Memphis comes to California courtesy of lucero
Photography and Story by: Jim Brown
Northern California underwent a little Memphis makeover last night when one of the hardest working bands in America checked in at Goldfield Trading Post for a nearly sold-out show, and the flannel-filled crowd loved every note.
Lucero may not be on your radar, but they are nearly 30 years into the goal of developing a distinctly soulful country alternative sound that is immediately distinguishable from all others with just one belt of Ben Nichols’ gravel road vocals. And they are still doing a fine job if it. You know them when you hear them, for nothing sounds quite like Lucero.
While they have foundations in country music going back to the 90s, they don’t produce the same twang other Memphis-area bands have hung their hat on. Instead, Lucero throws a tweak to it with lyrics that resonate deeper than any of that other commercially celebrated crap about something simple like truck driving down a dirt road to a ¾ beat, a common country theme. No, Lucero sprinkles in some real soulful keyboard work by Rick Steff. His position off the stage left is sometimes out of focus, maybe even overlooked as the crowd drills down on Ben’s caress of his Epiphone, but the keys make their mark on songs like Dearest Wife and more. Good stuff. Plus, Rick has some sick chin hair. Appreciated because you don’t see a lot of modified french forks anymore.
Starting in Memphis, this collection of country punkers have figured out how to stay connected to a unique sound and put out 12 albums in the meantime, celebrating all that is Memphian? Memphisian? Not sure what to call it but I know what it sounds like. Their sound is dirty, but in a good way, maybe similar to the sound made from fine grit sandpaper pressed lightly over a block of aged walnut, finished with a glass of whiskey poured on top to control the dust.
Thier is a gravity to the sexy distortion in Brian Venable’s guitar that sync’s perfectly with Ben’s lyrical delivery. How the band creates such a gritty sound, I’m unsure. It's more than just knob turns and effects pedals. Sounds really good though. When Lucero gets farther down the playlist to hits like Nights Like These and My Best Girl, it's interesting to ponder if those songs would have the same weight without it. But with that combination of rasp and red velvet, Lucero made it extremely difficult for anyone to cover their songs. Probably a good thing.
Lucero seems pretty comfortable on stage tonight. The sound was perfectly matched with the room size and crowd of what seemed like 500+/-. The stage is set up so there is only about five feet from the fence to the stage, giving fans a very intimate environment to enjoy their favorite bands. It is really hard to have a bad time at Goldfields, and Lucero’s stage with its simple sketch curtain backdrop made the place feel like your living room.
With an arsenal of songs to choose from it seems tonight's set was a highlight of some old hits while playing from their new LP release Should Have Learned By Now. New songs on the album, including One Last F.U. and Buy A Little Time, both sounded great and fit nicely into Lucero’s catalog of thought-provoking lyrics. One song talks about the peaceful moments that can be had when you're drinking alone while the other speaks to the joy of reuniting with loved ones, if given a little more time. I wonder how many drafts need to be written before Ben and the rest of the guys settle on what makes the cut for the album? Just picking the setlist for tonight's show would be enough for the uninitiated to call for a committee to be assembled.
As fans, we have the luxury of not seeing how the sausage is made, and we can enjoy the music as it's presented. We don’t need to worry about all the AV cords on stage, the backdrop of the album cover, if Roy Berry’s drums are in tune or not, or if Mr. Stubblefield, the founding bassist for Lucero, has his monitor dialed in or not. Lucero’s music is the type of sound you just want to hear over a clean home hi-fi system while sitting in your dad’s old chair and sipping on a strong ol’fashioned cocktail.
The show was great. The crowd was fully flannelled. If I had a nickel for every tattoo on stage and in the crowd, I’d have a lot of nickels. I hope Lucero continues to provide this American Memphis sound for years to come, but in the meantime, pick up the newest album and drop the needle, and as Lucero says so eloquently...Drink ‘Till We’re Gone.
Music Fan Meters:
Smoke Meter: None. It's a smoking type of folk here too, just not having it indoors and since it was 46 degrees outside, not much there either.
Fight Meter: Nope. Good thing too. Drinks were expensive and you don't want to spill your cocktail if it can be prevented.
BEARD AND TATTOO Meter: The Monk's Cellar brewery and restaurant was just nextdoor and had temp tattoos at the waitress station. I thought it was a funny marketing thing. I probably should have grabbed a handful because we were the only unpainted people in the place! Where did all the beards come from by the way? Between the faces, the flannel and the fine line tattoos...there was great music too.