Lukas Nelson & P.O.T.R. Preparing New Album

Lukas Nelson & P.O.T.R. (Promise of the Real) are getting ready to release their third studio album. The son of Willie Nelson and his band recorded the project in California's picturesque Topanga Canyon, where they rented a secluded old summer camp for six weeks.

"We'd surf in the morning and then hit the studio that we set up at the camp," Nelson recalls. "It was a really amazing place. It provided for a very creative atmosphere. Six weeks is the longest time we ever spent on a record -- and we have even more to do still. It was great to have that time to really work on the songs and get the sounds just right. Living together for six weeks also really helped us connect more as a band and allow us to be as creative as we could be."

Nelson says the location held a special meaning for them as they worked on the new record.

"Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Jim Morrison, Hendrix, and so many others spent time in Topanga and made their musical mark up there, so it would be nice to know that we could put our musical mark there as well," he adds. "Topanga was also the first place I really hung out when I moved to L.A. after college, so it holds a special place in my heart."

The upcoming set of tunes is the follow-up to their 2012 'Wasted' album. "This record is a lot more positive and reflective than the last," Nelson explains. "'Wasted' was a snapshot of this darker place I was in. This new album is me having emerged from that place and finding balance again in my life and really connecting with my band."

Lukas Nelson & P.O.T.R. called on veteran rock producer Mark Howard -- whose lengthy list of credits includes U2, Lucinda Williams, Peter Gabriel and Red Hot Chili Peppers -- to helm the project. They have 11 songs already written and chosen for the still-untitled project, and plan to write a few more in the near future.

They will have to do a lot of their writing on the road, however. where they are spending much of the next several weeks. See all of their upcoming shows here.