TYLER PEARCE

Ithaca-based banjo player Richie Stearns (of Donna the Buffalo, and The Horseflies) and fiddler Rosie Newton (The Duhks, Red Dog Run) are a spirited duo playing Americana. Country, folk, and bluegrass is wound into their strings. They’ve been makin’ sweet harmonies for 4 years and put out their freshman project, “Tractor Beam,” in 2013. It’s […]

Rain & Leaves is an electropop duo based here in Rochester. In its music, Bright ukulele pops over pulsing electronic drum tracks fronted by lead pop vocals and lilting harmonies. The duo, often compared to Twenty One Pilots, released its first EP, “The Buttons,” earlier in 2015. Rain & Leaves plays Thursday, January 7, at […]

Hanna and the Blue Hearts is a soulful, honey-sweet jazz and blues band. Pianist and singer Hanna Klau has a lilting voice that’s resonant rich and sweetly dreamy. With a deep repertoire of standards from the 1930’s and 40’s, she performs both solo and as a trio with the Blue Hearts duo: Aleks Disljenkovic on […]

This 8-piece from Rochester is tall in talent and maturity for being such a young troupe. Soulful and powerful vocals rise over tight rock grooves, as the band moves easily between mellow moods and sassy funk-rock. Together since January 2015, The Main Street Lights released its 8-track debut album, “Manifest Destiny,” last August. The Straw […]

Woody Pines will take you back to shined shoes shimmyin’ on wood floors and rolled sleeves on arms holding Southern whiskeys. Woody Pines is ragtimey, country blues that feels aged and authentic, amblin’ and sweet. There’s a depth in the simplicity and a shine in the vintage. A self-titled album came out earlier this year […]

Rochester-rooted electro, hip-hop, and soul troupe, Filthy Funk, is reuniting to rock a rendition of its 2009 album, “Eklectric.” Since 2002, the band has played its funky beats and soaring vocals on stages around the Northeast. FF took a bit of a hiatus the last few years while its core three members were igniting other […]

In his fifth decade as a folk singer-songwriter, Cliff Eberhardt has hoofed the country and back. With his bluesy growl, honest lyrics, and penchant for melody, surely he’s had nods toward two of his heavy influences: Bruce Springsteen and Shawn Colvin. Like the weathered wood of his acoustic, he’s grown into a wisdom in his […]

Victor Manuelle’s tour is dubbed “Que suenen los tambores” after one of his latest singles, and “sounding the drums” he is. This Bronx-born Puerto Rican salsa singer-songwriter brings the fuego and energia. Manuelle has sold more than 6 million records worldwide and has had 42 charting singles on the Billboard Hot Latin songs chart. One […]

Nick Young, Hawker M. James, and Rachel Solomon, all solo artists currently on tour around the country, link up for a special Abilene singer-songwriter showcase. Young is an indie Americana crooner from Avon, with a knack for melodies and pop-ish hooks. He’ll have his full band joining him for this one. Hawker M. James is […]

My first SOJA show was in 2008 in Falls Church, Virginia — a stone’s throw from where this, at the time 5-piece band grew up. At that point, SOJA had already been together 10 years and had rocked out two full-length albums. With Washington, D.C., as its Babylon backdrop, the band’s earlier sound was more […]

Mouths of Babes is Ty Greenstein (of indie-pop group Girlyman) and Ingrid Elizabeth (of roots trio Coyote Grace). As multi-instrumentalists, the duo moves between upright bass, ukulele, guitar, and cajon while floating clean harmonies. Their contrasting personalities — the unabashed fiery redhead (Ingrid) and the tender tomboy (Ty) — add an intrigue and chemistry to […]