Orodruin will melt your face. With influences from Candlemass, Witchfinder General, Trouble, and Solstice, Orodruin is steeped in the art of blistering guitar riffs and head-bobbing dirge. Its orchestration is unparalleled, weaving beautiful melodies among thick, heavy atmospheres. It’s a classic sound; epic foreboding riffs that chug along with slamming drums, creating tension that is […]
ERIC WITKOWSKI
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Crossing the edge
Edge of Jupiter’s first show was opening for Wrist Rocket in 1999. Its last show was in Boston in 2013; after a solid run, Guy Higgins, the band’s leader, had put the Edge of Jupiter to rest. However, a little over a year ago, Higgins went in to the studio to demo ideas with Chris […]
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ROCK | Nothing
For fans of ethereal, fuzzy, warm rock ‘n’ roll this new band to Relapse Records hits the spot. Not quite heavy, not entirely shoegaze, it embodies all those things while carving out something unique. Space between hits is the band’s vehicle for attack, as swirling, cavernous tones wash over your ears. Meanwhile the drums crash […]
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ROCK | Pony Hand
Pony Hand is one of our city’s rarest gems. It is a raw, driving, psychedelic-garage-punk-folk treasure that elevates the body and flips the brain inside out. The riffs are sharp and angular, but with warm tone that oozes vintage 1970’s. Karrah Teague’s vocals are urgent, powerful, sexy, and full of smoke, with the band joining […]
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PUNK | Pup
Toronto-based band Pup is more than the labels many attribute to it. Although it is pop-punk at its core, Pup’s chops are gnarly and full of grit. The band enlivens a sometimes tired genre with structurally intricate songs wrapped with an unhinged ferocity. Its exuberant ideas are delivered with an enthusiasm that is infectious, leaving […]
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HARD ROCK | Nashville Pussy
Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Nashville Pussy’s brutal fusion of all things rock — the band has been called psychobilly, Southern heavy metal, and even cowpunk — and quasi-porno stage antics have earned it legendary live show accolades. Guitarist Ruyter Suys lays down riffs that invoke Buddy Guy and Angus Young, all while maintaining a fierceness […]
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ROCK | Clockmen
Clockmen is a tight, exuberant punk trio that has been melting faces in Rochester for the last seven years. Its songs are rich, fist-pumping anthems that pull in the audience and let them be a part of the fun. Nick Walter’s guitar provides the crunch with power chords and wailing solos; Adam Pawlukiewicz’s drums are […]
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Writing from the outside
In the age of computers streamlining everything into smaller units, “National Teen Set Outsider” is fighting back as a punk-rock backlash against a strictly online age. Started in 2010 by Will Carroll — a blue-haired, pompadour wearing, jovial man, usually seen in a studded leather jacket — “Teen Set” offers Rochester a unique brand of […]
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INDIE ROCK | The Appleseed Cast
Hailing from Lawrence, Kansas, The Appleseed Cast summons a “post-rock” sound that thrives on inventive drumming, waves of sweeping guitar arpeggios, and impassioned vocals. Its predominantly guitar-based music has evolved over the years, hailing emo predecessors while carving out its own unique niche. New members have been brought in throughout the band’s history, and each […]
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BLUES | Baby Gramps
Performing for more than 50 years, Seattle-based Baby Gramps has amazed audiences across the world. His unique brand of rags, blues, labor songs, and vaudeville originals have led him to be called “The Salvador Dali of Folk Music.” Playing an antique, resonator steel guitar, he flat and finger picks while “chording” with the back of […]
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ROCK | Potty Mouth
Hailing from Northampton, Massachusetts, Potty Mouth is a whirlwind of fuzz and beer-drinking melodies. Everything that has ever made a garage band great is present here, with deep hooks and warm tones that hail those mid-80’s Minnesota rust-belt bands. Like most stellar acts, the formula is simple, but the execution is brilliant. Singer Abby Weems’ […]
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AMERICANA | The Honeycutters
The Honeycutters are a joyful celebration of emotions, presented in a country/roots/honkey-tonk mix. The band employs acoustic guitar, mandolin, pedal steel, bass, and drums as the setting for singer Amanda Anne Platt’s beautifully unadorned voice. Harmonies, rollicking jukeboxes, and the spirit of life and loss are the ingredients this band offers up. The music is […]
