Lucas announces New West CD

The 11-track album is his fifth solo LP overall and first for New West. His longtime friends, alt.-country rockers Glossary (featuring Joey Knieser on guitars, piano and organ, Eric Giles on drums, Bingham Barnes on bass, Kelly Knieser on backing vocals and Todd Beene of Lucero on pedal steel, guitars and percussion), were recruited after the crew toured together and played in the studio. Producer Mark Nevers, best known for his work with Caitlin Rose, Lambchop and Bonnie Prince Billy, was enlisted as well. The album was co-produced by Lucas and recorded in December 2012 at Nevers' Beech House studio in Nashville, Lucas' current home.

Lucas' influences span the gamut from George Strait and Waylon Jennings to Thin Lizzy and Buzzcocks.

Lucas was raised in Monroe County, Ind., and born into a folk and bluegrass lineage. The product of a musical family, Lucas started singing at a young age and honed his vocal control as a member of the Indiana University Children's Choir where he sang in a variety of operas among other things. In his teen years, he played in punk bands and over the next decade became part of crust punk (metal-influenced punk) and hardcore scenes both in the U.S. and Prague where he lived for five years.

After realizing the damage he was doing to his voice by screaming, Lucas traded the brute force of punk and metal for melody and returned to his Americana roots. He started writing songs on an acoustic guitar that were in the vein of the classic country, folk and bluegrass that he had been raised on.

In addition to solo albums, Lucas released split singles with Frank Turner and Cory Branan (who guests on this album, adding lead guitar on Small Town Heart and organ on Alone In Memphis) as well a full-length album titled "Bristle Ridge" with Chuck Ragan from Hot Water Music.

This week Lucas kicked off a run on the Warped Tour where he is performing on the Acoustic Basement Stage. A full band tour will follow in the fall.

Warped Tour dates:
June 28 - Las Vegas, NV - Silverton Casino Parking Lot
June 29 - Salt Lake City, UT - Utah State Fairpark
June 30 - Denver, CO - Sports Authority Field at Mile High
July 3 - Noblesville, IN - Klipsch Music Center
July 5 - Toronto, ON - The Flats at Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
July 6 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
July 7 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
July 9 - Virginia Beach, VA - Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
July 10 - Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion
July 11 - Mansfield, MA - Comcast Center
July 12 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center

Additional date:
August 31 - Cookeville, TN - Muddy Roots Music Festival