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5 Tweets with Lukas Nelson

Since I began writing "Peace & Glove," everything I’ve posted has been glove-related. It was baseball season and the Brewers were in the middle of winning their first National League division title. Well, now that the St. Louis Cardinals have defeated the Texas Rangers to win the World Series, I thought maybe I’d incorporate a bit of the "peace" side of Peace & Glove. Ironically, this story traces back to Miller Park anyway, so maybe it still counts as a Brewers blog!

Just over a year ago the future Mrs. and I, accompanied by two friends, whom we refer to as “the dude” and “the doctor,” ventured to Miller Park for the 25th annual Farm Aid concert. Farm Aid was founded in 1985 by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp as a way to help raise money for family farmers in the United States. Dave Matthews joined Farm Aid’s board of directors in 2001. Over the years, Farm Aid has raised nearly $40 million to help family farms.

If it was just those four musicians, it would have been an amazing lineup but that’s not how Farm Aid does it. In addition to the "Big 4" the lineup also included Kenny Chesney, Norah Jones, Jason Mraz, Jeff Tweedy, Band of Horses, The BoDeans, Amos Lee, Robert Francis and a little-known band called Lukas Nelson and the Promise Of The Real . I had never heard of Lukas Nelson and the POTR before that day -- not many had -- but in my opinion they absolutely stole the show -- one that included a surprise appearance by Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. Not an easy show to steal.

Growing up, Lukas Nelson split time between his home state of Hawaii and riding on his father’s tour bus. If you haven’t made the name connection yet, that father would be none other than the red-headed legend himself, Willie Nelson.

Having a father in the music business certainly helps you get noticed, but without some raw talent you probably won’t last long. Lukas definitely has the talent and actually wrote his first song, "You Were It," when he was 11 years old -- the same "You Were It" that his father sang on the "It Will Always Be" album.

Sitting in Hawaii in early March of this year Lukas penned "When The Ocean Takes The Earth. Ironically the song was written a week before the Japan tsunami. When asked about it, Lukas said, “It brought a lot of different emotions out. It was trippy. It could have been a coincidence but I don't feel like it was. I felt like I was meant to write that song. We put it on a compilation disc for the Red Cross and then we released it on our website with all the money going to charity.”

Lukas and his bandmates call themselves The Promise of The Real because that's how they operate. They promised each other to always be real to the music and to each other. Lukas Nelson and the POTR are on tour promoting their self-titled debut album. You can download the album from their website. You can also download a copy of "When The Ocean Takes The Earth" and all proceeds go to charity. The tour will bring them to Wisconsin this week, performing at Turner Hall in Milwaukee on Tuesday, Nov. 1 and at the Weill Center for the Performing Arts in Sheboygan on Friday, Nov. 4. There are still tickets available to both shows if you click on the links provided. Tuesdays show is a $10 ticket!! The future Mrs. and I will be at both shows and The Bullpen will be accompanying us for Tuesdays concert!!

Lukas and the gang are in the midst of 300-show tour so needless to say he is a busy man. After pestering him a few times, he finally relented and agreed to spare some time for me and the latest version of “Five Tweets With…”

Me: Did you spend enough time off the tour bus growing up to learn how to surf, are you any good?

Lukas: I have been surfing since I was a kid.

Me: I read that you are actually touring on that same bus today. Does the bus have a name, and does it run on biodiesel?

Lukas: It's called the "Real Mobile II," formerly the "Honeysuckle rose III." Yes, it's bio-diesel.

Me: How old were you when you first really understood what you were doing with a guitar?

Lukas: Still haven't figured it out.

Me: Anyone other than Willie have a major influence on your playing?

Lukas: Stevie Ray, Neil Young, Hendrix.

Me: My 9-year-old son recently started guitar lessons. Any simple advice for him?

Lukas: Patience.

Lukas obviously prefers to let his pen to the talking!! You can follow Lukas on Twitter @RealLukasNelson or see pics and band info on Facebook. If you like rock-n-roll with a bit of country twang, check out his album -- you won’t be disappointed.

Tim Thompson is a carsalesman, farmer, and huge fan of the Milwaukee Brewers. He lives in Milton area with his wife and two kids. Tim is a community blogger and is not a part of The Gazette staff. His opinion is not necessarily that of the The Gazette staff or management.