Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real June 9, 2012

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For Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, 2011 was a year packed with over 200 high-energy, spirited performances, including such mega-musical events as Farm Aid, Bridge School Benefit, Stagecoach, and Country Throwdown; the chance to spread their unique brand of gritty rock 'n' roll to millions of people via the Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!; and the adoption of the name Realers by their growing base of supporters. But 2011 was also the year that this band – which also includes drummer Anthony LoGerfo, percussionist Tato Melgar, and bassist Corey McCormick – made good on their promise to make their way out of the shadow of Lukas's famous father and into the hearts and souls of music fans nationwide the way that they wanted: on their own down-home rock 'n' roll merits.

During the summer of 2011, Nelson, 22 years old at the time, found himself in the most intense writing jag of his early career. His journey spanned three soul-searching summer months during an intense 15-week tour. The result is the band's second full-length album, Wasted, released on April 3rd. The album finds the group's familiar sound evolved from its past recordings (which included 2009's Brando's Paradise Sessions EP and 2010's full-length release Promise of the Real). A huge influence on this evolution was Neil Young, whom Nelson calls a "distant mentor" and who suggested the band try a different approach to recording their new album: analog recording. "It really added a lot of magnetism, energy, and gave the music a live feel, and a lot of warmth to it," says Nelson. "I feel like this record sounds more like what you get when you see us perform."

At its core, Wasted is about the idea of wasting your time, your life, your creativity, and reminding yourself to stay true to your values and ideals. For Nelson and Promise of the Real, that's always been about family, positivity, and spreading love and happiness to others. Declares drummer Logerfo: "This album [is filled with] road tunes. The songs are really jammy and fun to play live ... [they] represent us, and we hope all the Realers out there enjoy them!"

Official Website: http://www.lastdaysaloon.com