Luck Reunion at Willie Nelson's Luck, Texas Ranch in Spicewood, Texas

Luck Reunion at Willie Nelson's Luck, Texas Ranch in Spicewood, Texas on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Luck Reunion is a music festival in Willie Nelson’s backyard of "Luck, Texas". Nearly 10 years ago, a group of friends came together with a vision for a new kind of live music experience. They wanted to honor the cross-section culture that has long motivated creative tradition, to preserve traditions in music, food, and craft, and to create a stage for modern-day outliers who are influenced by the legacies like Nelson and others.

Luckily, they had the keys to the private Luck, Texas property, and the singular opportunity to open its gates to people who value artistic tradition and want to do the legwork to discover talent that reflects Luck's cultural heritage. What started as a one-day event each March, the Luck Reunion, has grown into a community, a platform for us to share the ethos of Luck and bring together musicians, chefs, and artisans who are contributing to American roots culture in an authentic way.

Luck, Texas was built in 1985 as the backdrop for the film "Red Headed Stranger" and is an old west town located in Willie Nelson’s backyard on the outskirts of Austin. The journey to Luck started in 1979 when Willie and dear friend Bill Wittliff set out to make a film version of Willie’s concept album of the same name. While the original screenplay ended with the town burning down, Nelson had grown attached to the set and called for a change in order to preserve the property. The star built his own home on the sprawling land, just a short drive up the road from the set, and Luck, Texas was born.

Beyond its fading facades, Luck became a longtime gathering place for Willie and his contemporaries to come together and inspire one another through song, a sort of scaled-down extension of anti-scene Austin landmarks like Armadillo World Headquarters and Austin Opry House.

Over the years as the boot prints from the past began to fade, Luck primarily served as Willie’s private hang, for games of poker in the "World Headquarters" building and Easter celebrations in the chapel. In 2012 a group of barstool dreamers with ties to the location set out to revive the town’s spirit with experiences inspired by its unique history. With Nelson’s blessing, the seeds for Luck Reunion were planted. Luck Reunion, a misfit group of young believers, Nelson family members, and Willie’s personal team, hopes to honor the creative origins of the magical space, and contribute to the all-inclusive and fascinating culture of the illustrious town.

“Although we’ve faced the challenges of two years without live music, Team Luck knows how to rally,” said festival organizers. “We can’t wait to celebrate ten years of Luck and to see our ‘Luck Family’ return to the stage.”

Luck Reunion at Willie Nelson's Luck, Texas Ranch in Spicewood, Texas on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

The event marks a decade of Luck Presents throwing music celebrations on the property. The beloved Reunion boasts more than 40 acts, culinary experiences with chefs from around the country, and unique experiences throughout the town, giving music lovers the rare opportunity to hang out in Nelson’s backyard, nestled in the rolling hill country just outside of Austin. 

A unique and very enjoyable experience. Relatively small sold out crowd. All we behaved. Most acts near on time. Many quality food trucks. All beverages free of charge. Willie’s village is a great place to sample new bands. Willie capped the evening. Fine day.

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. Thank you!

This is the best venue I've ever been to. Singers and bands playing different music and it's all so good, different genres and somehow it all comes out so beautifully! It is wonderful under the stars of Texas. Willie and the Luck Team do a fantastic job of making everyone feel at home.

Great music and performances supporting great musicians!

Beautiful place and wonderful people! Super atmosphere! Fantastic music that was all day long, I had the best time ever!

Great music and vibe at the Luck Reunion. Cool people, great food, and did I mention the drinks?

The most magical place in the world! You may need a little luck to get in, but once you do, you’ll never forget it. Thank you, Willie & family!

The great music and awesome vibe, and Willie on stage!

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. Thank you for all that you do keep up the great work.

Best music festival experience ever. Tons of talent, cool vibes and great food. Thank you for sharing your beautiful ranch with us. Willie is as amazing as ever!

Luck Reunion lineup

• 49 Winchester
• Abby Hamilton 
• Abraham Alexander
• Adia Victoria 
• Allison Russell 
• Bendigo Fletcher 
• Black Lips 
• BMI Songwriters Circle feat. Jackie Venson, Suzanne Santo & Aaron Raitiere
• Charley Crockett 
• Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express 
• Danielle Ponder 
• David Beck’s Tejano Weekend
• Delta Spirit 
• Ida Mae 
• Japanese Breakfast
• Jim Francis
• Jim Keller
• Jonathan Terrell
• Leslie Mendelson
• Lily Meola
• Lost Gonzo Band with Michael Martin Murphy
• Lucero
• Neal Francis 
• Night Moves
• Particle Kid 
• Ryan Quiet
• Seratones
• S.G. Goodman
• Steve Gunn (full band)
• Sunflower Bean
• SUSTO
• Tami Neilson 
• Trè Burt (solo)
• Weyes Blood (solo)
• Willie Nelson and Family

