Charlotte native Joe Firstman returns Saturday

Last week "L.A. Weekly" ran a story about Charlotte native Joe Firstman. Firstman is a singer-songwriter and the former band leader on "Last Call with Carson Daly." He who moved to Hollywood on a Greyhound over a decade ago to chase the age old rock n' roll dream. Firstman enjoyed a freshman run with Atlantic Records, releasing a good album that didn't sell that well although here at home he was a staple on Charlotte-based Muzak. I heard him a lot at the coffee shop where I worked. He toured with Willie Nelson and Jewel and co-wrote a song for the latter's country album.

I've interviewed him several times and I always liked Joe and his music. Since becoming an independent artist he's released quite a bit of material on his own. Check it out here. Musically he's a soul singer and a rock singer and a piano crooner with a knack for writing Southern, country, and folk-based tunes. He's versatile in a way that I don't always know what to expect from him when I'm sent a new release, but I enjoy that lack of predictability. I think I once saw him cover the theme to "Fraggle Rock" at Neighborhood Theatre, for instance. But I may have dreamed that up.

Firstman returns for a hometown show with Meiko, 10 p.m. Saturday at NoDa's Evening Muse.

You can learn much more about Firstman's ups and downs from the "L.A. Weekly" story here.

(Photo from www.joefirstman.com)