Hey people! It’s summer! Time to hit some shows. And to help you get your calendar arranged, this week we're cranking up the volume on some of the best bands we met in studio sessions this year who happen to have shows in the area, plus a super fancy, exclusive concert premiere.

You can find videos of all these performances at www.opb.org/stateofwonder.

Iconic Supergroup case/lang/veirs Teams Up
Neko Case, k.d. lang and Laura Veirs finished three years of work on a lush, soulful new record and played their entire album, “case/lang/veirs,” in an exclusive opbmusic session. If you do nothing else today, go enjoy the video. You can also catch the trio live at the Oregon Zoo in Portland on July 2 and at the Les Schwab Ampitheater in Bend on July 5.

M. Ward Sings to His Baby (and opbmusic) 

The latest release from M. Ward, "More Rain," might sound like a Portland soundtrack, but it belies its name with sunny sounds of doo-wop and golden era AM radio sensibilities. The artist came by the OPB studios to play a few songs with a power backing band (REM’s Scott McCoy, Mike Coykendall, and Alialujah Choir’s Adam Selzer and Alia Farah), who he insists he did not find on Craigslist. Watch the videos, and see Ward at Revolution Hall on July 16 and 17.

Joseph Heats Up On Late Night
It’s shaping up to be a great summer for the band Joseph, as the sister trio (Allison, Meegan, and Natalie Closner) blew it up this week on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon," performing their new single "White Flag." We had the pleasure of talking with the sisters in a cozy acoustic session last year. The trio grew up on a small farm in Estacada. Currently, they are on tour for their new album, “I’m Alone, No You’re Not.” They'll be at Pickathon in Happy Valley, Oregon, August 5-7 and will circle back to Eugene in September.

The Soul-Hop of Dirty Revival
Dirty Revival brought their seven piece band down to the OPB studios to play some funky, energetic tracks off their 2015 self-titled album. The group sat down with host April Baer to talk touring, song reworks, and the social consciousness that permeates their music. You can watch videos of their performance here, and catch them live at the Doug Fir on June 25, Bend's Deschutes Brewery on June 27, and Portland's Columbia Park Annex for a Summer Free For All show on July 12.

Blind Pilot Sails Back into Harbor with a New Album
Blind Pilot’s 2008 debut album, “3 Rounds and a Sound,” made national headlines after they took the album on tour, by bike, riding down the west coast with their instruments in tow. We caught up with the band’s founders Israel Nebeker and Ryan Dobrowski last summer in Astoria for a special performance with classical cello star Sergey Antonov. Their new album, “And Then Like Lions,” is set to be released on Aug. 12. Catch the band live at the Liberty Theatre in Astoria on August 19 or see them in Portland and Eugene in October.

1939 Ensemble Soar With Instrumental Power 

Jose Medeles and David Coniglio built the sonic equivalent of a sweet ‘67 Camaro when they got together to play drums and vibraphones. The two artists came in for an opbmusic session to talk about where they’re headed. See them live at the PDX Pop Now Festival, alongside a roster of stellar local acts, July 22-24.