News Release MEDIA CONTACT: Marylou Berg, Communication Manager, 240-314-8105 Rockville’s Hometown Holidays Highlights Popular Local, Regional Bands Buzz Builds Around Musical Offerings at City’s Memorial Day Weekend Event Rockville, Md., May 7 – Music – really good music – is at the heart of Rockville’s 25th annual Hometown Holidays festival, which kicks off on Saturday, May 25 in town center. This year the City is bringing more than 30 bands out for performances on five stages throughout Rockville’s bustling downtown. Already, fans of bands such as Jah Works, the Nighthawks, and Lloyd Dobbler Effect are lighting up Rockville’s Hometown Holidays Facebook page as the festival nears. “Hometown Holidays is one of the region’s premier music festivals,” said Colleen McQuitty, special events manager for the City of Rockville. “Our festival will show the best music that the DC area has to offer.” Bands that have built their own followings are excited to perform at Hometown Holidays. David Wax Museum comes to Hometown Holidays with many feathers in its figurative cap. The hot new indie band has been recognized by an illustration in The New Yorker, was ranked No. 8 on Paste Magazine’s list of the Best Live Acts of 2011, and was named by TIME magazine as one of the top 10 acts of 2011’s South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. Bob Boilen of National Public Radio’s All Songs Considered referred to their sound as “pure, irresistible joy.” Rockville’s Channel 11 crew filmed several bands performing in a studio space in City Hall this spring and produced a 36-minute show, “Hometown Holidays All Access,” giving the public a chance to preview some of the music they’ll hear during the festival. Bands featured in this show included Shane Gamble, Christylez Bacon, Ted Garber Band and the 19th Street Band. Hometown Holidays All Access has garnered more than 500 views and continues to catch viewers’ attention on the City’s YouTube page, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6D-T8CjU_0. One band featured in this show, Shane Gamble, is a Maryland native who’s riding the success of his Top 10 single “Turn My Way” on The Highway, one of SiriusXM’s country music channels. He performs from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 25th on the Regal Stage. In addition to playing Hometown Holidays, the rising performer was just added to the lineup for CMA Fest in Nashville, in June. Though music is the focus of Hometown Holidays, the festival will also include the Chamber of Commerce and Community Ministries of Rockville’s Taste of Rockville with area restaurants participating, amusements and entertainment for children, and the Memorial Day ceremony and parade. Events start at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 25 and continue through Monday, May 27. Rockville event staff can provide reporters with interview opportunities with a variety of musicians and bands lined up to perform at Hometown Holidays. The City can also supply photos of bands or photos of the festival from recent years. For updated information as the festival nears, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/hth. The City’s Hometown Holidays Facebook page (www.facebook.com/RockvilleHometownHolidays) will be updated prior to and during the event, so stay tuned there for the latest announcements. ### Rockville is considered one of the nation’s leading small cities. Rockville reveres its roots, its commitment to citizen-centric public service, to the environment and to the connection of neighborhoods and residents. Rockville is a 13-square-mile city that is home to more than 62,000 residents, located less than 15 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., and is frequently recognized as one of the best places to live in the nation. To keep up with City of Rockville information, subscribe for e-mail updates, follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook, go to www.rockvillemd.gov/connections.

http://www.rockvillemd.gov/news/2013/5-07b-13.htm

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