Japanese Breakfast

Japanese Breakfast performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Japanese Breakfast is an experimental pop band headed by Korean-American musician, director, and author Michelle Zauner. The band released its debut studio album Psychopomp, followed by Soft Sounds from Another Planet, and Jubilee. The latter album garnered them a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Music Album, as well as Best New Artist at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

Charley Crockett

Charley Crockett performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Charley Crockett is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He has released nine albums since 2015, with Lil G.L.'s Blue Bonanza peaking at number 11 on the US Billboard Blues Albums chart. In 2020, Crockett released his eighth album titled Welcome to Hard Times. In 2021, Crockett released his next album titled 10 for Slim: Charley Crockett Sings James Hand a tribute album, to James "Slim" Hand, and released his tenth album Music City USA in 2021.

Delta Spirit

Delta Spirit performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Delta Spirit is a rock band from California and consists of Jonathan Jameson (bass), Brandon Young (drums), Matthew Vasquez (vocals and guitars), Kelly Winrich (multi-instrumentalist), and William McLaren (guitar). Founded in New York in 2005, Jameson and Young, who had played with each other in many cover bands, decided to form a band with their new friend and Emmanuel Valenza of Niskayuna New York, their cousin. Young first spotted Valenza on a bench at two in the morning, and the two exchanged information. Delta Spirit recorded their I Think I've Found It EP at Winrich's home studio, and he joined the band within the first year.

David Beck & the Tejano Weekend

David Beck & the Tejano Weekend performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

The Summer of 2017 found Texas native David Beck lost and looking for inspiration: an impromptu house party was where it all changed. There on the big screen TV, volume on full blast, was Selena and her band shaking the Astrodome with a sound that resonated and caused a chain reaction inside. He was instantly captivated and knew his next move. He began devouring Tejano music, one of the soundtracks of his birthplace San Marcos, Texas. He began writing and recording Tejano inspired music, and naturally began playing shows.

Gathering up friends, he quickly had a band: blazing accordion, shimmering keys, cranked guitars, upright bass and drums. The sound he’s created is traditional Tejano sung in English. Every song is a dance track, every show is a party focused on friends, family, and bringing the two together. David is no stranger to the stage, he took his previous bands Sons of Fathers and Blue Healer from The Grand Ole Opry to Bonnaroo, from Gruene Hall to Austin City Limits, all while fronting the groups from the Upright Bass. This latest incarnation of his art will surely leave fans with limp legs and happy hearts.

Allison Russell

Allison Russell performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Allison Russell is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet, and activist. Prior to her solo music career, Russell performed as a member of the music groups Po' Girl, Birds of Chicago, and Our Native Daughters. She released her first solo album, Outside Child, in 2021. The album was nominated for a Grammy award in the Best Americana Album category, and a single from the album, Nightflyer was nominated for Best American Roots Performance (Russell) and Best American Roots Song (Allison Russell and Jeremy Lindsay, co-writers). In addition to her three Grammy nominations, Russell has been nominated for four Canadian Folk Music Awards, two Juno Awards and has been named to the long list for the Polaris Music Prize.

Lost Gonzo Band

Lost Gonzo Band performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

The Lost Gonzo Band was founded in 1972 and toured and recorded with some of the most iconic and colorful musicians in Texas including Jerry Jeff Walker Michael Martin Murphey and Ray Wylie Hubbard. They were the musicians on such quintessential albums as Murphey's Geronimo's Cadillac and Cosmic Cowboy Souvenir and Jerry Jeff's Viva Terlingua. The original members of the band were Bob Livingston, Gary P. Nunn, John Inmon, Kelly Dunn, Tomas Ramirez and Donny Dolan. Over the years, the band has also included Paul Pearcy, Craig D. Hillis, Herbert Steiner, Mike Holleman, Michael McGeary, Bobby Smith, Lloyd Maines, Radoslav Lorković and Riley Osbourn.

All of the members of the original band still have active music careers and occasionally reunite for concerts. Under the direction of manager, D Foster, The Lost Gonzo Band returned to the stage for the first time in nine years for a sold out show at Gruene Hall Oct 22, 2021. The lineup included original members Gary P Nunn on guitar, Bob Livingston on bass, John Inmon on lead guitar and Steady Freddie Krc on drums. Texas musicians Steve Layne on guitar and David Webb on keyboards rounded out the group. More shows are being planned to coincide with the approaching 50th anniversaries of both the Lost Gonzo Band, Murphey's Geronimo's Cadillac and Jerry Jeff Walker's Viva Terlingua in 2023.

