It has been suggested that Liberty & Lament be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since December 2024. |
Lucero | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
Genres | |
Years active | 1998–present |
Labels |
|
Members | Ben Nichols Brian Venable John C. Stubblefield Roy Berry Rick Steff |
Past members | Jeremy Freeze Reiko Steve Selvidge Todd Gill Todd Beene |
Website | luceromusic |
Lucero is an American country-punk/alternative country/alternative rock band based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Lucero's sound has been described as a "synthesis of soul, rock, and country [that] is distinctly Memphisian." [1] They have released 11 albums and one live DVD, mostly through their own label. [2] The band mainly tours around North America.
Lucero had their start in Memphis, Tennessee, and played for the first time in early 1998. Since then, they have been called "one of the hardest working bands of the last 10 years—on tour significantly more days than they are not." [3]
The Attic Tapes was recorded in 2000 at guitarist Brian Venable's dad's attic. It was recorded straight to an 8 track cassette and was self-released. This album was later reissued in 2006 by Liberty & Lament. It includes the cover of the Jawbreaker song, “Kiss The Bottle.”
The eponymous album was recorded by Empty Road Music in 2000 and Includes such popular tracks as "Little Silver Heart", “My Best Girl”, “Raising Hell”, “Drink 'til We’re Gone” & “All Sewn Up.”
Tennessee was recorded in 2001 by Madjack Records and is one of Lucero's most beloved albums by fans. It's a thirteen-song album that includes such tracks as “Sweet Little Thing”, “Nights Like These”, “The Last Song” & “Here At the Starlite.”
"That Much Further West" was recorded in 2003 by Tiger Style Records with 12 tracks. Guitarist Brian Venable took a break from the band so Todd Gill filled in on guitar for this record. The record includes popular songs such as "That Much Further West", "Across the River", "Tonight Ain't Gonna Be Good" & a fan favorite "Tears Don't Matter Much."
Nobody's Darlings was released in 2005 & recorded by Liberty & Lament Records. It's a twelve-track record that includes such tracks as “Bikeriders”, “Last Night In Town” & “The War.” "Bikeriders" is based on the book "The Bikeriders" by author Danny Lyon. “The War” is about Ben Nichols grandfather & what he went through during his time serving in the army in Europe during World War II.
"Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers" was recorded in 2006 by Liberty & Lament. This is a twelve-song album that includes such tracks as “What Else Would You Have Me Be?”, “I Don’t Wanna Be the One”, “I Can Get Us Out of Here”, “1979”, & “She’s Just That Kinda Girl.”
Ben Nichols and Lucero created music for the soundtrack of Shotgun Stories , the first film by Ben Nichols's brother Jeff Nichols, released in 2007.
In late 2008, the band announced they had signed a four-album deal with Universal Music Group, [4] though the relationship with Universal was short-lived. [5] 1372 Overton Park was released October 6, 2009, by Universal Music Group and was the first Lucero album to feature a horn section.
Lucero's album, Women & Work, was released on March 13, 2012, by ATO Records. This album integrates more of the horn section as well as the pedal steel guitar, keyboards and a gospel chorus. [6] [7]
This four song EP was released in the spring of 2013 by ATO Records. It includes the songs; “Texas & Tennessee”, “Union Pacific Line”, “Breathless Love” & “The Other Side of Lonesome.”
