The Luck Reunion Music Festival 2018 at Willie Nelson's Luck Texas Ranch in Spicewood, Texas on March 14, 2019.
While the chaotic buzz of SXSW raged in downtown Austin, attracting crowds of hundreds of thousands, a smaller group of 2,000 music lovers gathered for a much more intimate scene, the Luck Reunion, an annual excursion held at Willie Nelson’s Luck Ranch in Spicewood, Texas.
For the eighth year, attendees traveled from near and far to be a part of the festival, drawn by its quality performers and laid back vibe. Originally a movie set, the layout of the ranch features rustic saloons and barns that create an authentic old-timey Austin environment.
"This is an amazing event. All walks of people to meet, plenty of stuff to look at and entertain you. The bands are always amazing. The staff are very helpful and amazing. I love how clean this place stays through out the whole event and the food trucks did a great job as well love the variety of choices along with the option of gluten free and vegan."The festival was produced by Ellee Fletcher, Matt Bizer, Scott Marsh and Nelson's wife Annie, and headlined by Willie Nelson himself. Four stages positioned in close proximity with each other showcased over three dozen artists, assuring there was never a pause in the fun. The diverse lineup featured everything from classic country to bluesy rock, performed by emerging groups intermixed with well-known bands. In addition to great music, festival goers enjoyed a wide array of mouthwatering cuisine and drinks, from authentic Tex-Mex to new-school barbecue and Indian food.
"Best concert event that I have attended. The Luck family really does try to make you feel like you are a part of their family. They routinely bring the best up and coming acts along with the grand daddy of outlaw Country Mr. Willie Nelson and family. And while they could potentially double the size of the crowd they purposefully keep it small, so that at the end of the day we all feel like we attended a family reunion, with great access to the performers, great food and drink! Luck really is a magical place!"
"Always the best feeling and service with some of the nicest people and vendors ever! Luck Reunion is simply an amazing experience and would highly recommend putting this on any bucket list if you have yet to go."
"Great music! Cool place. Saw some of Willie’s horses up close."
"Beautiful place! Wonderful people! Super atmosphere! Freakin' Fantastic Music! All Day Long! I had the best time ever!"
"We had a wonderful time and saw many acts. The music was awesome and the weather was perfect. The sitting areas , cold water and Tito's were great ideas. I had such fun at Luck Reunion. It was a well planned venue for music lovers with professional and friendly people. We were thrilled to visit Willie's ranch. We want to return next year."
"Great music and a wonderful crowd. I'll cherish the memories for the rest of my life."
Luck Reunion 2019 lineup
- Willie Nelson & Family
- Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real
- Particle Kid
- Paula Nelson & Jesse Dayton
- Shakey Graves
- Steve Earle & The Dukes
- The Marcus King Band
- Matthew Logan Vasquez
- Illuminati Hotties
- Hayes Carll
- Strand Of Oaks
- Langhorne Slim & The Law
- Low Cut Connie
- The Nude Party
- Quaker City Night Hawks
- Thomas Csorba
- E.B. The Younger
- Logan Ledger
- Nathaniel Rateliff
- Cedric Burnside
- Nicole Atkins & Jim Sclavunos
- The Cactus Blossoms
- Dylan LeBlanc
- J.S. Ondara
- Billy Strings
- Lola Kirke
- Waylon Payne
- Mavis Staples
- Mountain Man
- Courtney Marie Andrews
- Haley Heynderickx
- Angie McMahon
- Yola
- Sunny War
- Brandy Zdan
- Sontalk
- Daddy Long Legs
- Tyler Ramsey
- Bonnie Bishop
- Jade Jackson
- Chris Shiflett
- Fruit Tones
- Glove
- Mystery Lights
- Katie Pruitt
Luck Reunion contact
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Photos by Ralph Arvesen
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Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real - sometimes referred to as POTR, is an American country rock group and consists of Lukas Nelson (lead vocals, guitar), Anthony LoGerfo (drums, percussion), Corey McCormick (bass guitar, vocals), Logan Metz (keyboards, lap steel, guitar, harmonica, vocals), and Tato Melgar (percussion). Lukas is the son of Willie Nelson. Since 2015, Promise of the Real have been Canadian musician Neil Young's regular backing band and has recorded two studio albums with Young.
