A local man is gearing up to play the gig of his lifetime.
The Dallas Wesley Band will open for country singer Travis Tritt during an upcoming concert in Richmond.
The show, scheduled for June 1 at the Innsbrook After Hours outdoor amphitheater, is the band’s biggest gig to date, and Wesley says their mix of folk and roots music is a good fit with Tritt.
“Travis Tritt’s music,” he says, “is so real.”
Wesley, 30, and his band mates — Thomas Gunn, Dan Sebring and Bahlmann Abbot, all of whom live in Charlottesville — aim to achieve a similar feeling in their music.
Wesley, who moved to Lynchburg from South Carolina seven years ago, describes their sound as roots and country, “with a 21st-century sound.”
“We all come from folk,” he says. “We like the roots sound. It sounds like a band of people playing music, instead of one (over-) produced sound. We all want to be real.”
They began playing together last year, after being cast in “Hank Williams: Lost Highway,” a play in Charlottesville.
Wesley, who played Williams, says singing the legendary star’s songs day in and day out brought his own music to another level.
“It came totally alive,” he says. “It just infused my own writing and desire. It changed everything.”
After it was over, the men continued performing together, first Williams’ tunes and then more and more of their own originals.
All four are singer/songwriters themselves, in a more “soul-searching” way, he says, “which was totally contrasted with the Hank Williams (stuff).
“Our whole mission right now is to find that balance (between the two).”
They’ll play mostly originals, with only a few covers, during the Tritt gig, which Wesley says everyone is feeling relaxed about so far.
“Now,” he adds with a laugh, “I don’t know what it’s going to look like the day before.
“It’s a huge opportunity. We’re really excited about it. Everybody, I think, feels the gravity of where we’re at.”
Tickets to the show are $16.50 in advance and $20 at the gate (see venue list for contact information).
If you want to see the band sooner, they’ll be playing at 8 p.m. Saturday at Rapunzel’s Coffee & Books in Lovingston. Visit www.rapunzelscoffee.com for more information on the show and www.reverbnation.com/thedallaswesleyband for more on the band.
Tritt’s concert is one of many going on within driving distance of the Hill City this summer.
We did a little research and compiled a list of some high-profile acts that will be hitting venues as close as Nelson County and as far away as Virginia Beach and Washington, D.C. over the next few months.
Here’s what we came up with; we’ve only included shows that had tickets still available as of press time.
As always, dates and times are subject to change, so make sure to check in with the venue as the concert gets closer. And check out our handy venue list for addresses, phone numbers and websites. If the venue doesn’t have its own website, you best bet for tickets is either livenation.com or ticketmaster.com.
Friday, May 13
Dierks Bentley at The Norva in Norfolk. Show starts at 7:30 p.m., and general admission tickets are $35.
Thursday, May 16
Country singer Eric Church will perform at 8 p.m. at Innsbrook After Hours, an outdoor amphitheater in Richmond. Tickets are $17.50 in advance and $20 at the gate.
Tuesday, May 31
ZZ Top will perform at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion in Charlottesville at 7 p.m. Tickets range in price from $38 to $70.
Friday, June 3
Miranda Lambert, with Josh Kelley and Ashton Shepherd, at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C. at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range in price from $35 to $45 in advance and $45 on the day of the show.
Brad Paisley, with guests Blake Shelton and Jerrod Niemann, at Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach (formerly the Virginia Beach Amphitheater), at 4 p.m. Tickets range in price from $30 to $80.
Locally, Uncle Cracker will be hitting the stage at Phase 2 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20; www.phase2club.com or (434) 846-3206.
Thursday, June 9
Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses will hit the stage at The Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville at 9 p.m. Last year, Bingham won an Oscar for “The Weary Kind,” the theme song for “Crazy Heart,” which starred Jeff Bridges as a country singer. Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door.
Saturday, June 18
Phish at the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek in Raleigh at 8 p.m. Tickets range in price from $37.50 to $52.50.
June 30
Taylor Swift at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex at 7p.m. Tickets range in price from $28 to $72.50.
Saturday, July 2
Darius Rucker will hit the stage at Danville’s Carrington Pavilion. Tickets — prices have yet to be set — go on sale May 26.
Sunday, July 3
The Zac Brown Band, who just played in Salem last week, will perform at 7 p.m. at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Charlotte, with southern rockers Blackberry Smoke. Tickets range in price from $32 to $50.
Saturday, July 16
Jamey Johnson and Lee Ann Womack will perform during the Rolling Hills Classic, a daylong, outdoor country music festival at Oak Ridge Estates in Arrington. Tickets range in price from $20 to $55 and can be purchased by calling (434) 294-3605 or (800) 594-8499. For more information, visit http://rollinghillsclassic.com.
That same day, Rihanna and Cee Lo Green, will be at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range in price from $19.75 to $99.75/
Saturday, July 23
Wiz Khalifa, who was all over the radio with his hit “Black & Yellow,” will perform at 7 p.m. at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion in Charlottesville. Tickets are $35.
New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys will bring their joint tour to the Greensboro Coliseum Complex at 8 p.m. Tickets range in price from $29.50 to $89.50.
Thursday, July 28
Keith Urban and opener Jake Owen will play at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $65.
Saturday, July 30
Alison Krauss & Union Station, featuring Jerry Douglas with Dawes, at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion in Charlottesville. Show starts at 7 p.m., and tickets range from $35 to $75.
Sunday, July 31
Britney Spears, with Nicki Minaj, will bring her Femme Fatale Tour to the Verizon Center in D.C. at 7 p.m. Tickets range in price from $29.50 to a whopping $350 (!).
Wednesday, Aug. 3
Maroon 5 and Train at Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $19 to $93.
A little closer to home, The Decemberists will perform at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion in Charlottesville. The show starts at 7 p.m., and general admission tickets are $35.
Friday, Aug. 5
Kenny Chesney, with Billy Currington and Uncle Cracker, at 7 p.m. at the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek in Raleigh. Tickets, on sale today, range from $35.50 to $75.50.
Saturday, Aug. 6
Kings of Leon at Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach. No time has been set yet. Tickets, on sale today, range in price from $30.50 to $51.50.
Monday, Aug. 8
Death Cab For Cutie at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. Show starts at 7 p.m., and tickets range from $32 to $37.
Thursday, Aug. 18
The American Idols Live! Tour — featuring top 11 finalists Casey Abrams, Haley Reinhart, Jacob Lusk, James Durbin, Lauren Alaina, Naima Adedapo, Paul McDonald, Pia Toscano, Scotty McCreery, Stefano Langone and Thia Megia — will cone to the Verizon Center in D.C. at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $45 to $65.
Friday, Aug. 19
Guster and Jack’s Mannequin at Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre in Charlotte at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $35.
Saturday, Aug. 20
Take a trip back to the ’80s when Journey, with Foreigner and Night Ranger, hit the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek in Raleigh. The show is at 7 p.m., and tickets range from $25 to $131.
Thursday, Aug. 25
Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow at 7 p.m. at the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek in Raleigh. Tickets range in price from $31.50 to $81.50.
Saturday, Sept. 10
Jason Aldean, with Chris Young and Thompson Square, will perform at the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek in Raleigh. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets, on sale June 8, range from $25 to $40.75.
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