07.06.06

“I think I’m covered in more alcohol than I drank tonight”

Posted in hot live action, lucero - July 6th, 2006 at 5:07 pm by Cricket

[This was written by our friend, Cookie. She came to visit, we showed her a time. And then we made her do our job for us. It's how we roll.--Cricket]

Lucero at Headliners in Louisville, KY, July 1, 2006

Picture courtesy Dale Goodwin, please do not reproduce without permission.

[Didn't see the show? We'll make it like you were really there.--Cricket]

Just so you know, I was a last minute addition and didn’t even know what show we were going to see until we were halfway to the venue. I’ll say things like “lead singer guy” or “that song about the guitar” and that’s as good as it gets from me, as I’d never heard of any of these people before. Also, what is up with places in Nashville and Louisville not having soap in their bathrooms? What the hell is that about?

So, I came to visit these two nutcases in Nashville, and I was in town all of thirty minutes before I was kidnapped to go to Kentucky. This is how the two of them operate all the time. No, seriously.

Cric and Mimi introduced me to a new friend, Esse, who is awesome and drove our dumb asses around. The trip to Louisville consisted of comic book bitchery and Cric vibrating in place with Lucero-induced excitement. She was so cute about it, she verged on precious. [I know you mock because you love, bitch.--Cricket] [It's not mockery. You were really a total basketcase.--Mimi]

I fell asleep when she put on Lucero to get us in the mood. I woke up in a place I could only describe as damned creepy and was later told “Welcome to Louisville.” Rock! [Seriously, does anyone know, is all of Louisville that creepy, or just the area around that venue?--Cricket] So, we got to the venue, Headliners, and Cricket proceeded to leave us in the fucking dust as she hauled ass across the parking lot. Once again, precious in her excitement.

There was some band playing when we walked in. The Ladybirds? The Ladybugs? Or was it Vedera by that point? Hell if I know. They were a four-piece outfit, with a chick on vocals/keyboards/guitar, and we were already at the bar and halfway through our first drinks by the end of whatever song they were playing when we walked in. They weren’t bad, I just wasn’t paying enough attention to them to really say much, and I was trying to avoid being squished by humanity at the time. One thing I will say about the rest of their set: It gave me ample time to check out all the scene kids. Mimi said it was like all the scene kids from three states were packed into the place that night, and I don’t think she was far off. None of these people wanted to get into the show and move, or, heaven forbid, dance for fear of mussing their clothes or sweating. Which was unavoidable in that place, so they might as well stopped trying to be too cool for school and get into it. And the hair. Lord, the hair. Short ones, tall ones, little bitty round ones, all dedicating themselves to hairstyle experimentation. There was enough plumage in that place to make all the peacocks in the world weep with inadequacy.

We wandered around, upstairs, downstairs, and got fairly good standing room spots near the stage and speakers during the set change for Murder by Death. They were a kick and a half, let me tell you. I’ll also tell you that you can take a girl outta technical theatre, but you can’t take technical theatre out of the girl. Several times, I was checking out lighting and sound things. Like the fact that for the majority of the third song, one of the moving mirror lights, not being used for that particular cue, was aimed at the ceiling. At the sound treatments, actually. It was like a special spotlight just for them. It was awesome.

So, Murder by Death. From their own description when they started playing, they sing songs about the devil, death, and whiskey. Well, all right. That ’s something in their favor right there, not to mention that I tend to be partial to death metal. [What? How do we know you?--Mimi] Their set was something like 12 songs played in mostly chronological order and I was more partial to their later (more recent) stuff. Then again, that might be because I wandered off after song 4 or so to find a sofa upstairs, so I was sitting on my ass for four or five songs before I wandered back downstairs just before Cricket sent out the search party. Reducing leg fatigue makes me more amiable in all things. [This was around the time I realized I lost my wallet.--Mimi]

Okay, so back to the band in a minute because while I was upstairs, something of great import occurred. And, by great import, I mean I was people watching and was riveted by this whole display. Like you people aren’t here for the stories as much as the music reviews! Anyway, there was some drunk girl, 5′7″, maybe 130 pounds, punching on some guy’s chest. Said guy was a six-foot tall fratboy–he was wearing a Greek letter shirt–with about a hundred pounds on the girl, and very interesting body language. He was biting his bottom lip, curling and flexing his fingers repeatedly when he was not actively holding her at arm’s length. Like someone using every bit of strength they possess to not beat someone’s ass? Yeah, he was that all over. The best part of this whole affair was after other folks pulled her drunken self off the fellow with remarkable self-restraint, about fifteen minutes later, the group rounds everybody up to head out and fratboy is actually the one responsible for making sure drunk girl has all her belongings in order and doesn’t crack her head going down the steps. He was her watcher, so to speak. He was probably the one responsible for pouring her into a vehicle of some sort and making sure she got home safe. So, his previous look was more of the sober person that always has to deal with that one drunk, rowdy friend while thinking, “Why are all my friends assholes?”

