Maui Beat

On the rise

Lukas Nelson and Promise of The Real making their mark among music legends

After touring Europe with Neil Young to rave reviews and delivering an incendiary show backing the rock legend at the Desert Trip Festival concerts in October in California, Lukas Nelson and Promise of The Real bring their "Something Real Tour" to Charley's Restaurant & Saloon in Paia for three rocking nights Friday through Sunday.

Reviewing Desert Trip, a Forbes article praised: "Backed by Promise of The Real, highlighted by Lukas Nelson's insane guitar work, Young made sure the weekend stayed magical with 'Cowgirl In The Sand' and 'Like A Hurricane,' both extended into incredible guitar jams that, under the desert sky, could only be called transcendent. His live show rivaled any band on tour today for intensity, power and musicality."

"It was amazing, what an experience, it was crazy," says Lukas about Desert Trip. "We put on a great performance. We definitely played one of the best shows we've ever played with Neil."

The once-in-a-lifetime festival featured an iconic lineup of Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, The Who, Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, and Young with Promise of The Real.

"I enjoyed everything from Dylan to Roger Waters," Lukas adds. "I got to meet Keith Richards for the first time, which was great. I got to hang out with Roger Waters. Paul McCartney loved us, and we hung out quite a bit. It was really cool."

With brother Micah Nelson on guitar and vocals, drummer Anthony LoGerfo, bassist Corey McCormick and percussionist Tato Melgar, Promise of The Real has been backing Young on tour since 2015, and on the albums "The Monsanto Years" and the live "Earth." Lukas says the group has "been doing a lot of recording lately, for what Neil is going to put out. The whole band has become close with Neil. We're pretty aligned ideologically."

Energized by this younger group of musicians, Young has reported, "I love all the bands I have played with, but this band is epic."

Hearing the first couple of tracks on POTR's latest album, "Something Real," you can understand why Young feels the future of rock 'n' roll is in good hands. They're passionate, primal rockers who recall the might of legends like Led Zeppelin and Cream.

And, as an AllMusic review noted: "Slower tracks like 'Set Me Down on a Cloud' and the beautiful '(Forget About) Georgia,' showcase the nuances of Nelson's fine guitar work, unique vocal presence and overall song craft."

Recorded in one of San Francisco's 19th-century Victorian mansions (where Janis Joplin once lived), the band closes the album with a cover version of Scott McKenzie's 1967 classic "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)," that includes Young on vocals.

A countercultural anthem, as performed by POTR, it's transformed into a kind of lament or elegy for a past time and city now dominated by the tech boom, with Lukas opening the song wistfully singing the lyrics while playing a pump organ.

"It's got some sadness," he explains. "It reminds you that there's so much going on there in terms of gentrification."

POTR will head out with Young next year touring Australia and New Zealand, including playing the massive Byron Bay Bluesfest, which will also include Pat Simmons and the Doobie Brothers and Hawaii's uke wiz Jake Shimabukuro.

A new POTR album will likely be released in the spring of 2017. It includes the new track "Just Outside of Austin," with Lukas and Micah's dad, Willie Nelson, helping out and aunt Bobbie Nelson on piano. And for those needing a little uplift in these challenging times, Lukas just posted some soul medicine, a beautiful new song, "We'll Be Alright," on the band's Facebook website. Plus, there's a lovely version of Young's "I Am a Child," dedicated to the children of the Montessori School of Maui.

Besides playing Charley's this weekend, Lukas will perform at next week's second annual BMI Maui Songwriters Festival, at the Eric Church & Friends concert Dec. 2 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center and at the Grand Wailea's Molokini Gardens on Dec. 3.

* Promise of The Real will play Charley's Restaurant & Saloon in Paia at 9 p.m. Friday (with Yum Yum Beast opening) and Saturday (with Lily Meola and Tom Conway opening) and at 7:30 p.m. Sunday (with Brian and Meryl opening). Tickets are $30, with a two-day pass for $50, or three days for $80, and are available at www.charleysmaui.com.

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The second annual BMI Maui Songwriters Festival will kick off from 4 to 5 p.m. Wednesday with Willie K performing at the Grand Wailea's Bistro Molokini. Other festival events are scheduled at the Grand Wailea, the MACC and Mulligans on the Blue from Dec. 1 through 3.

