The Round Table

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.

(more…)

credit: theedgitator.com

One of the many reasons why I love NYC is that even on a Monday you can walk into a bar and see kick-ass musicians. Last night was no exception. We started the evening as planned, checking out  Ashley Arrison perform at The Living Room.

From the moment Ashley stepped on stage, she owned the packed crowd with her rendition of Ryan Adams “New York, New York.” Honestly, if there’s ever a need to win over jaded New Yorkers, simply sing about their daily dysfunctional love of the city –  it works every time.

From there she moved into her own material, which included a nice mix of newer songs as well as older songs from her EP, Talking Circles. Ashley noted that she was currently working on a new album with her fiancee, Aben Eubanks, who was also part of her backing band for the evening. So it seemed fitting for her to perform “Right Behind You,” with Aben seated to her right as she sang “No matter where you are/I will never be too far away from you.”

(more…)

credit: AshleyArrison.com

A few months in the making, I’m finally going to see Ms. Ashley Arrison perform live as she makes her way to NYC to test out some new material. She’s no stranger to The Round Table as we’ve featured her a few times before, most recently covering her gig in Atlanta (from afar).

As previously stated, I first came to know Ashley’s music by stumbling upon her MySpace music page one night and was instantly hooked after purchasing her EP, Talking Circles. Her vocals are clean and crisp, a true songwriter with lyrics that not only paint a picture, but make you feel the emotion behind them.

Don’t take my word for it, if you happen to be in the NYC area tonight (Oct. 5th), come on down to The Living Room, 8p sharp, to experience Ashley Arrison for yourself. From what I’ve seen on YouTube so far, her live performances are even more moving than her recorded songs. We shall see — stay tuned for full review tomorrow.

While you wait, check out Ashley’s music after the cut — while you’re listening, head over to iTunes and purchase Talking Circles EP, you will not be disappointed.

(more…)