The city of Memphis, TN has yielded us some real Rockists gems. From the more obvious -- Elvis, Otis, Sam and Dave -- to the cultish -- Big Star, Marc Cohn (just kidding), it's certainly quite the music town. And while my one visit to Beale Street showed me some really heartfelt music joints and some polo-and-khakis tourist-blues wankery, the city's got a nearly unparalleled music heritage to draw from. I still get goosebumps when I watch that scene in Walk the Line where Joaquin Phoenix as J. Cash introduces himself to Sam Phillips. That, and the part where Reese as June Carter finally gives in and marries Johnny. Just kidding. Sort of.
Continuing on in that rich Memphis tradition is Lucero, a rough-and-tumble bunch of Southern rockers. We've blogged about them before, but tonight they've finally gotten around to playing that show at the Black Cat, so it seemed an appropriate time as any to trump their virtues once again. The lead singer's howls like Mike Cooley of frequent tourmates the Drive-by Truckers, but the sound is a little more gothic than their counterparts'. A number of songs stand out right away, but I've found myself repeatedly fawning over the gutter-punktry of "What Else Would You Have Me Be" (streaming on myspace) and getting psyched for the anthemic "I Can Get Us Out of Here Tonight."
Their site's worth checking out too, because they have a ton of videos and also a bunch of cool, biker-esque band logos that make sweet desktops for those of you who are so inclined. The bio or "About" section is pretty much worthless, as its just a bunch of PR crap featuring sentences like, "But on Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers, Lucero prove themselves to be something much simpler than that: a tried n true American rock n roll band." I think we here at Rockist should probably be the judge of that...
Lucero - "I Can Get Us Out of Here Tonight"
Lucero - "Bikeriders"
Lucero - "Ring of Fire" (live J. Cash cover)
Tonight, Fri, April 6, Black Cat. With the very fine American Princes and the solid Catfish Haven. Best triple bill I've seen this year so far.
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