Ben Nichols has been playing some new Lucero tunes during his solo tour last Spring and Women and Work is the album I’m most looking forward to this year. It’ll be released on March 13th, right before they hit Austin for SxSW. I expressed my regrets to Woody yesterday for missing Lucero two years ago after our SxSW party. He informed me that I was indeed there and that I had a great time. I think this strange form of amnesia is a common phenomenon among Lucero fans…
Ben Nichols of Lucero is embarking on a quixotic motorcycle trip through the South with a guitar strapped to his back. While most musicians would take time off to relax between their band’s tour dates, Ben is spending his vacation on two wheels and in front of small crowds of Lucero’s most loyal fans. I, being one of these cult fans for many years, couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see Ben perform solo – even if it was on Easter Sunday in a spooky room called Purgatory at Masquerade in Atlanta.
I stepped onto a back deck outside Masquerade where much of the pre-show crowd congregated to take in the beautiful 70 degree evening under the stars. Ben chatted with some fans and then briefly with me and HearYa longtime friend, Tim Sweetwood, who handles booking and promotion at Masquerade. I’d seen Ben perform solo only once before at our SxSW 2010 party and he killed it, but this night was different. Away from the hustle of SxSW, he (not surprisingly) seemed more serene. He had a rough draft of a set list in his mind that included most of the songs from his Last Pale Light In The West solo EP, but the majority of the show was driven by requests from the crowd.
In a day where bands are “social” with fans via Facebook and Twitter, but sometimes move through set lists with military-like discipline, it was refreshing to see a musician and his fans determining the course of the night together, with mutual admiration for one another. And collaborative alcohol consumption. At one point in the night, Ben was handed a tin flask from a fan and he asked “What’s in it?” Before the fan could answer he said, “Fuck it, I’ll drink it.” Such was the night. Ben would perform a crowd favorite, sip (or gulp) bourbon, chase with a coke, and repeat. If he had trouble remembering words to the song requests, he’d get cues from the crowd before starting each verse.
Highlights from the two hour long set were everything from Last Pale Light In The West, Bikeriders, Sixteen, Kiss The Bottle, My Best Girl, Nights Like These, Slow Dancing, and covers of Townes Van Zandt and Joey Kneiser (of Glossary). The Kneiser cover was particularly special. If you haven’t already, download Joey’s solo album for free here. Ben introduced the song by saying that “Bruised Ribs” is a song he wished he’d written and that Joey offered these for free because they were “just some acoustic songs he threw together.” Ben sarcastically said something like “that fucking asshole,” then played the song.
It’s that humble, accessible stage presence that draws me back to every Lucero show. Ben feeds off of the crowd’s energy and strives to deliver a collaborative experience. He remarked that he was shocked that so many folks came out to see him (the show sold out). It may be time for Nichols to recalibrate his expectations. He may be underestimating the loyalty and passion of Lucero fans, even on Sunday night religious holidays.
You can get a taste of the night in the (low quality) video I took below.
My friend Nick and I went to the Lucero show the other night at the new Bottom Lounge in Chicago. I say new because the first time I saw Lucero was at the old Bottom Lounge years ago.‚ The new digs are way better (read: you don’t have to wipe your feet off before you go outside). The acoustics are surprising given the high ceiling and the stage is rather large for a venue of its size, which is a good thing because these days Lucero weigh in at roughly ten people counting horns, keys and the obligatory roadie who fetches beer and shots for the band.
I have seen Lucero several times in Chicago, as well as a few shows in Austin and a set in LA, and they’ve really been all over the map: from scintillating to shitty¦depending on their sobriety (or lack thereof). I’ve seen John pass-out mid song, Ben forget lyrics, Brian nearly fall over and Roy get so pissed at his drum set he kicked it over, but I’ve never seen anything like this show.