Bendingo Fletcher

Bendingo Fletcher performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

The full-length debut from Bendigo Fletcher, Fits of Laughter is a collection of moments both enchanted and mundane, sorrowful and ecstatic: basking in the beauty of a glorious lightning storm, waking with a strand of your beloved’s hair happily caught in your mouth, drinking malt liquor while bingeing “The X-Files” on a lonesome Saturday night.

As lead songwriter for the Louisville, Kentucky-based band, frontman Ryan Anderson crafts the patchwork poetry of his lyrics by serenely observing the world around him, often while working his grocery-store day job or walking aimlessly in nature (a practice partly borrowed from the late poet Mary Oliver). When matched with Bendigo Fletcher’s gorgeously jangly collision of country and folk-rock and dreamy psychedelia, the result is a batch of story-songs graced with so much raw humanity, wildly offbeat humor, and a transcendent sense of wonder.

Ryan Quiet

Ryan Quiet performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Listening to Ryan's music might feel like a Texas "country twang meets cosmic cowboy" with an alternative rock experience. Ryan grew up influenced by his Texas Hill Country upbringing and love of '80s pop music with a little party rock from his early twenties. These influences make his music explode with a unique sound. As he moves his hips in his debut music video release "Dirty Dancing Guy," Ryan possesses the power of an irresistible spiritual guide that you can't ignore. You'll find yourself singing along and moving your hips too!

Ryan's love of sharing his music never ceases, although life doesn't provide as much time on stage as he would like. He spends his days helping raise his beautiful 2-year-old baby girl, Duetta. Most of the time you can find him and his wife Katie at their Martindale River Cafe in Martindale, Texas. You might see him on stage one minute then serving you a sandwich with your favorite cold one the next.

SG Goodman

SG Goodman performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

“No one escapes the marks left behind when it comes to love or the absence of it,” says singer-songwriter S.G. Goodman, describing the inspiration behind her sophomore album Teeth Marks. “Not only are we the ones who bear its indentations, but we’re also the ones responsible for placing them on ourselves and others.”
br/> When the Kentucky native released her debut album, Old Time Feeling, she was rightly coined an “untamed rock n roll truth-teller” by Rolling Stone. The roots-inflected rock n’ roll record saw Goodman lending her gritty, haunting vocals to narrate the dual perspectives of her upbringing as the daughter of a crop farmer, and a queer woman coming out in a rural town.

Steve Gunn

Steve Gunn performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Steve Gunn’s Way Out Weather, from 2014 was not only a career highlight for the artist himself, who had formerly travelled most often in more experimental and more improvisatory musical communities, but it was also an important milestone in the story of contemporary independent music of the rock and roll variety in the world at large. Unapologetically guitar-oriented, with an emphasis on finger-picking and pedal steel, country-and-folk-inflected but without being reductively so, full of reverence for the song as a form, Way Out Weather seemed, as the title suggests, both way out, as in turned on, as in certain great works past of the psychedelic period, Skip Spence, John Fahey, and Doug Sahm, but also way out, as in mapping a way out of rock and roll’s dead ends, its stylistic repetitions. It was a bit of a contemporary masterpiece, unexpected and rich.

Lily Meola

Lily Meola performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

The story of how singer-songwriter Lily Meola went from being a jazz-loving kid performing covers at local cafés on her native Maui to an artist-on-the-verge reads like a rock and roll fairytale. It involves her being mentored by super-producer Bob Rock, touring with the likes of Willie Nelson, being taught to write songs by Jackson Browne, and duetting with Steven Tyler, Kris Kristofferson, and Sammy Hagar.

But Meola, a charmingly laid-back, beach-loving Maui girl, is way too humble to trumpet such connections. Not to mention that to her, these music legends were just friends of her mom Nancy’s boss, legendary manager Shep Gordon. Ask Meola about the time Hagar called her up onstage to perform an impromptu number at one of Gordon’s star-studded parties, and she brightens at the memory, exclaiming, “Oh, yeah! Well, that’s just a typical night at Shep’s house,” she says, neglecting to mention that the drummer backing them was Mick Fleetwood (because that’s just a normal thing that happens), and that the performance aired on Hagar’s web series Rock and Roll Road Trip. “I didn’t see my upbringing as anything out of the ordinary,” she says, “but I do understand now that it was special.”

