It’s been a while since we’ve plugged singer-songwriter Ashley Arrisonon this site. And it’s time we end that drought since, after all, she is the reigning TRT March Music Madness Champion. A new behind-the-scenes video of Ms. Arrison’s album photoshoot has just hit the interwebs and we’re in love with it for a few reasons.
First, it features Ms. Arrison looking beautiful and model-esque, which we kinda hate her for — you know making it look easy and all. Second, the footage was captured around Manhattan, a city near and dear to our hearts. Is there any place better than Manhattan? Stunning architecture, history, culture, music, entertainment and crazy tourist encounters. All of which are highlighted in this video, including the crazy tourist encounters, which Ms. Arrison experiences for herself around the :22 second mark. Two words: FREAKIN’ PRICELESS. She handles the situation like the consummate pro – but still we get a kick out of it. Watch it for yourself.
Debut album set for July 1 release — TRT is trekking to Nashville for her album release party. So if you’re going to be there too — give us a shout, maybe we’ll buy you a drink for being a faithful reader.
Update: In case you were wondering who is behind this little piece of heaven, check the credits: Photographer: Karissa Olsen, Makeup: Gabrielle Carlino, Videographer: Chris Loupos
Despite relatively humble beginnings and early shows under unlikely circumstances, The Dirty Rooks have quickly built a loyal following desperate to be reminded of what real rock sounds like.
Drawing on influences from the 70s, The Dirty Rooks have helped revive booze rock in the Chicago area, and are on their way to making their presence known in pubs across the nation. And their sophomore album, Sugar Mama, is only encouraging more success.
The title track, while more upbeat than many of the album’s other songs, didn’t come by accident. In fact, the now infamous line, “I got a girl that brings home the bacon” holds more truth than listeners not familiar with the group might know.
“Sugar Mama is actually about exactly what it sounds like,” manager, mascot and spokesperson Wayne Hammersmith says. “Two of our ladies are lawyers who make almost all of the money in the relationship. It’s not a bad gig, if you can get it.”
With a duo of lawyers close at their sides, The Dirty Rooks aren’t afraid to push the limits, and proved as much by dressing as cupid-like characters in their Sugar Mama promo video. And if that isn’t enough to catch your attention, they’ll make sure to draw you in with pristine guitar riffs and mind-blowing horn lines that will leave you thirsting for an encore and begging the bartender for another round.
The guys were busy at work prepping for upcoming shows, but Wayne Hammersmith took a few minutes to answer some questions for The Round Table.
In the past, I’ve referred to singer-songwriter Tony Lucca as one of the hardest working musicians in the game. A perpetual touring artist, he has entertained crowds across the U.S. for well over 12 years. And truth be told, there is no artist other than Mr. Lucca that I’ve personally crossed state lines to see perform. Yeah, he’s that good.
Armed with his acoustic guitar (and sometimes electric!), heartfelt, beautifully crafted lyrics and a soulful voice, Mr. Lucca’s sound is instantly identifiable, yet uniquely his own.
Recently, Mr. Lucca took time out of his busy touring schedule to chat with us about his musical stylings, lyrical inspirations, the need to go electric and, of course, road fun with his ex-tourmate, Sara Bareilles. Read the full interview below. Keep your eye out for his next record, which hits this summer (details TBD). Be sure to check this man out when he’s in your neck of the woods – you will not regret it – tour dates.
TRT: Over the years your music has incorporated different genres and styles but at the core of all these songs are very real, poignant lyrics, where do you get your inspiration from?
TL: Traveling. Seeing what stays consistent in an ever-changing environment. Those are the things that most people identify with. That’s where specifics become universal.
MGMT may have lost a heated battle to Vampire Weekend in TRT’s March Music Madness tourney, but pretty safe to say the guys aren’t sitting back licking their wounds. MGMT will The psych-pop duo have just announced plans to take their show global this summer in support of their yet-to-be-released (April 13th) sophomore album Congratulations! The tour is quite extensive and will kick off the night before the album hits stores by playing San Francisco’s Fillmore on April 12th. MGMT will also make stops at the Coachella, Bamboozle, and Lollapalooza fests. And when they get done with North America, they’ll spend their fall and winter touring Europe. We’ve got all their dates below. Also, you can listen to Congratulations in its entirety at Pitchfork.
MGMT Tour Dates:
04-07 Sydney, Australia – Metro Theatre
04-12 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
04-13 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
04-17 Indio, California – Coachella
04-29 Toronto, Ontario – The Mod Club
04-30 Durham, NH – University of New Hampshire
05-02 East Rutherford, NJ – Bamboozle
05-28 San Luis Obispo, CA – Avila Beach Bowl
05-29 Santa Cruz, CA – Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
05-31 George, WA – Sasquatch Festival (more…)
After two weeks of intense head-to-head competition we’re stoked to crown Ashley Arrison as TRT’s first-ever March Music Madness Champion. This feat should not be taken lightly as Ms. Arrison pulled off the improbable, starting with a first-round upset over megastar Rihanna. Thanks to her loyal fans and grassroots efforts, she went on to set voting records in the subsequent rounds, knocking off Tegan & Sara, Tony Lucca, and Matthew Mayfield respectively.
