The country music legend reflected on the development with wry humor during his keynote interview on April 29.
“I just saw where in Texas now, it s going to be legal to carry a gun around openly. I said, ‘Well, at least now let us light up a joint so we won t be armed and dangerous,’” Nelson quipped.
Nelson’s remarks during Luck Summit: Planting the Seed came at the end of a virtual birthday bash that recapped highlights from three days of panels, musical performances, sketch comedy and more. The closing event was an even mix of entertainment and call-to-action.
Like the conference itself, the celebration centered the social justice arguments for legalizing marijuana and ending the war on drugs, which for decades has disproportionately affected communities of color.
Austin 360
The “Marfa Tapes,” a new collaboration album from country stars Miranda Lambert and Jack Ingram and Grammy-winning guitarist, songwriter and producer Jon Randall, is an earnest collection of heartache ballads, campfire yarns and rambunctious story songs propelled by colorful characters making questionable life choices.
Recorded over a period of several years in the namesake West Texas art haven, the music has a built-in sense of spaciousness that made it the perfect season opener as Austin’s storied television series, “Austin City Limits,” emerges from the pandemic.
“We’re so happy to be the first show back at ACL, ” Lambert said after the trio, sitting on stools spaced six feet apart, opened with “Two Step Down to Texas.”
Austin 360
For marijuana enthusiasts around the world, April 20, aka 4/20, is a hazy day of reverence best celebrated with bong hits and brownies.
According to Willie Nelson, 4/20 is just the beginning of a 10-day stretch of “High Holidays.” This year in Willie world, the annual carnival of cannabinoids will be capped off with The Luck Summit: Planting the Seed. Nelson’s inaugural cannabis convention kicks off on April 26 and runs through the country music icon and outspoken marijuana advocate’s 88th birthday on April 29. The event, a virtual smokeout and philosophy sesh, will be hosted by musician Nathaniel Rateliff. Aiming to destigmatize cannabis culture, it will include keynote speakers, cooking demonstrations, musical performances, comedy sketches and more.
Austin 360
For the first time in over a year, the Mohawk, a downtown haven for indie rock, punk and more live music, will open its doors to the public this summer.
The beloved Red River Cultural District club with a grizzly bear mascot and a guiding philosophy that all are welcome has been closed since the pandemic shut the world down in March 2020. According to a news release, the club will reopen on a limited basis in May with select shows, private events, and rentals, followed by more daytime events and reduced capacity outdoor shows in June.
While other venues have experimented with different models for reopening over the last several months, Mohawk owner James Moody opted to remain shuttered.