Poor fratboy. I salute you and your sense of honor, sir.

So, the band. Like I said, I liked their last few songs better, though I can’t recall titles. Or what they were about, really. I’d had some rum and cokes and some scotch and was running on about five hours of sleep spread out over twenty hours of travel and dealing with club folks, so my memory was not at its best. All I know is I must have liked them somewhat because I was doing the tipsy sway, occasionally accompanied by the tipsy bounce, which I only do when I’m enjoying the music. And this was before I thought to actually start taking notes, as I was not writing an article at that time. That didn’t come until later, when Mimi was all, “Why don’t you write something?” And, my usual response to when Mimi says shit is “Well, all right.” So, here I am. [Damn, straight, bitches!--Mimi]

I do know that: they were rocking the rock-cello like 80s Pantera, they had silent-film era horror films playing in the background while they performed, and they did, in fact, increase the creepy factor, but were ridiculously distracting at times, when I really just wanted to focus on the real live folks playing on stage; they are death metal, at least in part; and, I do agree with them that there’s not enough cello solos out there. I can’t really say more about them, and I kind of wish I could. Just to have a more obvious opinion of them. Maybe I’ll have to give them a listen when not slightly sleep-deprived, tipsy, and dealing with some of their assholish fans. Of which, there was a plethora.

When they finished their set and thanked everybody for supporting them, I stopped grinding my teeth. Not because I thought the music was bad–once again, not really paying attention–but because there was a mass exodus of their fans. However, we traded rude, foot-stomping assholes for drunk and rowdy kids when Lucero took the stage. Joy.

[Can I break in here? Of course I can. I really didn't like this band. I thought the black and white video display projected behind them as they played was pretentious and over the top--all corpses crawling out of coffins and Nosferatu shenanigans. I thought the cello was also over the top. Basically, it was rock music, and I hate rock music, but I particularly hate orchestrated rock that takes itself too seriously. What it really reminded me of was the soundtrack to Dead and Breakfast but not as good.--Mimi] [I, on the other hand, am pretty sold on Murder by Death. Time for me to get some albums and see if it was the liquor or if they were that good.--Cricket]

Cricket goes on and on about Lucero all the time, but I never really pay attention to her, because I’m a bad friend. However, now that I’ve seen them live? Lucero kicks ass. They have a tight performance, the lead singer has a voice made for this shit and one hell of a stage presence, and it’s obvious to a blind and deaf man that they are doing what they love and enjoy because they played over two hours, including two encores.

[I am fairly ambivalent about Lucero's studio records, but I am also totally sold on them now. Go see them. Or die. Ok, maybe not die, but be a loser.--Mimi]

Picture courtesy Dale Goodwin, please do not reproduce without permission.

[From left to right: Brian Venable, Ben Nichols, Roy Berry (his incredible, amazing drumming smoothness caught in action), John C. Stubblefield.--Cricket]

Also? Where the CD put me to sleep in the car, by the third live song, I was completely hyped up. No sign of fatigue at all. The music and the fact that the band and the crowd were so into the show was energizing. By the fourth song I realized that I was in the zone. You know, that point in really good live shows were everything is on? The band, the crowd, the feeling of all going the same place the music wants to go: just everything.

[Sidebar: The setlist for those that care:
Tonight Ain't Gonna Be Good
That Much Further West
Sixteen
Kiss the Bottle
Nights Like These
Nineteen Seventy Nine
Raising Hell
Joining the Army
Last Night in Town
I'll Just Fall
Slow Dancing
Hate and Jealousy
It Gets The Worst At Night
Sweet Little Thing
She Wakes When She Dreams
The War
Chain Link Fence
Tears Don't Matter Much
Better Than This
The Last Song
My Best Girl
--Cricket]

It was also at that point that I was appointed bar lackey, sent off for more drinks, and, in walking, realized I was drunker than previously thought when my feet decided to attempt a coup over my brain. I actually slammed water for the rest of the night because I wanted to be sober for the rest of this show so not to miss anything. I sobered up for this band. They are just that hardcore. [Oh the irony. They certainly did not sober up for you.--Cricket] [Oh dear, so many jokes to make about a lush calling a drunkard sloppy.--Mimi]

Now I take a moment to talk about the crowd. I think they were one of, if not the most energetic and enthusiastic crowd I’ve seen. Mimi started out not even really liking the band and she ended up messing up her back from jumping up and down and rocking out for over an hour because of them. The lead singer made a point, several times, of saying how this crowd kicked so much ass for giving so much energy to the band and dancing and singing and even crowd surfing at one point. Even the Lucero equivalent of the guy who always yells FREEBIRD! got love from them. In short, everybody enjoyed the hell out of themselves. [He yelled BIKERIDERS all night. If you are at a random country show in the mid-south in the next while and hear a crazy chick yell BIKERIDERS, you will know we are there.--Mimi]

Picture by our girl, Esse.

