Tony Lucca at The Hotel Cafe :: Paint a Picture Tour
with Casey Buckley, Anna Rose, Keaton Simons, and The Rollaways

There is nothing quite like great live music, and there is nothing quite like discovering new music. The one thing I’ve learned from going to Tony Lucca shows is that you will have both experiences happen every time. Tony is not only a tremendous performer, but he has a keen ear for music, and is generous at sharing his show and stage with other musicians and bands, all of which I’m always grateful to have “musically met“. It makes for an energy that is infectious and a feeling of collaboration that reminds me of my time in ensemble theater groups back in my college days. In a way, it breaks the “fourth wall”, as well, making the audience feel part of the stage and show, as well.

Tony’s shows tend to be more music events than just a single artist’s concert. Last night felt more like a mini-festival, than a one-artist gig, and I loved every minute of it. When I left last night I had so much music spinning in my head, enough to feel like a mental jukebox (fair enough, my mind usually is), and I had a list of new artists that I wanted to listen to, and get further acquainted with, post haste. Oh my stars, discovering new music really does it for me – big time.

Let’s start at the beginning then, shall we?

As I settled into a spot at the venue, coming early as to not miss any of the opening acts (three on the bill), I was lucky not to miss New Jersey singer, Casey Buckley. Unassuming, with just a guitar and a sweet demeanor, Casey sang a set of personal songs with such vulnerability, and perfect pitch, that I found myself mesmerized. All but one song were original, and all but one song were played on an acoustic guitar. My favorite original, though, was performed on the piano (I have such a soft spot for piano – a song about the struggles of long-distance love, dedicated to a girl in California, called 3,000 Miles. The cover Casey did blew me away. It is not easy to master Thom Yorke and have it both become your own interpretation, and still do Thom’s crazy range justice. Casey did both with an amazing take on High and Dry that gave me all over chills. Casey is one to watch. I plan to feature more of his work here as his musical path unfolds. More to come, most definitely.

Check out more of Casey here.

Next up was powerhouse Anna Rose who lit the place on fire with her Janis Joplin meets Bettye Lavette, with a little Elle King thrown in sound. She took hold of everyone in the room and almost immediately had us moving. At one point, after she belted out her song Electric Child someone from the crowd screamed out “AGAIN!” in which she responded, “how about I do another? I promise I have more“, and more she did, each song exploding from the small stage and richocheting off the walls like rapid gun fire. Her set was over before we knew it, leaving behind this lingering buzz in the room that felt like a mix of racing pulse desire and really strong whiskey. Anna is fierce and fantastic, and another to keep an eye and ear on, let me tell you. I promise this won’t be the last you see of her here at lyriquediscorde.

Check out more of Anna here.

Next up was Keaton Simons who seemed to take the fire that Anna started and rain accelerator all over it. The walls continued to shake, and no one sat down again, no, instead we kept moving, rocking, and being sonically swept away. There seemed to be a lot of people in attendance who knew Keaton’s music already, illustrated by how they all knew his songs enough to scream-sing-a-long, but Keaton was new to me. That said, I was just as taken over by his performance, and am guaranteed to be one of those scream-singing-a-long the next time I catch him live. Beautiful Pain was my favorite of his set, though Masterpice, that included an interjection Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk towards the end, was pretty cool, too.

Check out more of Keaton here.

That’s a ton of good music already, right? And that was only the warming up of the crowd before Tony’s set. Tony went on a little early so he could get a few extra songs in, and brought out on to the stage Keaton Simons and The Rollaways (Steve Bentz and Mic Capdevielle) to play along with him, and the show began. Tony is a phenomenal performer. He exudes emotion and energy that embodies his music. Each song seems to explode out of every pore, music that takes over his body in a way that makes his guitar seem just an extension of his physical form. It is near impossible not to react to the music, to not be taken over by it, and to not have the music slip on into your bloodstream, taking over your pulse, and filling you everything with sound.

I have been loving Tony’s new album, self-titled, since its release. The songs have a touch of Nashville in them that have taken his already soulful songwriter/rock vibe and turned up the volume, adding a bit more blues to the mix. That said, as great as the album is, it does not hold a candle to how Tony and his band of fellow musicians sound live. I have said it before, and will most certainly say it again (and again), but Tony is amazing live. Electric, energetic, ROCK (in all capitals), passionate, personable, and generous in how he shares his stage with his fellow musicians, and with the way he engages the audience. He makes everyone feel a part of the show, and the music, and it makes a difference.

My favorites of the night? Smoke Em’, Imagination, Delilah, Bad Guy (a treat to hear a song from Tony’s older album, Shotgun), Old Girl (my favorite from the self-titled album), North Star (so beautiful on the piano!) and the end of the show number, Pretty Things, which has always been a “fan favorite“, and my favorite, too. For Pretty Things, Tony let Keaton take the mic for a verse, and had Steve singing-a-long, too. Oh, and the entire audience were a part of the “big group sing“, too. Those are some of the best moments in live music to me, when everyone’s voices come together with the singer, making it the closest thing to a real life musical that life provides.

The show was fucking amazing. Tony was phenomenal. Also, Mic and Steve (The Rollaways) were incredible. I hope to hear more of them in the future. All the opening acts were awesome, too. What a night of music!

Check out more of Tony here.

There are still a few more dates you can catch to see Tony Lucca’s Paint a Picture tour. If he is in your area you should go check the show out – you won’t regret it. See dates and buy tickets here

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Tony & Me – thanks for the music xo

Thanks for the night of incredible music, Tony, Steve, Mic, Keaton, Anna and Casey. What a great way to spend a Friday night in Los Angeles.