Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real

If you don’t know who Lukas Nelson is, you will soon. Born into music royalty- with great looks, a hypnotic voice, a penetrating stare and guitar licks to match- Lukas is on a rarified path. He wants it all. And he wants his heart and integrity intact at the end of the day. Raised at the feet, and now eye to eye, with music legends like his father Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Neil Young, to name a few, he knows the work it will take to reach this level of musical success while holding onto himself in what he admits is “ an industry that can tear you apart.” Lukas is ready for the challenge. He names his greatest strength explaining, “I’m always in motion, never static. I’m open to learning new things and the potential to grow.”

He is kinetic and evolving onstage as well. “If I wasn’t a musician… a surfer, soccer player ... a gardener?”, Nelson ponders. He could pull off any of these with his combo of physicality and introspection. He’s not comfortable giving himself these compliments. He would rather talk about the work. That work includes a decade of touring, ongoing backing and recording with Neil Young, working with Bradley Cooper and Lady GaGa on the upcoming film “A Star is Born” (she co-writes with Nelson and sang harmonies on a favorite, funky cut “Find Yourself”), a self-titled album “Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real” released last August to critical acclaim and a 2018 Americana Music Awards nomination for Group of the Year. Critics say it was a leap forward but Lukas will tell you “It’s a progression. It’s about doing what our soul tells us to do.” It is just this mix of doing the work, going outside into the world of rock legends and audiences, combined with doing the work, of going inside to empty the clutter and stay true to himself, that makes Lukas Nelson and

Promise of the Real the ones to watch and voice to heed. His bandmates, including Anthony LoGerfo (drums and vocals), Corey McCormick (bass and vocals), Jesse Siebenberg (steel guitar and vocals), Logan Metz (organ and guitar), Tato Melgar (percussion) and guest star, brother Micah Nelson, are his family. He wants to go all the way with them, “like Tom Petty and his guys you know…we are a band of brothers in a world of machines.” “I want us to be a beacon of human intuition”, he professes. Lukas is good with words. Really good. He calls himself a “songwriter first and foremost”. His music is lyric-driven like that of his heroes Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, who are truly real to him - legends, mentors, family. Now add to this poetry the voice with plaintiff notes both inherited and all his own, guitar prowess of the greats and the stage presence of Hendrix and you’ve got something. Mix that with the timing this band is experiencing and you have what surfers call a perfect wave. Preparation, patience, the drive and the push land you on a perfect platform. Lukas is ready for the ride. Get ready for their upcoming EP release this summer, “Forget About Georgia”. You won’t want to miss a word or a note of the message this band is planting and sowing for fans new and old.