WOLF TRAP

Embraces Big Changes In 2023 Season

Out & About Festival Celebrates the LGBTQIA+ Community

When Andy Valenti, guitarist for the D.C. band Oh He Dead, learned they were booked for Wolf Trap’s Out & About Festival — where they would share the bill with artists including Yola, Lucius, Rufus Wainwright and headliner Brandi Carlile — he knew it was a big deal. He just didn’t realize how big of a deal until he shared the news with some friends in the queer community.

“I told them that we’re playing on a show with Brandi Carlile,” Valenti says. “They were like ‘Brandi f--king Carlile?’ They freaked out.”

There’s a lot to be excited about with the launch of Out & About. The brainchild of Wolf Trap’s Vice President, Program and Production, Sara Beesley, the two-day festival on June 24 and 25 will feature Carlile headlining both nights. The singer-songwriter has an extensive history with the venue, first appearing there as an opener for the Indigo Girls in 2008. According to Wolf Trap’s Vice President, Development, Sara Jaffe, the festival came together fairly quickly.

“Brandi Carlile is an amazing partner for Pride,” Jaffe says. “It was just a great fit that came to fruition.”

Scheduled for the final weekend of Pride Month, the festival gives members of the LGBTQIA+ community in the DMV (and beyond) as well as allies a chance to celebrate the human rights advancements that have been made over the years.

Arvind Manocha, president and CEO of Wolf Trap, says he hopes the festival provides an opportunity for all generations to celebrate who they are.

“It’s hard to imagine a festival like Out & About happening where I grew up in Ohio, but certainly it would have meant a lot to me, as I hope it does now to younger members of LGBTQ+ communities today,” Manocha says. “Visibility is an important part of empowerment. Inclusivity has a powerful impact on self-confidence.”

The festival will utilize all three of the park’s stages, allowing attendees to experience the entire campus of Wolf Trap and its recent renovations.

“Part of the reason it’s ‘Out & About’ — I mean, the ‘out’ is fairly obvious — but we want people to get out and about in the park and to really do a walkabout to feel like they’re here for the day and experiencing all this,” Manocha says. “Which is why we’re activating the Meadow Stage. We will have something going on at the Children’s Theatre as well so people are encouraged to come through and walk through [the park].”

Singer-songwriter Wainwright, both a friend and colleague of Carlile’s, didn’t hesitate to jump on board when she reached out to him about the festival.

“I’ve had the pleasure of both hanging out and working with [Carlile]. She’s just fun to be around and I love singing with her,” Wainwright says. “When she does want me to be a part of something, it’s usually pretty special, so it was a quick ‘yes.’”

In a time when state and local governments are passing laws criminalizing the existence and expression of members of the LGBTQIA+ community, Wainwright — a member of Generation X who witnessed everything from the AIDS epidemic (and the government’s non-response) to the passing of the Respect for Marriage Act — hopes that Out & About will serve as a rallying cry for the community.

“I think we’re in a somewhat regressive stage,” Wainwright says. “It’s like we’re activists again, and we’re out there fighting for our rights once more.”

“When we create moments that celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and our allies, it helps show people that it’s okay to be who they are, and that they are seen,” Manocha says. “Younger people, folks on the journey of coming out, and older members of the community who might still carry with them some of the hurt or fear they experienced growing up in less enlightened times will hopefully find joy and a measure of peace while surrounded by nature and listening to the artists on the bill.”

As one of the two local bands on the bill along with D.C. band Bad Moves, Valenti is honored to be part of the festival and its message.

“Our band has been aligned with the LGBTQ+ community and we’ve played Pride Festival twice before,” Valenti says. “We really value our friends in that community and want to do what we can to support and uplift what everyone’s doing.”

Greeting the Future with Extensive Renovations

In the years leading up to Wolf Trap’s 50th anniversary in 2021, the performing arts center had plans in the works for massive renovations over several years, both front-of-house and backstage.

With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the shuttering of the live music industry was gutting in one aspect but in another allowed Wolf Trap’s management to expedite the renovations.

Now with $15 million already spent on the renovations (and another $15 million planned for additional improvements), Wolf Trap has emerged from the pandemic with much more than a fresh coat of paint.

“The first thing we wanted to do was improve the lives of our artists,” says Manocha. “We wanted that to be done for the 50th anniversary as well as make patron amenities fresh and new and improve the experience pre-concert.”

