Is physical media dead? Or is it having a comeback? If the latter is the case, let’s have more unusual physical forms, like the guitar-shaped USB drive on which you can find the Suen-Kam Guitar Duo’s debut album, “Between Strings.” Guitarists Shiuen-Huang Suen and Kenneth Kam met through the Eastman School of Music as graduate […]
Music
Posted inMusic
REVIEW | ‘Montréal’ by The Thriffs
Until recently, Rochester band The Thriffs went by a more typical tag: The Thrifts. But due to the existence of another band of the same name, this moody yet energetic quartet modified its name. The change-up suits the music, a rare blend of insular post-punk infused with blasts of extroverted personality. On The Thriffs’ debut […]
Posted inMusic
REVIEW | ‘Happy Dreamy’ by Painless Painless
The Rochester band channels decades of indie rock on two laid-back EPs.
Posted inMusic
REVIEW | ‘Flight Manifest’ by Einstein’s Dreams
‘Environmental indie-folk’ gets imbued with the power of flight.
Posted inMusic
REVIEW | ‘Yin’ by Siena Rose
The artist’s ethereal dreamscape was written in Rochester and recorded in one live performance.
Posted inMusic
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 […]
Posted inMusic
REVIEW | ‘Works for Piano Trio by Schubert & Rihm’ by Trio Brontë
This international trio takes its name from the literary sisters, inspired by their passion for fervent storytelling.
Posted inMusic
REVIEW | ‘Movement’ by Wren Cove
Cello, guitar and tape loops mingle on experimental duo Wren Cove’s new album.
Posted inMusic
Review | ‘Dream River’ by The Sonic Alchemists
The debut from jazz combo The Sonic Alchemists travels well-worn paths from jazz history.
Posted inMusic
Review | ‘Half-Staff Blues’ by Peter Peter Hughes
Former Mountain Goats bassist Peter Hughes channels global panic on a magnetic new solo release.
Posted inMusic
fivebyfive’s latest project combines music and movement to mark 100 years of quantum mechanics
This year marks the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics — a milestone that might seem far removed from music and dance. But chamber ensemble fivebyfive and University of Rochester dance faculty members see a natural link between science and art. Their upcoming collaboration, “Subatomic Mysteries,” which premieres at Sloan Performing Arts Center on October 18 […]
Posted inMusic
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 […]
