Memphis-based Americana band Lucero hosts its annual Family Christmas show at Minglewood this Friday.
With two decades of hits like “Nights Like These” and “For the Lonely Ones” under their belts, the band has developed a strong fan base in Memphis and around the country — so much so that they’ve spent as many as 250 days a year touring, playing venues like Red Rocks in Denver. But the band continues to stay true to their local fanbase and their hometown with annual Family Christmas and Block Party events, like the 2018 Block Party, where Mayor Jim Strickland declared that day “Lucero Day.”
Dan Ball
Lucero
“We’ve got a piece of paper to prove it and everything,” says guitarist Brian Venable. “It was pretty awesome.”
Two years later, Venable says he still can’t believe the band has been together for more than two decades.
“When we first got together, we were just punk rock kids, and we started this kind of weird band,” he says. “And then we started touring, and people came to see us. Then we started touring for a living. So the fact that we actually made it to 20 years or more is still kind of outlandish. We’ve seen a lot of history.”
Now, they celebrate Christmas with their annual Family Christmas, which comes with the tradition of supporting and featuring a fellow local artist.
“Hash Redactor, a local band from Goner Records, is opening,” says Venable. “So that’s pretty exciting for me. I like getting to play with local bands. At this point, it’s just tradition. It’s a nice tradition.”
Lucero Family Christmas, Minglewood Hall, Friday, December 13th, 7-11:30 p.m., $21.
Lucero 