Ben Nichols at the Raccoon Motel -- June 18.
Saturday, June 18, 8 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Revered as the frontman for the Memphis-based, alt-country band Lucero. lauded singer/songwriter and guitarist Ben Nichols headlines a June 18 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel the artist playing favorites from his band's significant repertoire – including 2021's When You Found Me – and compositions from his 2009 solo EP The Last Pale Light in the West, whose seven songs are all based on characters and situations drawn from Cormac McCarthy's novel Blood Meridian.
Currently composed of Nichols, Brian Venable, John C. Stubblefield, Roy Berry, and Rick Steffeach, Lucero was founded and began performing in the late 1990s, and signed with the alternative-country label Madjack for their 2001 self-titled debut. Momentum started to build with their 2002 release Tennessee, which was followed in short order by 2003's That Much Further West (which landed the group a spot on Rolling Stone's Hot List) and 2005's Nobody's Darlings, a 12-track recording whose included song “The War” was about Nichols' grandfather and what he went through during his time serving in the army in Europe during World War II. Additional critical hits followed with 2006's Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers and 2009's 1372 Overton Park, and Lucero's output both in the recording studio and on the road led Consequence of Sound to deem the musicians "one of the hardest working bands of the last 10 years – on tour significantly more days than they are not."
Over the past decade, Lucero's success has continued with 2012's Women & Work, 2013's Texas & Tennessee EP, 2015's All a Man Should Do, 2018's Among the Ghosts, and last year's When You Found Me. Recorded not long after the COVID outbreak, this latter project found the band members donning masks and booking time at Memphis' Sam Phillips Recording Studio, where each member performed in their own protected space. The result was a work praised by AllMusic.com as "moody and emotionally charged," with the site also lauding Lucero for "the group's gritty, rootsy, and almost punk approach to country-rock, and for Nichols' smoky, emotional vocal style." Songs from Lucero's two-decade repertoire will be performed by the band's frontman during his Raccoon Motel set along with newer compositions and inclusions from Nichols' solo EP The Last Pale Light in the West, whose title song was featured in the episode "Live Bait" of the AMC zombie series The Walking Dead.
Ben Nichols plays his Davenport engagement on June 18, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $45, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
