From left: Gabriel Doman, Jake Riley and Jeremy Porter of the band Jeremy Porter and The Tucos. (Photo courtesy of David Kellogg)

MARQUETTE — Musician Jeremy Porter, who grew up in Marquette and played music at Marquette Senior High School and Northern Michigan University, is returning here later this month with his band, The Tucos, to the place where this music career started.

On March 25 and 26, Jeremy Porter and The Tucos — based in Detroit — will perform at the Ore Dock Brewing Co. in Marquette. The show begins at 8 p.m. each evening.

Porter, via email, answered some questions about what he has been up to since his last gig in the Marquette area almost 10 years ago:

Mining Journal: When was the last time you performed in Marquette and at what venue?

Jeremy Porter:Last time I played in Marquette was July 4th, 2012 with The Regulars at UpFront & Company. We were an active Marquette band in the mid-80s and did a couple reunions in the 2000s. Last time with The Tucos was that same year in April. It seems so long ago!

MJ:Is your band still composed of the same musicians as the last time you were here?

JP: We have a new bass player — Jake Riley! He’s a good guy, fantastic musician, loves playing and touring, and keeps Gabriel (Doman) and I on our toes. He knows our catalog better than we do and he’s always pushing us! We’re thrilled to have him on board. Gabriel, our drummer, and I have been together since the beginning, late 2009.

MJ: Are you touring this spring and summer?

JP: Yes! Touring has been very limited over the last couple years because of the pandemic, so we’re happy to be out there. We’re doing about 20 shows or so in the next couple months, mostly Midwest and southern USA. In the fall we’re hoping to get back to Canada and the deeper southeast.

MJ: You just released your three-CD set “Bottled Regrets: The First Ten Years.” What has the last decade or so meant for you, professionally? Personally?

JP: Yeah, the “Bottled Regrets” thing came about as we passed the decade mark and couldn’t have the big party/anniversary show that we wanted to. It’s three CDs — “Best Of,” “Rarities” and “Live in Toronto,” released individually and as a collection on GTG Records. I’ve spent the better part of the last four months assembling it.

This compilation forced me to look back on the last decade and appreciate what’s been accomplished — several hundred shows, four albums, a tour of England and Wales, our relationship with GTG records, opening for bands like Soul Asylum, Beach Slang, and Lydia Loveless … It’s been a crazy, great ride, to be honest. Most of my friends and peers who I was playing with in the 90s have given up playing music, or at least performing for the most part, and I’ve had the busiest, most productive and successful decade of my music career. That feels good, and sometimes a bit exhausting.

But at the same time, it feels like we’re coming out of the pandemic, this comp is out, so the slate is wiped clean, we’ve got a new bass player and bunch of new songs … things are exciting and it’s time for the nostalgia train to pull into the station for a while and let’s get back to work making some new music and memories!

On a personal level, there’s not much more to add. I’m grateful to be happily married and that my family and friends are healthy for the most part. I hope the worst of the pandemic is behind us so we can all get back to making and consuming live music, or whatever else it is that gets you off!

MJ: For the uninitiated, describe your band’s style and genre.

JP: This is always such a difficult question! We call it Detroit Rock and Roll, because it’s blue-collar, hard-working, take-a-beating and get-back-up guitar rock, even though we don’t really sound much like the music most people would associate with Detroit.

Our music is high-energy, spirited, often (but not always) up-tempo, and has a consistent melodic, catchy side. We can slow it down and tear some hearts out when we feel like it too. We focus more on the spirit of the performance and the quality of the songs than the precision with which they are delivered.

Our songs are about places like Marquette, and the characters I met and the experiences I had living here. A lot of songs about heartache and regret, and some less dour subject matter too. Fans of alternative music, punk, power-pop, alternative-country, and rockabilly won’t leave disappointed, and we’ve even got a couple tricks up our sleeve for the pop, 60s, and metal fans. Yes, we have a bit of an identity crisis!

MJ: What are you looking forward to the most when you’re here?

JP: Marquette is still home to me in a lot of ways. Even though I only lived here for a few years, they were very formative. I have a big core of friends either still in, or at least from, Marquette, I got in a lot of trouble on these streets and have a lot of great memories. It’s very much a homecoming that always feels very special. Besides my friends and just being back, I love the food and being near the lake and hearing that “last call!” at Remie’s!