The Round Table

Louisiana rockers, Benjy Davis Project are offering a free digital download of their sampler “Paper Trails.”  For a limited time, fans can download the album for free, yes, free via Amazon.

“Paper Trails” features 11 songs from various Benjy Davis Project albums plus a previously-unreleased track, “Raining In Me.” The full track list is as follow:

“Check Your Pockets” (from “Lost Souls Like Us”)
“Sweet Southern Moon” (from “Dust”)
“Mississippi” (from “Lost Souls Like Us”)
“The Day That I Die” (from “More Than Local”)
“Green and Blue” (from “Dust”)
“No More Pills” (from “More Than Local”)
“She Ain’t Got Love” (from “The Angie House”)
“214” (from “The Angie House”)
“Same Damn Book” (from “Dust”)
“Raining In Me” (unreleased)
“Stay With Me” (edit, from “Lost Souls Like Us”)

You can also catch BDP on tour through October, check their official site for tour dates.

Much like a fine wine, singer-songwriter Tony Lucca only gets better with age. The singer takes fans on a journey through the next phase of his life on his sixth studio album, Rendezvous With The Angels, as he grows into the role of loving husband and adoring father. Gone are the days of the self-pitying, woe-is-me wanderer in favor of a more mature, inspired raconteur.

Still at the core of the album are Mr. Lucca’s heartfelt, beautifully crafted lyrics and soulful voice, all of which represented on the album’s opener “Like Love.” Then there’s the uptempo, feel good “Make You Mine” that is sure to get your toe-tapping in no time.

Mr. Lucca calls on tour mate Sara Bareilles for the emotional ballad “Back to Me,” where their voices compliment each other so perfectly. Composition wise, it’s the blues-inspired “Anchored” that stands out with its combination of vivid imagery, beautiful guitar solo, and underlying organ and string sections.

Also included are three long-time fan favorites on the album, “Stay With Me Tonight,” “Song to a Martyr,” and “Nobody But You,” which have been mainstay requests at recent shows. “Stay With Me” is of course an Internet sensation on its own as it’s rumored to be loosely based on the break-up of two of the singer’s friends — Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.

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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.

Colin Smith is a singer-songwriter who recently branched out from Irish alt-rock band Mrnorth to release his first solo effort The Wilderness. The nine song album takes the listener on a musical journey through love, heartbreak, and life with lyrically catching songs.

The perfectly timed album opener “Love” shows the fresh wounds of a break up, the numbness that occurs, and the realization that it doesn’t matter where you are or who you are with it, it all feels the same. While “Scratch” takes the listener on an up-tempo quest to find a replacement, to fill the void left, if only for the night.

Front-runner for favorite song off The Wilderness has to be “Drunks Prefer Lies,” complete with stunning string section. The dichotomy of who you are and who you become once under the influence. After all, with some liquid courage, we have the ability to convince ourselves of anything. “I’ll be drunk tonight/It may not be right/Cause when the going gets tough/Drunks prefer lies.” Though a close second would be the country-inspired “Who Told You You Were Right” with pedal steal guitar. Meanwhile album closer “Spread Too Thin” is skillfully subdued with airy vocals and hymn-like tendencies.

Aside from his beautifully crafted songs, Colin Smith is an artist after my own heart. Accompanying his download of The Wilderness, he included a note in which he said it is “more important that as many people as possible are able to have, love and listen to the album than it is for [him] to make $.99 a song.” Although I happen to be in the minority of folks who see value in music and therefore doesn’t mind paying for it, I have to applaud an artist who is willing to rank financial gain below obscurity.

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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!

Sister Hazel, the five-piece southern rock band most known for their massive hit “All For You,”plans to release a digital EP, entitled “Threeve,” on June 1st. The EP features three brand-new songs: “All The Love,” “My Heart,” and “Can’t Fight It.”

The EP is the first collection of new music that will be released by the band this year. They also plan to release a new studio full-length in October (yet-to-be-titled). In support of the forthcoming “Threeve,” the band will continue it’s road trek.

Fans will want to keep an eye on Sister Hazel’s official website, especially the store section where new merchandise will be added, including sheet music, which is a pretty sweet pick-up for any faithful fan. Check out current tour schedule for Sister Hazel after the jump.
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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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If Matt Nathanson and Eric Hutchinson had a baby, you just might get Kevin Hammond. Hammond is the latest singer-songwriter whose found a way to blend undeniable folk rock with pop undertones to create catchy tunes. But what sets him apart from his contemporaries is his ability to jump from falsetto to his modal register with ease.

And like his biography hints to, Hammond just might have been a child prodigy who was buying time until he got his chance to shine. It states “most kids grow up amusing themselves with G.I. Joes, Tonka Trucks and Sunday morning Cartoons. Kevin Hammond, however, was raised in a household of musical instruments. He taught himself guitar as a child and began to hone his song-writing abilities as a teenager.”

Safe to say, Hammond is well on his way after signing a deal with A&M/Octone Records and releasing his self-titled EP in 2009, which includes a cover of Gnarls Barkely’s “Crazy.” He’s currently gearing up for his full-length album due out later this year, so keep that on your radar. In the meantime, check out Hammond performing “Maybe” at Pianos in NYC, which showcases his distinctive style.

Although we’re still early into 2010, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’ve been anxiously awaiting the latest release Lost Souls Like Us from Benjy Davis Project. With anticipation like that, I guess it’s fairly easy to be disappointed with the final outcome. Don’t get me wrong, Lost Souls Like Us isn’t a bad album, per se, it’s just not overall representative of what I was expecting from BDP after the well-rounded, emotionally stellar Dust. And it certainly doesn’t live up to the high bar set by lead single “Stay With Me” a mandolin-driven song about love with room for interpretation, whether in the moment or reflection, with intensely personal lyrics written by Benjy Davis himself.

The album opens with “Mississippi,” a pretty safe ode to the wandering road-life as only a young musician can paint. It’s followed up by the light-hearted “Get High” that the college kids are sure to eat up. While these tracks aren’t necessarily throwaways, they’re also not particularly memorable, which seems to be the issue with the album until the midway point where things start to come to life.

Aside from “Stay With Me,” which is one of our favorite songs hands down, “Slow Wind” is beautifully reflective where Davis shines both vocally as well as lyrically. “Check Your Pockets” brings some good ol’ sunny southern rock courtesy of the guys’ Louisiana roots, which is sure to have you singing along to.

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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).

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