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Lucero’s Ben Nichols talks Michael Shannon’s intensity, the band’s chances at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and more

The band plays the Ritz Ybor on Sunday.
 
Published Sept. 20, 2018

This is the 20th year of Lucero, the crusty, punk- and alt-country-accented Memphis rockers who've made many an enjoyable sojourn to Tampa Bay over the years. But don't go thinking it's made Ben Nichols newly nostalgic for his early work.

"It's funny, we've been playing songs from the whole catalog the entire time," the singer-songwriter said by phone recently. "There was nothing to revisit because it never went anywhere. Going back and listening to the old records, that's tough. Most of them, I don't like the way they sound, which is another reason why I'm so happy with this one (new album Among the Ghosts). It's the best combination of songwriting and production. We've got some excellent songs on old records, but the production wasn't there. And we've got some excellent production on some newer records, but the songs weren't quite there. This is a nice balance between the two, and it's a really nice place to be at the 20-year mark."

On Sunday, Lucero returns to Tampa with a show at the Ritz Ybor. Tickets are $22 and up. Click here for details.

For more of our interview with Ben Nichols, click here.

— Jay Cridlin