TCB 
Two Hearts Beat as One
There may not be a more thankless job in the music business than publicist. Bartenders at least get tips, but all publicists often receive for their efforts are unreturned phone calls and used-CD racks crammed with unopened advances. Nevertheless, for the ladies of the Propaganda Media Group, getting the word out is a labor of love that does have its benefits. "It's nice to have
IanMoore or
AdamCarroll walk in with a brand-new record and hand it to you," says
VickieLucero, who founded Propaganda in 1996 with best friend
Julie Carr. Over the years, other Propaganda clients have included
Terri Hendrix,
Ruthie Foster,
Slaid Cleaves,
Chris Whitley,
ElizaGilkyson, the
South Austin Jug Band, and both
Jimmie Dale and
Colin Gilmore. There's also the Old Settler's Music Festival and Threadgill's World Headquarters, where client
Scott H. Biram releases his new
The Dirty Old One Man Band tonight (Thursday). Several of her artists, notably Cleaves and Hendrix, have gone on to national airplay and acclaim, but Lucero says she's happy to keep Propaganda a boutique operation. "There's something about being here I really like," the Corpus Christi native admits, surveying the pastoral streets of Kyle from her spacious front porch. Carr left the agency earlier this year to study Oriental medicine, so Lucero's lieutenant is now
Lori Lopez, a Texas State sports medicine major who just happens to live next door. "If I'm doing PR and I get a bite, I'm screaming," says Lopez. "It's a big adrenaline rush."
