Arts & Culture
Uncle Lucius are coming back to the UK to visit Fat Lils in Witney on November 1

Country-infused southern rock band Uncle Lucius return to the UK later this month for a 7-date tour, and will be playing at Fat Lils, Witney on November 1.

Following the success of their recent single ‘Age of Reason’ and the response to its cinematic video, Uncle Lucius have confirmed the next UK/Europe single from their latest album ‘The Light’ (Boo Clap/Thirty Tigers) as a double A-Side: ‘Don’t Own The Right’ / ‘Flood Then Fade Away’.

The release will be made available to stream via Soundcloud on October 14, with a radio impact date of October 28.

The band have also confirmed a full list of European tour dates in October & November including seven UK dates, with support from Curse of Lono.

Having shared stages with Merle Haggard, Zac Brown Band, Shooter Jennings, Ryan Bingham and Hayes Carll, Uncle Lucius will already be familiar to many who consider themselves fans of country, Americana and southern rock.

For a decade, the band built its fan base the hard way, through relentless touring and restless searching. When the time came to exit the Nashville ‘machine’ and find a new way to create and release the music they needed to make, they called on their die-hard fans for help. Hundreds of believers pledged tens of thousands of hard-earned dollars. Both humbled and exhilarated, the band hit the studio, eager to justify their fans’ love with the labor of their hearts and souls.uncle-lucius-the-light-artwork

The resulting fourth LP, The Light, is the statement their fans have waited for, with its songs of seeking and questioning, of reaching out to others, of excavating the hidden strength within. After years spent spreading their message across Texas, here at last is the vehicle that can take them to the national - and international - level.

Much about Uncle Lucius sets them apart. Five songwriters combining forces is neither common nor easy, but what each individual loses in pride the band more than gains in power. The song itself matters more than who wrote it, more than the genre to which it belongs. “It’s not about trying to write a certain kind of song,” says Galloway, “it’s about harvesting whatever song comes.”

Despite that organic method, The Light’s 12 songs share themes of travel, movement, and quests without destinations. The album places the band in unfamiliar sonic territory, and much credit belongs to producer George Reiff (Shinyribs, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Band of Heathens) for testing their limits. Every member influences every other, and that combined filter comes close to defining what Uncle Lucius is. “We’re a five-headed beast,” Galloway insists, “and our songs speak for us. Whether we succeed depends on how well they resonate in the world.”

In their own words: “We are beyond psyched about our return to the UK. After touring relentlessly in the states for the better part of a decade, we have become a bit jaded with most of the American audience. It seems the majority of people here have fallen victim to the blatant pandering and watered down lyricism of popular music that has, by design, taken over the mainstream. Our first foray into Europe earlier this year showed us that there is an audience that actually listens to and ‘gets’ our intentions.  We are thankful for another opportunity to meet and perform for this crowd.”uncle-lucius-promo-3

Describing the songs selected for the double A-Side release, the band said: ‘Don’t Own the Right’ is “simple, straightforward and earnest. Everyone has the capacity to be wrong or right. Wrong and right are always relative. Sometimes, we fall into one category or the other. This song is about not being hypocritical and not being so hard on ourselves, no matter which side of the line we happen to be on.”

Flood Then Fade Away’ “...took a while to piece together. I had everything but the bridge written until Jon Grossman (keys player) stumbled upon me working on it alone in the parking lot of yet another hotel. I asked him if he had any lyrical ideas to go over the bridge melody I had just written. In a matter of minutes, he came up with the words.  

This one was a bit of a challenge in the studio. We had it arranged a bit differently when we began, but were just not feeling the groove. I literally sat down in front of the drummer with the acoustic and he came up with a drum beat that matched my strumming pattern. Also, at the suggestion of the producer, we moved the bridge from the end to the middle. Sometimes you just have to mix things up.”

www.uncleluciusmusic.com

  • Uncle Lucius are coming back to the UK to visit Fat Lils in Witney on November 1
  • Uncle Lucius are coming back to the UK to visit Fat Lils in Witney on November 1