The Quitters are one of the best bands to ever come out of this town. Songwriting, musicianship, presence, the band had it down and were kings of the 1990’s Rochester music scene, when at the top of their game, The Quitters quit (ironic isn’t it?) with its members ultimately dissolving into other projects, family life, […]
Frank De Blase
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JAM | The Vassar Brothers
Yeah yeah, I know bluegrass is a genre, so is the whole earthy jam thing. But you don’t necessarily have a specific set of instruments in jam as you do in bluegrass. Therein lies the confusion surrounding Rochester’s own Vassar Brothers. The band brandishes bluegrass artillery, but the band jams, creating a sort of frantic, […]
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Chet Catallo is more than just a guitar player
We could all just call it a day and go home if we labeled Chet Catallo simply as a “guitar player.” And though that’s how the man considers himself, it would be a disservice to the Gibson-endorsed, multi-Grammy Award nominee and his history, his pedigree, and his six-string savvy. This year marks 31 years for […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Letting Go of the Dial”
The Beaumonts “Letting Go of the Dial” Self-released facebook.com/thebeaumonts Hey, who remembers Haircut 100? Who remembers 5Head? I open with these questions because those are two bands The Beaumonts remind me of on its brand new CD, “Letting Go of the Dial.” Haircut 100 was pure brit pop confection. 5Head — as I’m sure you […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Better Angels”
Woody Dodge “Better Angels” Bugtussle Records woodydodge.com It only takes a few good bands to turn a scene into a scene. Yes there are more than a few competent roots-rockers pouring it out nightly on the Rochester stage, but it is constants like Woody Dodge with its longevity that truly define this town’s stake in […]
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BLUES | Delbert McClinton
In the early 1960’s, singer-harmonicat Delbert McClinton’s band The Straitjackets backed up numerous blues heavyweights like Lightnin’ Hopkins, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Jimmy Reed. These legendary artist are what helped cultivate McCinton’s blue collar blues full of a ragged roar and keen chops on the harp. Live shows are unbeatable sweat fests. Not to be […]
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INSURGENT COUNTRY | 40 Rod Lightning
Though they were laying low for a spell, the boys in Rochester’s only true insurgent country band, 40 Rod Lightning, are back with the hammer down. Songs about sleeping single, drinking double, domestic bliss, and murder help the alcohol go down. David Allan Coe would be proud. Don’t let the tongue-in-cheek humor distract you from […]
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Fatima Razic builds beauty out of an ugly world
Beautiful music is even more so when born of an ugly world. Singer-songwriter Fatima Razic has a gorgeous voice: It aches, it evokes, it emotes, and it delivers a truck load of goosebumps. It is the sound of the artist crying out from within. There is no casual way to dig this 34-year-old Rochester-based musician. […]
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BLUEGRASS | The Black Lillies
I suppose you’ve gotta classify them some kinda way, but Knoxville, Tennessee’s The Black Lillies don’t park in one stable long enough to come out sounding like others that rely on singular influence to jettison a specific sound. The instrumentation is bluegrass; the vocalization is country; the steady drive is rock. And the pervading sheen […]
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METAL | Ice Nine Kills
It’ll be interesting to see how Ice Nine Kills augments its sound for this acoustic performance. Known for its slithering melody in a pit of metal and post hardcore, this Boston-based band mixes a campy (but not too theatrical) lyric above an avalanche of heavy rhythm. Vocally the music runs from minor keyed send-ups to […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “On the Radio”
Noble Vibes “On the Radio” Self-released noblevibes.com Man, this is some rockin’ rocksteady. Rochester’s roots-reggae renegades, Noble Vibes, have kicked into high gear with “On the Radio,” its follow-up to its eponymous 2014 release. Groovin’ under the big reggae umbrella, Noble Vibes still ventures out into the neighboring strains of dub, dancehall, and Ska — done […]
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GARAGE ROCK | The Dyes
With the slop and sleaze of The Cramps, the breakneck thrash and trash, bang and twang of anything Dexter Romweber does, or classic Wanda Jackson, The Dyes is an all-thriller killer diller. Hailing from Chi-town (the home of the late, great Hi-Fi), this trio blends all the good stuff into a classic garage rock refrain. […]
