New Orleans Takeover at Willie Nelson's Luck Ranch in Spicewood, Texas on March 18, 2023. With Maggie Koerner, Low Cut Connie, Tommy McLain, CC Adcock, The Soul Rebels, and Big Freedia. (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.
New Orleans Takeover
An experience like no other as New Orleans, LA invades Luck, TX with a multi-performer show drawn from the spirit and deep influence of the Big Easy. The event will feature a chef-curated food experience presented by the Texas Food and Wine Alliance as well as food vendors from across Texas and Louisiana. The day will include performances by Cha Wa, Ivan Neville & Friends, The Soul Rebels, Low Cut Connie, Monophonics, Tommy McLain & C.C. Adcock, and Big Freedia.
New Orleans Takeover lineup
- Maggie Koerner
- The Soul Rebels
- Low Cut Connie
- Tommy McLain & C.C. Adcock
- Big Freedia
- Cha Wa
- Ivan Neville & Friends
Big Freedia
Big Freedia at the New Orleans Takeover at Willie Nelson's Luck Ranch in Spicewood, Texas on March 18, 2023. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
Known as the larger-than-life ambassador of New Orleans Bounce music, Big Freedia is a nationally recognized hip-hop artist, TV personality and cultural influencer. Most recently she made headline news for her feature on Beyoncé’s Grammy-nominated single, “Break My Soul,” released on June 21, 2022.
In addition to releasing her own critically acclaimed EPs, ‘3rd Ward Bounce’ (2018), ‘Louder’ (2020), and ‘Big Diva Energy’ (2021), Big Freedia, also known as the Queen of New Orleans Bounce, also appeared on numerous high profile projects, including Beyoncé’s Grammy award-winning, “Formation,” and on Drake’s “Nice For What,” where she brings her distinctive voice and signature catchphrases to all her work. Last year, she covered “Judas” on Lady Gaga’s Born this Way The Tenth Anniversary album (2021).
Big Freedia’s ascension in the music industry was chronicled over six seasons in the highly rated reality show, ‘Big Freedia Bounces Back’ from 2011-2016 on Fuse TV. Currently, she is filming a brand new series, ‘Big Freedia Means Business,’ chronicling Freedia’s triumphs in music, business and life that will debut in the summer of 2023 on Fuse.
Big Freedia is known for her infectious energy and personality. In 2019, she was the official host for the Met Gala IG Live Stream Red Carpet event and a host of 2021’s Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve TV celebration. Known by her fans as the “Queen Diva,” Big Freedia is a loud and proud advocate for racial and gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights.
In 2021, Big Freedia was honored as one of Ebony’s Power 100 and she has appeared on Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, NPR, The Breakfast Club, The Problem with Jon Stewart, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and The Real. Her critically acclaimed 2015 memoir, God Save the Queen Diva (Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster) was released in paperback in 2020.
The Soul Rebels
The Soul Rebels at the New Orleans Takeover at Willie Nelson's Luck Ranch in Spicewood, Texas on March 18, 2023. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
The Soul Rebels are riding high in 2019, receiving national attention with recent performances with Katy Perry and DMX, and featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk series, a debut late night TV appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and a headlining set at the TED Conference.
The band continues to expand its international reach touring four continents including Europe, Australia, China, South Korea and Japan. Their explosive stage presence has led to live collaborations with the likes of: Nas, G-Eazy, Robin Thicke, Macy Gray, Portugal. The Man, Robert Glasper, Pretty Lights, Curren$y, Joey Bada$$, Talib Kweli, GZA, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Mobb Deep, Raekwon, Metallica, and Marilyn Manson among many others, and opening forLauryn Hill and Nile Rodgers.
Tommy McLain & C.C. Adcock
Tommy McLain & C.C. Adcock at the New Orleans Takeover at Willie Nelson's Luck Ranch in Spicewood, Texas on March 18, 2023. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
Soulful Louisiana singer Tommy McLain has been a legend in his home state since his sweetly mournful cover of Patsy Cline's "Sweet Dreams" became a major hit in 1966, and he's won a cult following in America and the United Kingdom for his bittersweet swamp pop gems. Blending vintage R&B, country, and early vocal group sounds with just a dash of Cajun seasoning, McLain's best sides of the 1960s and '70s (collected on the 1990 Ace Records collection Sweet Dreams) made ideal use of his clear tenor voice and his subtle, inspired use of vibrato, and he was also a talented songwriter, penning Freddy Fender's "If You Don't Love Me Alone (Leave Me Alone)," along with some of his own best sides.
