The Nelson Family Alliance
Adding a cozy coda to Sunday's Farm Aid extravaganza, Willie Nelson performed for a few hundred auction winners,media, and industry types at New York's Hard Rock Cafe last night. The event marked the launch of the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance, a nonprofit organization founded by Nelson's wife, Annie. Nelson's set bore a remarkable resemblance to his closing Farm Aid Slot. "Jackson," "A Peaceful Solution," "Whiskey River," "Superman," "You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore," and "On the Road Again" were all back, with Nelson evidently shifting the spotlight to his daughters, Paula and Amy, and sons, Micah and Lukas.
In addition to promoting sustainable biodiesel fuel, the evening also served to promote the sibs' own farm-fresh musical efforts. Amy Nelson's comedy-folk combo Folk Uke opened the show with a set of unadorned ditties more or less as raunchy as their name would suggest. But the evening's highlight was a short set by 40 Points, the sixties revival group fronted by the brothers. Lukas sounds uncannily like his father at times, and it's a little eerie to hear that Texas twang over Hendrixian guitar riffs and beats that echoed both the Allman Brothers Band and Santana at different times. They concluded with a topical cover of the Band's "King Harvest," which you will unfortunately not find on their excellent new album, which strangely seems available only on iTunes so far.