LUKAS NELSON & PROMISE OF THE REAL GET "WASTED" ON FIRST SINGLE
Band Scores First No. 1 With "The Joint" on Red Dirt Radio

Los Angeles-Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real have chosen the title track of their second full-length CD, Wasted, as the first single for radio and television appearances. The band is slated to perform the song on Late Show with David Letterman on the April 3, which is the album's release date. Meanwhile, radio programmers are not only playing "Wasted" nationwide, but are giving some love to "The Joint," a crowd favorite from the new record, as well.
"The Joint" has just reached No. 1 on Skydog's Red Dirty Radio (http://reddirtradio.blogspot. com/ ) in Laurens, South Carolina, which is also playing "Wasted" and "Ain't No Answer" from the release. "The Joint" started out on their "Outlaws" show but quickly rose in popularity and was promptly added to their general playlist, where it currently sits at No. 1 out of 250 songs.
With several album-pleasers to choose from, "Wasted," the feel-good tune with a strutty vibe that kicks off with an instantly infectious retro-sounding "Wa-Oh-a-Oh-Woah," was chosen as the official first single from the album due to the rabid fan reaction the song has been garnering on the road. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Lukas Nelson explains the song's inspiration: "I had just finished Keith Richards' book Life, when I wrote that song. It was kind of influenced by the Stones and I wanted the song to be something that reflected our live show and that I could really move to onstage."
The gritty rocker goes like this:
Chasing love and money
Never leave your honey
Taking all your time
Changing on a dime
It all comes clear when you lose the years
Don't make the same mistake
I made when I was your age
I got wasted
Yes, I got wasted
Nelson explains that "Wasted" is directly about last summer on tour when he wrote this song and the other 13 that make up the album. "I was up every night until the wee hours of the morning just writing in the back of the bus," he explains. "I had a lot of ideas and was very inspired being out there on that tour; there was a lot going on. This record is a snapshot of that time. You know, there were a lot of pressures on the road and there are a lot of people who view touring as just one big party. It was like summer camp. I soon realized I wasn't really being myself and I had a big wake-up call and it's during that time that I wrote
this record."
But as the lyrics convey, this isn't a song and record glamorizing the party life. Quite the contrary; the song is more of a warning to not waste your life, your time, your love, your creativity, or your best years. "I have a lot of reflections about the honesty of people in general," Nelson explains, "and this record explores big life questions and what it means to waste your life away. That said, 'Wasted' is also just a great rockin' live song that is a lot of fun to perform and I can't wait for everyone to hear it."
The band - which also includes drummer Anthony LoGerfo, percussionist Tato Melgar and bassist Corey McCormick - is currently on tour and will be racking up the miles for the remainder of 2012.
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real tour dates:
4/6/12 Austin, TX Antone's
4/8/12 Aspen, CO Belly Up Aspen
4/9/12 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room
4/11/12 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern
4/12/12 Ventura, CA Majestic Theatre
4/13/12 Mill Valley, CA Sweetwater Music Hall
4/15/12 Santa Cruz, CA Moe's Alley
4/17/12 San Rafael, CA TRI Studios
4/20 & 21 Paia, HI Charley's Restaurant
4/26 & 27 Albuquerque, NM University of New Mexico
5/2/12 Atlanta, GA The Center Stage - Vinyl
5/3/12 Huntsville, AL AM Booth's Lumberyard
5/4/12 Columbus, MS Market Street Festival
5/5/12 Hot Springs, NC French Broad River Festival
5/7/12 Birmingham, AL Workplay Theater
5/8/12 Nashville, TN 12th & Porter
5/10/12 Wilmington, NC The Whiskey
5/11/12 Nags Head, NC Kelly's
5/12/12 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre
5/13/12 Charleston, SC Pour House
5/15/12 Richmond, VA Canal Club
5/17/12 Baltimore, MD Baltimore Soundstage
5/18/12 Philadelphia, PA The Blockley
5/19/12 Adren, DE Arden Gild Hall
5/23/12 Burlington, VT Nectar's
5/24/12 Portland, ME Empire Dine and Dance
5/25/12 Hartford, CT Arch Street Tavern
5/30/12 Cambridge, MA Middle East - Upstairs
5/31/12 New York, NY Highline Ballroom
6/2/12 Hunter, NY Mountain Jam Festival
6/3/12 Pittsburgh, PA Hard Rock Café
6/5/12 Columbus, OH Woodlands Tavern
6/7/12 Grass Valley, CA The Center for the Arts
6/8/12 Piercy, CA Riverview Ranch
6/9/12 Santa Rosa, CA Last Day Saloon
6/12/12 St. Louis, MO Old Rock House
6/13/12 Kansas City, MO Knuckleheads
6/14/12 Benton, AR Denton's Back Porch
6/16/12 Dallas, TX Cambridge Room

For more information:
www.promiseofthereal.com