Joe Firstman goes from Carson Daly to Willie Nelson to "El Porto"

Joe Firstman keeps it simple.

He likes songs that tell a story and music to which everyone can relate. And this Tuesday at the Pour House, he'll certainly be singing and telling some stories off of his newest album, "El Porto," which just came out last month.

"This is the first album in a few years," Firstman said. "Since not being on that TV show I was with before, not having that distraction, a vault got opened up with creativity. I knew what I had to do if I wanted to eat. I wanted to have songs I would be excited about singing every night. I'm excited to have some singable songs and some stories I will be able to tell for a lot of years."

That TV show was NBC's "Last Call with Carson Daly," where he fronted the house band. Firstman has also collaborated with Bernie Taupin and opened for Jewel and Willie Nelson. Now, it's all about him and "El Porto."

"I would describe it as city, beach, brass music," he mused about his sound, "kinda like bluegrass, some rock and roll; it's American music."

"I just love the ensemble that I have. I love the way the songs are structured. They're meaty, good songs, very simple American music. I like that we get to go out and sing the hell out of them. They're very playable, very singable."

"This time, there's no drummer," Firstman continued. "Just two guitars and an upright bass. I'm a really good singer. I'm not a very good piano or guitar player, but I can sing. I love the songs and I want people to hear my voice while I have it. My voice has been feeling really good on this tour."

Firstman, now a Los Angeles resident, will use that voice to bring to life a place in his heart. He explains that El Porto is where he lives in Manhattan Beach. Once El Porto county, separate from L.A. County, it was known as the wild end of the South Bay.

Now it's known for its development and big houses, and according to Firstman, isn't that much fun anymore. Despite this, he still remembers El Porto like other area surfers — the place where he made many great friends, learned to surf and where it all happened for him.

"I think my job is to write songs and find someone to talk about," Firstman said. "My most ideal fantasy is writing songs about the condition and about people, about motorcycle jackets, about girls. I'm just trying to write songs about what's going on around me and talking about the things that I can see."

"I hope people see that it's music for everybody," Firstman said.

If you go

Who: Joe Firstman with Brian Wright

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Where: The Pour House, 1977 Maybank Hwy.

Cost: Free.

Hear HIS Music: Go to myspace.com/joefirstman

Info: Call 571-4343 or go to charlestonpourhouse.com.