Rider Essentials: Lucie Tiger

Americana singer-songwriter, Lucie Tiger grew up listening to 1970s rock and Southern artists like The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and The Rolling Stones during long family road trips. 

She turned those childhood memories into a career, channelling that classic sound with a fresh feel. Her heavy influences include The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd as well as more modern touches of RaeLynn, Jason Isbell and Miranda Lambert.

Following her 2018 debut self-titled EP, Apple Tree (2019) and Gasoline (2020), Lucie’s latest album, 2022’s Alabama Highway, debuted at #14 on the ARIA Country Albums chart. It features her previous singles Found My Home, Right Next To You, Do Me Right and Midnight Goodbye which all hit the Countrytown Hot 50 Country Airplay Chart.

Self-penned and produced by John Gifford III, her latest single, Burn It Down shows another side of her songwriting. In a fired-up departure from her familiar themes, Burn It Down was prompted by events during the pandemic and inspired by Lambert’s Kerosene.

Before she heads back to the USA in October to complete her forthcoming Greetings from Muscle Shoals album, we caught up with Lucie to find out the things she always takes on the road with her for this week’s Rider Essentials.

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1. Old School Hard-Copy Map

I like to take the road less traveled and that sometimes goes hand in hand with a GPS blackspot! It’s great to have an old school hard copy map when seeking out inspiration from visiting Billy The Kid’s grave in Fort Sumter in New Mexico or Robert Johnson’s resting place in Greenwood, Mississippi, just in case the signal drops out. 

2. Good Boots

Good boots take you good places after all! I never want to be held back by anything and making sure I’ve got some good boots means I can go anywhere without worrying about mud or rattlesnakes or whatever the road might throw my way. My favourites are a worn-in pair I got the first time I went to Nashville years ago that still look good.  

3. Lyrics on my Phone

I am a serial lyrics-forgetter. I write mostly solo and I’ve written more than 100 songs so, especially when I’m recording in the US, I always have my song lyrics on my phone to rely on. I also use my phone to record new song melodies plus I keep a bunch of lyric ideas in the Notes app!  

4. Case of Beer

A favourite way to relax when I’m on the road is to get some good takeout (I can recommend O.K. Corral in Muscle Shoals or Abe’s Grill in Mississippi) and find a good spot for a sunset dinner. It just ain’t right to do that without a Coors or two, so I always have a case of beer in a cooler in the trunk.  

5. A Reasonable Sense of Direction (And Some Knowledge of US Road Rules)

One skill that’s key when you’re driving on the wrong side of the road in America is an innate sense of direction plus the ability to know your left from your right! Luckily, I tend to spend the majority of my time in the US in the South where all the drivers are incredibly polite! 

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