Kidney Now! Hilarious 30 Rock Season Finale Featuring Four Wolf Trap Summer Artists. Can You Name All Four?

30 rock just keeps getting better and better. And when this past week's season finale prominently featured four of our summer artists singing about how there are six hundred million kidneys in the U.S., and that we should find just one to give to Milton Green, it's obvious that Tina Fey's main objective with this episode was to give Wolf Trap's schedule some serious National exposure.

Talk about a star studded episode in general with Alan Alda, Norah Jones, Wyclef, Cyndi Lauper, Moby, Mary J. Blige, The Beastie Boys, and then the Wolf Trap four. Can you identify them? Watch from 17:48 on to the end...

There may be some tickets in it for you....Comment on this post with your guesses.

Jay Bennett - You Will Be Missed

I really can't say it much better than Bob Boilen's post on the All Songs Considered blog.

Despite my love for Nels Cline's smoldering guitar work on the last two Wilco albums, Jay Bennett's influence on and contributions toward prior Wilco recordings (particularly Yankee Hotel Foxtrot) should be massively credited for the band's propulsive success circa 2003-2004. His production skills and wide-ranging ability as a multi-instrumentalist are matched by very few musicians; a little known fact that is probably best recognized by his colleagues in the Chicago area, and also die-hard Wilco fans. R.I.P.

I'll be posting later this week on my Sasquatch experience at The Gorge in Washington State, so stay tuned for a festival round up. Should be a good one, as I've never come close to experiencing a sensory overload of this magnitude for such a lengthy period of time. The visually stunning backdrop to the main stage (A.K.A. the heart of The Gorge and the Columbia River) will be forever burned in my memory. The music wasn't too shabby either.

Wolf Trap 2009 Summer Season has Arrived

I can't believe summer at Wolf Trap is here already...and before I know it, it will be over, but not before three months of amazing shows hit the Filene Center and Barns stages. Several shows are moving towards sell outs. At this point, we're at capacity for this Saturday's Prairie Home Companion, Jackson Browne, and Wilco.

As is tradition, we'll start the season with two performances of A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, on Friday and Saturday, followed by our wildly popular 2009 Summer Blast Off! with "The President's Own" United States Marine Band on Sunday.

Wolf Trap prides itself on keeping ticket pricing affordable for its patrons, but you won't find a better deal in town as admission for the Blast-Off is completely free. Once you're through the gates, we invite you to break open your picnic, take in a 90-minute performance from the U.S. Marine Band, and then take a small jaunt over to the meadow area for a fireworks display to rival NYE in NYC or Boston. Here's a photo from a past show.

For you metro riders, the Wolf Trap Express Shuttle Operated by Fairfax Connector will be running to and from the West Falls Church station, so take a step towards a greener lifestyle by taking public transit to this and all events throughout the Summer. The Wolf Trap Express Bus travels from the West Falls Church metro stop every 20 minutes starting two hours prior to show time.

Plan ahead and arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the 8pm start time. The park closes once capacity is reached. Being turned away from our gates is not how we want you to spend your Memorial Day weekend :)

Radiohead Back in the Studio

BBC reports that Radiohead is back in the studio working on a follow up to their groundbreaking 2007 release, In Rainbows. Radiohead became industry pioneers when they asked fans to name their own price for a digital download of In Rainbows, which they offered sans record label, through a website created specifically for this album. The website is no longer active, but we're hoping they employ a similar tactic for their forthcoming release. For a band of this caliber, I have no problem paying full market value. What are you willing to pay for the next Radiohead album?

I hope to later post a review of last week's Shins/Delta Spirit show at 9:30 club. One of the best shows I've attended in a few months.

-G

"Best Band on Wolf Trap's Summer Schedule" Results

Thanks to everyone for their comments and participation in this contest, it was a pleasure for me to hear why certain bands on our schedule are near and dear to your heart. Your comments are a true testament to the undeniable power of live music and enduring spirit of excitement that the possibility of seeing your favorite band up close inspires.

Congratulations to Kes for his comment on why Great Big Sea is his favorite band on Wolf Trap's summer schedule! I've included his comment below, which is a convincing description on why GBS is one of the best live bands on the touring circuit.

"Great Big Sea is, hand's down, one of my all time favorite concert experiences. As they say, "it's not something you see, it's something you DO!" Their energy onstage is unparalleled and all they want is for the audience to join in the fun. It's like one big party with thousands of friends you haven't met yet. Being at a GBS show is just one of those things that makes me feel alive, and even more importantly, happy that I am. You just can't beat that!"

Kes, please comment with your contact info so we can discuss the details of your prize.

Thanks again, everyone.

-G

Is your Favorite Band on Our Summer Schedule?

If you can convince me in a brief description that one of the bands on our schedule is indeed one of your FAVORITE BANDS of all time, then I will award you with a PAIR OF FRONT ORCHESTRA TICKETS to see your beloved group this summer.

Spill your guts in the comment section, but keep it short and sweet, I'm not looking for a novel, but a short, targeted pitch on why this band deserves the status of "Best Band on Wolf Trap's Summer Schedule."

Oh, and check out Wilco's new album cover on wilcoworld. It's just unbelievably hilarious.

Looking forward to some convincing comments...

-G

Summer Festivals

I love summer. Pools are open, flowers are in bloom, and tons of bands are touring! If you have the disposable income, I would highly recommend attending one of the many upcoming summer musical festivals, each of which are overflowing with some of the best emerging bands and also throwback acts from the 90s. The closest option to D.C. (with the exception of DelFest and AllGood) is the All Points West Festival in Liberty State Park, New Jersey, but I'm going to risk some potential backlash here by saying I think this is the worst option for your money. Although it requires a bit more travel since many of the best festivals are spread far and wide across diverse regions of the U.S., I think the best bang for your buck in 2009 is Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Sasquatch!, and Pitchfork. Pitchfork is definitely 100% of the hipster, indie persuasion, but offers some great acts nonetheless with Grizzly Bear, The National, Built to Spill, The Flaming Lips, Yo La Tengo and other indie powerhouses as headliners. Bonnaroo is going to be pretty epic, if for nothing else than the two-night headlining performances from the recently reunited Phish.

I myself will be jumping two planes on May 21st out to Portland to meet up with my friend Janelle for Sasquatch! I attended Bonnaroo in 2005, and am highly anticipating my 2nd multi-day camping-oriented music festival. Bonnaroo is a logistical and mental stability nightmare for several reasons, the foremost being the endless commotion and noise, making it near impossible to sleep at times, so we'll see if Sasquatch brings more of the same, or is a little more manageable. I am familiar with roughly 50% of the bands scheduled to perform, but I plan to really chart as much unfamiliar territory as time will allow before I make the cross country jaunt. So far, I'm really digging Death Vessel, which is pretty indefinable in terms of genre, but these hyper-melodic songs are definitely rooted in very early Americana, but also possess a very modern, breezy, psychedelic quality. It's oddly twisted music, but it's very very infectious. I'll post more on some of the Sasquatch bands as I continue to plow through the schedule in digital form.