True to form, Halter pairs his skillful song writing abilities with the laid back, raw acoustic stylings fans have come to expect from him to create a solid soulful collection of songs. Halter isn’t afraid to change paces throughout the album, which is apparent as the album opener, the uptempo, catchy “Hard to Let a Good Love Go” segues beautifully to the slow, bare-bones “Angel,” which celebrates love found. Meanwhile the singer gets in touch with his country side for “We Got Love,” which was penned in Nashville with Lady Antebellum guitarist Jason “Slim” Gambill.

For the album closer, Halter teams up with label-mate Tony Lucca on the piano based standout “This Beautiful Ache,” which also features vocals from singer-songwriter Amy Kuney. The song’s premise describes both the pain and pleasure a memory can bring — something we can all relate to in life. But it’s Halter’s raw vocals set against minimalist production that makes “This Beautiful Ache” that much more haunting.

Long time Ernie Halter fans will certainly enjoy Franklin & Vermont, while the album also serves as a perfect introduction for new fans.  Franklin & Vermont hits stores on June 29th, but in the meantime, you can give Halter’s “Hard to Let a Good Love Go” a listen thanks to our friends at Rock Ridge Music.

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.

Let us not forget to mention “Always,” the tender ballad dedicated to the new lady in Mr. Lucca’s life — his daughter — in which he promises his undying love. Of course, fans will need to get used to this new kind of love song from the singer, but one thing’s certain, fatherhood has inspired Mr. Lucca in the most positive way.

Rendezvous With The Angels is Tony Lucca’s most-rounded, mature material to date. I highly recommend purchasing this album (July 13) as it plays extremely well as a solid piece of work as well as stands alone track for track. Now, someone explain to me why this man is not a household name?

Update: Our friends at Rock Ridge hooked us up with a stream of “Long Love Letter” – give it a listen.

Past Tony Lucca Coverage:

TRT Interviews: Tony Lucca

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.

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.

TRT:Recently, you were one of the artists our site included in March Music Madness where fans voted their favorite artists through single-elimination rounds. You made it to the Elite 8 – can you tell us a bit about your fans and their support over the years? Is it easier to connect with them thanks to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter?

TL: Goodness. It’s weird because I’d love to think that my “fans” are all participating in the whole social networking thing to the same extent. It would make my job a lot easier, but there’s fans through YouTube, fans through Facebook, Twitter, and now Pandora, and they’re all separate from one another. I have people telling me they used to be fans of mine “back in the day” and had no idea I was still making music until they heard me on Limewire. Limewire?? I’ve had my own .com domain for 12 years!! You can’t assume anything these days. You have to be diligent and thorough and you’ve got to have help. Good help. Reliable people helping you keep your bases covered. You’ll never cover them all yourself.

TRT: Your latest record, Come Around Again is a slight departure from acoustic offerings your fans are accustomed to as well as lyrically more politically driven, do you see yourself moving in this direction more?

TL: Somethings just go better with electric guitar – it felt like the right time for that record. The new record should be a bit more familiar sounding. Quite a few more love songs. various aspects of Love. Seems to be what I return to the most.

TRT: You opened for Sara Bareilles on her recent Gravity tour. Can you talk about that experience? Are her stories off stage as funny as the ones she tells on stage?

TL: Sara is one of the coolest people I’ve encountered in all my years of being in entertainment. She’s funny. She’s sharp. She’s a great boss. She’s graceful when she needs to be and completely uncut the rest of the time. During her set she told a story about how she used to write me fan letters when I was on the Mickey Mouse Club — Letters that would go unreturned. Crowds got a kick out of it. I finally had a chance to put a card on her piano before she took the stage one night, apologizing for never returning her letters — something like “better late than never?”

TRT: It’s been a while since you’ve played the back catalog, including “Two Trains,” “She’s True,” or “Hollywood Chain Gang,” have you retired these for good?

TL: Not retired just not really feeling compelled to share those sentiments with folks these days. You write new songs and inevitably those are the thoughts you want to share, those are the things you’re most recently inspired by and you want others to hear them. often, as an opener especially, you’re only given so much time for your set and so it’s a matter of playing the stuff that people want to hear vs. what you’d like them to hear. I’m never above a heartfelt request though and time permitting, nothing in the catalogue is off limits. That’s just poor form.

TRT SOAP BOX: Tell us anything, upcoming projects, any chance of an MMC reunion of sorts via duet with Matt Morris and/or Justin Timberlake?

