Lucero at Turner Hall April 2012

Since the first time I accidentally was introduced to Lucero while in TX going out to see Glossary, I have been taken by the energy they put in to their shows. The emotions from recorded albums can easily be lost in live shows, but Lucero is somehow able to take a room filled with 700 people swilling PBR's and whiskey sours and get them to slow down, take a breath and pay attention as Ben breaks it all down to just him and accordion or pedal steel.   Over time I have collected all of their albums and find something to like about each one.  Whether it is the all out punk infused rockers from Nobody's Darlings or the stripped down songs on Tennessee, I can find things to enjoy in all of them.

With the release of 1372 Overton Park in 2009 the band started to talk a lot about the "Memphis Soul" sound.   To great effect they added organ and horns to their sound and have continued that with their new record.  2012's Women and Work employs a lot of horn work as 1372 Overton Park did, but to my ears, this time around they really nailed it. The horns are a more integral part of the sound, less of a distraction.    I find myself missing the full out rockers but enjoying the mix of groovers and ballads.

The crowd was larger than I have seen before in Milwaukee and filled with a favorable ratio of drunken rocker/biker types to drunken aggressive college types. The song mix pulled from records old and new and the band sounded together and solid from start to finish.  Great show.

Below are some of the pics I was able to snap from the show.   If you are interested in seeing everything I shot, hit G+