Wagun Sokol / Brasby Glitch Beats Having established themselves as Rochester’s finest DJ duo with their Profiles release, DJs Wagun and Brasby (known collectively as Discolobos) have decided to split, à la Outkast, into their respective identities and release two solo albums that demand your immediate attention. But while Outkast tries to maintain a unified […]
Music
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Lighting the way
There was a time when all I had to do to get in touch with DJ Green Lantern was open up a file cabinet in the office of my record store, pull out a folder of consignments from local artists, and give him a ring. “Green,” I’d say, “We need, I dunno, about 10 more […]
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A supa super stupor
Nothing makes me want to climb a tower with a rifle quicker than premature holiday music. The first set of yuletide yahoos I plan on admiring through my crosshairs and blowing apart like bowls full of jelly will most assuredly be the pagan programmers at WBBF. All Christmas, 24 hours a day? Already? Are you […]
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Making music out of barroom funks
A recent phone call to West London finds David Cousins, the leader of the Strawbs, in a good mood. A new album, Blue Angel, has just been released and Cousins, Dave Lambert, and Brian Willoughby are set to depart the next day to begin their second US tour this year. Since they were here this […]
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Mud, blood, and soul
The Mars Volta is punk-rock Rush. Swimming at Water Street Music Hall last week in atmospheric dissonance, the San Antonio prog outfit played a long, six-song set (one tune clocking in at a mere 45 minutes). They accurately portrayed the comatose limbo of their latest album. I’m actually surprised that the young crowd got it. […]
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Alice Cooper’s Favorite Rock Star
When you invoke the name of Alice Cooper, you’re gonna get a reaction. The rock fan nods in knowing reverence, John Q. Uptight cringes. With a 35-year reign of challenge, instigation, and gender-bending theatrical horror, Cooper is truly a pop culture icon. The music on Cooper’s new record, The Eyes Of Alice Cooper, is […]
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Mourning the Blonde Bomber
Tuesday, September 30, marked the end of an era for me. I’ve been faced with some challenges lately, but none more heartbreaking than the loss of my dear friend and hero, Ronnie Dawson. Ronnie was 64 and had been battling the big C down in the big D. It won. I played my last […]
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Digital cubism
Music made on a laptop computer? It’s nothing new in the Rochester underground music scene. And now you can add Brad Lubman to the mix. “Confrontational, severe, meditative, ambient-electro-acoustic [music]” is how the classically trained conductor, composer, percussionist, and Eastman School of Music professor describes his Clear Housing, part of a sound and visual installation […]
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Stringing us along
Back in the late 1990s I was driving in my car when a tune came on the radio that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. An electric guitar was cruising along faster than I was, playing an irresistible, soul-inflected melody. It was “Sweet Georgia Peach” by Russell Malone. A guitar hero was born. Malone, […]
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Still searching
Jack Casady is one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most definitive, innovative, oft-imitated bass players. It was in San Francisco that he made his initial mark as a founding member of Jefferson Airplane and later Hot Tuna. He is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, yet it has taken until 2003 for him to […]
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Cash died of a broken heart
by Frank De Blase A world where no Republican is safe: anywhere New York City’s Ed Hamell is performing. Hamell’s Thursday, September 11, show at Milestones was edgy and engaging. His lyrics and between-song banter were hysterical — not just with their occasional absurdity but with barefaced insight and honesty. Sure, Hamell plays acoustic, but […]
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You vs. terrorism
You may not think much of Rochester Gas and Electric during a blackout. But at least the utility’s helping to fight the War On Terrorism. RG&E has included a booklet recently with electric bills that should allay all your deepest fears. It proclaims “You Can Help Prevent Terrorism, Too.” Yes, now every one of you […]
