Blues singer, songwriter, guitarist Casey James lit up the stage at The Loft at City Winery in New York City. Located at 155 Varick Street on the second floor above the parent venue, City Winery, The Loft at City Winery, is an intimate venue that opened in May 2018, and provided longtime, as well as first time, Casey James fans with the opportunity to experience his creative talent up-close and personal.
Casey James
Live at The Loft at City Winery, NYC
Having heard and loved Casey James’ killer new release, Casey James – Strip It Down, on Friday, July 6, 2018, we went to The Loft at City Winery to experience Casey James live and were wowed by his talent and his generosity as a musician, taking time out before the show to do a meet and greet with VIP guests, and again after the show providing more fans the opportunity to come by and say hello. Blues fans are loyal fans, and if indicated by the number of fans who had traveled great distances from across the United States to hear him perform in New York City, Casey James has earned some very loyal, and well-deserved, fans.
Casey James
As a bit ofa backstory for those new to Casey James and his music, he grew up in Cool, Texas, started playing guitar at age 13, and was a finalist on the American television program, American Idol on Season 9. From there he launched his solo career, which has skyrocketed to great success. He and his wife Kelli and their two children now call Nashville, Tennessee home, where he has firmly secured his place in the Blues Rock genre.
David Parks
Casey James, playing with Eric Glover on keys, Tommy Lee on bass, and David Parks on drums, opened the show with the song, Messin’ Around, a cutoff his new 14-track release, Casey James – Strip ItDown, released in June 2017, which had the audience cheering.
Eric Glover and Tommy Lee
Next on the setlist was another great cut off the new release, All I Need., followed by Let’s Don’t Call It A Night, which Casey introduced as his first single, released in 2012, a Texas Blues, Rock, Country song that thrilled long time fans to hear onetheir old favorites. Casey and the band continued with two more cuts off the new release with Bullet proof and I Got To Go.
Casey James
A veteran performer who engages his audience, Casey introduced the next song, Hard Times, Heartaches & Scars, as when he was 21, he was in a motorcycle accident and almost died. He damaged his right leg and his left arm, and while in the hospital, the doctors wanted to fuse his left wrist, which would have left him without the opportunity to play guitar. His mother advocated for him not to have his wrist fused to his arm. Although his arm healed he has limited ability to rotate his arm, but rest assured, Casey James is a darn fine guitarist who has worked through the pain to get where he is today and played 6 different guitars during his performance to get the exact sound that he wanted for his well-crafted songs.
He explained that he wrote the song, as a redemptive song, about coming through the experience and appreciating what he has. The cut is one of our favorites on the release and hearing it performed live was fabulous.
Listen to a video clip of Hard Times, Heartaches & Scars – https://youtu.be/q9TRz8B6Vnc.
Casey James
Casey followed with Need Your Love So Bad, Different Kind of Love, and Stupid Crazy, which he introduced by explaining that after time with Sony, he started writing songs that he wanted to hear. He wrote Stupid Crazy in his head while he was in bed. The next day, he hummed it to his wife and asked her what she thought, ands he said it was okay, so he wrote it down. The result is a catchy song that once heard, keeps playing in your head long after the album, or in this case, the performance, ends.
Taking fans back to his first eponymous album, Casey James, he played the song, Drive, followed by a fabulous cover of the 1971 Bill Withers song, Ain’t No Sunshine, which had the audience dancing in their seats. Casey and the band closed out the performance with a cover of one of his favorite artists, Tad Benoit, with Tad’s 1992 song, So High, off Tab’s Nice and Warm album.
Casey James and Debra C. Argen
A meet and greet after the show completed the exceptional Casey James experience at The Loft at City Winery in New York City.
About The Loft at City Winery: "Introducing The Loft at City Winery: a new, even more intimate space featuring City Winery’s signature sound, sightlines, and service! Located one floor up from our main venue, it promises guests more ways to indulge their senses with programming that ranges from City Winery favorites to up-and-coming acts to theatrical productions to talks, classes and more. A food menu with concert-friendly plates and full drink menu (with plenty of–you guessed it–wine that’s made in house!) rounds out the offering. The Barrel Room Lounge is a natural extension of our Barrel Room restaurant, offering the same wine inspired, regionally influenced, and locally sourced cuisine that we’ve offered for a decade in a warm, casual setting. Guests are welcome join us in the Lounge prior to concerts for the best of both worlds. The Loft’s Private Dining Room has room for up to 40 guests, with flexible configurations that make it ideal for everything from corporate presentations to multi-course meals. Collaborate with our private events team to craft the perfect experience."
Until next time, keep enjoying the music!
Want to read more about Casey James? Read our interview with Casey James and our review of Casey James – Strip It Down.
If you want to catch one of Casey James upcoming shows, here’s a sampling of some of the placeswhere he will be playing. To see the entire tour calendar, please visit: www.CaseyJamesOfficial.com
Casey James Tour Calendar
|
Back to Back Foundation, Ky, KY |
July 28, 2018 |
|
|
The Griffin, El Dorado, AR |
August 2, 2018 |
|
|
Verizon Theatre w/ Delbert McClinton, Grand Prairie, TX |
August 3, 2018 |
|
|
Dosey Doe, Spring, TX |
August 26, 2018 |
|
|
Mountain Heritage Festival, Whitesburg, KY |
September 29, 2018 |
|
|
The Visualite, Charlotte, NC |
September 30, 2018 |
|
|
Forgotten Music Festival, Mexico Beach, FL |
November 2, 2018 |
|
|
903 Music Fest, Longview, TX |
November 12, 2018 |
|
A sampling of upcoming shows at The Loft at City Winery. To see the entire calendar, please visit: www.CityWinery.com/TheLoft
The Loft at City Winery Upcoming Shows
|
Billy Strings |
July 17, 2018 |
|
Michael McDermott & Jesse Terry |
July 19, 2018 |
|
Corazon de Granada |
July 27, 2018 |
|
Netherfriends |
July 28, 2018 |
|
A Beautiful Celebration of Jazz Brunch |
July 29, 2018 |
|
Alexis Suter Band |
August 1, 2018 |
|
Buckwheat Zydeco Jr and The Legendary Ils Sont Partis Band |
August 7, 2018 |
|
Bonomo & Strange Familia |
August 8, 2018 |
|
Vanessa Collier |
August 12, 2018 |
|
Popa Chubb |
August 14, 2018 |
|
The Everly Brothers Experience |
August 15, 2018 |
|
Chapell with American Nomads |
August 16, 2018 |
|
Albert Cummings |
August 19, 2018 |
|
Shawn Mullins |
August 21, 2018 |
|
Alicia Witt |
August 28, 2018 |
|
John Joegenson Quintet |
September 12, 2018 |
|
Teitur |
September 14, 2018 |
|
Darling West |
September 16, 2018 |
|
Ana Popovic |
September 17, 2018 |
|
Birds of Chicago CD Release |
September 25, 2018 |
|
Stephane Wrembel |
October 5, 2018 |
|
Alex Clare |
October 6, 2018 |
|
Nobody’s Girl |
November 11, 2018 |
The Loft at City Winery
155 Varick Street, 2nd Floor (located between Spring and Vandam Streets)
New York, New York 10013
United States
Telephone: +1-212-608-0555
Website: www.CityWinery.com/TheLoft
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/CityWineryNYC
Twitter: @CityWineryNYC
Follow Casey James on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/CaseyJamesOfficial
Follow City Winery on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/CityWineryNYC
Follow Luxury Experience on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LuxuryExperience to see photos and videos.
Follow Luxury Experience on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/LuxuryPair
© July 2018. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved.
