Lucero: 1372 Overton Park, part 1

Got Live If You Got It

To: Monty and Scott
From: Brian

Fellas, let me open the discussion of Lucero's 1372 Overton Park with a disclaimer of sorts: I was converted by this band through not one but two experiences of its live show before I heard a note of recorded music. Six guys (plus, the second time, two horn players) on a stage, putting on a show that was generous, good-natured and rocking on all cylinders. They came off like Replacements who had embraced both country leanings and moderation. The guys in the band all clearly cared about this music and their audience, and you could feel it as much as hear it.

I'll admit that there are scores of bands who can't quite convert that kind of presence to record--hell, not even the Replacements could do it half the time--and my ears are probably somewhat misled by the Live Lucero when listening to the Recorded Lucero. I mean, just check out how they deal with a little kid named Henry storming the stage in Madison Square Park:


So, in general: Damn, I still really like how 1372 Overton Park comes across. This is music that manages to sound stripped of artifice without having to resort to shoddy production or cheap sound. And while it leans a little toward country, I wouldn't lump Lucero in with Old '97s (a band whose songs I once watched Scott endure during a local record-shopping trip--Scott, you made it through like a soldier) or Uncle Tupelo, though there are stylistic similarities. In this case, I think that being from and in Memphis made certain country tropes available as the straightest line between a young white guy and what he had to say. It's more like The Hold Steady grabbing Thin Lizzy riffs and E Street piano rolls because that's the music that makes them feel the way they want the audience to feel--even if the audience would rather hear Born To Lose than Born to Run.

Without going into my thoughts on some of the individual songs, I'll get big picture: assuming that neither of you have seen Lucero's live show, how does this record work for you? Monty, I'll broadly guess that this works for you on a fundamental stylistic level, but I'm not sure what you'll think of the songs and the sound; Scott, I have a feeling that the surface of Overton Park pushed you back, but I'm wondering if you found a connection to some of the lyrics and attitude that power the sound. Do tell.

Can't feel a thing,
Brian