am bands. I can't stand them. I really can't. This is coming from one who drove an hour and fifteen minutes in rush hour traffic and pouring rain to see a [live NYC Phish concert simulcast in a suburban movie theater] on aThursday night. As a filmmaker and musician, I felt obligated and a tad bit interested to see how they'd pull off this unprecedented feat - live music, high-definition video, surround sound, the whole package. And even though I bitched about jam bands the whole way there and napped through the entire second set, I actually had a pretty good time. But the real irony in all of this came to light under the Tenleytown moon on Saturday night.

The Carlsonics are a jam band. That's right. You heard it here first. Or, if you were at the opening kickoff of the Fort Reno concert series on Saturday, you heard it from vocalist Aaron Carlson himself. After launching into their first extended jam (out of about four in the set), Carlson asked the crowd if anyone had gone to Bonnaroo last week. Although the joke was on us, I'm happy to report that The Carlsonics aren't quite at the Bonnaroo level of jammy-ness. Not unlike the Tennessee jam-fest, the vibe at the Fort was rather communal and loving, but that's to be expected. When you provide thirty-six years of free music, fresh cherries, and the local ice cream man, you can't help but feel the free love. Did I mention that it's free yet?

Well it turns out that free can get you a whole hell of a lot these days. Especially when you've got three top-notch local bands up your sleeve. For the 100-plus crowd at Saturday's Fort Reno kickoff, the big surprise was The Hard Tomorrows, Reno-organizer Beth's self-proclaimed "new favorite band." Who could blame her? Opening for two well-seasoned local bands on the opening night of a semi-legendary local music series, you'd think they might suffer a bit from the pressure. On the contrary, The Hard Tomorrows took to the stage like Fort Reno veterans. For a band that calls itself "The Skinnies" they sure have a lot of confidence and poise. They came prepared and rehearsed and brought the energy level up right from the start. The band played a smooth set of short, tight songs that kept the guitars low enough (a common Reno misstep) to highlight the vocal abilities of singer Robert Pierangeli. Mixed murmurs of "never heard of them," and "hard act to follow," floated through the still-small crowd as the band finished the set and reminded their new breed of fans about their upcoming show at the Black Cat. I wouldn't be surprised to see more than a few folks head down to the Cat from Fort Reno on the 28th to catch that show.

Next up were The Fatales, a fairly well known group with Reno experience under their belt. With five members on the stage it was a bit of a tight fit, but that didn't slow them down. They launched straight into a string of moody melodies and textures for a decidedly different sound from the other two bands on the bill. While the lyrical imagery and layers of sound tended towards the cinematic, it was the standout vibrato of their vocalist that really captivated. By the end of the set the crowd was growing, and luckily for The Fatales they had a few more minutes to spare. While most of the people were there to see The Carlsonics, I can't imagine anyone was disappointed in the performances of The Hard Tomorrows and The Fatales. If anything, it taught them a valuable lesson: get there early.

By the time The Carlsonics took the stage, the sun had set and the crowd had swelled. Expectations were high, especially after some longtime fans were left a bit disappointed by the band's somewhat tired performance at the Washington Social Club CD release party last month. Luckily The Carlsonics came to Fort Reno with full-tanks and roaring engines (not to mention great tans). They looked refreshed and genuinely excited to be there. They ripped through their usual set of rockers, interspersed with those above-mentioned jams for a bit of variety. There is no question that The Carlsonics are one of DC's finest bands, and they showed no hesitation in proving that again for the crowd at Fort Reno. And while it wasn't your typical crammed-against-the-stage Black Cat crowd, there were more than a few fans dancing on the lawn and reveling under the cool dark (and windy) skies while Mike Scutari and Carlson banged away on their drums and shakers. I believe bassist Nikki West put it best when she said, "I feel like I should be in a metal video," with her hair blowing wildly in the wind.

If Saturday night is any indication of what's to come this summer, we are all in for a treat. While a few less-than-stellar line-ups are inevitable, hopes are high for the 36th annual Fort Reno summer.