McLain wasn't able to follow up on the nationwide success of "Sweet Dreams," and he primarily recorded for small regional labels and made his living with live work in the Southwest, but his fellow musicians held him in high regard, and in 2022, a few of his better-known fans (including C.C. Adcock, Elvis Costello, and Nick Lowe) helped him make a fine comeback album, I Ran Down Every Dream.
Low Cut Connie
Low Cut Connie at the New Orleans Takeover at Willie Nelson's Luck Ranch in Spicewood, Texas on March 18, 2023. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
Since Low Cut Connie’s debut record Get Out the Lotion (NPR’s Fresh Air Top 10 albums of 2011), they’ve firmly established their reputation as one of the most exciting live shows in the US, with Greg Kot (Sound Opinions / Chicago Tribune) exclaiming they are “the essence of what rock n roll should be” and The New York Times stating, “Low Cut Connie’s word-of-mouth legend is built on live shows like this one.” Sweat-drenched, piano-pounding songwriter and frontman Adam Weiner’s writing has been described as “Seventies Stones (but dirtier), the New York Dolls (but tighter) and Jerry Lee Lewis (but Westerberg-ier)” (Rolling Stone).
Low Cut Connie made unprecedented strides in 2018 as they released their 5th studio album Dirty Pictures (Part 2) via Contender Records. In August 2018, Low Cut Connie made their network television debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers where they performed the rollicking album opener “All These Kids Are Way Too High.” That following month, the band, who can already count Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, and Nick Hornby as fans, received a shoutout from Sir Elton John took the stage at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center. Sir Elton John dedicated “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” to the sold out crowd and said, “There’s a band that I love at the moment so much called Low Cut Connie, who are from Philadelphia. And I’d like to dedicate this song to them right now, because I love them very much, and you should check them out. Buy their records, go see them. They’re amazing.”
To kick off 2019, the band was featured in the print edition of Rolling Stone Magazine’s “Year In Music” issue with a photo essay chronicling their recent sold out national tour. The publication also named Dirty Pictures (Part 2)’s single “Beverly” one of the 50 Best Songs of 2018, calling it “…the catchiest chorus of a career that’s produced more than a few and a song that could’ve been on the radio in the era it honors.”
As part of their famed First Listen series, NPR Music said, “Across five albums of piano-driven rock and soul, Low Cut Connie has proven 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… The blood that pumps through the Philadelphia band’s work comes from a place that’s fresh, original, and truly pledged to rock and roll.”
With more than 120 shows per year, including stops at festivals like Bonnaroo, Bottle Rock, Rock The Garden, Pickathon, Newport Folk Festival and more, Adam Weiner and his punky little band from South Philadelphia continue to dig in their corner of the sandbox. Low Cut Connie light a fire at every show and with every record. Dirty Pictures (part 2) reminds all of us, all the little people, to keep our fires lit at any cost.
Maggie Koerner
Maggie Koerner at the New Orleans Takeover at Willie Nelson's Luck Ranch in Spicewood, Texas on March 18, 2023. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
It’s not uncommon to find Maggie performing on stage with a list of iconic acts that has included Widespread Panic, Gov’t Mule and Charles Bradley, to name a few. The Shreveport born singer-songwriter spent the majority of 2013 and 2014 as the lead singer and front-woman for legendary New Orleans’ funk-band Galactic.
Spending 2015 on the road and in the studio, Maggie performed with her own band at a list of major North American music festivals including New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Austin City Limits and Pemberton Music Festival to name a few. Maggie recently finished her “Dig Down Deep (EP)”, produced by esteemed UK producer and singer-songwriter Fin Greenall (Fink, Amy Winehouse, John Legend) which is set for release on December 9, 2016 on Greenall’s R’COUP’D label.
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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