He grew up in Rochester, but Nashville’s home now. And it’s the home of his music. Sean Patrick McGraw’s sound is a little closer to the bone and a little closer to the ground without grandstanding or kowtowing to country tradition. The man has spread himself out, as a support act for Toby Keith, by […]
Frank De Blase
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Dream Theater
Despite a revolving supporting cast, prog-rock heroes Dream Theater’s retains two of its core members — John Petrucci and John Myung (founding drummer Mike Portnoy departed a few years back). Since its birth in 1985, the group has mixed orchestral majesty with metal riffs. It’s going to sound huge in the armory. Dream Theater performs […]
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Walt Wilkins And The Mystiqueros
Songwriters like Walt Wilkins have fine bands like The Mystiqueros behind them to help the medicine go down. Now, some of you that are fans of this tenacious Texas troubadour’s tunes a la carte can tolerate the heartache and honesty. Perhaps you temper it with a shot. But his songs’ tug and mule-kick remain; “Trains […]
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White, hot, and blue
When Anonymous Willpower’s Suzie Willpower takes on a song, she sinks her teeth in and devours it. Once inside it joins her searing soul and guts before getting belted back out in a blast of psycho-sexual seduction and wail. The instruments behind her lay out a frenetic r&b shag and groove that’s white hot and […]
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MUSIC BLOG: Ray Massa’s EuroRhythms, Henry Prego, Joe Scalissi, and Mitty & the Followers
I dug into my roots (half of them anyway) and spent the weekend at Festa Italia at EdmundLyonPark in East Rochester. Besides the copious amounts of food I consumed, I was there for the music. Ray Massa’s EuroRhythms got things going Friday night as the accordion-driven band from Columbus, Ohio, ping-ponged between traditional Italian and […]
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Living to tell
The world is full of singer-songwriters who are cosmically put in place to make sense of life with their keen observations, glib humor, and unwavering honesty. Their work serves as our narrative. It can be revealing, humorous, beautiful, painful, and painfully honest. Texas troubadour Hayes Carll is one of these beacons. He shines with honesty […]
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Mucho gusto
For all its allure and promise, the music business tells a lot of lies through sharp teeth. It is duplicitous, fickle, and cruel. It’s worse than cheerleader tryouts. So any young artist that truly takes a stab at it has my support, and my sympathy. Rochester-by-way-of Ft. Myers, Florida, tween-pop newbie Ryleigh made her debut […]
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MUSIC BLOG: Dave McGrath, Anonymous Willpower, Amanda Ashley, and Into the Now
Thursday night was the grand opening of the Dinosaur’s upstairs lounge and party room. Well wishers and coattail riders piled into this plush layout while Dave McGrath played the blues and damn near everything else from his perch in the corner. His originals — like my personal favorite, “Mississippi Mud” — held up amongst the […]
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Kill your pain
Thursday night was the grand opening of the Dinosaur’s upstairs lounge and party room. Well wishers and coattail riders piled into this plush layout while Dave McGrath played the blues and damn near everything else from his perch in the corner. His originals — like my personal favorite, “Mississippi Mud” — held up amongst the […]
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ANNUAL MANUAL ’10: Rochester’s DJs
If you want to get your body in motion, or just watch others put theirs into gear, there are a number of local DJs standing by to provide the soundtrack for your ass- shake and jiggle. We’re not just talking about people who merely spin the latest Britney song on the radio; we’re talking about […]
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MUSIC PROFILE: Tranquilatwist
"I’m confused," says Tranquilatwist’s programmer and bassist, Anthony Lanni. "What is a goth band in the year 2009?" On the surface it could easily be a band like Tranquilatwist. But despite dipping its toes in dark waters, this Rochester group’s use of atmosphere, space, and mood mirrors dreams more than nightmares. It’s buoyant; there is […]
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MUSIC PROFILE: Sam Ventura
Singer/songwriter Sam Ventura reckons he’s written more than 1,000 tunes. And while many remain in larval form in his noggin, others will take up permanent residence in your head. You might want to make room. "I’ve got so many songs people will probably never hear," says Ventura. "I mean, if you write three songs a […]
