Austin Lucas - Somebody Loves You

Wow. That's pretty much all I can say about Somebody Loves You. Virgil from Suburban Home had mentioned that he was trying to put out a record for him, but I didn't go out of my way to check him out. There are so (perhaps too) many ex-hardcore dudes that think they are Johnny Cash in this day and age and I really can't say I was dying to hear another one.

Well, it looks like I owe Virgil a drink, as Somebody Loves You is one of the best records I've heard so far this year. I would have expected it to pop up on Bloodshot before Suburban Home, but Dickerson and the rest of the kids out Denver way are rapidly becoming one of the best all-around indie labels around today. They've got a solid roster in the roots and punk spectrums. It's been great record after great record recently, and as I find it hard to shut about it, let me reiterate another time that I couldn't be more excited that Suburban Home is releasing the new Yesterday's Ring record.

Austin is an Indiana boy, a former child vocal prodigy that did serious time in Indiana University Children's Choir, before veering off into a word of hardcore and grind for a number of years. Trust me, this is not a man unfamiliar with a basement show. He's from a musical family, with a Dad that has written for a gang of bluegrass groups including Alison Kraus. Said Lucas family patriarch (call him Bob) also recorded the songs that comprise Somebody Loves You at the family seat in Ohio. Much of the family guests as well. It's a spartan record, but it sounds wonderful. You don't need much more than his voice. Austin can sing like an angel, sounding like a young bluegrass Richard Buckner against the keening fiddles and sweet harmonies that dapple these song. Life I've Got and Precious Little Heart are particularly good, but there really isn't a bad song on Somebody Loves You. I couldn't recommend it more.

Oddly enough, Lucas splits his time between the Czech Republic and Indiana. I think that's what we call a dichotomy, but it gives him ample opportunities to tour on a couple continents. He'll be here in town a couple of weeks from now with Tim Barry for one of the last shows at the Manhattan incarnation of The Knitting Factory. Keep track of Austin's whereabouts here and buy two copies of Somebody Loves You from Suburban Home via this handy link. Might I point out that it's $8.99?!! All props due to Suburban Home for consistently putting out some of the best records you'll hear today.

R