Lilypad Underground and Raincoated Records are at it again, showcasing four of Rochester’s most interesting indie bands recorded directly to a four-track cassette tape. The result is “Spit Takes and Split Tapes, Vol. II,” an endearing split EP offering two songs each from local bands Chores, Comfy, Bad Bloom and Big Nobody. The opening song, […]
Music
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The Local Sound Collaborative follows the music to East and Alexander
Rochester is not always loud about its cultural shifts. More often, they show up in patterns only noticeable once they have taken hold. Each June, that pattern becomes easier to see during the Rochester International Jazz Festival. The city absorbs thousands of visitors, stages multiply across downtown and music becomes one of the main ways […]
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Know Before You Go: Rochester International Jazz Festival
How do you make the most of your visit? What are the best food and drink options? Is it possible to do this on the cheap? Can you attend at the last minute? Is there any parking downtown? What’s the bathroom situation? Here’s the 411 on the 23rd annual fest, which returns June 19-27.
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The multifaceted Cécile McLorin Salvant returns to Jazz Fest on June 24
Growing up in Miami in a Haitian-French household, Cécile McLorin Salvant’s musical exposure spanned continents and cultures: Haitian and Caribbean music, folk music from South and North America, R&B and hip-hop, jazz and the blues. She breathed it all in and then, together with formal training in opera and classical singing, translated it into a […]
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REVIEW | ‘When I Am a Fossil’ by Benny Bleu
New York singer, songwriter and clawhammer banjo player Benny Bleu has announced his debut collection of self-recorded songs, “When I Am a Fossil” due June 5, with a release show at Bop Shop Records on June 6. A decade in the making, Bleu, a geologist by trade, examines the roots of traditional song through his […]
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RPO names Tonya McBride Robles as new president and CEO
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has tapped Tonya McBride Robles to lead the organization as its new president and CEO, beginning August 17. McBride Robles most recently served as vice president of expanded education at the New England Conservatory in Boston and before that, she had been chief operating officer at both the Baltimore and Nashville […]
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The legendary Bill Frisell plays familiar tunes his way
The song opens simply enough, with mildly sonic-looping, electronic pings reminiscent of raindrops on a metallic roof. The music presents as a mystery, a harbinger of something to come but no indication of what. Then the transition begins, a gentle segue into the recognizable notes of the folk standard “Shenandoah.” This is a song performed […]
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REVIEW | ‘Graceland Way’ by Mikaela Davis
It’s morning. You’re sipping coffee, watching the sun crest over a California canyon. Or, it’s midnight. You’re crushing beers, closing down a bar somewhere on Monroe Avenue. Either way, “Graceland Way,” Rochester-born Mikaela Davis’s latest, would be an apt soundtrack. Davis and company strain melancholy and make-believe through frontier thinking. Orville Peck — your favorite […]
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REVIEW | ‘New York Études, Volume 2’ by Jeff Beal
Practice. Study. Repetition. These are the familiar patterns of learning: for a musical instrument, a new language or most other skills. Dreaming. Resting. Feeling. Are these modes the break from that work, or can they also be a part of it? Those interlocking experiences were on my mind while listening to Jeff Beal’s new album, […]
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After 15 years, The Demos press play again at Rochester Lilac Festival
When The Demos step on stage, the sound is tighter, the edges cleaner, the connection sharper than ever. After a four-year hiatus, the band’s return has been shaped by time, perspective and a city that never quite stopped listening. Led by Jay Milton on vocals and guitar alongside Callan Saunders, Jeremiah O’Reilly and Caela Moore, […]
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Rochester Lilac Festival has a musical act for every ear
For Mikaela Davis, the 2026 Rochester Lilac Festival is a homecoming. Though the harp-playing, twangy, jam-adjacent singer-songwriter is now based in Catskill, New York, she still considers Rochester home enough to make her May 13 headlining set in Highland Park the release party for her new album, “Graceland Way.” Fellow local cornerstone group Giant Panda […]
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REVIEW | ‘Burn From Both Ends’ by Pluck
On “Burn From Both Ends,” the second full-length release from local favorite Pluck, the band’s indie-rock sound rings true. This vibrant collection explores a wide variety of topics and themes. From sickness to relationships to the political state of the world, Pluck’s sophomore album is ready to converse with the listener. “Sooner” opens the album […]
