Hailing from Austin, Texas, Uncle Lucius are a band whose rootsy blend of classic rock, blues, soul, and country flavors has won them a loyal fan following. The Uncle Lucius story begins in 2002, when Kevin Galloway, then a 25-year-old who had played guitar for years and grew up on classic country tunes, decided he was tired of living in East Texas and chasing a career in banking. Wanting to pursue his love of music, Galloway relocated to Austin and began regularly playing open-mike nights in town, and eventually he crossed paths with Hal Vorpahl, a fellow musician who grew up listening to Willie Nelson and playing piano before he hit Austin and took up the bass guitar. The two began playing music together, and after a year, the group expanded to a trio with the addition of guitarist Mike Carpenter, who was steeped in classic rock and was already a veteran of the Austin music scene. With the addition of drummer Jason Armstrong, the first lineup of Uncle Lucius was complete, and the band was soon playing for packed houses at Austin venues like the Saxon Pub, Threadgill’s, and Antone’s.
In 2006, Uncle Lucius unveiled their first album, a self-released effort titled Something They Ain’t, and the group supported the release with steady regional touring. Armstrong left Uncle Lucius as they were making plans for a second album, and they were considering hiring a session drummer for their recording schedule, but when they auditioned Josh Greco, a San Antonio native who came to Austin to attend college but soon fell into the local music scene, they decided they’d found just the man they needed. The recording of 2009’s Pick Your Head Up went off without a hitch, and in December 29, 2009, Uncle Lucius recorded a special concert at one of their favorite Austin venues that was released in 2010 as an album, Live at the Saxon Pub.
By the time Uncle Lucius recorded their third studio album, 2012’s And You Are Me, the band had signed with Nashville-based eOne Music and added a fifth member, keyboard player and vocalist Jon Grossman. While the songs “Keep the Wolves Away” and “Pocket Full of Misery” gained some traction at radio, Uncle Lucius felt eOne was not a good fit for the band, and broke out the beer in a motel parking lot the day they learned they’d been released from their contract. They financed the recording of their next studio effort with an on-line crowdfunding campaign, and the new album, 2015’s The Light, was released through their own Boo Clap label, with distribution through Thirty Tigers. After the album was completed, Uncle Lucius became a quartet when Hal Vorpahl parted ways with the group.
Like It’s The Last One Left is the new 2023 release with the new singles “Civlized Anxiety” and “Holy Roller” just out
REF: AllMusic
Sacramento’s K-ZAP 93.3 FM plays Uncle Lucius. All part of 50 years of Rock, Blues and More, 24-7 on our station’s stream at K-ZAP.ORG/LISTEN/
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