The haircut ritual has preceded every important event in my life. First dates, last dates, weddings, funerals, and court appearances all kicked off with a trip to Ness’s Barbershop on Park Avenue. On April 28, 2005Ness’s owner Ernie Orlando gave his last haircut. After 42 years behind the chair crafting countless high ‘n’ tights, […]
Frank De Blase
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It’s a Bird! It’s a Trane!
After seeing The Lords of Dogtownlast week I’ve decided to grow my hair… and stop combing it. With everyone sporting high-‘n’-tights these days and even dippin’ digits into the greasy kid’s stuff, long, unruly hair may actually be returning to the counterculture middle finger it once was when kids dug The Sweet, the Nuge, and […]
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Heir apparent
Another one was getting out. Rock ‘n’ roll troubadour Joff Wilson was finally pulling up Rochester stakes to hang in the Big Apple. The cat had exuded Bowery all along anyway. Fans, friends, and fellow musicians gathered at Monty’s Krown recently to send Wilson off, hoist a pint, and wish him well. The Krown was […]
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Bang bang
As soon as TADUYA (don’t ask me what that stands for) took the Bug Jar stage Thursday night, June 30, one thing was clear: Al Beaman’s back, baby. With ex-Al Beaman Band guitarist Eddie Nebula airborne at his side, Beaman dispersed his trademark wry humor and the joys of being contrary. Their extra-cheesy cover of […]
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Young soul
There’s a soul consistency to John Legend’s musical brew, but his lyrics run from family man to pimp, from doomed to saved. “I’m certain there’s someone who doesn’t approve of what I’m doing at my church,” he says. “Some want you to go one way or the other, all the way gospel or all the […]
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The power of Cotton
Flash forward from the music that exploded in the late 1940s and you’ll be swimming in a sea of white. Black is beautiful, but today, it’s rarely considered rock ‘n’ roll. “I think it is,” says New York City rocker Danielia Cotton. “Blacks were instrumental in rock ‘n’ roll coming into play. No one gives […]
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Like a larger-than-life music box
It’s practically impossible to succinctly review 100 concerts. And there’ve been nearly that many since we issued last week’s piece on the Rochester International Jazz Festival’s opening weekend. For those who missed out: our sympathy. This year’s RIJF was the best yet in terms of programming and (despite a few initial snags) overall organization. Over […]
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Automatically the underdog
“All the punk songs that I could ever think of have already been written several times over,” says Motorpsychos guitarist Pam Simmons. “Metal gives you more room: that welcome dissonance and rhythm.” With just the right amount of Iron City savvy and metal guts goosed with punk speed, Motorpsychos’ sound is more about its […]
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Opening notes: Jazz Fest in review
Four years along and the Rochester International Jazz Festival seems to be doing just fine. Throughout opening weekend, almost every Club Pass venue was filled to capacity as late-comers were turned away. But our music writers were there for all of it. Following is a compilation of their impressions from the festival’s first couple days. […]
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You don’t have to go inside
Hardcore fans of live music don’t ever let the local inclemency keep them housebound. Slogging through the mush and over mountains of snow is a small price to pay for good live music in clubs throughout Rochester. Most people, however, only venture out of their foxholes when weather is balmy. And even though the indoor […]
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A way cool spectacle
Herb Gross & The Invictas dialed it way back to the beginning of garage rock time two weeks ago at The California Brew Haus. The boys in the band still tool around in a Cadillac hearse. They played a two-night stand to a packed — and diverse as I’ve probably ever seen — house. Former […]
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Still humpin’ after all these years
When I spoke with The Invictas’ frontman Herb Gross in 2001, he nixed the idea of a band reunion. “It would be pretty tough to re-create that time,” he said. “But it was a blast.” From 1964 to 1968 The Invictas — Herb Gross (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Dave Hickey (drums), Mark “Max” Blumenfeld (lead […]