Tami Neilson

Tami Neilson performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

No one forgets the first time they saw Tami Neilson. She can hush a room with an original song that channels the hurting spirit of Patsy Cline or the sensuality of Peggy Lee, or bring the audience to its feet on a rockabilly raver. She’s an artist with real range, whose powerful voice can take on big ballads, golden-age country, heartfelt Gospel, soul-infused R&B, Western swing, even old-style rock ‘n’ roll. Tami encompasses them all and is a personality-powered cyclonic force of nature in stylishly retro attire, long lashes and a stacked-high beehive.

Previous media accolades come from both sides of the Atlantic, including Rolling Stone, which called her “a fire-breathing belter on her own terms” and the U.K.’s Guardian, which asserted that “her powerhouse voice recalls 1950s stars such as Wanda Jackson and Patsy Cline.”

Danielle Ponder

Danielle Ponder performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

American soul singer Danielle Ponder is both empowering and a powerhouse. In 2020, NPR described her music as anthemic while compassionate; soulful, while bold and strong. She reverberates with a goosebump-inducing passion,." Danielle attended Northeastern University where she received her Juris Doctorate. For 5 years, Danielle worked as a public defender where she provided criminal defense to the indigent community. While working as a public defender, Danielle also toured Europe and scored opening spots for St. Paul and the Broken Bones and George Clinton.

In 2018, after five years as a public defender, she made the gutsy decision to pursue her No.1 passion, music. In 2021, Danielle performed at the Newport Jazz Festival where her performance was hailed as one of the stand out performances of the event. Danielle is preparing her first self-produced EP, Some of Us Are Brave, set for release in early 2022 on Future Classic. Danielle continues to advocate for criminal justice reform and has been an influential leader in the Black Lives Matter movement in Rochester, New York.

Aaron Raitier

Aaron Raitier performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

When a few friends offered to make a debut record on him, Nashville songwriter Aaron Raitiere simply agreed to go along with it. In the four years since that first session for what would become Single Wide Dreamer, the auspicious project has retained its casual charm even as its guest list gradually expanded. Anderson East and Miranda Lambert, who co-produced the album, now appear alongside Nashville musicians like Dave Cobb, Natalie Hemby, Ashley Monroe, and Waylon Payne, as well as Robert Randolph, Foy Vance, and Bob Weir.

“I think the record kind of made itself, and that was the vibe I was going with,” Raitiere says. “It was just a bunch of friends getting together trying to help me create something, because they thought I needed a record.”

Kirby Brown

Kirby Brown performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

For Kirby, the process of writing is a liturgical one, repeatedly walking around the fences of his own life, looking in to see what's hidden, and trying to make heads or tails of what’s going on in there. In a sense, though, he often feels blocked out, on the wrong side of those barricades. The practice of songwriting, when it’s working, is the shortest way across that he has found. His new record, Break Into Blossom, finds him revisiting this process, searching for the universal within the personal, peeling back the layers of himself and the world around him.

Jonny Burke

Jonny Burke performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Jonny Burke grew up playing the bars of the Southwest while still in high school when he formed the now long defunct group the DedRingers. As a solo artist he has released three full length albums and two EP's over the years while touring every state in the Continental U.S. with the likes of James McMurtry and Turnpike Troubadours. His long-expected album Behind The Pine Curtain is due sometime in 2022 after a year long stretch in the Texas penal system. "I've been a fan of Jonny Burke's for a long time now," legendary East Nashville songwriter Todd Snider says. "He has always been able to express what he's been through with a poet's touch. Now he's been through the adventure of a lifetime and has turned it into a major album." "Jonny is one of the best songwriters around," echoes Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter John Fullbright. "Jonny always has a song that's my new favorite. He's a songwriter's songwriter's songwriter."

Leslie Mendelson

Leslie Mendelson performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Leslie Mendelson is riding a wave of acclaim for her most recent studio album ‘If You Can’t Say Anything Nice…,’ as well as a solo acoustic EP ‘In The Meantime,’ that was recorded during the 2020 lockdown. Described by Relix Magazine as an artist with “a loyal, cross-generational audience that hugs the hippie, hipster, coffee shop and society crowds,” Leslie’s timeless musicality and evocative songwriting indeed cuts a wide swath. All Music writes that Leslie evokes “1970s songwriter influences in the vein of Carole King and Carly Simon,” while The Aquarian calls her “the closest thing one can get to a truly honest musical experience.”