TL: New record, due out this summer (2010), lots more touring. some side projects (stay tuned for a TFDI part 2). I might actually return to Michigan and make a record with some of the first guys I ever played music with back in grade school — they’re actually some of my favorite players. As for Timberlake? that joker owes me a phone call.

Past Tony Lucca Coverage:
March Music Madness: Elite 8
Concert Footage: Tony Lucca & Tyrone Wells at City Winery, 3-18-10
Free Music: Tony Lucca & Keaton Simmons “Case of You”
Live Footage: Tony Lucca Premieres New Song “Anchored”
Review: Tony Lucca – Sullivan Hall, 12-11-09

Ms. Arrison took time out from her busy recording schedule to chat with TRT. She was kind enough to give us some insight as to her musical influences, what fans can expect from her upcoming album, and her reaction to taking the March Music Madness title. And while Ms. Arrison takes her music very seriously, wasn’t afraid to let her guard down and let her personality shine through. She even indulged our desire to name-drop some of the industry’s greatest whom she calls her friends. Read our interview with Ashley Arrison below.

TRT: As the reigning champion of TRT’s first ever March Music Madness tournament voted on by the fans, can you tell us what it meant to you to have tremendous fan support pushing you through each round? Were you surprised at all?

AA: Are you kidding? So surprised. First, I thought it was cruel to pit me against Rhianna in the first round! After I won that round, I knew this was a battle of indies, so I was sure I didn’t have a chance against Tony Lucca, who I love! And then Matthew Mayfield started talking smack and the heat was turned up! But seriously, every single one of these artists have bigger fan bases than I do at this point, so it is a true testament to my fans that they rallied like they did. The re-tweets and mass emails were in effect!

TRT: For readers out there who aren’t familiar with your music, can you describe your sound/influences?

AA: Music is my identity. And it can be awkward to describe your identity. You don’t want to screw it up! I think I am influenced by 2 things: Love and Location. Every song I’ve ever written or recorded has been about romantic love (let’s be honest, mostly unrequited) and I think the music has always been influenced by LA and Nashville, as I am from Tennessee and I’ve lived in LA for the last 10 years (we actually have a place in TN, now, too, so I split my time between the two.) My songs are always lyric based and that comes from my love of well crafted country songs and singer songwriters like James Taylor, Sarah McLachlan, Ryan Adams…

TRT: You’re getting ready to release your debut full-length album in July, can you tell us a little about the album? What can fans expect to hear?

AA: I am so excited and proud of the new album. I need an album title (think I’m gonna get the fans input on that soon…) Its just so me. Every song is a window into who I am or an experience I’ve had. In contrast to the EP, which was very bare bones instrument wise, this album is very full and lush sounding. It is heavy with pianos, keys, melatrons, wurly’s, celestes, toy pianos. The background vocals feel like their own instrument sometimes. Just yesterday, string players (check out The Section Quartet) played on two of the songs. It’s so beautiful. The album feels like the soundtrack of my life.

TRT: We’ve had the pleasure of previewing a few songs off the upcoming album and there appears to be both musical and lyrical maturation from your 2008 EP Talking Circles. What inspired you during this writing and recording process?

AA: Talking Circles was really about dipping my toes in the water as a solo artist. I had sung for other people for so long, but I had never really tried to front my own project. I was scared! Aben Eubanks, who co-produced the project with Chad Copelin, was a huge part of giving me the confidence to go for it. And I feel like I put my toes in the water and it felt good and I’m proud of the EP for what is was. But this new album, in contrast, is more like jumping into the water with your clothes on because you just can’t help yourself. I know who I am, I know what I want to say… After playing so many live shows these past 2 years and writing and growing in every way, I feel totally confident in what I’m putting out there. I think that will come through.

As far as inspiration, I think some things I needed to get off my chest – when we sat down to write a few of these, it felt like I didn’t have a choice about what I was going to write about. Old baggage that needed to come out artistically. A few of the songs I didn’t write, but it felt like I did, so I knew I had to add them to the project. And my relationship with a touring musician definitely inspired a few tracks! Missing someone half of the year provides great inspiration! And that relationship is a very happy one, so I wrote the first happy song I’ve ever written for this album!

TRT: You’ve worked with/for some music industry heavyweights (Radney Foster, Kelly Clarkson, Jon Brion), did they impart any wisdom/advice as you get set to embark on your own career?

