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:

Since we’re always in search of good, new music, we arrived early to watch The Benjy Davis Project who opened for Tony. We were very impressed as we were treated  to a flawless set, which began with Benjy Davis performing a few acoustic numbers solo. He was later joined by his backing band including Mic Capdevielle (drums), Matt Rusnak (bass guitar), and Jonathan Lawhun (electric guitar).

Don’t let Benjy Davis’ baby-face fool you — his lyrics are honest, intense, and speak of real life experiences perhaps even well beyond his years. His vocal delivery though strained at times packs a punch of raw emotion that can’t be ignored. Then there’s the band – perfectly timed and well versed that compliment Davis’ lyrics. The band members know when to let Davis shine on his own while also highlighting their individual talents.

The band is currently touring the U.S. in support of their latest release Dust, which features several must-hear tracks including “Over Me,” “Green and Blue,” “I Love You,” and “Still Sweet.” You can purchase Dust via the band’s website or on iTunes.

Check out the music video for “I Love You” below and also check their MySpace page to listen to more tracks.Be sure to check Rock Ridge Music to download a free sampler of The Benjy Davis Project (and Tony Lucca!!)