Yesterday, Ms. Arrison found herself in the Championship showdown with Beat Radio, yet another indie project with a faithful following. When the final votes were tallied, it was Ms. Arrison who stood victorious on the shoulders’ of her determined legion of fans.
March Music Madness had a little of everything – fun, excitement, the unpredictable, trash-talking (shout to Sendrowitz fam!) and (thankfully) very little Lady Gaga. A big thank you to all the artists who made the competition a success! For the fans who diligently voted each day, we hope you’ll stick around TRT – there’s lots more to come from your favorite artists – starting with Ashley Arrison (hint…hint…).
If you were watching this unfold on CBS (home of the NCAA March Madness), Greg Gumbel might cut in with a well-produced video montage that condenses all the tournament action into two minutes of heart-pounding, tear-jerking, awe-inspiring moments. This is not CBS and The Round Table doesn’t have the ability to pull that off. What it does have is a Final Four worthy of record-breaking crowds, er, votes. Tuesday saw the highest voting total so far in the seven days of TRT Music Madness, and the mark was reached with over five hours of voting time remaining. Now, Beat Radio, Vampire Weekend, Ashley Arrison and Matthew Mayfield asks their fans to help set a new record and advance them to tomorrow’s championship.
Elite Eight results
(7) Beat Radio def. (8) Broken Social Scene
(4) Vampire Weekend def. (7) The Dirty Rooks
(7) Ashley Arrison def. (8) Tony Lucca
(8) Matthew Mayfield def. (6) Sondre Lerche
Time for the Elite Eight! March Music Madness has definitely lived up to its name as the unexpected underdog seeds have managed to easily trounce the mainstream, big-name competition. The results have told us a lot about the type of artists you want to see more of, and when March Music Madness concludes, The Round Table will do its best to bring you more stories about these awesome indie artists. But we still have some unfinished business.
We’re back after a short weekend hiatus and looking to lock in the last four spots for the Elite Eight in TRT’s first-ever March Music Madness. Today’s match-ups should be interesting — especially as fan favorite Beat Radio take on mainstream monsters in Dave Matthews Band. Remarkably enough, the No. 6 and No. 7 seeds are heavily featured in this round. Let’s get to it, vote for your favorite to move on!
It’s Day 4!! March Music Madness continues. Let’s just hope today’s fan turnout surpasses yesterday’s dismal performance. Today’s parings should prove to be interesting as the No. 4 seeds take on the closely matched No. 5 seeds. I mean, Vampire Weekend vs. MGMT — FTW! Let’s do this. Check out the seeds below, then vote on your favorite artist. Top vote-getters will move on to the Sweet 16 or Round 2 for those non-basketball fans among us.
Yesterday’s results
(3) Dave Matthews Band def. (6) Owl City
(6) Rural Alberta Advantage def. (3) T.I.
(6) Tegan and Sara def. (3) Kings of Leon
(6) Sondre Lerche def. (3) Lady Antebellum
March Music Madness here at The Round Table is in full effect! Visiting the site for the first time and wondering what the heck is going on? No sweat. Here’s a quick recap. We’ve taken 32 of the biggest names in mainstream music (across genres), bands on the cusp of stardom, and a few of TRT’s personal indie favs, split them up into four regions, assigned them seeds, and now we’re pitting them against one another in a single-elimination series of match-ups.
This is where you come into play! Help us decide the champ by voting for your favorite artists along the way. You vote, they advance, and in the end only one will be left standing as champion of the first-ever TRT March Music Madness.
Yesterday’s results
(8) Broken Social Scene def. (1) Lady Gaga
(1) Jay-Z def. (8) The Drums
(8) Tony Lucca def. (1) Black Eyed Peas
(8) Matthew Mayfield def. (1) Lil Wayne
We started as a three friends having conversations about music during lunches together at the office. Since then we have expanded to seven members, including a Chi-town native, and the conversations have gotten bigger and better. The Round Table has grown into a casual setting where music aficionados can gather to discuss all things music. Topics include (but not limited to) artists and bands, new music releases, concerts, recording industry news and concerns, and the occasional nugget of entertainment gossip. We have tastes that cover the entire music spectrum and love to share them (and our opinions) with each other. We are The Round Table! Come join the conversation!
Despite relatively humble beginnings and early shows under unlikely circumstances, 