Ida Mae

Ida Mae performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

For nearly two straight years following the release of their critically acclaimed debut, Chasing Lights, Ida Mae lived on the road, crisscrossing the US from coast to coast as they performed hundreds of dates with everyone from Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss to Marcus King and Greta Van Fleet. And while those shows were certainly formative for the electrifying British duo, it was what happened in between, the countless hours spent driving through small towns and big cities, past sprawling suburbs and forgotten ghost towns, across rolling plains and snow-capped mountains, that truly laid the groundwork for the band’s transportive new album, Click Click Domino.

Written primarily in the backseat of a moving car, the record embodies all the momentum and possibility of the great American unknown, offering up a series of cinematic vignettes full of hope and disappointment, promise and regret, connection and loneliness. The songs on Click Click Domino are raw and direct, fueled by an innovative mix of vintage instruments and modern electronics, and the performances are loose and exhilarating to match, drawing on early rock and roll, classic country, British folk, and 50’s soul to forge a sound that’s equal parts Alan Lomax field recording and 21st century garage band. Turpin and Jean produced the album themselves, recording primarily on their own in their adopted hometown of Nashville during the COVID-19 pandemic, and while the collection is certainly bolstered by appearances from high profile guests like Marcus King, Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka, and Ethan Johns, the heart and soul of the record remains Ida Mae’s intoxicating chemistry, which has never felt more vibrant, ambitious, or self-assured.

Abraham Alexander

Abraham Alexander performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Born in Greece to parents of Nigerian descent, Abraham Alexander moved to Texas with his family at age 11, determined to escape the racial tensions they faced in Athens. But while his lyrics speak to pain and trauma and life-changing loss, Alexander instills his music with a joyful passion and irrepressible spirit, ultimately giving way to songs that radiate undeniable hope. In the making of his debut EP, Alexander traveled from Fort Worth to London and worked with producer/songwriters like Cameron Warren (The Dap Kings, Dan Caplen), shaping his songs with elements of soul, hip-hop, and blues. He is currently working on his follow-up album.

Charlie Hickey

Charlie Hickey performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Charlie Hickey’s debut album, Nervous At Night, began with a journey. Having grown up in Pasadena, in the quiet shadow of downtown Los Angeles, Hickey moved away to college at the same time that he got more serious about music, and found himself moving back and forth between his hometown and his newfound independence to play around with song ideas and demos with his friend and collaborator Marshall Vore. These two worlds reveal themselves in numerous forms across Nervous At Night, as Hickey explores life’s graceless passage between teenage years and adulthood, and all of the noise that permeates.

Jackie Venson

Jackie Venson performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Jackie Venson is a multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter known far and wide for her complexly beautiful music and blazing guitar skills. Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Jackie has traveled the world playing to massive crowds both as a headliner and as support for major acts such as Gary Clark Jr, Melissa Etheridge, Aloe Blacc, Citizen Cope to name a few. With the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cancellation of her entire tour schedule and the wave of social change sweeping across the country in 2020, Jackie committed herself to releasing more music than ever before, connecting with her fans directly and speaking up about the change she wanted to see in her city and country.

Since then, Jackie has released 2 studio albums, 2 live albums under her name and several electronic albums under her side project titled jackie the robot. During the pandemic, Jackie Venson also made her National TV Performance Debut on Austin City Limit’s 46th season, a huge honor for the native Austinite. Venson’s most recent release, “Love Transcends”, Venson firmly established herself as a sonic force to be reckoned with out of Austin, Texas.

Suzanne Santo

Suzanne Santo performing at the Luck Reunion on March 17, 2022. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Suzanne Santo has never been afraid to blur the lines. A tireless creator, she's built her sound in the grey area between Americana, Southern-gothic soul, and forward-thinking rock & roll. It's a sound that nods to her past, a childhood spent in the Rust Belt; a decade logged as a member of the L.A.-based duo HoneyHoney; the acclaimed solo album, Ruby Red, that launched a new phase of her career in 2017; and the world tour that took her from Greece to Glastonbury as a member of Hozier's band, while still exploring new territory. With Yard Sale, Santo boldly moves forward, staking her claim once again as an Americana innovator. It's an album inspired by the past, written by an artist who's only interested in the here-and-now. And for Suzanne Santo, the here-and-now sounds pretty good.


About Luck Presents
Luck Presents is a cultural collective headquartered in Willie Nelson’s “Luck, Texas” property. Anchored by its flagship event, the annual Luck Reunion, Luck Presents creates experiences that embrace our past while cultivating new traditions in American roots culture. In addition to the Reunion, the brand activates events and content that showcase musicians, chefs, and creatives. 

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Photos by Ralph Arvesen
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