Some styles of music just dont fit with storytelling. Others require it. For that latter group, made up of backstreet bards and barroom lyricists, narrative is so essential that the music might as well not exist without it. Lucero is keenly aware of the importance of character development and story arc in its particular vein of punk-fueled Americana. These are songs about frustration and heartache, glory and hope from characters who take shape in the span of three minutes, and they represent some of the best examples of how to tie form, function, and feeling together. Interweaving the grit and urgency of punk, the sounds and moods of country, and the lyrical mastery of a gifted storyteller, Lucero offers the kind of anthemic and ambitious music that results in greatness, the kind of music to turn to for the rest of your life. While the band clearly pays homage to a number of greats, Luceros fresh approach makes their music much more than just a simple reworking of its influences (Springsteen, the Replacements, Uncle Tupelo). In other words, Lucero isnt feeding off a legacy, but becoming part of one. With Jack Oblivian, John Paul Keith & the One Four Fives. Photo courtesy Adam Smith. NICHOLAS HALL
Thu., Oct. 29, 8 p.m., 2009
