Blair Waldorf’s wild adventures in romance on season 5 of Gossip Girl have finally wound down, but that doesn’t mean GG star Leighton Meester is taking any breaks. Meester’s dabbled in music for years, making pop songs that were a thousand times better than The Roommate but still not noteworthy enough to win her enough attention as her role as the Upper East Side’s Queen B. Meester does have a legitimately great voice, though, and she’s giving the music thing another try—and this time not as a pop tart. For about a year now, Meester’s been collaborating with the L.A. Americana band Check in the Dark, singing and playing guitar. She had some practice going country thanks to her role in 2010’s Country Strong, so here’s hoping it’s a smart switch. XOXO. With Dana Williams. ERIN K. THOMPSON

Tue., May 29, 7 p.m., 2012