Wolf Trap Weclomes Pat Benatar/REO Speedwagon With Keaton Simons 6/29

Wolf Trap Weclomes Back Pat Benatar, Pat McGee Band, and Gipsy Kings, and Ushers in REO Speedwagon for their Highly Anticipated Debut

Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
$45 in-house, $30 lawn

Pat Benatar
Multiplatinum-selling rock singer Pat Benatar is returning to Wolf Trap for her second appearance at the Filene Center. During the 1980s Benatar opened doors for subsequent female artists with her unprecedented boldness and sexuality. She made history in 1981 when her single "You Better Run" became the second music video played on MTV. That same year Benatar won the first of four consecutive GRAMMY awards with her sophomore album Crimes of Passion. The following decade Benatar crossed over to blues and R&B. In all she has sold 22 million records. This month she released her autobiography Between a Heart and a Rock Place.

REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon has been a tenacious force in rock 'n' roll since its inception in 1968. The band searched for their niche in rock until they found commercial success in the '70s with power ballads "Keep on Loving You," "Don't Let Him Go," and "Take It On the Run." REO Speedwagon's 1980 release Hi Infidelity catapulted the band into multiplatinum success, selling nine million copies. The band has sold 40 million records worldwide and 22 million records in the United States. They released a series of compilations in the '90s and co-headlined tours with Styx, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Frampton, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. In 2007 the band released Find Your Own Way Home, their first album in 10 years. The band's front-man Kevin Cronin channels inspiration through his music saying, "In every song I have ever written, no matter the depth of darkness from which it was conceived, there has always been a message of hope. My own songs often serve to remind me that in the toughest of times, hope must remain undying."

Keaton Simons
Singer/songwriter Keaton Simons studied Ethnomusicology- the study of world music- before he worked as a musical director and contributing guitarist for The Black Eyed Peas and Snoop Dogg. He soon signed a record deal and released the EP Currently in 2004. Shortly thereafter he began touring with numerous artists including Coldplay, Chris Isaak, and Gnarls Barkley. Simons released his debut album, Exes and Whys in 2004, followed by Can You Hear Me (2008). Since then his songs have been featured on several CBS shows, including NCIS.

Pat McGee Band w/ Special Guest Honor By August
Thursday, July 1, 2010 at 8 p.m.
$32 in-house, $25 lawn

Pat McGee Band

Virginia-based acoustic rocker Pat McGee has been on the road since he formed his band in 1996. The group has performed 250 shows annually over the past 14 years. Their bluesy, melodic rock sound generated an immense buzz as they toured with James Taylor, Ziggy Marley, Jimmy Buffet, Counting Crows, and Blues Traveler, leading to sales of 100,000 independently released records. Pat McGee Band released their commercial debut Shine in 2000, followed by three more albums. The group is anticipating their next release in 2011.

Honor By August

Honor By August got their start playing the Washington, D.C. club scene. Soon the pop-rock group won first prize in the pop category of Billboard's World Song Contest for their song "Only in Photographs," as well as an XM Radio contest, which landed them on stage at the Verizon Center. The band has opened for several musical mainstays including Bon Jovi, Third Eye Blind, Hootie and the Blowfish, and Vertical Horizon. Honor by August has released three albums and two EPs, including their latest release On Our Own (2010).

Gipsy Kings
Friday, July 2 and Saturday, July 3, 2010 at 8 p.m.
$40 in-house, $25 lawn

Composed of family musicians that joined together in Arles, France, in 1979, Gipsy Kings began traveling as a gypsy band and played Sevillana music from Spain at festivals and weddings. As their popularity grew over the next few years, the band took their flamenco music worldwide. Their self-titled album Gipsy Kings (1988) was a platinum success. Soon after, they made their United States debut at the New York New Music Seminar and their hit single "Bomboleo" rose to No. 6 on Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks. The band's rock and rhumba rhythms were embraced and in 1989 the group became the biggest-selling French ensemble in the United States. Gipsy Kings have released eight albums since. The group continues to tour extensively and receive international acclaim.

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.

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