Lucero's ninth album, All a Man Should Do , was released on September 18, 2015. It continued the Memphis-soul influence as seen in the previous two albums. The album included a cover of I'm In Love With A Girl, originally recorded by fellow Memphis band, Big Star. The cover, which includes a line taken for the album title, featured backing vocals from Big Star drummer, Jody Stephens. It was recorded in Ardent Studios which is based in Memphis and managed by Stephens. [8]
Among the Ghosts was released August 3, 2018. The album was produced by Matt Ross-Spang and recorded live in a single room at Sam Phillips Recording in Memphis. [9] The sound is more stripped back than the previous three, with no brass section. The track "Back to the Night" features spoken word lyrics from actor Michael Shannon. Shannon is a frequent collaborator of frontman Ben Nichols brother, film director Jeff Nichols. The song Loving, had previously featured on the soundtrack to Jeff Nichols film, Loving, as a solo Ben Nichols song. [10] [11]
2019 saw Lucero undertake their first ever Australian headlining tour. [12]
On October 23, 2020, Lucero announced the release of their eleventh album, When You Found Me, alongside the launch of a video for the song Outrun The Moon. [13] When You Found Me was released on January 29, 2021. Like their previous album, Among the Ghosts, When You Found Me was produced by Matt Ross-Spang, recorded at Sam Phillip's Recording and released on their own label, Liberty & Lament. Rolling Stone states that he album "continues the darker trend started by Among the Ghosts and feels more intimate than raucous, horn-driven Lucero records like Women & Work and 1372 Overton Park" and that it "updates Lucero’s sound in interesting ways with the addition of synthesizers". [14]
Lucero releaseed their 12th album, Should've Learned By Now on 24th, February 2023. As in their previous two, this album was produced by Matt Ross-Sprang. It is noted for having more upbeat, fun songs that did not suit the darker tone of the previous two. [15]
Pitchfork gave the album a score of 7.5, saying that "what really distinguishes Should’ve Learned by Now from their previous barroom musings is the humor in these songs", while also highlighting drummer, Roy Berry, stating that he's "still one of the most inventive drummers around". [16] Paste Magazine gave it a score of 7.1, saying that the album is "a marriage between the band's surging early angst and latter-day introspection." [17]
The first solo release from frontman Ben Nichols, The Last Pale Light in the West , was released in January 2009 on Lucero's label Liberty & Lament. On November 17, 2013, the title song was featured in the episode "Live Bait" of the AMC series The Walking Dead . The seven-song record was inspired by Cormac McCarthy's book Blood Meridian and recorded with Rick Steff on piano and accordion and Todd Beane on pedal steel. [18]
In May 2009, Nichols co-starred in MTV's $5 Cover, a Craig Brewer-produced, quasi-fictionalized series about the Memphis music scene. A performance of Lucero's song "San Francisco" at the Young Avenue Deli in Memphis was featured in the trailer for the series. [19]
Ben Nichols's previous band was Red 40 in which he played alongside Colin Brooks and Steve Kooms. [20]
Drummer Roy Berry is half of experimental duo Overjoid [21] and was a member of the Memphis-based band The Simple Ones before joining Lucero. [22]
John Stubblefield has recorded with Jello 1-2-3, North Mississippi Allstars, Jim Dickinson and BigAssTruck (Sack Lunch EP), among others. He co-produced Hill Country Revue's 2010 album Zebra Ranch. [23]
Rick Steff has recorded with Cat Power, Hank Williams Jr., and Dexy's Midnight Runners, among others.
Todd Beene is also currently a member of the Tennessee band Glossary [24] and Chuck Ragan's band.
Lucero contributed two tracks, "Everything You Need" and "Take You Away", to the 2012 film Mud , which was written and directed by Ben Nichols' brother Jeff Nichols. Ben Nichols contributed three additional tracks, "Davy Brown", "The Kid" and "Snakebite" to the soundtrack. [27]
Lucero contributed the tracks, "When I Was Young" and "The Other Side of Lonesome", to the 2014 film Hellion . [28]
Lucero contributed the track "On My Way Downtown" to the 2017 film Stronger . [29]
Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1971 by Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). They have been described as the "quintessential American power pop band", and "one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of rock & roll". In its first era, the band's musical style drew influence from 1960s acts such as the Beatles and the Byrds, producing a style that foreshadowed the alternative rock of the 1980s and 1990s. Before they broke up, Big Star created a "seminal body of work that never stopped inspiring succeeding generations" according to Rolling Stone. Three of Big Star's studio albums are included in Rolling Stone's lists of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
Samuel Ervin Beam, better known by his stage name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released six studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a live album. He occasionally tours with a full band.
