Interviews |

if you frequent this page with any amount of frequency you have probably come to understand or at least tolerate my very manly love affair with lucero. if you dont know what i am talking about please use the search function, or see this drunken review/love letter of their new record, rebels, rogues, and sworn brothers. without much further ado here is my interview, albeit brief, with ben nichols, lucero’s frontman.

following the interview is a show from atlanta on 9.9.05. its a damn shame that shows from the recent tour are so hard to come by.

CD: When I first heard Rebels, Rogues and Sworn Brothers, which is phenomenal, my knee jerk reaction was that it was going to alienate a lot of diehard Lucero fans that had grown accustomed to a certain Lucero ?sound.? Keep in mind; this was a knee jerk assessment of the record. After playing the Lucero catalogue front to back, several times, I realized that there really is no definitive Lucero sound. Each record has its own vibe. So, what drove you down the musical path that makes up Rebels? Did working with David Lowery play any role in the recording, or did he take a hands off approach?

BN: We pretty much knew what direction we wanted to go in before we ever went to Richmond. We knew we wanted to continue in a more Rock & Roll direction. I think that is something that’s been there all along, and has been gradually asserting itself more and more. It was really the addition of Rick Steff, the keyboard player, that allowed us to really flesh that sound out. And you’re right… there is no definition for the Lucero “sound”. That’s one of the things I like best about the band. We aren’t tied down to any one genre or type of fan. That freedom is nice. Freedom to do things the way you want is important.

CD: As I watched Dreaming in America I found myself wondering why bands in your position, at least at the time, keep on going. Have you ever gotten to the point where you just wanted to say, ?fuck it,? pack it in and call it a day? Or, as clich? as this may sound, is it truly the music that keeps you going?

BN: We kept going ’cause we had nothing else to do. Even if we weren’t committed to the band, each of us in the band had already kind of personally committed to a lifestyle outside the normal realm of things. We weren’t giving up internships at law firms or corporations to do this, because we weren’t gonna lead a normal life with or without the band anyway. And yeah… the music is what makes you feel good. Being a part of Rock & Roll still kicks ass even if you’re not successful. Don’t ask me to define successful.

CD: You tend to write quite a bit in the third person, which tells me either A. you are hiding something or B. you come across a lot of messed up folks. Which one is it? Or, none of the above? I should mention, that I identify with just about everything you write, so what does that say about me?

BN: I decided pretty early on to keep stuff as simple and straight forward as possible. I think most the stuff in these songs is stuff that most of us can relate to. Obviously I relate to it. Some songs just work better third person, even if it is a factual set of lyrics based on myself. Kinda like talking to yourself. And no…we’re not that messed up.

CD: I find myself having a lot of free time during the day when I should be working. During these moments, I find myself day dreaming about either winning the lottery or what record I wish I had the talent to be a part of ? which usually goes back to either Public Enemy?s It Takes a Nation of Millions or GbV?s Bee Thousand. In your quiet times what do you dream about or if that?s too queer is there any record that you wish you had recorded?

BN: Daydreams for me usually involve a front porch and a lake and a bottle of bourbon and my girl. Sounds pretty simple but that stuff is hard to get on the road. And I don’t have a front porch or a lake even when I am at home so…that stuff sounds good all the time. Born to Run and The Band’s second record.

1. across the river

2. aint so lonely

3. tonight aint gonna be good

4. raisin hell

5. kiss the bottle

6. nights like these

7. sixteen

8. sweet little thing

9. that much further west

10. slow dancing

11. bikeriders

12. chain link fence

13. i’ll just fall

14. blue and gray

15. joinin the army

16. last night in town

17. little silver heart

18. my best girl

19. anjalee

20. tears dont matter much

21. nobodys darlings

22. the last song

23. the war

lucero, of course, is on tour. so, check their tour page for when they are coming to your town - tonight they are in austin and tomorrow in baton rouge.

in between looking at “cute” outfits that my wife cant afford and making sure my son was not going to do a header off of his high chair, i sat down to think about questions for my interview with will johnson. will is, in my opinion, the most underrated songwriter of our time.

prolific is not a term i like to use, usually it drums up thoughts at least in certain circles, of the hit or miss output of everyone’s favorite beer chuggin and high leg kickin uncle, bob pollard. will johnson is different kind of prolific, if thats possible. let me say this, if will was a workhorse, i would ride him all day. throughout his career, and various projects - which there have been a few, the quality of work is absolutely stellar. frankly, it puts 99% of songwriters to shame.

centro-matic’s new record, fort recovery, is without a doubt their finest hour. it prompted patterson hood of the drive by truckers to declare, “Centro-matic’s Fort Recovery is a masterpiece, and I don’t use that word often.”

captains dead: I know that you are a fairly big baseball fan, and I was wondering if you were to be featured on a baseball card what would you be doing? Would you want it to be an in action photo, a cheesy pose, or would you pull a Glenn Hubbard and pose with a python?

will johnson: i’d show up socks-high with a bake mcbride afro and a rollie fingers ’stache, all while doing an ozzie smith take-the-field backflip.

cd: Being the music dork/failed musician that I am, I often find myself wishing, or better yet dreaming, that I had recorded this record or that record. Have you ever felt that way about a certain record, and if so is there one in the past 5 years that you wish you had?

wj: only one, really. we lost some of the four-track masters for static vs. the strings volume 2 on a west coast run about four years ago (we were mixing it on the road). or maybe they were stolen. we never found out for sure, but i’ve always been a little bummed that those are gone forever. that set us back some. we still haven’t finished vol. 2, though it seems like we’ll finally get to that within the next little while.

cd: I know it was your birthday recently, happy belated one by the way, and one thing I have noticed about growing a little older is that I cantstomach any carnival ride that spins. Is there anything that you seem to not be able to do as well or tolerate with your advancing age?

wj: i’m less tolerant of really late set times as i get older. a band starting at 12:30am on a tuesday morning just seems ridiculous to me. then there’s beer bongs, wine coolers, and A-Team re-runs. i just don’t dig that shit like i used to. i can still shoot some hoops, though, so i at least try to keep those skills goin’.

cd: Last and final question. I know after I listen to any of your recordings (in your various incarnations), I always feel a sense of hope that maybe all is right with the world. What do you want people to walk away with after they hear a Will Johnson composition?

wj: i’ll sometimes cite serious flaws in people or things in my songs, then throw in some feeling of hope that they’re gonna overcome whatever crappy situation they’ve gotten themselves into. i can onlyhope that these characters connect with the listener. sports and war metaphors often accomodate that, though i’ve done that a lot and could probably stand to back off on those. maybe political and religious figures are in the crosshairs next. who knows.

triggers and trash heaps

calling thermatico

to purchase centro-matic/will johnson/south san gabriel records visit misra records or centro-matic dot com.