LucaBrasi

Dressed only in black with flashes of white, the members of LucaBrasi took to the stage of the Duck Room and delivered their new CD in chronological order to the packed house. Early set house lights kept with the monochromatic color scheme, as bright white lights blinded the audience while silhouetting the band. Save one slower number, the music was hard rocking and tightly delivered...and oh, so well received.

This was a unique local show, and not just in the packed house. The crowd arrived early tonight, catching openers Ready the Cannons and The Feed (more on them later) and sticking around 'til the very end. Sure, it helps that two of the members of LucaBrasi were formerly in The Urge, and that each of the four—Mike Jost (drums), Jerry Jost (guitar), Matt McInerney (vocals), Josiah Werner (bass)—has been active in bands both local and national for years. This makes LucaBrasi a supergroup, of sorts, which makes the band's self-titled debut CD much more polished than most first bows.

Alone with his microphone, McInerney sometimes wailed to the crowd, other times held his pockets and rocked, rising up to meet the microphone. For his part, Jerry had complete control of his axe at all times, serving up riffs and rock lines all night.

Much to the crowd's delight, special guest John Pessoni (ex-Urge drummer) joined on second guitar and backing vocals toward the end, lending his talents on a timeless-sounding number. At times, LucaBrasi even recalled Stir, yet another St. Louis band with a national footprint.

On some of the tracks, particularly the slower ones, the guitar work was shrouded and restrained; at times like these, the band truly excelled, its power visible but in check, just under the surface. Other times, frontman McInerney threw his head back, a profile in silhouette as he emitted a primal scream: power unleashed. After a two-song encore, the band did what it promised: hang out and drink with its fans.

- Laura Hamlett


- playbackstl.com

A kind of super-group composed of St. Louis hard-rock lifers, LucaBrasi matches vocalist Matt McInerney (Ulcer Inc.) with the rhythm section from Adair and guitarist Jerry Jost, formerly of the Urge. Drummer Mike Jost was most recently in a later incarnation of post-hardcore heavyweights Helmet, and his authoritative beats are pushed to the front of the mix on LucaBrasi. And though much of this record works best when the volume is cranked to ten, the moments of subtlety (McInerney's double-tracked harmonies, hairpin rhythmic changes) help LucaBrasi stand out from the slew of heavy rock bands in town.

"People/Places" opens the album with a meaty, spindly riff that could have been stripped from the first Foo Fighters album. From there, the songs incorporate everything from relentless shredding ("Shedding Skin") to lightly psychedelic touches ("Two Passengers"), while the nimble percussion, jangly guitar and soft electric piano of "Never Know" give the song a mid-'90s alt-rock vibe that meshes well with the harder-edged material. Although at times McInerney's voice can be hard to hear above LucaBrasi's music — he is more a singer than a screamer — for the most part he settles in amid the instrumentation rather than rising above it.

- Christian Schaeffer - Riverfront Times