"Funky Drummer" is a single released by James Brown in 1970. Its drum break, improvised by Clyde Stubblefield, is one of the most frequently sampled music recordings.
Pleased to Meet Me is the fifth studio album by the American rock band the Replacements, released in 1987 by Sire Records. The album was acclaimed by music critics.
Jack Henderson Clement was an American musician, songwriter, record producer, film producer and music executive.
The Hold Steady is an American rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York in 2003. The band consists of Craig Finn, Tad Kubler (guitar), Galen Polivka (bass), Bobby Drake (drums), Franz Nicolay (keyboards) and Steve Selvidge (guitar). Noted for their "lyrically dense storytelling," and classic rock influences, the band's narrative-based songs frequently address themes such as drug addiction, religion and redemption, and often feature recurring characters based within the city of Minneapolis.
Roger Scott Nichols was an American recording engineer, producer, and inventor.
The Greatest is the seventh studio album by Cat Power, the stage name and eponymous band of American singer-songwriter Chan Marshall. All tracks on the album were written by Marshall, making it her first album not to include any cover songs. The Memphis Rhythm Band includes Roy Brewer, Teenie Hodges, Steve Potts, Dave Smith, Rick Steff, Doug Easley, Jim Spake, Scott Thompson and Susan Marshall. String arrangements were contributed by Harlan T. Bobo and Jonathan Kirkscey.
Big Ass Truck (BAT) is an American rock band from Memphis, Tennessee which incorporates elements of hip-hop, rock, funk and psychedelia in their music. The band includes a DJ spinning records, that provides beats, loops, and samples during recordings and live performances. The group disbanded sometime after the release of the 2001 album, The Rug, but as of 2021 has been playing live shows again.
Cory Dale Branan is an American singer-songwriter from Mississippi.
Neilson Gray Hubbard is an American record producer, film director, film producer, singer-songwriter, and photographer. He produced Mary Gauthier's Grammy-nominated album, Rifles & Rosary Beads, as well as albums for Sam Baker, Kim Richey, and Glen Phillips. He directs and produces music videos and documentaries through his company, Neighborhoods Apart, which produced the Orphan Brigade's documentary and soundtrack, The Orphan Brigade: Soundtrack to a Ghost Story, which won a number of awards. His collaborations with artist Matthew Perryman Jones have been featured in Private Practice, One Tree Hill, Bones, Grey's Anatomy, and several films.
Memphis May Fire is an American metalcore band formed in Denton, Texas, and currently signed to Rise Records. The band currently consists of lead guitarist Kellen McGregor, lead vocalist Matty Mullins, bassist Cory Elder, and drummer Jake Garland. Formed in 2006, they have released seven studio albums and two EPs to date. Their fourth album, Unconditional, debuted at No. 4 on the US Billboard 200 and atop the Alternative Albums chart.
Soulsville is the ninth studio album from Huey Lewis and the News and the band's first since Plan B in 2001. The album was released on October 18, 2010, in the United Kingdom and Europe and November 2, 2010, in the United States. The album, a tribute to the artists and music of Stax Records, was the brainchild of the band's manager, Bob Brown. As lead singer Huey Lewis explained, "the public isn't clamoring for new Huey Lewis & the News material". Brown and the band decided "it would be cooler to go into the [Stax] catalog a little deeper and find songs that people hadn't heard and capture them faithfully". This album features new guitarists Stef Burns and Bill Hinds and baritone saxophonist Johnnie Bamont, replacing Chris Hayes and the late Ron Stallings.
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Turquoise is a solo album by Devon Allman, released in February 2013. It features Yonrico Scott on drums and Myles Weeks on bass, and includes guest musicians Luther Dickinson (guitar), Samantha Fish (vocals), Ron Holloway (saxophone) and Rick Steff (keyboard).
When You Found Me is the eleventh studio album by American country-rock band Lucero. It was released on January 29, 2021, through Liberty & Lament and Thirty Tigers.
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