AA: It’s funny you name those 3 musicians because when I look at those names it completely amuses me how different the 3 are as artists… I’ve taken so much from those 3 specifically, sometimes by way of literal advice, but most times, just by observing. I love watching how KC interacts with fans and I could write a book on how impressed I am with how she stands up for herself in this business. She runs her own show, she makes many of the tough phone calls.

Jon Brion’s musical integrity can not be rivaled. He’s turned down the biggest projects known to man (even Twilight). Money has nothing to do with any decision, only inspiration. I’ve learned from him the importance of having a trusted team around you.

Radney has taught me so much over the years. He has taught me to just keep writing – that not every song is going to be great. He’s taught me, of late, how important pre show vocal warm ups are. And he’s taught me a lot about navigating a career while having a family.

SOAPBOX: Tell us anything you want — upcoming shows, people you’ve met, do you still bust out those sweet dance moves featured in the “Opposites Attract” performance with Justin Timberlake?

AA: Let’s see… I overuse the phrase “suck it”. Classy, right? And I use the word “hooker” as a term of endearment. Courtney Love has hissed at me like a cat while only wearing her underwear. I’ve listened to Madonna complain about English nannies (she prefers the French nannies.) I used to manage some big LA recording studios, so I have a story about everyone.

Oh, and I still bust out those sweet dance moves when I’ve had too much to drink. It’s a great party trick.

Upcoming shows:

July 1 – Nashville, TN at 12th and Porter. My CD release party (and my birthday) with Shane McAnally, Rachel Loy, and Jill and Kate.
July 4 – Atlanta, GA at Eddie’s Attic. This is my favorite venue to play and there will be awesome fireworks right outside the club.
July 6 – Chicago, IL at Martyr’s. My first time playing in Chicago! So excited because I have some of the coolest fans there and Martyr’s is an awesome venue.
August 13 – New York, NY at The Canal Room. Friday the 13th! WooHoo! Excited to be playing such an awesome sounding room on Friday night! NY shows are always the most crazy.

I’m adding more club shows soon, but we are also playing Living Room shows in Memphis, Cincinnati, and Birmingham in July and August. For more information about how to have us play in your living room, go to www.ashleyarrison.com

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…).

Past Results

First Round: No. 1 vs. No. 8
First Round: No. 2 vs. No. 7
First Round: No. 3 vs. No. 6
First Round: No. 4 vs. No. 5
Sweet 16 (Friday)
Sweet 16 (Monday)
Elite Eight
Final Four
Championship

Broken Social Scene, Tony Lucca and Matthew Mayfield set the tone on the first day of competition by upsetting top seeds Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas and Lil Wayne. And No. 7 seeds The Dirty Rooks and Daphne Willis, along with today’s finalists, followed suit by knocking off tough opponents in Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Justin Bieber and Rihanna. After two days, it was hardly surprising that seven of the final eight artists and bands were made up of the lower four seeds. Their grassroots followings have clearly made the difference over the course of the last two weeks.

Final Four results

(7) Beat Radio def. (4) Vampire Weekend
(7) Ashley Arrison def. (8) Matthew Mayfield

TRT Music Madness Championship

(7) Beat Radio vs. (7) Ashley Arrison

Beat Radio

At first glance, it appeared as though Beat Radio would have squeaked their way through four rounds to end up in today’s championship. After all, Justin Bieber might be one of the most popular acts currently roaming through cyberspace. And Dave Matthews Band earned their early-career meal ticket by touring across the nation, building a loyal fan base through grassroots promotion.

It would be difficult to label Broken Social Scene a slouch, especially in TRT Music Madness if for no other reason than knowing they sent Lady Gaga packing in the opening round. But the numbers don’t lie. By the time the final vote was tallied in last night’s Final Four, Beat Radio’s fans had out-voted the competition an average of 42.5 votes per round. Their closest competitor was Vampire Weekend which secured 43 percent of yesterday’s vote. Vampire Weekend had already ruined the hopes of The Dirty Rooks when popularity won out against the Chicago-based band.

After watching Tuesday’s Elite Eight battle, the Beat Radio faithful were determined to not let, what one voter likened to a UB40 cover band, destroy the dreams of another indie project hoping to succeed. But Beat Radio might have their hands full today against a tough opponent that has broken voting records in the Elite Eight and Final Four.

Ashley Arrison

A loyal fan base and soothing vocals worthy of bringing the worlds most vile criminals to their knees made Ashley Arrison an automatic favorite in TRT Music Madness. But a first-round match-up with Grammy Award winner Rihanna didn’t make things easy. That’s why Ashley Arrison was quickly dubbed the tournament’s “Cinderella” (ella – ella, eh – eh).

