Lucero (band)
Encyclopedia
Lucero is an American
punk
/Texas Country
infused rock
band that is based in Memphis, Tennessee
.
roots give them the twang that they have come to be known by. They had their start in Memphis, TN. The band played for the first time in early 1998. Since 2001, they have played between 150 and 200 shows a year across the United States and Canada
. They have released six full length albums.
The members of Lucero are Roy Berry (drums), John C. Stubblefield (bass), Brian Venable (guitar), and Ben Nichols (guitar and vocals), Rick Steff
(piano, organ, accordion), and occasionally Todd Beene (pedal steel). Todd Gill substituted for Brian Venable from 2003 to 2004. The band also experimented with guitarist Steve Selvidge in the early months of 2003. Ben Nichols' previous band was Red 40 in which he played alongside Colin Brooks
and Steve Kooms.
In late 2008 the band announced they had signed a 4 album deal with Universal Music Group
. Their latest album, 1372 Overton Park, was released October 6, 2009 and was the first Lucero album to feature a horns section.
The Last Pale Light in the West, the first solo release from frontman Ben Nichols, was released in January 2009 on the band's own label Liberty & Lament. The 7 song record was inspired by Cormac McCarthy
's book Blood Meridian.
Nichols co-stars in MTV's $5 Cover
, a Craig Brewer-produced quasi-fictionalized series about the Memphis music scene that started in May 2009. A performance of Lucero's song "San Francisco" at the Young Avenue Deli in Memphis is featured in the trailer for the series.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/Texas Country
Texas Country
Texas country music is a rapidly growing sub-genre of American country music. Texas country is known for fusing traditionalist root sounds with the outspoken, care-free views of outlaw country...
infused rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band that is based in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
.
Biography
Lucero's punk rock roots flavor their now "country-ish" music, while their SouthernSouthern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
roots give them the twang that they have come to be known by. They had their start in Memphis, TN. The band played for the first time in early 1998. Since 2001, they have played between 150 and 200 shows a year across the United States and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. They have released six full length albums.
The members of Lucero are Roy Berry (drums), John C. Stubblefield (bass), Brian Venable (guitar), and Ben Nichols (guitar and vocals), Rick Steff
Rick Steff
Rick Steff is a Memphis musician who has recorded with bands such as Lucero, Cat Power, Dexy's Midnight Runners, and Hank Williams Jr.. Rick inherited his musical skills from his father, Dick Steff, a trumpet player who appeared on many songs with Elvis Presley...
(piano, organ, accordion), and occasionally Todd Beene (pedal steel). Todd Gill substituted for Brian Venable from 2003 to 2004. The band also experimented with guitarist Steve Selvidge in the early months of 2003. Ben Nichols' previous band was Red 40 in which he played alongside Colin Brooks
Colin Brooks (musician)
Colin Brooks is a singer-songwriter, blues-rock guitarist and dobro player currently living in Austin, Texas. He is member of the Americana group the Band of Heathens....
and Steve Kooms.
In late 2008 the band announced they had signed a 4 album deal with Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
. Their latest album, 1372 Overton Park, was released October 6, 2009 and was the first Lucero album to feature a horns section.
The Last Pale Light in the West, the first solo release from frontman Ben Nichols, was released in January 2009 on the band's own label Liberty & Lament. The 7 song record was inspired by Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy is an American novelist and playwright. He has written ten novels, spanning the Southern Gothic, Western, and modernist genres. He received the Pulitzer Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction for The Road...
's book Blood Meridian.
Nichols co-stars in MTV's $5 Cover
$5 Cover
$5 Cover is an online series created by filmmaker Craig Brewer and produced by MTV and is a fictional series created to complement the documentary series "$5 Cover Amplified"...
, a Craig Brewer-produced quasi-fictionalized series about the Memphis music scene that started in May 2009. A performance of Lucero's song "San Francisco" at the Young Avenue Deli in Memphis is featured in the trailer for the series.
Albums
- The Attic Tapes - self-released (2000)
- Lucero - Madjack Records (2001)
- TennesseeTennessee (album)Tennessee is the second full length album by punk/alt-country band Lucero. It was released in 2002.-Track listing:# "Sweet Little Thing" - 3:42# "Slow Dancing" - 3:45# "Nights Like These" - 3:55# "Ain't So Lonely" - 3:26# "Old Sad Songs" - 1:00...
- Madjack Records (2002) - That Much Further WestThat Much Further WestThat Much Further West is the third full length album by punk/alt-country band Lucero. It was released in 2003.-Track listing:# "That Much Further West" - 4:26# "Mine Tonight" - 4:17# "Sad and Lonely" - 4:37# "Across the River" - 3:15...
- Tiger Style RecordsTiger Style RecordsTiger Style Records is an independent record label located in New York City, New York. It is owned and operated by Insound. As of 2004, it is on hiatus.- Artists who have worked with Tiger Style :*764-HERO*The Album Leaf*American Analog Set...
(2003) - Nobody's DarlingsNobody's DarlingsNobody's Darlings is the fourth full length album by punk/alt-country band Lucero. It was released in 2005.-Track listing:# "Watch it Burn" - 2:44# "Anjalee" - 4:08# "Bikeriders" - 4:39# "Sixteen" - 3:12# "Nobody's Darlings" - 3:09...
- Liberty & LamentLiberty & LamentLiberty & Lament is Lucero's own record label. The label is a part of the EastWest Records family of labels....
(2005) - Dreaming In AmericaDreaming In AmericaDreaming In America is a live album by punk/alt-country band Lucero. It was released in 2005. The album contains several songs not available on the band's other releases, including a cover of "Kiss the Bottle" by Jawbreaker.-Track listing:...
- Liberty & Lament (2005) - The Attic Tapes (reissue) - Liberty & Lament (2006)
- Rebels, Rogues & Sworn BrothersRebels, Rogues & Sworn BrothersRebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers is an album by punk/alt-country band Lucero. It was released in 2006. The album features less country influence than any previous release. It was the band's last album for an independent label before signing with Universal Music Group in 2008. The name of the album...
- Liberty & Lament (2006) - 1372 Overton Park1372 Overton Park- Personnel :*Todd Beene – pedal steel*Roy Berry – percussion, drums*Marc Franklin – trombone, trumpet, flugelhorn*Kelley Hurt – backing vocals*Ted Hutt – producer, mixing*Ryan Mall – engineer, mixing...
- Universal RecordsUniversal RecordsUniversal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
/ Republic RecordsRepublic RecordsRepublic Records was a record label and subsidiary of Universal Motown Republic Group. They originally went by the name Cheese Factory Records...
(2009)
Compilation appearances
- Thick Syrup Records - Thick Syrup Records (2007)
- Atticus: Dragging the Lake 3 - SideOneDummy Records (2005)