
Lucero at the Codfish Hollow Barn -- June 25.
Tuesday, June 25, 8 p.m.
Codfish Hollow Barn, 5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa IA
Touring in support of their 2023 album Should've Learned by Now, a work that Pitchfork calls "endearing and impassioned" and Saving Country Music deems" incredible," the Memphis-based alt-country rockers of Lucero headline a June 25 concert at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn, the group's most recent recording inspiring Americana UK to rave, "Lucero show us that they’ve learned their craft well, thank you very much, and that they’ve left ample room for bringing in new tricks to make them sound even better."
Formed by bandleader Ben Nichols in the late-1990s, Lucero, as described at AllMusic.com, "took their name from the Spanish word meaning 'bright star.' After releasing a single on the Landmark label, Lucero – rounded out by drummer Roy Berry, bassist John C. Stubblefield, guitarist Brian Venable, and keyboard man Rick Steff – signed with the alternative country label Madjack for their 2001 self-titled debut. Momentum started to build with their 2002 release Tennessee. Critics picked up on their rock and Replacements edge, and the band signed with the more diverse Tiger Style label. The 2003 release That Much Further West earned them positive reviews and a spot on Rolling Stone's Hot List. Things seemed to be going well, but as the album was catching indie fire, Tiger Style announced they were closing shop.
"The band formed their own label, Liberty & Lament, through a deal with East West, and worked on their next album with famed musician/producer Jim Dickinson. Released in spring of 2005, Nobody's Darlings featured the most Southern-fried sounds from the group yet. Mixing archival footage with film shot during the recording of the album, Goldman premiered his Lucero documentary Dreaming in America in September 2005. A month later, the film was released on DVD and CD/DVD, featuring 13 rare live bonus tracks. The out-of-print effort The Attic Tapes (originally released prior to their 2001 Madjack debut) was reissued in April 2006 with bonus early demos and rare 7-inch tracks, which preceded the release of Lucero's next studio effort, September's Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers. Supporting tour dates throughout fall followed with openers Rocky Votolato and William Elliott Whitmore. The year 2009 saw the release of Nichols' solo EP The Last Pale Light in the West and the band's album 1372 Overton Park. Lucero spent the remainder of the year on tour in support of the album."
After nearly a decade of touring and additional recordings, "The band's ninth long-player, Among the Ghosts, arrived in 2018. Recorded live in the studio with Grammy-winning producer Matt Ross-Spang, the album marked a return to the group's sweaty bar band roots, and featured the single 'To My Dearest Wife,' which was inspired by letters from Civil War soldiers. As the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Lucero's touring schedule in 2020, the band donned masks and booked time at Memphis' Sam Phillips Recording Studio, where each member performed in their own protected space. The result was the moody and emotionally charged album When You Found Me, released in July 2021 by Liberty & Lament. After a pair of thematically downbeat albums, Lucero decided it was time to give their more raucous, upbeat, and irreverent side a new hearing. Collecting the rockers that hadn't made it onto Among the Ghosts and When You Found Me, the group headed into the studio with Matt Ross-Spang and recorded the rollicking Should've Learned by Now, which was released in February 2023 on Liberty & Lament."
Lucero plays their Maquoketa engagement on June 25 alongside special guests The Shackletons and Dan Tedesco, admission to the 8 p.m. concert event is $40, and more information and tickets are available by visiting CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.