a city of excess, ego and beautiful ladies — which fueled his songs.

It didn’t take long for Joe to gain notoriety, first came the big Hollywood gigs, then the industry buzz, then the big deal with Atlantic Records and national tours with big rock stars like Sheryl Crow, Jewel, and Willie Nelson. Next he landed a regular gig as the bandleader on the “Last Call with Carson Daly” show.

Well, Joe is back to working on his music full-time. He’s been touring to test out some of his new songs off the upcoming album, El Porto, which hits January 2010. Grab a

free download of “Today,”

If you’re in the NYC area, check him out at the Living Room Friday at 8p. Folks ouside NYC, don’t fret, check out Joe’s full tour schedule here.

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.

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.”

He mixed a good selection of new(er) songs like “Time and Again,” “Come Around,” and “Pretty Things,” which was co-written by Joe Firstman, with old favorites such as “Death of Me” and “All Up in Your Place” (aka the Stalker Song). However, there were two new songs that had the crowd buzzing — one rarely if ever performed, “Stay With Me (?)”, and one completely new, “Back To Me”, which he co-wrote via email with Melissa Polinar, a YouTube sensation who covered Lucca’s “Death of Me.”

The latter, “Stay With Me,” was the most surprising as Lucca prefaced it by telling the story of how the song came about. Without naming any names, he said “two very good friends of mine went through a very public break-up.” If you know anything about Tony Lucca’s past, you know he was co-stars on The Mickey Mouse Club and good friends with Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. Essentially, he drew inspiration from the headlines and personal conversations to create this song. Be sure to watch him perform it to catch the lyrical call outs of “river I made you cry,” which perhaps is taken from Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River” or the “made you crazy” reference perhaps ripped directly from Britney headlines. While it’s unclear whose point of view Lucca is singing from, my guess is Justin’s.

But don’t worry, Lucca isn’t one to gossip about friends without putting himself on blast. The crowd got the biggest kick out of his “True Story,” which as Lucca describes it “is based on a true story” or his life put to music from 1991 to present day filled with optimism, drug use, and personal lows delivered with his best country twang. You can’t help, but love a self-deprecating artist. Right, clearly I’m a total fan girl, but Tony Lucca is an amazing talent.

Check out footage below of Tony Lucca performing “Stay with me,” “True Story,” “All Up in Your Place,” and “Time and Again” at The Evening Muse. Also, thanks to the folks at Rock Ridge Music, you can now get a

free download

Stay With Me:

True Story:

All Up In Your Place:

Time and Again: