Lucero with Shooter Jennings at Emo’s 4/8

Now that we are heading into (I can’t believe it’s almost) APRIL, a slew of shows are coming into Austin, and this is definitely one to put on your radar. American country-inspired rock band Lucero is set to play with another Southern rock persona, Shooter Jennings, on Thursday, April 8th at Emo’s outside.

Shooter Jennings, as the only child of country singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, basically had his future career in music set in stone. After spending the first years of his life on daddy’s tour bus, learning to play drums by age 5, and picking up a guitar at 14, Shooter began making music in his early teen years, doing a few improv recordings with his father. At age 16, he discovered rock n’ roll and made the move from Nashville to L.A. where he started a rather successful southern rock band (Stargunn) that not only received positive critic reviews but that also amassed a rather rabid following. As the Hollywood scene began weighing on his self-image, he dissolved the band, and after flip flopping a few more times between NYC and L.A., he finally made the move onto the hard rock scene in 2009 with his new band Hierophant. Shooter comes to Austin having toured with Hierophant on Warped Tour and having just released an album (Black Ribbons) in early March.

As an American punk/country infused rock band based in Memphis, Tennessee, Lucero is a group that exudes a twang only Southern roots could evoke. Kicking off their career back in 1998 in a Memphis warehouse, Lucero has seen several national tours since (usually playing 150-200 live shows per year) and seven full length albums (the latest, 1372 Overton Park, being released in October of last year). So not only has the group come to be known for their hard-touring work ethic, but their records have also all been critically acclaimed. Lucero initially made music on an idea of “country” being somewhere between the Pogues, Johnny Cash, Gram Parson, and Tom Waits, wanting to create a pretty country band that could play hardcore shows that would piss off the punk rockers (who actually ended up liking it). Today their influence has only slightly shifted to include Bruce Springsteen, the Band, Neil Young, and Wilco to the others, and over the past 12 years, their brand has been succesfully established. Made up of Roy Berry (drums), John C. Stubblefield (bass), Brian Venable (guitar), and Ben Nichols (guitar and vocals), Lucero comes to Austin after a successful SXSW stint last week and before prominent sets at Coachella and Bonnaroo.

Make sure you catch Lucero and Shooter before it’s too late! Head over to the event page to find out how to get tickets! Click “I LIKE IT!” for a chance to one of TEN FREE PAIRS of tickets!!! SEE YOU THERE!