Metal stalwart Dan Lilker is making some of the most intense music of his career right here in Rochester
Alexander Jones
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ELECTRONIC/FOLK | Sparx & Yarms
While some bands take a decade’s worth of albums to figure out what exactly makes them special, others only require one to make a point. After that, the ones worth remembering fondly tend to fade quietly into the night, leaving a singular and lasting testament to their importance. Rochester’s Sparx & Yarms is one of […]
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VARIOUS | ROC Metal, Hardcore, and Punk Fest
A hardcore scene is only as strong as its local community is. Without a sense of companionship and a desire to strive toward a common good, punk and metal bands are left to rage at, well, nothing in particular. This is where local charities like Rochester’s Local Hero Bravery Gear come into play. The organization […]
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FOLK | Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds
While Brooklyn’s Sister Sparrow has an outstanding voice, it’s an undoubtedly perplexing one as well. Landing somewhere between Dusty Springfield put through a taffy puller and Duffy inhaling helium at a party, Sister Sparrow sings with a joy and infectious exuberance that’s hard not to love. When fronting her marvelously bluesy band, The Dirty Birds, […]
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HARDCORE | Show Me the Body
Inspiring comparisons to everything from Death Grips to Wolf Eyes, New York City’s Show Me the Body is an enigmatic musical force of nature. Its most recent record, this year’s phenomenal “Body War,” pulses with an industrial energy that feels just as appropriate for the gym as it does for a nervous breakdown. Tracks like […]
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HIP-HOP | Michael Christmas
The title of Boston-based rapper Michael Christmas’ first mixtape, “Is This Art?,” lends the impression that Christmas will be taking the listener on a journey of existential crises and spiritual dilemmas. It’s true, but not in the way you expect. On his early hit “Daily,” Christmas half mumbles, half raps, “So now I gotta take […]
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PSYCHEDELIC | Quintron and Miss Pussycat
When attempting to describe the true musical anomaly that is Quintron, it can be hard to find a place to start. You could just dive right in and examine his beautifully preposterous backstory, which tells of a German-born synthwave musician who found his home in New Orleans and loved it so much that he established […]
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METAL | Cattle Decapitation
Although its name may suggest otherwise, San Diego, California’s Cattle Decapitation is pretty invested in the well-being of animals. Since forming in 1996, each member of the deathgrind powerhouse has stayed vegetarian, and frontman and resident doomsday prophet Travis Ryan’s lyrics tend to focus on the various failures of our species and the havoc we […]
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HIP-HOP | Dilla Day ROC
J Dilla’s untimely passing in 2006 came as a tremendous shock to hip-hop lovers everywhere. The 32-year-old producer had spent decades honing his craft, and his final album, “Donuts,” released just three days before his death, serves as a glowing testament to the man’s unparalleled skill and robbed potential. Since its release, “Donuts” has been […]
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INDIE ROCK | Diet Cig
When Diet Cig frontwoman Alex Luciano bellows “F*** all your romance, I just wanna dance” on “Scene Sick” (from the band’s debut EP, “Over Easy”), it feels just as much like a mission statement as it does a humble request. The New Paltz-based two-piece does a lot with remarkably little, crafting endlessly catchy, fearlessly upbeat […]
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WORLD | Mande Srings
It’s pretty common knowledge that rock music owes just about everything to the blues, but where blues originated can be a trickier subject to tackle. Those who study the genre, however, point to one specific people: the Mandes of West Africa. Mande string music, which is similar to the blues but unique in its sonic […]
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ELECTRONIC | The Dub War
We could all stand to be a bit more forgiving when it comes to dubstep. While the oft-maligned electronic sub-genre has garnered its fair share of valid criticism over the years, dubstep is so much more than what Americans know (brostep), neon-green tank tops, and party drugs. Rochester’s Very Important Productions is well aware of […]
