Frank De Blase

After the untimely death of the legendary Bob Marley in 1981, Ashton “Family Man” Barrett took The Wailers’ baton. Barrett still runs the legendary group. Though the band hasn’t released any new material in a spell, it still keeps up a heavy touring schedule. Simply one of the best. The Wailers, Root Shock, The Buddhahood, […]

Every now and again, Rochester’s Muler pokes its head out to prove there are plenty of arrows left in their indie quiver. Muler, in essence, possesses a sound that’s more than just “indie,” but that’s the only term that comes close, without having to dismantle your record collection. The band encompasses the dynamic push-and-pull of […]

Buffalo’s Alison Pipitone is a straight-up, straight-ahead barroom rock ‘n’ roller. Her music is like a rough-and-rowdy, sawdust-strewn soundtrack for blue-collar romeos, and as she puts it, “Dancing Girls on the Tables.” Some might call the music “Americana.” I say we drop the “a” at the end. Let the folkies keep it. Pipitone plays sheer […]

Check out the video clip on Rochester jazz drummer Aaron Staebell’s website, and you get an idea of what he’s about and why you should be about him. The musical construction he uses to define infinity doesn’t telegraph or tease, but satisfies completely when it arrives. It’s an unexpected journey without a map or flashlight. […]

What’s with rock ‘n’ roll’s fascination with trains? “Blood on the Tracks,” “Mystery Train,” “Train Kept A-Rollin’,” and so on. Trains represent a ticket to ride or a ticket out of here. In the case of Fairport Steel Rail Revival, it’s a bunch of bands that adhere to, for the most part, the driving rhythm […]