Wolf Trap Announces Their Summer 2010 Performances

Capped by the 2010 Summer Blast Off!, Featuring "The President's Own" United States Marine Band, The Filene Center's Second Week Brings Michael Franti & Spearhead and A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor

Michael Franti & Spearhead w/ Special Guest The Wailers
Thursday, May 27, 2010 at 8 p.m.
$40 in-house, $25 lawn

Michael Franti
For the first time in ten years, Michael Franti returns to the Wolf Trap stage. Adopted by white parents at birth and raised in the mostly black community of Oakland, California, Franti grew up with a heightened awareness of his culture. His music is a direct result of his upbringing, featuring a hybrid of R&B, soul, hip-hop, and reggae. Through his entire musical career to date, Franti has continued to build an extremely dedicated global grass roots following. His most recent album, All Rebel Rockers (2008), was recorded in Jamaica and featured the legendary rhythm section of Sly & Robbie. Its first single, "Say Hey (I Love You)," is fast becoming one of the biggest of Franti's career. All Rebel Rockers marked Franti's highest Billboard Top 200 Album Chart debut ever at #37. Franti's performances are marked by a genuine openheartedness, a commitment to communication, and a greater sense of community. "The people who come to see us seem to love the experience of the party as well as the message and the music," he says.

The Wailers
Boasting combined sales of more than 250 million albums in more than 40 years, the Wailers are one of the world's most prolific and recognizable reggae groups, largely due to their association with the legendary Bob Marley. Since Marley's death, the group has revolved around Family Man, who is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest bass players. The Wailers recently teamed up with Kenny Chesney for the song "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven." With a new world tour, single, and album to come, the Wailers continue to grow their already massive fan base.

A Prairie Home Companion
With Garrison Keillor
In association with
Minnesota Public Radio & WAMU 88.5 FM
Friday, May 28, 2010 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 5:45 p.m.
$25-$50

Delightful tales, comedy sketches, and music are packed in this time-honored favorite from the American heartland, making its return to the Wolf Trap stage. A Prairie Home Companion is heard by more than four million listeners each week on more than 576 public radio stations. It is also heard abroad on America One and the Armed Forces Networks in Europe and the Far East. One of the show's best known features is Garrison Keillor's "News from Lake Wobegon", a weekly story-telling monologue claiming to be a report from Keillor's fictitious hometown of Lake Wobegon-"the little town that time forgot and the decades cannot improve ... where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." Keillor developed A Prairie Home Companion in 1969 as a 6 a.m. morning program named after the Prairie Home cemetery in Moorhead, Minnesota. After working on an article for the New Yorker magazine about the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, he developed the idea for the radio show featuring musical guests and commercials for imaginary products. The first episode aired live on July 6, 1974.

2010 Summer Blast Off!
"The President's Own"
United States Marine Band
with Fireworks!
Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 8 p.m.
Free!

In ceremonial fashion, "The President's Own" United States Marine Band will launch Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts' summer season with a program of concert band favorites. Founded in 1798 by an Act of Congress, "The President's Own" United States Marine Band is America's oldest continuously active professional musical organization. Since its beginning, the Marine Band's primary mission has remained to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. "The President's Own" encompasses the United States Marine Band, Marine Chamber Orchestra, and Marine Chamber Ensembles, performs regularly at the White House, and engages in more than 500 public performances across the nation each year.

The Filene Center gates open at 6:30 p.m. for this event, 90 minutes prior to "The President's Own" United States Marine Band performance beginning at 8 p.m. and concluding at 9:30 p.m. Patrons are free to select their choice of seats either in-house or on the lawn, but should keep in mind that the park closes once capacity is reached. The fireworks viewing area opens following the performance at approximately 9:30 p.m. with the display scheduled for 9:45 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 1 (877) WOLFTRAP; or online at www.wolftrap.org. For more information, call Wolf Trap at (703) 255-1868.

Wolf Trap is metro accessible! Our environmentally friendly Wolf Trap Express Bus travels from the West Falls Church metro stop every 20 minutes starting two hours prior to show time. For more information, please visit, http://www.wolftrap.org/Plan_Your_Visit/Access_by_Metro.aspx

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