LUCERO
8 p.m., the Village. $15 adv., $20 d.o.s.
Lucero’s bringing it all back home. Or home away from home. Two
months after the Memphis rockers unveiled their sixth studio release,
“1372 Overton Park,” Little Rock gets a taste. The album is the band’s
major label debut and, as major label debuts often do, it features a
new sound. But only the most intractable fans of the band’s busted-up
country-rock will object. Because nothing livens up barroom rock ‘n’
roll like a horn section. Lucero front man (and Little Rock native) Ben
Nichols points to Stax as a key influence in the new direction, but to
these ears what comes out is much more the Boss, Replacements-style. So
cross your fingers that the horn section hasn’t been released from the
tour*. Even if they have, a Lucero gig in Little Rock’s always an
occasion for a mass audience sing-along. Look for this to be the rare
gig that fills the Village to the brim. Two of Little Rock’s pop-rock
contenders, Whale Fire and Big Boots, open the show.
*UPDATE: It hasn’t