Dirty Blanket has been a full band only since 2016, but the group already feels like an indelible part of Upstate New York’s Americana scene. With an up-tempo feel that borders on punk rock energy, the Canandaigua quintet plays music that’s steeped in bluegrass — but frequently ventures into country, and folk, with jam band […]
Daniel J. Kushner
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BLUES-PSYCH ROCK | The Minks
Nashville’s The Minks manage to sound both raw and polished, old-school and current. Perhaps it’s the band’s simple, grimy blues-rock structures, tempered by vocalist Nikki Barber’s smooth and soulful Southern charm. Maybe it’s all the fuzzed-out guitars and ’60s-throwback keyboards, giving the music a decidedly retro sound without losing any edge. Whatever The Minks are […]
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Critic’s picks: Daniel
The Immersive Igloo, “The Year’s Models,” Eastman Percussion Ensemble: “Steve Reich’s ‘Drumming,’ ” and more.
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Fresh Cut: ‘I’m in the Pool, Man’ by Passive Aggressives Anonymous
John Valenti is at it again. Although the mastermind behind Rochester’s most darkly satirical indie band Passive Aggressives Anonymous recently relocated to sunny California, it hasn’t dislodged his tongue from his cheek. If anything, with his newly released music video, “I’m in the Pool, Man,” Valenti seems freshly inspired. The musician and filmmaker is still […]
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SOUL – R&B | Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People
Coming off a joyous summer tour in Europe, Danielle Ponder and The Tomorrow People are back in town. Rochester’s own reigning queen of soul will take the stage at Funk ‘n’ Waffles this Saturday. No one’s voice exudes more passion or spice than Ponder’s, and her infusion of R&B and gospel into the songs makes […]
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Rare sheet music inspired by Frederick Douglass obtained by UR
Beyond its connections to Douglass, the sheet music gives a snapshot to life for middle class African-Americans in the mid-1800’s
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Fresh Cut: ‘Negative Space’ by Ben Morey
Eschewing the pop panache of his magnum opus, “Mt. Doom,” Ben Morey opts for a scaled-down and somber sound on his new singe, “Negative Space”
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My Vegan Uncle puts its stamp on neo-jazz
Over the years, Roberts Wesleyan College has been an unassuming home for several important independent artists during their formative musical years. The husband and wife duo Timothy and Kathy Dick of Auld Lang Syne, indie folk-pop musician and frequent Sufjan Stevens collaborator DM Stith, and frontwoman Teagan Ward of Teagan and the Tweeds have all […]
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JAZZ | RPO Jazz Trio
Summer is the perfect season to hear a side of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra that you don’t typically get during the regular concert season. In addition to the customary, warm-weather lineup of movie score classics, pops favorites, and patriotic fare, there’s also the RPO Jazz Trio. The group will perform where Joseph Avenue and Clifford […]
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INDIE ROCK | Wilder Maker
The brooding Brooklyn band Wilder Maker returns to Rochester this Saturday, playing Small World Books in support of its new album, “Zion,” which will be officially released the day before. Wilder Maker’s sound is both intricate and ruminative; it’s as if Americana moved to the big city, bringing quiet epiphanies that flourish until they burst […]
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Painting for the people
Rochester-based artist and homeless advocate Richmond Futch Jr. embraces humanity through art. His newest, literary-themed mural project on the Arnett Branch Library facade was a collaborative endeavor with youth mentees.
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Album review: ‘Don’t Like Most Things’
Soft Opening “Don’t Like Most Things” Self-released softopeningroc.bandcamp.com On June 22, Rochester musician Justin Pallini — under the moniker Soft Opening — quietly released an endearing summer record that provides a great balance between garage-rock party vibes and introspective singer-songwriter opining. The six-song set, “Don’t Like Most Things,” has 90’s nostalgia all over it, from […]
