The core of any musically solid band is the rhythm section: drums and bass. The musicians work to build a foundation supporting the melodies that dance on top. They must lock into the same groove and communicate, often just with their eyes or a nod, when to pick up or slow down the tempo. Matt […]
Music Features
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Vision of Sound returns for four days of eclectic local music and dance
The Rochester City Ballet, a krumping university professor and ensemble musicians will gather this weekend for a unique festival. Vision of Sound, which pairs local composers and choreographers to perform new work together, returns for four shows of eclectic music and dance February 19-22. The shows will be staged at four local schools, including SUNY Brockport, Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, […]
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Laraaji transforms Asbury First church into an ambient wonderland
Writing about music is like dancing about architecture, as the saying occasionally attributed to visionary artist Brian Eno goes. But what about a performance that centers the venue itself almost as much as the sounds? That’s half the fun of the concert series called Ambient Church. The shows blend live audio with highly ornate lighting […]
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The inaugural Soundtrax Film Music Festival unites two of Rochester’s artistic pillars
When Mark Watters arrived in Rochester in 2017, he clocked the festivals right away. He’d relocated after a decades-long career in Los Angeles scoring films, television programs and video games for Disney and MGM. A new job called to him: leading the Eastman School of Music’s Beal Institute for Film Music and Contemporary Media. To […]
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A 7-concert sampler to enjoy in the coming months
If summer is jazz season, what does that make fall? The multicolored trees suggest a musical spell as diverse as a leaf pile — and the concert listings for the rest of 2025 bear this out. From West African blues and Americana to indie rock and hot-rod surf, there’s something for everyone. CITY picked seven […]
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Dean Wareham brings his solo band to Radio Social on September 19
The Galaxie 500 and Luna frontman brings his solo band to Radio Social on September 19.
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Renowned musician Chuck Mangione dies at 84
The performer and composer’s career garnered international acclaim and spanned six decades.
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Sounds of summer
Finger Lakes Opera welcomes an elevated creative team and the return of a hometown soprano for its July and August shows.
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Musical portals
Mount Hope World Singers present the highly ambitious “The Hundred Windows” on June 5 and 7.
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Practice in the attic, party in the backyard
The Submarine School of Music throws a music-festival fundraiser on May 31 at Bookeater, led by 10 student bands.
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He shall be released
CITY sits down with Stephen T. Lewis, whose biography of The Band’s Richard Manuel is out in June.
