Music

Playing in a band is supposed to be fun. So is going to see a band. Trying to describe a band like Kids in the Basement is fun, too, but a little more complicated. These guys are a jam band without the annoying bits. It’s a little funky, without throwing a wrench into the whole […]

Eric Andersen was one of a handful of singer-songwriters to emerge in the 1960s with anthems that seemed emblematic of a generation. His best-known song, “Thirsty Boots,” is about the civil rights activists known as the Freedom Riders, but he also wrote poetic tunes like “Violets of Dawn,” “Dusty Box Car Wall,” and “Blue River.” […]

Rochester fiddle player Alyssa Rodriguez is comfortable playing in bands of various genres — whether it be the retro-jazz outfit Gregory Street Vagabonds or Irish rock band Sisters of Murphy. But Rodriguez seems most at home as a folk music specialist. While she is well-versed in Irish folk music, she’s created her own local niche […]

When four musicians draw inspiration from a Tunisian oud player and form a world music ensemble, what tunes might you expect to hear in their repertoire? How about Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name,” or Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror”? Turns out, these songs sound great when explored by superb jazz players […]

The RPO’s Philharmonics series begins the new year this week with some ballet without dancing, some opera without singing, and some Beethoven. Popular guest conductor Fabien Gabel — the music director of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra — is joined by Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen, making his Rochester debut with Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto (the composer’s […]

With a voice like Laverne Baker’s, Chicago-based singer Tammi Savoy’s take on R&B and rock ‘n’ roll sticks to the cleaner side of things. That’s not to say you won’t hear her growl ferocious and purr salacious a time or two, but the real swingin’ diablo is guitarist Chris Casello, who bops, thumps, bangs, and […]