When I first saw Link Wray in Chicago in ’98, I was pretty sure it was gonna be the last. He was scarecrow thin and shuffled when he walked. His wife was this loud, overbearing Danish battleaxe (the kind that drive men to drink or to sit in their idling cars with the garage door […]
Frank De Blase
Posted inMusic
Good Charlotte is just a rock band
Good Charlotte is not a punk band. They’ll be the first to tell you, too. “I don’t listen to punk music,” says guitarist Billy Martin. “I’ve never been into punk music.” But when Good Charlotte exploded out of Waldorf, Maryland in 1996 they were almost immediately labeled “punk” by a media that’s still shocked by […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Life songs
The afternoon sun streams through Carmen’s window and colors everything a bright yellow. Her room is cheerfully and simply decorated. A comfy chair sits in the corner. Fresh flowers adorn the TV. If it weren’t for the hospital bed and the get-well cards on the wall, it would look like an ordinary bedroom. But this […]
Posted inMusic
Submerged in minor keys …but the Black Arrows leave the backbone in
It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll. It’s even longer if you have to burn dreary thruway miles from Ithaca to do it. Each week members of The Black Arrows drive an hour and a half to converge at their bass player’s home in East Rochester. The quartet entombs […]
Posted inMusic
Beelzebub’d and boogied
Something big is either happening or gonna happen. In the past few weeks I’ve seen the Rochester bands go from a whisper to a scream. The roar was apocalyptically epic a few weeks back, like when The Atomic Swindlers opened for Squeeze’s Glenn Tilbrook and TheFluffers. The Swindlers rock in a big and sweet pop […]
Posted inMusic
Deep in the heart of Texas
Dave D’Angelico loves those Texas blues. The grumbling lowdown shuffles and stinging bare-fingered leads that fly out of his amp are all big sky and open spaces. His Tele’s tone is mean. But the music’s aggression counters his casual delivery and deadpan demeanor, and he traverses the neck with graceful purpose and ease. He’s bombed […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Music lived here
It would probably amaze (or disgust) folks outside the life what musicians will do to support their habit. When a band forms the possibilities are endless. Its members are drawn to the frills — fame, immortality, sex, beer — as if by siren song. But then reality slowly sets in. Wallets get thin. Girlfriends split. […]
Posted inMusic
Downright infected
That Joe Beard is one suave individual. After I made a mess of the Clarissa Room stage on March 5, Beard and his blues crew came out swingin’ and rocked the joint. All it takes is a little shakin’ on the dance floor and Beard really leans in. I packed up my gear that night […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
We’ve got music
We’re proud of our musical talent; here are four reasons why. The event Despite its name, our airport is hardly international. However, The Rochester International Jazz Fest is. Now in its third year, RIJF brings in legendary and cutting-edge jazz talent (and their fans) from around the planet to Rochester for a whole week in […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Finding a beat you can dance to
I know it takes a little more than turning on the tube, but heading out for live music is so good for you. Plus the audience (you) is an integral part of each performance. You’ll help the performer avoid philosophical conundrums like, “If no one’s here to hear me, will I still make a sound?” […]
Posted inMusic
Classical for a dummy
“Do you think because it was written 200 years ago it can’t be relevant?” says Christopher Seaman, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s music director. Well, yeah… kinda. “You’re assuming that human nature has changed,” he says. “And it hasn’t — unfortunately and fortunately both. And the emotions that Beethoven had before he wrote one of his symphonies […]
Posted inMusic
Gained in translation
The Girls Gone Wild Rocks America Tour at Water Street Music Hall was lame in the extreme and a little embarrassing. It was more like Girls Gone Mild and Guys Gone Desperate. Sure I love, love boobs — but on my own terms. I wanna earn ’em. It ain’t a spectator sport. And I’m more […]