* For a full schedule of events and for tickets, visit www.mauisongwritersfestival.com.

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Sammy Hagar will join Mick Fleetwood and Willie K for a special show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Fleetwood's on Front St. in Lahaina.

The Red Rocker's latest album, "Sammy Hagar & Friends," features guest performances by Taj Mahal, Toby Keith, Kid Rock, Joe Satriani and Journey guitarist Neal Schon. It includes the catchy, tropical-sounding "All I Need is an Island," with Heart's Nancy Wilson and Dead drummer Mickey Hart.

* Tickets are $350 for standing room (first come, first served), $500 for seating and $750 for first row access, plus $100 for rooftop video viewing.  Tickets are available at www.fleetwoodsonfrontst.com. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Maui Police Relief Association and Janie's Fund, founded by Steven Tyler.

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Big shows coming to the MACC next year include Journey on Feb. 28 and Bonnie Raitt on March 24.

Raitt and her band will join Jason Mraz and Jackson Browne for a benefit concert on Sunday in Fort Yates, N.D., with all proceeds going to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in their efforts to halt the Dakota Access Pipeline and prepare the camps for winter.

"I'm proud to be standing in support of the courageous and dedicated Water Protectors at Standing Rock," Raitt said in a statement. "This movement is growing by the day with solidarity actions happening around the country, yet the media isn't covering it nearly enough. Our hope is that this concert will put pressure on the Obama Administration to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline until protection of sacred sites is ensured."

* Tickets for Raitt's MACC concert are $49, $69 and $89, with a limited number of $129 premium seats (plus applicable fees), and are available to the general public Dec. 3. Tickets for Journey's concert are $65, $79, $89, $129 and $149 (plus applicable fees). For more information, visit www.mauiarts.org.

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The Maui Choral Arts Association will present a holiday concert, "Yule Be Home for Christmas," at 3 p.m. Sunday in the MACC's Castle Theater. The program will include two arrangements by Pentatonix, an eight-part rendition of Franz Biebl's "Ave Maria," and Eric Whitacre's "Sleep," along with a jazzy arrangement of "Cool Yule," made famous by Louis Armstrong, and a finale of the "Hallelujah" chorus.

Artistic Director Gary Leavitt  and pianist Lotus Dancer will perform with a chorus of close to 100 singers. The concert also features solo performances by Maui Academy of Performing Arts stars John Galvan, Katy Vincent and Leighanna Locke, with special guest Amy Hanaiali'i.

* Tickets are $30 for adults, and $15 for students with ID and children 18 years and younger (plus applicable fees) and are available at the MACC box office, by calling 242-7469 or online at www.mauiarts.org.

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Voted America's Best DJ in 2009 by DJ Times Magazine, Zach Sciacca, better known as Z-Trip has placed in the competition's Top 10 every year since. This popular DJ will make his Maui debut at 9 p.m. Dec. 3 at Charley's.

Before mash-ups became popular, Z-Trip was already blending Black Sabbath with the Jackson 5, LL Cool J with Young MC, or remixing songs by classic rock artists like Rush or Foreigner, adding his own unique touch.

In 2003, he was invited to DJ as an opening act for a Rolling Stones benefit show in Toronto, which was the largest outdoor concert in Canadian history.

In 2005, he made his major label debut with "Shifting Gears," which included guest appearances from Soup of Jurassic 5, Chuck D of Public Enemy and Supernatural.

The relationship with Chuck D and LL Cool J would eventually lead to a spot on the "Kings of the Mic" tour in 2013. His set with LL Cool J at the Austin City Limits Music Festival last month was hailed as a highlight of the star-packed weekend.

Some of Z-Trip's most popular recent remixes include Bob Marley's "Punky Reggae Party," featuring Lee "Scratch" Perry; will.i.am's "T.H.E." with Mick Jagger and Wolfgang Gartner; Kasabian's "Days Are Forgotten," with LL Cool J; and Daft Punk's "Derezzed."

* Advance ticket prices range from $25 to $35 and are available at www.eventbrite.com. Tickets are $35 at the door. DJ Blast will open. For more information, visit www.charleysmaui.com.