Fortunately for Ms. Arrison, her fans didn’t disappoint, and she lived up to the hype by setting voting records in the Elite Eight and Final Four — records that are likely to be broken today. After swiping an impressive 93 percent of the vote from Rihanna, Arrison stepped past Tegan and Sara setting up an Elite Eight battle against Tony Lucca that had The Round Table’s Web master anticipating a site shutdown.

The site didn’t crash and no one was harmed, but Arrison broke Lucca’s voting record by 37 votes, only to shatter the mark in yesterday’s Final Four by 132 votes in her win over Matthew Mayfield. The message board was buzzing and fans were trash-talking through Twitter in what ended in an intense battle. Hopefully they didn’t wear themselves out, because Arrison will need help fending off Beat Radio in what should be a fitting finish to The Round Table’s first Music Madness.

Ashley Arrison vs Beat Radio – Vote Here!

Past Results

First Round: No. 1 vs. No. 8
First Round: No. 3 vs. No. 6
First Round: No. 4 vs. No. 5
Sweet 16 (Friday)
Sweet 16 (Monday)
Elite Eight
Final Four

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

Final Four Match-ups

(7) Beat Radio vs. (4) Vampire Weekend
(7) Ashley Arrison vs. (8) Matthew Mayfield

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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.

Sweet 16 results
(8) Broken Social Scene def. (5) Passion Pit
(8) Beat Radio def. (3) Dave Matthews Band
(4) Vampire Weekend def. (1) Jay-Z
(7) The Dirty Rooks def. (6) Rural Alberta Advantage
(8) Tony Lucca def. (4) Ke$ha
(7) Ashley Arrison def. (6) Tegan and Sara
(8) Matthew Mayfield def. (4) Jason Derulo
(6) Sondre Lerche def. (7) Daphne Willis

Elite Eight Match-Ups

(8) Broken Social Scene vs. (7) Beat Radio
(4) Vampire Weekend vs. (7) The Dirty Rooks
(8) Tony Lucca vs. (7) Ashley Arrison
(8) Matthew Mayfield vs. (6) Sondre Lerche

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Past results
First Round: No. 1 vs. No. 8
First Round: No. 2 vs. No. 7
First Round: No. 3 vs. No. 6
First Round: No. 4 vs. No. 5
Sweet 16 (Friday)
Sweet 16 (Monday)

First Week Results
First Round: No. 1 vs. No. 8
First Round: No. 2 vs. No. 7
First Round: No. 3 vs. No. 6
First Round: No. 4 vs. No. 5

So far, the grassroots indie campaigns have represented well with three of the No. 8 seeds surviving to the Elite Eight, and all four No. 7s awaiting Monday’s action with hopes of doing the same.

Top-seeded Jay-Z was the only music giant to make it out of the first round, speaking volumes about the fan bases of Tony Lucca, Broken Social Scene and Matthew Mayfield.

Let’s just hope the site doesn’t crash on Tuesday. If the fans of Ashley “Cinderella” Arrison keep pace, we could have a heated battle between Ms. Arrison and Tony Lucca. With Tony Lucca and Matt Mayfield already advancing to Tuesday’s Elite Eight competition, they have combined with Ashley Arrison to account for 47 percent of the total vote through five days! Matthew Mayfield currently holds the single-day voting total record (206) with Tony Lucca (204) and Ashley Arrison (172) not far behind.

Monday’s match-ups will feature face-offs between Chicago booze-rockers The Dirty Rooks — who used an 11th-hour push to knock off Alicia Keys in the opening round — against Rural Alberta Advantage.

Ashley Arrison will take on Tegan and Sara, and Daphne Willis, who pulled off an impressive win over Ludacris, is set to face Sondre Lerche.

The final Sweet 16 battle will feature the tournament’s highest remaining seed in No. 3 Dave Matthews Band squaring off against Beat Radio.

Fan support has been nothing short of outstanding, and has without question proved that fans of The Round Table heavily favor indie and unsigned bands to the mainstream monsters. The early-round upsets even got TRT March Music Madness featured on The Village Voice, dubbed the most random NCAA Tournament-style music bracket on the Web. Maybe TRT can make another list by the time the champion is crowned on Thursday.

Monday’s Pairings
(3) Dave Matthews Band vs. (7) Beat Radio
(6) Rural Alberta Advantage vs. (7) The Dirty Rooks
(6) Tegan and Sara vs. (7) Ashley Arrison
(6) Sondre Lerche vs. (7) Daphne Willis