Some Ska Band ‘It’s Going Down’ Self-released someskaband.com Here’s some real ska-jump-and-jive-soul for ya, sluggo. Think The Slackers, with a smirk. With ska-meister Charles Benoit – he of the poison pen and the savage saxophone – driving the bus and producer Sam Polizzi keeping said bus from driving over the cliff, tension runs high and […]
Frank De Blase
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Album review: ‘Schlock value’
Harmonica Lewinski ‘Schlock Value’ Self-released harmonicalewinski.bandcamp.com Cut the heart out of the Linkster’s “Jack The Ripper” and goose it with an Elvis Costello-esque, jackbooted march, and you’ve got the opening track to “Schlock Value,” Harmonica Lewinski’s new, most excellent seven-inch pleasure platter of colorfully psychedelic surf trash. Recorded in the bowels of Irondequoit, the band […]
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BLUES, BOOGIE-WOOGIE | Hanna PK Duo
Man,I tell ya, it’s often hard to capture that pop ‘n’ sizzle electricity of a live show. Likewise, it can be tough for a musician to copy the precision and control of a studio performance. Well, I’ve seen Hanna PK about a half dozen times, and she always plays forthright and steady, though perhaps a […]
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ROCK, AMERICANA | Friday in America
Everyone’s got a band in their collection that makes it alright. Mine is Rochester-based Friday in America. Here is a band whose hip resolve and casual delivery sometimes leaves the listener suspicious: “Can one band be this laid-back?” That isn’t to say the band is lazy. This five-piece mixes all the good stuff and packs […]
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Interview: Cory Wong
Cory Wong’s approach to the guitar is melodic and gentle, more like a conversation between an audience’s ears and his Strat. Wong brings his funky sound to Rochester’s Flour City Station on January 22.
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SINGER-SONGWRITER | Annie Wells Band
Though Annie Wells has a formidable backing band, it’s as if they are more of an extension of Wells than simple support. And the grip and grasp of her gentle songwriting makes Wells an extension herself. It’s as if the songs wrote Wells. She warbles and intones with all the strength and comfort of a […]
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AMERICANA | The Honey Smugglers
Listening to bluegrass can feel like being a hamster on a turbo wheel. In the case of The Honey Smugglers, in the wheel’s place is a steady, tire-swing tempo that gives the band a ticket to ride to other musical languages. Don’t let the instrumentation make up your mind for you. There are simply too […]
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METAL | ‘Post-X-mas Massacre’
There are subtle differences between the bands on this triple-bill, meat cleaver-to-the-head extravaganza. But for the most part, it’s the meeting of like-minded head-bangers, led by Ancalagon. You won’t just need ear plugs here. It’s a heads-up game on the dance floor, too. Ancalagon, Inhumatus, and Sulaco play on Friday, December 28, 9 p.m. at […]
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Album review: ‘None of the Above’
Sharon Coates ‘None of the Above’ Self-released sharoncoatesmusic.com There’s a bit of a dichotomy going on with Sharon Coates’ new and third CD. To reference Monk, it’s full of ugly beauty. Coates has a beautiful, almost sorrowful voice, which when paired with her backing band’s rugged support, is evenmore soft and lonely. This is especially […]
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PROG ROCK | Haewa
The improvisational rockers in Haewa jam smooth and curious, with a wise eye focused on the exit. Nobody wants to stay at the party too long. With impressive subtlety, Haewa creates its own genre that pulls on ears and tugs at souls in its retro-leaning, ’70’s-era strain. It doesn’t sell its soul to the almighty […]
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SURF ROCK | The Isotopes
The band doesn’t sing, but it is certainly a collective of smart-mouths. The now-legendary surf mongrels that make up The Isotopes are just what this land-locked, jerkwater burgh needs: reverb-drenched, twangin’ guitar and no lyrics to confuse us. The Isotopes perform with Superty Dupes on Saturday, December 22, 9 p.m.at the Bug Jar, 219 Monroe […]
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The Stedwells find their place in Rochester’s indie pop cadre
Two parts garage rock, one part pop, one part wow, shake well, and you’ve got The Stedwells.
