Thanks for your suggestions, your requests, your feedback, and for listening to...

Exit Dome 4 - Rodeo Barons - Sebastien Barre
For the fifth time in as many years, we’re proud to be a part of the incredible Local 518 music scene. We love the musicians of the Local 518! All of you! This is our fifth Local 518 showcase to benefit the station. We thank the musicians in advance for the generosity, and we thank you for coming out to support the station and the great musicians!
Read on for the line up…

Branford Marsalis / Duo and Quartet: NEA Jazz Master, renowned Grammy Award®‐winning saxophonist and Tony Award® nominee Branford Marsalis is one of the most revered instrumentalists of his time. Leader of one of the finest jazz Quartets today, and a frequent soloist with classical ensembles, Branford recently recorded and released Songs of Mirth and Melancholy, a spectacular duo collaboration with his Quartet’s longtime pianist, Joey Calderazzo.
Click here to enter to win tickets to the show.

Join SPAC’s Junior Committee at the 2nd Annual Winter Ball – BOND: Shaken Not Stirred, Saturday February 25 8 till late at the Hall of Springs in Saratoga. All proceeds benefit The Classical Season at SPAC.
The Band The Accents will be performing in a Casino Royal setting! Indulge in the ‘Goldfinger’ Open Bar. Special hotel discount rate available at the Gideon Putnam. Bond attire admired…but not required.
For more information check out spac dot org
We’re very excited to introduce you to this new artist. Here’s a new video from Ed Sheeran. 21.5 million people have already seen this video. We think Ed will be a big hit here in the US, and you’re gonna hear him first on WEXT.
Check out more about Ed Sheeran at his website.

Thanks for your suggestions, your requests, your feedback, and for listening to the countdown. Here are the lists for the Top 97 of 2011 and the Top Local 518 of 2011.
What a great year 2011 was. We’re expecting 2012 to be even better! Happy New Year!
Weigh in at our Facebook page, or send us comments now.
For the Top 97 of 2011 (pdf), click here.
For the Top Local 518 of 2011 (pdf), click here.
After the break, see staff picks as they come in.

Dr. Dog release their new album, “Be the Void” in February (2/7/12). WEXT is already playing the lead song from it – “That Old Black Hole.” We love Dr. Dog!
Turns out that so do the folks at Northern Lights. Check it out!
WEXT & Step Up Presents
DR. DOG
Tuesday, March 20
Northern Lights
7pm door * 8pm show
Tickets $15 adv/$17 day of on sale Monday, December 19 at 10am
at all Ticketmaster locations, the Northern Lights box office and Déjà Vu

You know you’ve been waiting for the great news that Ani DiFranco would be coming back. Step Up Presents is bringing her to The Egg on 4/19/12.
Tickets are on sale now! Click here to purchase.
INFO ON THE DRAWING AFTER THE BREAK.