The sounds of summer

On the festival circuit, if winter is the time to grind it out and summer is the time to shine, then there's been mostly a lot of slogging going on behind the scenes, leading up to this point.

New owners rescued the BottleRock festival from near-fatal financial implosion. The organizers of Country Summer, the new kids on the festival block, are taking another stab at the fairgrounds country hootenanny model where others have failed.

Outside Lands paired the new (Kanye West) with the old (Tom Petty). And Gary Clark Jr., the closest thing to guitar maestro Jimi Hendrix we have today, has signed on to appear at the last musical gasp of summer on the Russian River.

Before you break out the sunblock and bota bags, here's the Top 13 Summer Festival List, from a North Bay perspective:

BottleRock Napa Valley — May 30-June 1: At the Coachella music festival in April, organizers pulled the power when Outkast tried to play past the 1 a.m. curfew. What happens when they play Napa and the curfew is only 10 p.m.? Along with headliners The Cure and Eric Church, the rest of the lineup is filled out by a flashback reunion of bands from the 1990s (Spin Doctors, Third Eye Blind, Blues Traveler, Weezer, Sublime, De La Soul, Cracker and more). $149 per day/$279 for a three-day pass. Napa Valley Expo, 575 Third St., Napa. Visit www.bottlerocknapavalley.com.

Healdsburg Jazz Festival — May 30-June 8: Blues harmonica stalwart Charlie Musselwhite leads a series of master workshops exploring blues and jazz with Joshua Redman and Elvin Bishop. Look for concerts with Ron Carter, Charles Lloyd, Zakir Hussain, Poncho Sanchez and more — and the grand finale at Rodney Strong Vineyards. $20-$75. For tickets and venues, go to www.healdsburgjazzfestival.org.

Napa Jazz Getaway — June 11-15: For a smooth-jazz icon turned winemaker, Brian Culbertson sure has eclectic taste in music, bringing in Mavis Staples, Ohio Players, David Benoit, Morris Day and the Time, Dirty Dozen Brass Band and more for his third annual Napa Valley shindig. $79-$499. For tickets and venues, go to www.napavalleyjazzgetaway.me.

San Francisco Jazz Festival — June 12-23: John Scofield, David Sanborn and Martin, Medeski and Wood lead this most vaunted of summer festivals, now in its 32nd incarnation. It kicks off with the Afro-Cuban All-Stars and closes out with a big brass-band blowout. $30-$70. For tickets and venues, go to www.sfjazz.org.

Country Summer — June 13-14: Twang is king when Hunter Hayes, Darius Rucker and Joe Nichols lead this inaugural country hoedown at the fairgrounds in Santa Rosa. Don't miss local girl Heidi Newfield reuniting with her old band Trick Pony for another run through "Pour Me." $49 per day. Sonoma County Fairgrounds, 1350 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa. Visit www.countrysummer.com.

Huichica Music Festival — June 13-14: Finding an easy common ground between indie rock and wine, Jeff Bundschu stages his fifth Huichica Music Festival, bringing in Dirty Projectors singer David Longstreth, Vetiver, Mount Eerie and more in the Gundlach Bundschu amphitheater and Old Redwood Barn. $30 Friday, $55 Saturday and $75 for a two-day pass. Gundlach Bundschu Winery, 2000 Denmark St., Sonoma. Visit www.huichicamusicfestival.com.

Vans Warped Tour — June 21: Generation after generation has outgrown this alt-rock fantasy camp — and yet there's always a new generation to dive right in. This summer, it's all for the sake of May Day Parade, Yellowcard, Finch and your grandfather's favorite blast from the past — Less Than Jake. (Is it 1992?!) $49.50. Shoreline Amphitheater, Mountain View. Visit www.vanswarpedtour.com.

Rodney Strong Summer Concert Series — June 21-Aug. 31: Chris Isaak (with his dazzling mirrorball suit) anchors this free-flowing summer series, with Mindi Abair, Chris Botti and Rick Braun — all closing out with Tower of Power on the last day of August. $50-$95. Rodney Strong Vineywards, 11455 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg. Visit www.rodneystrong.com.

Kate Wolf Music Festival — June 27-29: In memory of the 1970s singer who spread the gospel of folk music all over Northern California, the 19th annual musical camp-out in Laytonville comes together for Joan Baez, Los Lobos, Jackie Greene, Indigo Girls, Rodney Crowell and many more. $210 for three days with camping. Black Oak Ranch, Laytonville. Visit www.katewolfmusicfestival.com.

Mondavi Summer Concert Series — June 28-July 19: Even though they wrote that catchy "Superman" song, Five for Fighting is the oddest choice in a lineup that includes Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Dave Koz and Colbie Callait. $55-$85. Robert Mondavi Winery, 7801 St. Helena Highway, Napa. Visit www.robertmondaviwinery.com.

Petaluma Music Festival — Aug. 2: The biggest fundraiser of the year for music in Petaluma schools stages Galactic, The Mother Hips, and Brokedown in Bakersfield, along with locals David Luning and Adam Theis & Jazz Mafia. $35-$85. Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, 175 Fairgrounds Drive, Petaluma. Visit www.petalumamusicfestival.org.

Outside Lands — Aug. 8-10: The biggest and baddest Bay Area festival of the summer lands Kanye West, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and The Killers. But the magic still lies in stumbling on smaller stages lit up with relatively unknown bands like the Brothers Comatose (from Petaluma) and Jagwar Ma. Sold out, but tickets are moving on Craigslist and Stubhub. Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Visit www.sfoutsidelands.com.

Russian River Jazz and Blues Fest — Sept. 20-21: Incendiary guitar man Gary Clark Jr. leads this two-day summer closer by the river. Look for Trombone Shorty, Roy Rogers, Boney James and more to be added. $50 per day/$80 weekend. Johnson's Beach, 16241 First St., Guerneville. Visit www.russianriverfestivals.com.

John Beck, author of the "2014 World Cup Survival Guide," writes about entertainment for The Press Democrat. You can reach him at 280-8014 or john@beckmediaproductions.com.