The Round Table

Irish eyes haven’t been smiling down on me the last few weeks when it comes to catching some of my favorite performers live. A few weeks ago I braved the drunken debauchery that was the Hoboken St. Patrick’s Day parade to enjoy Sondre Lerche at Maxwell’s. Wednesday, I maneuvered the streets of Manhattan to see Tony Lucca perform at City Winery.  While Lucca more than made up for the inconvenience, booking agents should try to avoid dates that align with drunken “holidays.” Rant done.

As always, Lucca was a crowd-pleaser. He hit the stage roughly after 9:45p and opened his set with “Darlin’ I,” a borderline country tune that exemplifies his nomadic ways followed by the more politically focused “Close Enough.” Pacing himself through recent set list staples of “True Story,” “Death of Me,” and “Undertow,” Lucca captivated a sold out crowd of predominately Tyrone Wells (tour-mate) fans. In true fashion, the audience gave the most thunderous applause for his ode to the big city with the aptly titled “New York City.” Lucca ended his nearly 40-minute set with “Pretty Things,” which is by far one of my favorite songs to watch him perform live.

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Attention New Yorkers: The National – July 27th- with Beach House – Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn.

Buy tickets to see The National – they go on sale today!

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.

The Canal Room was rocking as the Evening of the Feeling Song Tour touched down in NYC on Tuesday night. Matt Duke, Tony Lucca, and Jay Nash provided hours of incredible music, a mini-jam session, as well as a few surprise guests including the lovely Sara Bareilles and talented Curtis Peoples. While the clear headliner appeared to be Jay Nash, it was Matt Duke’s and Tony Lucca’s sets that stole the show.

So, who is Matt Duke? Well, he’s a pint-sized (in comparison to the towering Jay Nash), singer-songwriter who has an affinity for a four letter word that rhymes with “duck.” His songs were poignant and emotional, his delivery was intense and focused. He commanded the stage he even though a rather noisy audience didn’t give him the respect he deserved on stage, which seemed to be an issue for all of the performers. Tony Lucca and Curtis Peoples confided with us post show that “the audience thinks you can’t hear or see them when you’re on stage. You can and you do. Trick is finding a way to politely say ‘shut the f-ck up.”

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