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Shows of the Week
RAELYN NELSON BAND
McGonigel’s Mucky Duck, March 31
The depths of Willie Nelson’s gene pool don’t stop at Lukas Nelson & the Promise of the Real. Granddaughter Raelyn is quickly making a name for herself as one of country’s brightest up-and-coming female artists in her own right. But not a solo artist — the cover of her band’s self-titled 2014 EP is an obvious homage to the Ramones’ debut album. That punky spirit carries right over into the songs, which establish Nelson as a lover and a fighter to be reckoned with. More impressive still is last year’s “Daddy’s Grave,” a touching tribute to her late father, Willie’s son Billy, who killed himself in 1991. She’s now working on a new album in Nashville, and while fellow Texans Kacey Musgraves, Sunny Sweeney, and Bri Bagwell all make good reference points for her sound, it may not be much longer until such comparisons are even necessary.