Alex Lucero is a musical anomaly; his presence on and off stage is nothing less than an overload of love and positivity that you can’t help falling in love with. His humble soul and outstanding musical talent makes him a must see show to music lovers far and wide. Alex Lucero & Band have become a go-to talent in the Bay Area selling out local venues and generating recognizable attention from all angles and genres. Since the beginning of Alex’s music venture, he’s independently released 6 full length albums. Five of which are with The Live Again Band and one solo project that was recorded and produced by his good friend Adam Patterson with The Expendables, entitled “Shine”. Whether solo or accompanied with the band, all of Alex’s projects showcase the raw abilities of his unbelievable voice and musicianship. His records have received a phenomenal local response enabling Alex to maintain a serious presence and following, playing weekly in both the San Francisco Bay Area and all over Santa Cruz County averaging 300 shows a year! In 2019, Lucero has made strides expanding the magnitude of his live shows, including major venue support spots at the Saratoga Mountain Winery and The Catalyst for names such as Chaka Khan, Michael McDonald The Monophonics and many more.  

Sixty miles north of Los Angeles, just over the rugged San Gabriel Mountains, lies the arid desert community of Antelope Valley, where Peter McGuire was raised, amid the strong winds, Joshua trees, and punk rock. The AV music scene has been diverse, eclectic, constantly changing, and always subjugated by the local government. Music venues have come and gone, but the musicians have always been there. Punk rock has always been the backbone of the music scene. Peter spent his teenage years and most of his 20’s putting out 5 records in 3 very different punk rock, hard rock, and metal bands. “I discovered alt-country music at a very challenging time in my life,” Peter says. “I was in my late 20’s, going through a lot of personal issues. I really connected with the honesty and story-telling of alt-country, and at such a transitional phase, I knew immediately that this was going to be the direction my music career was heading next.” Peter picked up an acoustic guitar and started writing what he calls “Sad Bastard Music.” In August 2017, he released a split EP with fellow singer-songwriter and AV native Matthew from the Colonies, titled Dying Desert, with the backing of The Burgerwolf Collective and Rail Rider Records. “My half of Dying Desert is a snapshot of what I was going through, and writing these songs was how I dealt with depression, anxiety, dead relationships, and brand new ones,” Peter says. The split was well received by the AV scene, and Matthew and Peter hit the road to share their music on a successful tour of the Western United States. “I really missed playing in a full band, being on stage with my friends. That’s what music is really about. Connecting with people.” In 2018, Peter recruited Mandy Alexander to play keyboards, Matthew Allen on bass, and long-time friend and bandmate, Diamond Jeff Collier on drums, forming Thrift Store Troubadours. Blending blues and country with a punk rock edge, Thrift Store Troubadours’ 2019 debut studio album Bright Lights, Dark Nights, is brand new material, as well as full band arrangements of some of the songs from Dying Desert.