What:
Washington Mutual ZooTunes is back for its 22nd season! The popular, outdoor concerts still offer the best concert bargain in the Pacific Northwest! Woodland Park Zoo anticipates there will be nine concerts this summer. Below is the line-up to date:

• July 20 Mark Cohn and Suzanne Vega - $19
• July 27 Bruce Hornsby - $19
• August 10 Violent Femmes - $19
• August 17 Cowboy Junkies - $19
• August 28 Neko Case - $16

A major fundraiser for the zoo, Washington Mutual ZooTunes is held outdoors in the zoo’s North Meadow where concert-goers spread out with blankets and low-backed patio chairs. With tickets under $25, and kids 12 and under free, the festival seating performances offer the best concert bargain in the Northwest. Thanks in part to Washington Mutual’s sponsorship, ZooTunes raised more than $820,000 last year to support the zoo’s animal care, education programs and wildlife conservation throughout the world.

In addition to Washington Mutual, this year’s ZooTunes is sponsored by: Metropolitan Market, Seattle Weekly and The Mountain 103.7 FM.

When:
Zoo gates open 5:00 p.m. Concerts begin 6:00 p.m. and end no later than 8:30 p.m. Concerts are held rain or shine. There are no ticket refunds.

Where:
Woodland Park Zoo, 601 N. 59th St., Seattle. The North Meadow is near the North Gate off N. 59th St. & Phinney Ave. N. Other entries are through the South Gate at N. 50th St. & Fremont Ave. N. and the West Gate at N. 55th St. & Phinney Ave. N. Call Metro at 206.553.3000 for bus service to the zoo. Parking is free, but limited. Free parking is also available at lower Woodland Park.

Tickets:
NEW THIS YEAR: Tickets go on sale beginning May 9 at all Metropolitan Market locations: Sand Point, Queen Anne, West Seattle, Dash Point and Proctor. They are on sale each day at Metropolitan Market from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. Visit www.metropolitan-market.com for store locations. A $2 service fee is added, with 90% of the fee coming back to the zoo. Kids 12 and under are free. Tickets sell out fast, so purchase early! A limited number of tickets are available at Woodland Park Zoo gates during zoo hours. If available, day-of-show tickets are sold at Woodland Park Zoo only.

Info:
For more information, call the Washington Mutual ZooTunes Hotline: 206.615.0076. Or visit the ZooTunes section of the zoo’s Web site. Beginning May 1, zoo summer hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily.

Other:
Secure bike corrals will be available during Washington Mutual ZooTunes concerts. Biking or riding the bus helps to minimize traffic congestion and on-street parking in the neighborhoods surrounding the zoo. Take the Number 5 bus, just minutes from Downtown or Greenwood.

WHO:

July 20 Mark Cohn, $19 - Cohnheads will be thrilled to see Cohn back at the zoo for a fourth performance. Winning a Grammy for "Best New Artist" in 1991, enjoying a mammoth hit single for "Walking in Memphis," and seeing his debut album go Platinum, Cohn is one of the most personal, introspective lyricists of his generation. One account described Cohn's debut album as "a collection of well-observed meditations on dislocation, commitment, the quest for love, and the belief that tomorrow will be a better day." His third album, "Burning Daze," represents Cohn's most optimistic, uplifting work. Another bonus for his fans is Cohn plans to release his fourth and latest album sometime in 2005.

Suzanne Vega - It was the “Suzanne Vega” album and classic early singles like “Marlene on the Wall,” “Left Of Center,” and “Small Blue Thing” that truly broke new ground and whose influence could later be traced to the work of singers like Tracy Chapman and Alanis Morissette. Performing on the live circuit, Vega continues to comfortably fill large arenas. Her worldwide number one hits “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner” consolidated Vega’s reputation as a singer-songwriter with both her peers and legions of devoted followers. Recently, her song “Caramel” was featured in the trailer to the film “Closer.”

July 27 An evening with Bruce Hornsby, $19 — Since Bruce Hornsby emerged in 1986 with his triple-platinum debut album “The Way it Is” - which earned him a Grammy Award for Best New Artist - Hornsby has delighted in stretching his own creative boundaries and challenging the parameters of the mainstream music world. During the course of his career, Hornsby has turned jagged, Keith Jarrett-style piano solos into Top 10 hits and has pursued everything from polished, swinging pop to rootsy Southern paeans and gritty juke joint soul. In an industry that often takes the safe road, Hornsby has made it safe to be a little dangerous. Last year Hornsby released his ninth album - the much-anticipated “Halycyon Days” - which is a winning balance of his tuneful and adventurous sides.

August 10 Violent Femmes, $19 - Violent Femmes was part of the mini-revolution that hit the American rock underground in the Seventies, from which later emerged REM, Husker Du, The Replacements and other bands who would lay the foundations of the "grunge" generation. They took the national music scene by storm in 1982 after rising from humble Milwaukee roots. The trio - Ritchie, vocalist-guitarist Gordon Gano and drummer Victor de Lorenzo - are still essentially a cult act whose quirky folk-punk sound never quite managed to cross over into mainstream consciousness.

August 17 Cowboy Junkies, $19 - Cowboy Junkies have earned a reputation as one of rock's true survivors. With the nucleus of siblings Margo, Michael and Peter Timmins (on vocals, guitar and drums, respectively) and bassist Alan Anton still intact, the band has struggled with everything from stage fright to indifferent record companies and come out on top. Their laid-back country sound has influenced bands like Lambchop and stars like Norah Jones. “One Soul Now,” the ninth studio release from Cowboy Junkies, draws together all the wisdom, passion, skill, and insight collected during almost 20 years of playing, writing, touring, recording and living together as a band.

August 28 Neko Case, $16 - This Virginia native has garnered an affectionate fan base through her easy mastery and lax definitions of many styles. As a result, Case's songs sound steeped in history but never beholden to it. A former drummer in various Vancouver punk bands, she caught the tail end of the alt-country movement with her solo debut, “The Virginian,” and snagged more listeners with her follow-up, “Furnace Room Lullaby.” But it was Case's third album, “Blacklisted,” that revealed the scope of her talents: she moved from vintage torch-and-twang and otherworldly blues to sweet soul music and plain old rock 'n' roll. Not only did she manage to tie everything together into a cohesive whole without sounding distracted or hesitant, she ultimately turned that collection of songs into a calling card by making these genre jumps seem natural and largely invisible. Her most recent album “The Tigers Have Spoken” captures the boisterous good cheer of Case's live show. It's a rollicking all-night party condensed to the length of an opening band's set, blurring the lines between country, pop and rock 'n' roll.

Accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, award-winning Woodland Park Zoo is famed for pioneering naturalistic exhibits and setting a standard for zoos all over the world. With conservation, education and excellent animal care at the core of the zoo’s mission, the zoo is helping to save endangered species in Washington state and around the world including tree kangaroos, snow leopards, red-crowned cranes, African wild dogs, western pond turtles and Oregon silverspot butterflies. By inspiring visitors and others to care and act, Woodland Park Zoo is making a difference in our planet’s future.