Particle Kid - Micah Nelson comes from a lineage of musical and cultural pioneers, growing up touring with his father Willie Nelson and his brother Lukas Nelson, he has always been surrounded with vibrant and authentic creative spirits. Both a talented visionary artist and iconoclastic musician, he has performed with various acts at events like FarmAid, Neil Young’s Bridge-School Benefit, Desert Trip festival, Lightning in a Bottle, Coachella, Bonnaroo Festival as well as shows like Conan O'brien, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and more.
Steve Earle - a country and folk singer-songwriter, record producer, author and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. His breakthrough album was the 1986 album "Guitar Town". Since then Earle has released 15 studio albums and received three Grammy awards. His songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Levon Helm, The Highwaymen, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Shawn Colvin, Bob Seger, and Emmylou Harris. He has appeared in film and television, and has written a novel, a play, and a book of short stories.
The Marcus King Band - founded in Greenville, South Carolina in 2013, is an expansive and dexterous musical unit that has honed their synergy through touring. Drummer Jack Ryan, bass player Stephen Campbell, trumpeter/trombonist Justin Johnson, sax/steel guitarist Dean Mitchell along with Marcus, bring an irreplaceable combination of commitment, craft and soul to their work and are one of the hardest working bands today. They have played 140 shows in the last year and sold out countless venues, including Brooklyn Bowl three nights in a row and Marcus’ namesake festival, The Marcus King Band Family Reunion. This year, the festival featured acts such as Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, Yonder Mountain String Band, Josh Ritter, Amanda Shires, and many more.
Jesse Dayton - from Austin, Texas and best known for his guitar contributions to albums by country musicians including Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson. He is also notable for his collaborations with horror film director Rob Zombie, who has commissioned Dayton on multiple occasions to record music to accompany his films.
Paula Nelson and Jesse Dayton - country music singer and disc jockey, Paula is the daughter of country music singer and musician Willie Nelson.
Mavis Staples - is a rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She has recorded and performed with her family's band The Staple Singers and also as a solo artist. Staples was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2017.
Strand Of Oaks - led by Philadelphia's Tim Showalter, will release its new album 'Hard Love' on February 17 on Dead Oceans. On the highly anticipated follow up to 2014's 'HEAL', Showalter confronts the struggle between overindulgence and accountability; while he yearns for rock 'n' roll transcendence, he is also forced to confront the damage that pursuit inevitably imposes on his loved ones. With help from producer Nicolas Vernhes (The War on Drugs, Spoon) and guitarist Jason Anderson, 'Hard Love' harnesses Showalter's unrelenting energy and channels it into nine of the most incendiary, ambitious songs in Strand Of Oaks’ discography.
Shakey Graves - a musician from Austin, Texas and his music combines blues, folk, and rock and roll. Rose-Garcia received his stage name at Old Settler's Music Festival in 2007 after he and his friends jokingly gave each other Indian guide names over a campfire. After an inspired night of playing music, he decided to keep the name.
Mountain Man - is a singing trio of women described as "nestled in the tradition of American folk" with a traditional Appalachian folk sound. They have earned acclaim from a number of music critics. They often sing a cappella, with a sparse, haunting, hymnal beauty sometimes accompanied by soft acoustic guitar, but with their voices virtually unadorned, according to Guardian critic Paul Lester.
Langhorne Slim and The Law - is a singer-songwriter and he began to gain public notice through several years of touring with the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players and an appearance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. His song "Electric Love Letter" was chosen as number 5 on the Rolling Stone editor's top ten picks and was also in the movie Waitress. He has been seen on tours with Cake, The Avett Brothers, Murder By Death, Jeffrey Lewis, The Violent Femmes, Lucero, Rocky Votolato, the Woes, Josh Ritter, Drive-By Truckers, The Low Anthem, Old 97's, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, The Devil Makes Three, and The Lumineers.
Low Cut Connie - is a rock and roll band based in Philadelphia which was formed in 2010. The band has been recognized by various media in the US for their records and high-energy live show, of which the Los Angeles Weekly said "Their ferocious live show...is unmatched in all of rock right now." Frontman, pianist, songwriter Adam Weiner has been described by NPR music as “masterfully fluent in the foundational languages of Western pop, living at the crossroads where the church house meets the roadhouse, or where the Dew Drop Inn meets CBGB.” Essentially a solo project for Weiner, the band is known for appearing on Barack Obama’s list of favorite songs, and their association with Elton John who has called the band one of his favorites.
