lucky day

Willie Nelson's annual Luck Reunion fest to feature 40+ artists in 2024

We now have a lineup for the 12th annual Luck Reunion.

Photo by Shelley Neuman

When Willie Nelson asks you to hang out, you drive to his house. Nelsons' Luck Ranch, in Spicewood just west of Austin, and its production company announced on February 15 a lineup for the 12th annual Luck Reunion that spans more than 40 musical acts, culinary experiences, local crafts, and merch. It's all going down on Thursday, March 14.

As is tradition, Nelson will make an appearance alongside his talented family — both those who he's actually related to, and those he's gathered over the years. Some of those visitors this year, with a special focus on country and folk styles, include Tyler Childers, Dawes, Durand Jones, Lucius, and Old Crow Medicine Show.

“As always, the Luck Reunion line-up drop is an exciting day for us all," said festival organizers in a press release. "It is the official kickoff to the best family reunion we can imagine. This year we have a robust lineup of familiar members of the Luck Family, up-and-comers, and legacy performers coming together in Willie's backyard. As always, expect the unexpected, attendees will have some extra special surprises in store for this year.”

In addition to good, folksy music, attendees can enjoy food from across the country via Potluck 2024 - Heirloom: A Celebration of Roots, An Intimate Celebration of Culinary Traditions. In more concrete terms, that will mean a family-style benefit dinner featuring heirloom ingredients before Nelson takes the stage. Artists Jason Boland and Jon Muq will open that show.

Participating chefs include Rick Bayless (Frontera Restaurants), BJ Smith (Top Chef, Sit Tite), Amarys Koenig Herndon & Jordan Herndon (Palm & Pine), Zak Walters (Sedalia's), Gabrielle Hamilton (Prune, Mind of a Chef) and Edgar Rico (Nixta Taqueria). The Luck Family Foundation is the benefactor, and will distribute funds to Farm Aid, Wholesome Wave, and Texas Food And Wine Alliance.

Among this year's idiosyncrasies are a fifth anniversary celebration for Southwest Airlines' fan-voted artist curation program at the festival (2024 artists are Lou Hazel, Victoria Bigelow and Jobi Riccio); expanded "green initiatives" in collaboration with Overdrive, which last year launched a 100 percent sustainably powered stage; and a sober space and mocktail experience by 1 Million Strong.

Panel discussions are also returning to the Bread & Roses Community Conversations Stage, where "musicians, activists, and local family farmers" are all getting a moment in the spotlight. The cross-industry talks will be led by moderators Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson and Je Naé Taylor (Highlander Research and Education Center), and Shorlette Ammons (Farm Aid).

For more information, including information on how to access tickets when they're released, is available at luckpresents.com. Local fans testing their luck can attend Lucky Draw Live on Saturday, February 17, at the Yeti Flagship Store. There will be a ticket giveaway and a performance by Walker Lukens and Friends. The line opens at 5 pm, and the performance starts at 7 pm.

The 2024 Luck Reunion lineup features:

BMI Song Swap
Claud
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country
Dawes / Lucius
Durand Jones
Dylan LeBlanc
Evangeline
Folk Uke
FRIKO
Jobi Riccio
John Oates
Lambrini Girls
Lukas Nelson
Lou Hazel
Madi Diaz
Nick Shoulders
Ogi
Oh Boy - Tre Burt, Emily Scott Robinson, Kelsey Waldon, Mick Flannery, Arlo McKinley
& Swamp Dogg
Old Crow Medicine Show
Particle Kid
Proxima Parada
Rainbow Girls
Red Clay Strays
Rett Madison
Tami Neilson
TEXAS WILD: Walker Lukens & Texas Gents
Theo Lawrence
Toadies
Tyler Childers
Victoria Bigelow
Willie Nelson & Family
Zella Day & Chaparelle

live music concerts festivals willie nelson luck reunion chefs

Movie Review

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 plays to the interests of video game fans

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Sonic the Hedgehog (Ben Schwartz) in Sonic the Hedgehog 3

The first Sonic the Hedgehog movie in 2020 was one of the few video game adaptations that managed to appeal to both fans of the Sega game and those who just want to watch a fun movie. As the series moved into a second and now third film, though, it’s become increasingly reliant on giving the video game fans what they want, with not as much attention paid toward simply telling a good story.

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) continues to live with human friends Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter), as well as Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba), who stuck around after the events of the second film. Dispensing with any kind of narrative coherence, the trio is called away by an undefined military force to help with the escape of Shadow (Keanu Reeves), another alien hedgehog who has been locked away off the coast of Japan for many years.

Suffice it to say that the trio does not initially fare well against the powerful Shadow, forcing Sonic to do the unthinkable: Ask his nemesis, Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), for help. What Sonic doesn’t anticipate is that Shadow has a history that left him with a grudge against most of human society, and he’s intent on using his powers — with a little help from his former mentor, Gerald Robotnik (also Carrey) — to exact his plans for revenge.

Made by the same team of director Jeff Fowler and writers Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the film is a combination of manic action, jokey sequences, and a dash of heart. The addition of Shadow ups the mayhem considerably, and the filmmakers rarely slow things down (although, oddly, the super-speed of Sonic and company feels lessened this time around).

The initial casting of Carrey gave the comic actor permission to indulge in whatever wackiness he could imagine, and giving him two roles in this film means double the nonsense. Ivo and Gerald (who’s Ivo’s grandfather, for the record) face off in a number of silly scenes, none more absurd than a dance sequence aboard a space station threatening to explode Earth (yeah, this movie is a lot).

Does the plot make a lick of sense? Absolutely not, but the filmmakers seem to acknowledge that fact, throwing anything and everything at the screen to try to entertain kids and/or fans of the video game series. It should come as no surprise that the end credits tease yet more characters from the video games joining the franchise, making it abundantly clear who is expected to get the most enjoyment out of the series going forward.

In addition to Carrey, the voice actors continue to make the characters fun. Schwartz and O’Shaughnessey provide the cartoon-style acting, while Elba and now Reeves give a nice counterbalance with their deep and serious voices. Marsden and Sumpter aren’t given much to do this time around, and Krysten Ritter shows up as Director Rockwell, a character who’s mostly there to move what little plot there is further along.

A four-quadrant movie is one that appeals to all ages and genders; Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a one or maybe two-quadrant movie at most. But it’s more fun than the other family-friendly offering this Christmas season, and fans of the video game will likely love the depiction of their favorite characters on screen, so it’s doing something right.

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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is now playing in theaters.

movies film