Two-thirds of the trio Heatwave Bluegrass — guitarist Max Flansburg and mandolinist Richie Colf — hail from the regional Americana band Dirty Blanket. This fact tells you all you need to know about the levels of energy and musical proficiency you can expect from Heatwave. Banjo player Brandon Masur completes the ensemble, which delivers a […]
Music
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JAZZ | Jimmie Highsmith Jr.
Saxophonist Jimmie Highsmith Jr. is as homegrown as it gets, having honed his skills at Rochester’s Hochstein School of Music and School of the Arts. He then took off for the United States Air Force, where his flights included soaring jazz solos. After forming a band and playing USO events internationally, Highsmith Jr. returned to […]
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ALTERNATIVE ROCK | Violet Mary
Led by guitarist Mike Muscarella and vocalist Mel Muscarella, Violet Mary has been uplifting audiences with its blend of rock, pop, and soul since 2007. Based in Rochester, the Muscarellas are accompanied by bass, guitars, drums, and plenty of backing harmonies. The complex arrangements resemble that of Rush, and Mel’s voice cuts through the mix […]
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Concentus Women’s Chorus moves forward with new music director
Singer and conductor Anna Atwater first sang with Concentus Women’s Chorus in a 2016 concert. Three years later, Atwater is the choir’s first new music director since its founding.
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The F Word: Blood and bar-b-que
It’s a matter of priorities, I guess, but I’d be hard-pressed to choose between bar-b-que and rock ‘n’ roll. I’ve always felt that rock ‘n’ roll is what bar-b-que sounds like; and both are equally messy.
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RIJF names three headliners for 2020
Spyro Gira, Nile Rodgers & Chic, plus Garth Fagan Dance with the Monty Alexander Sextet will headline the 2020 Rochester International Jazz Festival. Puss N Boots, Wynonna & The Big Noise
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JAZZ | Paradigm Shift
If you are an aficionado of octave-spanning guitar solos reminiscent of the great Wes Montgomery, you won’t find a better practitioner than Rochester’s own Melvin Henderson. When Henderson gets together with Hammond B-3 organ wizard Gerry Youngman and precise drummer Sean Jefferson, the Grammy-nominated trio is known as Paradigm Shift. Collectively, the band’s three members […]
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Album review: ‘Ram-A Lam-A’
Televisionaries ‘Ram-A Lam-A’ Hi-Tide Records televisionaries.bandcamp.com Don’t call it a throwback. Televisionaries’ new seven-inch record, featuring the three Lake brothers, is a flat-out gas and is as much ado about now as it is about then. It’s a future classic. It’s four rockin’ ditties from yestermorrow. It’s splendiferous. “Ram-A Lam-A” takes a page from the […]
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Album review: ‘Lugaroo’
Yarms ‘Lugaroo’ Self-released yarms.bandcamp.com Good lyrics seem to work best in clusters of cohesive thoughts or themes. They add up to create impact. Rarely does it come down to just a line or two, until now. Ryan Yarmel — or Yarms as the kids call him — has released a new EP of self-aware acoustic […]
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BRASS BAND | White Hot Brass Band
The White Hot Brass Band is New Orleans-style jazz, done funky. Now it isn’t that this Western New York band is big (there are only six pieces), but The Spirit Room’s stage fills up fast. It’s gonna feel like that famous “crowded cabin” scene from The Marx Brothers’ “A Night at the Opera.” There’ll be […]
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ROCK | Tom Waits Tribute Shows
Tom Waits is a man who has penetrated every rag-tag genre of music, even going so far as to create a few new genres along the way. He’s turning 70 on December 7, and a lineup of Rochester musicians has assembled to play the Waits songs that are influential to them. Presented to you by […]
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HOLIDAY-BLUEGRASS | Ross Holmes and Carl Miner
This special holiday-themed show next Wednesday at Three Heads Brewing features two of the best behind-the-scenes musicians in the business. Fiddle player Ross Holmes is a member of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and has performed with such notables as Bruce Hornsby, Warren Haynes, and Mumford & Sons. Guitarist Carl Miner is a two-time nominee for […]