Courtney Marie Andrews - a singer-songwriter originally from Phoenix, Arizona. She released her first widely distributed and breakthrough album, Honest Life, in 2016, following her release of albums On My Page in 2013 and No One's Slate Is Clean in 2010. From 2010 to 2011, Andrews was an auxiliary member of Jimmy Eat World, appearing on their 2010 album Invented and acting as their keyboardist and backing vocalist on the subsequent tour.
The Nude Party - an inseparable gang of blood brothers bonded by a musical mission indistinguishable from their friendship. The band’s psychic and effortless musical communication comes from learning how to play their instruments together since their teens, rooming together in house after house for six years, and developing their sound and aesthetic through literal nude partying together.
Haley Heynderickx - singer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon. In 2016, she released her debut EP, "Fish Eyes," and her first full-length album, "I Need to Start a Garden," in March 2018.
Glove - performing at the Luck Reunion.
Matthew Logan Vasquez - is best known as the lead singer/songwriter/guitarist of Indie rock group Delta Spirit. He is also a member of Indie Supergroup Middle Brother and he has released three solo albums: Solicitor Returns, Does What He Wants, and Light'n Up. His current project is Billboard described indie supergroup Glorietta.
Quaker City Night Hawks - hard rock n' roll is bred from Texas boogie, Memphis soul and heavy blues. Their music is southern rock right out of '75, played with the fervor of a sermon crackling out of the radio in a '68 Lincoln. They're the whiskey bottle you finished Saturday night and the prayer you said the next morning. Like a country gunshot on a humid night and your first illicit beer, Quaker City Night Hawks are the spirit of rock n' roll.
Angie McMahon - an Australian singer-songwriter and musician from Melbourne, Victoria. McMahon performed in a nine-piece soul band called The Fabric before beginning her solo career. She won a Telstra competition in 2013 to open for Bon Jovi on the Australian leg of their "Because We Can tour." In 2017, McMahon won the Josh Pyke Partnership, releasing her debut single "Slow Mover" in the same year. She has since released the singles, "Missing Me", "Keeping Time", a cover of Neil Young's "Helpless", "Pasta", and "And I am a Woman".
Mystery Lights - performing at the Luck Reunion.
Illuminati Hotties - an indie pop band from Los Angeles, California. They were founded in 2018 as a vehicle for the songwriting of Sarah Tudzin.
Yola - a Grammy nominated English musician, singer and songwriter from Bristol, England. She became the lead singer of the band Phantom Limb, who released their first album in 2010. She has sung backing vocals for numerous artists including Massive Attack, The Chemical Brothers and Iggy Azalea. Yola received four nominations at the 62nd Grammy Awards, including the all-genre Best New Artist category.
Lola Kirke - an actress and singer-songwriter, Lola starred in the 2015 film "Mistress America" and the Amazon Studios television series "Mozart in the Jungle." She also played a supporting role in David Fincher's "Gone Girl."
Katie Pruitt - performing at the Luck Reunion..
Waylon Payne - from Nashville, Tennessee and the son of guitarist Jody Payne and Grammy Award-winning country singer Sammi Smith. His father became a longtime picker for Willie Nelson; his mother toured with Waylon Jennings. Payne is named for Jennings, who is his godfather.
Sunny War - blues/folk/punk guitarist from Nashville, Tennessee and the master of fingerstyle guitar with a superb clawhammer technique.
Logan Ledger - sets most of his songs in lightless or shadowy spaces: the bottom of the ocean, the abandoned cells of Alcatraz, dreamless bedrooms, desolate streets in the dead of night. Produced by 13-time Grammy winner T Bone Burnett, the Nashville-based artist’s new EP "I Don’t Dream Anymore" matches his moody noir lyricism with a darkly toned take on country music, a sound that’s stylistically wayward yet deeply grounded in classic songmanship.
Brandy Zdan - a Canadian musician, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer based in Nashville, Tennessee. Zdan writes in the rock, indie-rock genre and has been compared to artists like Joan Jett and Susie Quattro with her energetic and engaging stage presence and live show.
Additional photos from the Luck Reunion