One of the first things patrons will notice upon arrival is the updated wood paneling of the entire building.

“The Park Service replaced all of the Douglas fir on the building in 2022 to help make it fresh,” Manocha says. “It feels very new. I think of the Douglas fir siding of this building as part of its iconography. There’s not a lot of big outdoor venues that are not entirely clad in a natural organic material.”

Seating in the orchestra and prime orchestra sections of the amphitheater now have center aisles (no more climbing over 40 people if you want to get a beer), something Wolf Trap was able to configure without losing any capacity. Additionally, ADA seating in the orchestra section expanded and a new crosswalk was added between sections, allowing for a much better flow of foot traffic.

A new sound system was installed, so the overall sound quality for both the performers and audience has also been enhanced.

In 2020 and 2021, four new pavilions were added throughout the grounds to serve as pre-concert lounges for donors, and they’re also available for rentals.

But for those who have access to backstage, the upgrades to the entire area are nothing short of astounding. Prior to the improvements, the backstage area resembled a ’70s rec room (and that’s being polite).

Entering the area now, artists are greeted by a large-paneled wall comprised of refurbished original Douglas fir that was removed from exterior of the building, with an enormous Wolf Trap sign burning bright in neon pink — in case artists forget where they are (“Hello, Cleveland!”).

Numerous dressing rooms are ensuite, some large enough to fit dance and opera companies, wired with the most complimentary lighting imaginable. (If you’re ever backstage, take a selfie. I promise you: You have never looked better.)

The suite for the headliners is large enough for artists to entertain guests (like The War and Treaty did after their headlining show in 2021, when they celebrated their son Legend’s birthday with close family and friends), while a Baldwin grand piano in the corner gets plenty of use pre- and post-show. The suite also contains a private patio so artists can enjoy nature, or they can hike the two-mile path next to the venue (as Sting was seen doing last year).

The new and improved game room offers a pool table, pingpong table (both the billiard balls and pingpong balls are branded with Wolf Trap’s logo — give whoever thought of that a raise), video games and assorted board games in case anyone wants to get into a competitive Jenga match.

Additionally, Wolf Trap’s backstage features a wellness room where artists can meditate, have a training session or a massage, or play with puppies (this is actually a thing) to calm pre-show nerves.

If this seems over the top, that’s the whole point. Wolf Trap’s aim with these much-needed renovations was not only to make a patron’s experience more enjoyable, but the artist’s as well.

“When artists say things to me like, ‘Can I stay here for the weekend?’ We feel good about that,” Manocha says. “We feel like we’ve done what we’re supposed to do.”

The Out & About Festival takes place on June 24 and 25 at 4 p.m. Tickets start at $75. To purchase tickets and see Wolf Trap’s full lineup, visit wolftrap.org or follow on Instagram @wolf_trap.

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts: 1551 Trap Rd. Vienna, VA

What to expect following the inaugural shows at OG 9:30 Club replica The Atlantis

WORDS BY COLLEEN KENNEDY

Just as this issue of District Fray was heading to mailboxes and distributors around the District, the Foo Fighters performed the very first show at The Atlantis, the District’s newest music venue, on May 30: an iconic band opening the hotly anticipated club, kicking off 44 nights of acclaimed acts with deep ties to the 9:30 Club. While The Atlantis replicates the OG 9:30 Club on F Street Northwest in many ways, it’s not all nostalgia all the time. The Atlantis is supporting the evolution of new music.

“All of us look back at when a band played a venue that was just so small before they really took off,” says Zhubin Aghamolla, co-director of booking for I.M.P. “Beyond the 44 [shows in the inaugural lineup] will be really incredible. It’s gonna be great when someone sees a new band there and then three or four years down the line, they’ll say to themselves, ‘I cannot believe we saw this band at this venue.’”

The History + the Future

The Atlantis’ design is full of nods to the OG 9:30 Club’s storied past, from the twisty floor plan that recreates the original labyrinthine flow to the black-and-white vinyl flooring. While the original 9:30 Club had several problematic poles obstructing views, there is now one floor-to-ceiling pole near stage left that gives a wink to the past without blocking sightlines. (What’s left in the past are the infamous rat problems and even worse stench. Even nostalgia has its limits.)

And, of course, there is the corner-stage, just like in the original, that brings the action even closer to the audience.

