Says the Hermosa Beach, CA, Easy Reader of Firstman's sound these days – the one he sought to capture on "Live At The Treehouse": "Firstman. has stripped back his music from the 'professional badass ninja' full band ensembles of his early years to just his voice, guitar, and songs alone on the stage. Along the way, something fundamental has happened. Firstman's early music was wildly exuberant, frenetic, sometimes frantic – 'one fluid flow of mania,' as he has described it. Now he's slowed it down. Every note counts. His music has grown more ragged, simple, and truthful."
"Live At The Treehouse" is the follow-up to Firstman's early 2010 release, "El Porto." He plans to continue touring in support of the new disc; he usually clocks in over 200 shows per year. In 2010, he hit the road first with The White Buffalo, labelmate Ernie Halter, Josh Hoge, and Jay Nash, Matt Duke, Keaton Simons, BJ Barham and Jay Buchanan. In the past, he's toured with folks like Sheryl Crow, Jewel and Willie Nelson.
Prior to "El Porto," which was released on Rock Ridge Music, Firstman put out a full-length ("The War of Women") and an EP ("Wives Tales") on Atlantic, plus another full-length ("DrAma") and live EP ("Live at The Sandbox"), which were released independently. Firstman has sold over 40,000 albums to date. In 2009, Firstman's full-time, four-year job as bandleader on "Last Call with Carson Daly" ended in when the show was restructured."
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"His brief, eight-song set earned him a standing ovation - unheard of for a warm-up act.With his piano-powered attack and his rock eclecticism, newcomer Joe Firstman reminds you of Elton John when he was still young. Firstman is the real thing. Look for him as a contender for Best New Artist at the Grammys." - New York Post
"He's growing. His songs are more shambling and rootsy and the production is less slick than his Atlantic output. He's still got that special effervescence and crazy versatility, but his voice is emerging stronger and clearer with each subsequent release." - The Easy Reader
"His 40-minute set walloped the audience with its energy and its promise of what this young singer-songwriter may accomplish," - South Bend Tribune
"The band vibrated with the sense that they had something to prove Firstman appeared every ounce the promising star. The audience hung on his every word." - The Des Moines Register
"He's a songwriter to keep an eye on." - The Providence Journal
"amazing Firstman's bluesy voice worked perfectly with the roots rocker numbers, and, when he shifted to piano, the band sounded like a mix between Lowell George-era Little Feat with a dash of The Band and a touch of the Black Crowes." - Ft. Myers News-Press
"Lucky for them they showed up for Joe Firstman. The multi-talented barefoot musician stomped the ground and his piano keys through a set that had echoes of Bruce Hornsby & the Range or The Band." - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
