SXSW Itch Pick: Lucero
photo : valerie@fremin.net
Alt-Country, Punk Country, whatever you want to call the sound, it boils down to great songs above drinking, guitars, girls, the road, and broken hearts. Ask any Lucero fan and they’ll tell you that Lucero is the greatest band that never really achieved greatness. They’ll also tell you that a Lucero show is unlike many other shows, it’s more akin to a party with Lucero as the house band, engaging the audience on many levels and taking as much part of the party as those attending. Yes, there will be drinking, and more than likely drinks flying through the air while fans sing along at the top of their lungs, knowing every word and feeling every emotion being relayed by Ben Nichols, heartfelt and at times sourced from heartache. If song titles say anything about the band then they say this:”My Best Girl”, “Raising Hell”, “Burning Years”, “All These Love Songs”,”Drink till We’re Gone”.
Lucero hail from Memphis, TN, have a handful of full length recordings out, all very much Lucero, never straying far from the formula that identifies them as Lucero, and continue tour while threatening to break into that next level of success. Lucero’s success isn’t measured in album sales or venue sizes, it’s in the devotion of the fans. Once a Lucero fan, always a Lucero fan, and it’s always hard to pass on the opportunity to see the band live.
Lucero @ SXSW
March 14th @ Red Eyed Fly 1a.m.
March 15th @ Molotov 4:30p.m.
March 16th @ Mess With Texas (Waterloo Park Stage 2) FREE @ 8p.m.
MP3> Lucero ‘Until the Day I Die’
MP3> Lucero ‘Dive Right In’
