Says Lucca about the single, “I wrote ‘Nashville’ as precursor to my wife and me ‘getting out of Dodge,’ as they say. We decided to move from Los Angeles to Nashville a handful of years ago, as part of the mass exodus of fellow singer/songwriters doing the same.”
“Nashville” was a part of a larger, introspective, creative timeframe for Lucca that also birthed a new album, which will be released in 2019. “On the heels of doing ‘The Voice’ and signing a short-lived deal with Adam Levine’s label, I had decided to take some time off from getting into another album cycle,” Lucca says. “Instead, I submersed myself in Nashville itself, making the rounds with the writing community, getting to know the folks in town and how things work from a creative standpoint. Eventually it was time to make a new record. I would call it inspiration, but it was more like a compulsion. I partnered with producer/drummer Ken Coomer and made what I feel is my most organic record to date. We tracked eight songs over the course of about a week before sending the sessions out to Sam Phillips Recording in Memphis where Matt Ross-Spang was able to mix them into shape.”
Once the recording session was done, Lucca saw that the track “Nashville” represented something important for him in the grand scheme of his career, and he decided to release it as a standalone single. “After realizing the record had been written and recorded entirely in Nashville, with an all-Nashville lineup of players and singers, it was as if my song ‘Nashville’ had become like the mascot of the catalog,” Lucca explains. “We decided it would be a cool way to honor the inspiration that arose from having relocated there.” More details about the album, including a release date, will be announced soon. In the meantime, fans can dive into “Nashville” to see what Lucca has been up.
In early 2018, Lucca toured the Southeast and Midwest with Jonny Lang. He also recently re-ignited his monthly Nashville residency, after taking several months off to record the new album, with a show at The Local on June 28th. In addition to featuring songs from the forthcoming album, the show also included special guests Billy Montana, Driver Williams, and Tom Mackell. Lucca began the residency last summer with a series of four free shows at The Local. Billed as “Tony Lucca and Friends,” the residency was an opportunity for Lucca to work on some new material for the forthcoming album. The shows were such a huge success that the venue asked Lucca to continue the series, and he had monthly shows throughout the fall of 2017 and early 2018 as part of the series. Special guests at the shows included Josh Williams, Tom Beaupre, JD Eicher, Davis Naish, Josh Dorr, Adam James, Marshall Altman, Gabe Dixon, Drew Smith, Michael August, Mando Saenz, Whiskey Wolves of the West, Keaton Simons, Matt Brown, Ernie Halter, Brennin, Curtis Peoples, Ethan Hulse, Barrett Baber, and others.
In 2016 and 2017, Lucca focused on the songwriting that would culminate in the new, forthcoming album, as well as his catalog development, and promotion (two EPs of material from a previously recorded session at the legendary Sun Studio [in Memphis] and another session he’d done in Muscle Shoals, AL in 2006). He did select touring with the likes of Alex Dezen (of The Damnwells), Tyrone Wells, and Christian Lopez. In 2016, he also celebrated the 10th anniversary of his album, Canyon Songs, with a very special show at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville. At the show, he performed the album in its entirety track-for-track, as well as a second set of Lucca classics from over the years.
Tony Lucca Tour Schedule (all dates with Tom Mackell):
10/20/2018 Miller’s / Charlottesville, VA (solo show)
10/21/2018 Dog Patch House Concerts / Fayetteville, NC (solo show)
10/23/2018 Haymarket at City Winery / Boston, MA (solo show)
10/24/2018 Tellus 360 / Lancaster, PA (solo show)
10/25/2018 Burlap and Bean / Newtown Square, PA (solo show)
10/26/2018 Triumph / New Hope, PA (trio show)
10/27/2018 The Crib house concert / Herndon, VA (solo show)
11/7/2018 Old Rock House / St. Louis, MO (trio show)
11/8/2018 7th Street Entry / Minneapolis, MN (trio show)
11/9/2018 House Concert / Cedar Valley, IA (trio show)
11/10/2018 Vox Series / Marshfield, WI (trio show)
11/11/2018 Maintenance Shop / Ames, IA (trio show)
11/13/2018 Club Cafe / Pittsburgh, PA (trio show)
11/14/2018 TBD (trio show)
11/15/2018 ArtsQuest / Bethlehem, PA (trio show)
11/16/2018 The Listening Room / Port Clinton, OH (trio show)
11/17/2018 20 Front Street / Lake Orion, MI (trio show)
