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Singer, songwriter, and guitarist
Ben Nichols is the frontman for the Memphis alt-country band
Lucero.
Lucero formed in the late '90s and the band has released a half-dozen or so albums since 2001, each drawing praise for the group's gritty, rootsy, and almost punk approach to country-rock and for
Nichols' smoky, emotional vocal style. During breaks from
Lucero,
Nichols began recording more acoustic-based material, and an EP featuring a stripped-down trio of
Nichols on acoustic guitar,
Rick Steff (
Cat Power) on accordion and piano, and Todd Beene (
Glossary) on pedal steel and electric guitar appeared under
Nichols' name in 2009 from Liberty & Lament Records. Titled
The Last Pale Light in the West, the EP's seven songs are all based on characters and situations drawn from Cormac McCarthy's novel Blood Meridian. ~ Steve Leggett