Today, Memphis rock/alt-country band Lucero releases “Macon If We Make It” from the forthcoming album Should’ve Learned by Now, out February 24 via Liberty & Lament/Thirty Tigers. Inspired by an impending hurricane, the song draws parallels between a literal storm and a troubled relationship back home, before the listener is carried out like a raft on guitarist Brian Venable’s ripping guitar solo. The band has also announced two album release shows on February 24 in Memphis at Hernando’s Hide-A-Way and on February 25 at The End in Nashville.
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“We were on tour in Georgia and a hurricane was coming through. Someone asked where our next show was and we said ‘Macon, if we make it,’” explains bandleader Ben Nichols. “I was aiming for a song kind of like Husker Du’s ‘Dead Set on Destruction.’ I don’t think I hit that mark but the song is fun to play and sing. It also has a kind of Violent Femmes vibe that I like. Their stuff was some of the first songs I learned to play on bass when I was 12 or 13 years old.”
Since forming in Memphis in the late 90’s, Lucero has evolved and embraced everything from southern rock to Stax-inspired Memphis soul, while maintaining their distinctive sonic foundations. A reflection of a band that knows itself, Should’ve Learned by Now sees the band returning to punchy driving rhythms and punk-rooted guitar licks after exploring darker, more atmospheric landscapes on their two previous releases. The group has shared three other singles from the album, with Rolling Stone declaring “One Last F.U. has the defiant, sneering energy of Lucero’s loudest recordings,” and BrooklynVegan saying “Buy a Little Time” finds them “sounding like Tom Petty jamming with Crazy Horse but in the way that only Lucero can.” Offering a glimpse at their quieter side, “Raining for Weeks” was hailed by Garden & Gun, who said the “ballad-like melancholy falls into equilibrium over jaunty piano, Nichols’s tenacious vocals, and old-school guitar drones.”
Led by the gravelly voice of singer/songwriter Ben Nichols, Lucero also features original members Brian Venable on guitar, Roy Berry on drums, John C. Stubblefield on bass and Rick Steff on keys. The group of Memphis road-dogs has maintained a large and dedicated fanbase for over 20 years, delivering a rowdy and communal live experience that is equally as exhilarating in a dive bar as it is in amphitheaters. NPR Music has called them “the rare kind of band with enough spirit to fill an arena, but with its heart planted firmly in the garage.”
Should’ve Learned by Now was produced by Grammy Award-winning engineer/mixer, Matt Ross-Spang (John Prine, Jason Isbell).
Lucero will hit the road this month in support of the new album. Find a full list of tour dates below and at this link: luceromusic.com/tour/
Lucero 2023 Tour Dates
January 21 – Estes Park, CO @ The Stanley Hotel (Westerns & Whiskey Weekend)
January 26 – Knoxville, TN @ The Mill & Mine
January 27 – Lexington, KY @ The Burl
January 28 – Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall
January 29 – Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi
January 31 – Rocky Mount, VA @ Harvester Performance Center
February 1 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Bunker Brewpub
February 2 – Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre (Roadtrip to Raleigh, supporting American Aquarium)
February 3 – Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
February 4 – Jacksonville, FL @ Intuition Ale Works
February 5 – Orlando, FL @ The Social
February 7 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Floridian Social Club
February 8 – Gainesville, FL @ High Dive
February 9 – Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall
February 10 – New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina’s
February 11 – Jackson, TN @ Hub City Brewing
February 24 – Memphis, TN @ Hernando’s Hide-A-Way
February 25 – Nashville, TN @ The End
March 26 – Racho Cordova, CA @ Kith & Kin Music Festival (Ben Solo)
May 19 – Pelham, TN @ Ride the Tide Music Festival
Should’ve Learned by Now Tracklist
1. One Last F.U.
2. Macon If We Make It
3. She Leads Me
4. At the Show
5. Nothing’s Alright
6. Raining for Weeks
7. Buy a Little Time
8. Should’ve Learned by Now
9. Drunken Moon
10. Time to Go Home