On Saturday night, Lucero was tight. Their music was noticeably different. And it wasn’t just the horn section. During the first song I thought to myself, wow this is really good; and when the song ended I turned to Nick and asked what he thought. He said, “It seems like they’re actually trying.” So many times in the past it’s felt like they were just up there to have fun, but on this night they came to play music (granted, by the end of the show they were all ass-hammered but so was everyone).
The band was energized. The set list ping-ponged between tracks from their infectious new album and old staples. Highlights included “That Much Further West,” “Smoke,” and “Hey Darling Do You Gamble.” Ben even threw in “The Last Pale Light in the West” off his solo EP of the same name. The horn section really brought new songs to life in a whole new manner and”surprisingly”added a fullness to the old chestnuts. The one downside seemed to be the couple times the horns were searching for a sense of purpose and wound up aping a guitar riff note for note. Aside from that I have no complaints.
The boys didn’t take the stage ’til 11:30 and didn’t relinquish it until nearly 2:00 on the AM dial. Needless to say everyone got what they came for. For those of you out there questioning the band’s new approach music, I say go check it out. You won’t be disappointed.
Okay, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. The horns. Anyone that has heard Lucero’s new album (and their major label debut), 1372 Overton Park, has an opinion on the issue and I have been sitting on the fence. I like the fact that they are paying homage to their hometown of Memphis and the trademark sound that put it on the music map. After numerous listens, I see the horns as a nice addition to the continuing growth of the Lucero sound.
The tunes where the horns play a less prominent role are my current favorites. On “Can’t Feel A Thing,” the band dials it back while Ben channels his inner Bruce. When I reviewed Rebels, Rogues and Sworn Brothers a few years back I noticed that the band had some similarities to The Boss. That influence continues to shine through here and on “Hey Darlin’ Do You Gamble.”
And while the slower tunes were the ones to hook me immediately, the boys have a number of premium rockers throughout the album. “Sounds Of The City” shows where the horns and keys polish the older Lucero sound to perfection. Then after the hoo-hah about the horns and major label debut, Ben delivers a knockout closer in the sensitive ballad, “Mom.” In the same spirit as “The War” off of Nobody’s Darlings, expect goosebumps every time Ben steps to the mic to sing this tune.
1372 Overton Park is an excellent album full of all the things that made you love Lucero in the first place. Do I think its as good as the gold standard of Lucero albums, Tennessee? Not quite yet, but who knows what time will do to change my mind.
We’re big fans of the NineBullets blog and they wrote up a great review while also providing the tracks below.
I’m loving this PR strategy by Lucero. As you know, they asked fans to create music videos for each song on their upcoming album, 1372 Overton Park (release date Oct. 6th). These videos ain’t exactly home movies on camcorders. Video: Lucero – Johnny Davis Johnny Davis from Lucero on Vimeo. Tweet
We’re getting dangerously close to the release of two of my most anticipated albums of the year with Lucero’s 1372 Overton Park and The Avett Brothers’ I And Love And You. Lucero is promoting the album with fan created videos of each song. Here’s the first video released for “Darken My Door.” Look for the [...]
Lucero has been on the road performing new songs and Heather over at Fuel for Friends compiled a nice collection of live versions to download. The quality (other than this one) aren’t great, but it’ll give you a flavor of what to expect. Lucero – Hey Darling, Do You Gamble (Acoustic) Head over to Fuel [...]
Lucero followed Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears at Slims on Saturday and put on a great performance. They played a few new songs (the first batch from their upcoming major label debut) and seem to be making their sound more accessible. You’ll hear more piano infused in the new stuff and, dare I say [...]
The artwork above was found at Colorcubic, an ultra-hip design firm that handles multimedia, print, branding, etc. This poster will be made available in their online store. We may say good riddance to 2008 as a nation, but as we posted our top 50 albums of 2008, it was easy to reflect on an amazing [...]
Ben Nichols, lead singer of Lucero, will be releasing his first solo record The Last Pale Light In The West in early 2009. The album is an acoustic piece inspired by the book Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy and it would make Wilie Nelson proud.‚ It’s the perfect soundtrack for a western movie, where outlaws [...]