[Ben soaked in beer. I wonder if that makes you more sweaty or less sweaty when you play a show?--Cricket]

However, I must say that while deciphering my chicken scratch to write this thing up, one thing stands out, and it’s related to this appreciative bunch: Lucero = beer bath. As in people would buy beer, shake the bottle up, and spray the stage with beer instead of drinking it. Usually while shouting WHOO! They also got all us groundlings standing next to them in the process. From the first song of Lucero’s set, the crowd was spraying the band (and everyone between them and the band) with beer after beer. Lead singer guy [Ben Nichols.--Cricket] made note of it many times as he was drenched in the stuff and actually had to change his shirt and towel off at one point. That’s actually where the tagline comes from. In addition to pointing out how he was covered in more beer than he’d drank that night, he lamented the fact that, as he was the singer and had to stand still at the mic, he got hit with the shit more than his bandmates, who were moving targets.

[Listen to Ben chatter about beer throwing fans. (Right click to download and 'save file as.')--Cricket]

I actually felt bad for him (and the other guys and the tech crew) because he tried to be nice and subtle and reason with the crowd about how there was so much beer on stage after folks had been doing that for about forty minutes, equipment was breaking. Unfortunately, you can’t really reason or be subtle with drunk folks. Sorta like the drunk guy next to me who was drinking from one beer bottle and wielding another one, upside down like a maraca. He wouldn’t listen when I tried to convince him to throw away the empty before he fell down again and broke it. Because, it’s all fun and games until someone gets shivved with a broken beer bottle. Then it’s a bar brawl, and we’d already narrowly avoided two of those, thank you very much. Yes, there are stories here. No, I’m not telling them. Let Cricket or Mimi do that mess. All I got to say is, I don’t think I’ve ever seen cockblocking of that level. I am not even joking. Whiny cockblocking at that. [Hey now, I was just trying to talk to the boy. She said she was his cousin, I thought it was safe to assume he was fair game.--Cricket]

[Ok. I guess I will tell the story. Cricket was hitting on this guy most of the night. He had this chick with him, who I assumed to be his girlfriend by how she was all up in his shit all night. So, at one point in the evening I interposed myself between Cricket and the guy to prevent the accompanying chick throwing down on Cric. I mean, if Cric got in a fight, then I'd have to get in a fight, and, shit, I was wearing my Batman t-shirt and I was not about to let Cric get blood all over my shirt. The chick with Cric's boy was pissed off at Cricket.

Then she turned out to be guy's cousin.

And then we ended up with a bit of her on tape saying, "I’m gonna go fuck this guy, I'll be right back." [Seriously, I can't believe that's what she was talking about, I keep thinking she was making a joke, but it is on tape.--Cricket]

Um. Yeah. Now I will tell you, they were not from Kentucky, so all y’all Kentuckians, do not get excited that we’re making Appalachian jokes.–Mimi]

Now, I realize that getting a review from someone not familiar with the music has its own issues, but I think the fact that these boys pulled in someone who’d never even heard of them before walking in the venue because of solid songwriting (ask Cric to talk about the song about the guitar being a girl, as that was my favorite["My Best Girl," and yeah it's damn fine song.--Cricket]) and musical talents says a whole lot about them right there. Yep, it says a whole lot. [I guess it says they're good? Or that she was high. One or the other.--Mimi]

Picture courtesy Dale Goodwin, please do not reproduce without permission.

[This is an excellent shot of exactly the view we had of the band. That's my hand raised up in front of the kick drum.--Cricket]

And a word to the wise? If you ever go to a Lucero show, which you should, you might want to bring a rain coat unless you like smelling like Miller Lite. [This is advice is surely true for shows in Kentucky. I'm not sure about the rest of the country.--Cricket]

[It was really great show and I'm not just fangirl spazzing here. There were a couple new songs, making me really excited for the new album. They played for good 90 minutes, filling all the requests they could. The crowd was bigger than I'd expected for Louisville and definitely more mixed. I met people who came from Texas, St. Louis, and California just to see our boys. There isn't much more joy than a great show by a band you love. And if Cookie's experience is anything to go on, if you still don't know this band, don't already love them, you just need to go see them live to feel the love. We'll see them again at Mucklewain and we expect all y'all to be there to.--Cricket]

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