At Wolf Trap, Musicians Prove You CAN Come Home Again

This post is from our friends at Visit Fairfax (FXVA).

Everyone knows the famous saying “You can’t go home again,” but fortunately for Virginia music enthusiasts, three musical sensations not only prove they can, but they do, time and time again.

Tonight,  Wolf Trap and the National Capital Region welcome back Bruce Hornsby, and then on September 9th, Eddie from Ohio makes a glorious musical homecoming as they once again return to their Virginia and Capital Region roots and grace the stage at Wolf Trap’s famed Filene Center.

So why DO they come back? Well here’s my take. It just seems that when musicians perform in front of a home crowd, there’s a heightened sense of energy that reverberates through the crowd and the artists on stage. Maybe it’s because memories flood back to the artists as they begin to think about the great concerts they’ve had here in the past. Maybe it’s because they can gaze out on the adoring crowd swaying and singing their songs in unison on the beautiful rolling hills of Fairfax County. But maybe, just maybe, it’s as simple as the state slogan says – “Virginia is for lovers”…and music lovers are no exception.

Regardless of the reason, “home” has a special meaning to all of us. Even though this show was unfortunately cancelled due to weather, we'd still like to mention hometown girl Mary Chapin Carpenter, who honed her soulful skills in the region as she played the local bar and club scene in the Washington, DC area. She also met her long-time co-producer and collaborator, John Jennings here. Ahhhh, the beginning of a beautiful friendship as they say. Over the years she has mesmerized her fans to the tune of 13 million albums sold. And it began here.

Bruce Hornsby, hailing from Williamsburg, Virginia, embodies what some call the “Virginia sound,” combining rock, jazz, and bluegrass with an overall “southern” feel. His stellar career (which includes millions of albums sold as well as 13 Grammy nominations) has seen him collaborate with such musical talents at The Grateful Dead and Ricky Skaggs. Hornsby now sends crowds on musical adventures with “the Noisemakers,” and together they seamlessly blend together making musical triumphs wherever their tours take them.

Name notwithstanding, Eddie From Ohio actually hails from Northern Virginia and is made up of three James Madison University grads (Robbie Schaefer, Eddie Hartness & Michael Clem) and a Virginia Tech grad (Julie Murphy Wells). Arlington was their early stomping grounds as they cut their musical teeth entertaining thousands of metro DC music junkies with their skillful, contemporary sound. The Washington Area Music Association awarded the group with 4 “Wammies” and the group has packed venues literally from coast to coast over the years as people flock to hear their tight harmonies and enjoy their fun and upbeat concerts.

So as you can see, even after traveling all over the country (and the world for that matter) while entertaining and inspiring millions of fans with music that has a connection with Virginia, these entertainers can come home again. And as Bruce Hornsby so succinctly put it “That’s just the way it is.” At least at Wolf Trap anyway.