The Contest Has Begun: Win a VIP Night at Wolf Trap!

Thank you for participating in our annual season launch contest and tagging photos in the Facebook album of the artists you are most excited to see at Wolf Trap this summer. We’ve tallied your tags and Goo Goo Dolls is the winner with the most tags, with Alison Krauss & Union Station pulling in a close second.

Now for the main event. It’s time to give away TWO great VIP prize packages! Let us know your favorite song by one of these two artists by commenting on this blog entry—please include your email so we can contact you—OR send an email to web@wolftrap.org. Easy as that! Simply comment with a song and you’re entered to win.

We’ll randomly select one grand prize winner and one runner-up winner to be announced on May 2. Prize detail information is below.

The Goo Goo Dolls Grand Prize:

-A pair of front orchestra tickets;

-Dinner for two at Ovations, Wolf Trap’s on-site restaurant;

-Accommodations at the McLean Hilton;

-Transportation provided by Reston Limousine to and from the hotel

Alison Krauss & Union Station Runner Up Prize:

Lawn party for four featuring tickets and complimentary gourmet picnics from Meals Beneath the Moon.

Surprise Guest Appearances; What is your Dream Collaboration?

Will Brian Wilson appear with the Beach Boys? (Not this year) Is Jim James going to join Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes and M. Ward on-stage for a Monsters of Folk song? (Great question, only time will tell!) Which musical guests will Garrison Keillor invite on the show for A Prairie Home Companion? As a concert promoter, we get asked these speculative questions all the time, and why shouldn't we? It's incredibly exciting to ponder these types of epic superstar collaborations. The spontaneity of a live show is already a huge lure for ticket buyers, but add in the possibility of David Gilmore joining Roger Waters for Dark Side of the Moon (just an example - not at Wolf Trap this summer), and you've got the makings of a mind-blowing and life-changing concert experience.

There have been plenty of recent high-profile guest appearances at large scale shows across the country, most notably at Coachella this past weekend.

- Justin Vernon of Bon Iver joined Kanye West AND The National. Vernon is heavily featured on West's latest album so no huge surprise there, but The National appearance was a rare treat. FYI, Bon Iver's new album release date announced today.

-Paul McCartney joined Dutch house music star DJ Afrojach during his set for a RARE, and I mean RARE performance geared towards clubbers, not rockers.

-Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend sat in on sax during Chromeo's set. Never really gotten into Vampire Weekend, but LOVE this song. Great David Byrne undertones.

And this was not at Coachella, but Arcade Fire exploded onto the stage during LCD Soundsystem's farewell show at Madison Square Garden for a collaborative performance of "North American Scum". Official video footage has been removed, but you can see clips on YouTube.

What's your dream live-in-concert guest appearance/collaboration?

Featured Performers at Wolf Trap that Were in my Life Way Before I Knew it (Guest Post by Intern Kyla Hsia)

What do Tupac, Lady Marmalade, Step Up 3, and the Insane Clown Posse all have in common? Wolf Trap.

For the next and most likely final installment in “My Journey Away from Musical Ignorance" (Thank You Wolf Trap!), I’m going to examine songs people may not realize originated from artists who have performed or will perform at Wolf Trap this summer.

While building the Summer 2011 play list for Wolf Trap Radio, I kept running into tunes that sounded an awful lot like modern songs. Sampling and covering weren’t new concepts to me, and I was informed enough to know that Hilary and Haylie Duff’s Our Lips are Sealed is a modern day spin on Our Lips are Sealed by the Go-Go's who come to Wolf Trap for the first time on June 10th. But I wonder if people, especially in the younger generations, realize how prevalent sampling and covering really is in today’s music:

4. Rappers and The Controversial Insane Clown Posse Love Bruce Hornsby

Bruce Hornsby’s The Way It is is probably familiar to a lot of Wolf Trap patrons, but when listening to the minute long iTunes sample, I was shocked to hear someone who was clearly not Tupac. Hornsby’s floating piano instrumental line and poignant melody helped make Tupac’s posthumous record a heartbreaking classic. But Tupac wasn’t the only rapper to appreciate this Bruce Hornsby classic—another west coast rapper, E-40, has sampled the song as well as the Insane Clown Posse.

3. Peter Frampton and The Beatles with an Island Flavor

Growing up in Hawaii, I was very familiar with the refrains “ooooh baby I love your way” and “but in my life, I’ve loved them all.” I’ve listened to the song In My Life many many times, and I’ve even seen hula performed to it—but a week ago, I found out it’s a Beatles song. Keali’i Reichel is one of the most popular Hawaiian artists there is, and I grew up listening to his version of In My Life instead of The Beatles’ version. The same thing happened with Big Mountain’s and Peter Frampton’s versions of Baby, I Love Your Way.

Big Mountain’s cover of Baby, I Love Your Way, is upbeat and catchy, but is basically Frampton’s original over a reggae beat. Keali’i Reichel’s cover of In My Life takes The Beatles’ original and transforms it into something that’s beautiful and haunting. I risk personal injury by saying this, but I wholeheartedly prefer Reichel’s cover.

2. Maybe Pink, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and Christina Should Take Notes From Miss LaBelle

When Moulin Rouge came out in 2001, Lady Marmalade was a huge hit. But how many people actually knew LaBelle’s 1975 original hit? I certainly didn’t. So when Miss Patti LaBelle joined in on the 2002 GRAMMYs performance, I didn’t know why she was there, but I did know that if anyone was the real diva on stage that night, it was her.

Both versions are pretty fantastic, but let’s give credit where credit is due…this 1975 live performance proves who the real divas are—and who had the better costumes. I cannot, in good conscience, post a link to the GRAMMY performance because they’re wearing too much makeup and not enough clothing. But if you happen to wander over to YouTube to watch it yourself, notice how Miss LaBelle doesn’t get upstaged by the massive set, the flashing lights, or the costume that’s bright red and twice as wide as she is.

1. Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons in Step Up 3

I should’ve realized Can’t Take My Eyes Off You was not by Lauryn Hill when I heard Heath Ledger singing it with a marching band in 10 Things I Hate About You. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You was one of Frankie Valli’s biggest solo hits, Lauryn Hill’s version is one of her classics and a great song in and of itself, and Heath Ledger’s performance is a fan-favorite moment of his career. This song has been covered many, many times, and artists will probably continue to cover it far into the future.

Another Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons song that got a makeover for the modern age is Beggin’. Madcon is a pop duo from Norway. They took Beggin’, added some rap, slapped on some extra drum and bass, and now Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons make an appearance in Step Up 3 (if you make it more than halfway through the video…No. I don’t know why Americans can dance in water and Asians can’t). I hope I’m wrong and most of the people who saw that movie know who to thank for that dance battle.

Know any other covers or samples of Wolf Trap performers that I missed? Tell us! (and help further along my music education).

Cravin' Dogs: The Wolf Trap Interview

How many bands can you name that have been around 25 years? A few biggies come to mind sure, but it's a rare phenomenon for a local working man's outfit to remain active and more importantly, relevant, across three decades of music making. This is exactly what the Cravin' Dogs have accomplished and they're not just gigging around performing covers and older material, they're keeping it fresh with a brand new studio release that will be unveiled at Wolf Trap tomorrow evening as a part of their 25th anniversary celebratory performance. It's shaping up to be a special night at The Barns with lots of close friends, neighbors, former Wolf Trap employees and head swaying jam/roots-rock music heads flooding the doors for a rare general admission show. For some reflections on 25 years as one of D.C.'s best-loved bands, and what to expect from their new record, take a listen to the interview below.

Cravin' Dogs: The Wolf Trap Interview by Wolf_Trap