As construction crews climbed scaffolding a few weeks before the grand opening, this shortie reveled in the fantastic sightlines. The Atlantis will boast two levels — with a bar on each — and the proximity to the performers will be incredibly close. The venue is somehow both compact — with a capacity of only 450 — but also beautifully designed for access and intimacy. Whether grabbing a beer at the downstairs bar, leaning against the railing on the mezzanine level or posted up on the floor, you will always have a clear view of the elevated stage.

But the Atlantis is not just old-school; it’s also a state-ofthe-art, 10-million-dollar renovation, designed as a high-tech music box, engineered to buffer out noise from next door and to best support its own acoustic integrity, as designed by master acoustician John Storyk of Walters-Storyk Design Group. There is an elevator that makes the new space more accessible for patrons with limited mobility, but also makes loading equipment and gear easier, too.

The building’s facade, too, is futuristic. The facade of The Atlantis replicates the original building’s exterior, but — recalling the interior curtains and swags decorating The Anthem — it is composed of perforated metal backlit by thousands of lights. A ghostly visage of the past is now rendered in a multi-story, postmodern marquee that is of the moment: A large “2023” adorns the cornice above The Atlantis.

Beyond the 44

The Atlantis will cultivate the next wave of music by inviting emerging artists and niche acts to play a smaller venue that has all the perks of playing a major venue: clout, visibility and representation — and joining the I.M.P. family.

Seth Hurwitz — chairman of I.M.P., which owns the 9:30 Club, The Anthem and The Atlantis, and operates both Merriweather Post Pavilion and Lincoln Theatre — points out key differences between other 450-capacity venues and a musical behemoth like the I.M.P musicverse.

“We have the same resources, personnel and talent that work on the big shows working on The Atlantis,” Hurwitz says.

He credits his marketing and communications team for teaching the public about artists coming through I.M.P.’s venues.

“So much of the presentation of these artists is also about education,” Hurwitz says. “And that translates to the next time the band comes back, and now people know who they are.”

The other key part of The Atlantis’ strategy, Hurwitz says, is carefully selecting up-and-coming bands with the potential to be the next big thing.

“For some promoters, it’s like playing Monopoly and buying everything you can land on,” Hurwitz says. “We’re not going to book everything we land on. We’re going to be picky and curate The Atlantis just like the way we curate the 9:30 Club.”

Hurwitz should know. He’s been the owner of the 9:30 Club since 1986 and has seen it through its different iterations. He is the one who believed in little-known bands, like four girls from LA in a surfer pop-punk band, booking the iconic GoGo’s on their first tour. The list of before-they-were-stars — R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana and so many more — who played the original 9:30 Club with its 200-person capacity, condemned-building look, stench and terrible sightlines is the stuff of legend.

“When I was young, I booked bands because I believed in them, and I see that happening with Zhubin now,” Hurwitz says. “It’s very exciting for me to see him doing what I did 30 years ago.”

And that brings us back to Zhubin Aghamolla, who since 2015 has been booking bands for The Anthem, Merriweather

Post Pavilion and now The Atlantis, too. As major venues, The Anthem and the Merriweather attract nationally recognized artists or artists from multiple genres touring together. It’s a whole new frontier for The Atlantis, though, and Aghamolla is always searching for what’s new and next.

“The best way to learn about new acts is to ride around in Zhubin’s car,” Hurwitz adds, sharing that he’s been introduced to such diverse artists as the Backstreet Lovers, Goth Babe and Rainbow Kitten Surprise because of Aghamolla.

Aghamolla, for his part, is curious, open and eager when it comes to his musical voraciousness, listening to almost anything but trusting his gut when he thinks he’s heard the right artist.

“Sometimes, I just hear it and think, ‘Other people need to hear this,’” he says.

He then plays an artist’s music for some of his most trusted friends to see if they have the same visceral or emotional reaction. If so, he books them.

For Hurwitz, it’s all about having faith in the next generation of artists, and asking audiences to have faith, too.

“We want the public to trust us to say, ‘We’ve booked this band: You should go see them.’”

Where Music Begins

The first roster of artists after the first 44 Atlantis shows was just announced in mid-April, demonstrating that commitment to exploring the next wave of music.

There are international artists, such as Irish singersongwriter Cian Ducrot and Jerusalem-born Saint Levant who sings and raps in French, Arabic and English. Multiinstrumentalist Vagabon combines synth beats with delicate acoustic guitar in her introspective and powerful womanist