Brindamor ‘Brindamor’ Self-released brindamor.bandcamp.com In the age of the EP and the MP3, it’s nice to hear a band offer a heaping helping of tracks like the Rochester neo-traditionalist group Brindamor does on its eponymous,10-track album. The first thing you stumble upon, amid the string-band strain, is that this ain’t a string-band record. But I […]
Americana
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Album review: ‘SleepWalker’
Ryan Sutherland ‘SleepWalker’ Self-released ryansutherland.bandcamp.com Rochester’s Ryan Sutherland is a down-to-earth, folk singer-songwriter with ripping slide guitar skills. Switching between guitar and banjo, he blends elements of country with folk, blues, roots music, and old-timey Americana. He is currently celebrating the release of his second studio album, "SleepWalker," a lighthearted storybook dedicated to his partner, […]
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Album review: ‘Spellbound’
Jackson Cavalier ‘Spellbound’ Self-released jacksoncavalier.bandcamp.com Anyone who’s heard a live performance by Jackson Cavalier knows that iconic, riotous sound: the booming, makeshift suitcase-kick drum contraption; the unwieldy and battered acoustic guitar that riffs on blues and alt-folk themes; and Cavalier’s distinct howls and bellows that shape word for every introspective word. Recently released, “Spellbound” takes […]
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Album review: ‘Long time comin’ ‘
Dirty Blanket ‘Long Time Comin’ ‘ Self-released dirtyblanketbluegrass.com. What began as an acoustic folk duo featuring guitarist Max “Dirty” Flansburg and singer/songwriter Kevin “Blanket” O’Leary in 2013 became a foot-stomping bluegrass quintet by the end of 2016. The original duo was augmented with longtime friends Richie Colf on mandolin, Joel Fedkiw on five-string banjo, and […]
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Interview: Leland Sundries
New York City band Leland Sundries wears its heart on its sleeve most unapologetically. Whether it’s wielding influences from the city they inhabit–Jim Carroll Band and the Velvet Underground–or giving a nod to non-Gotham superheroes like The Replacements, Leland Sundries is a band of geographic reference and irreverent humor. It looks like New York, it […]
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Album review: ‘All I Got and Need’
The Crawdiddies “All I Got and Need” Self-released thecrawdiddies.com The Crawdiddies sing “The Drug Smokin’ Blues” on the band’s new album, “All I Got and Need.” The quartet also sings “The Death of John Henry,” but other than that, The Crawdiddies doesn’t get too hung up in the illicit, morose, or maudlin, like other fiddle […]
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Album review: ‘Coming Home’
A Girl Named Genny “Coming Home” Self-released agirlnamedgenny.com A Girl Named Genny’s first full-length album, “Coming Home,” feels a lot like getting behind the wheel on the first spring day. It’s a joyride. Shifting between bluegrass, Southern rock, folk, and everything in between, the album is like taking a twisting backroad, jumping from scene to […]
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Jake La Botz writes a living obituary
There is a pervading darkness to Jake La Botz’s music, a noirish narrative, haunting and hungry like a hellhound on his trail. His music is captivating; his words, prose. It’s the blues on a cloudy night. On his latest Hi-Style Records album, “Sunnyside,” there is romance that leads to murder, inflatable ducks, and a positively […]
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Stand by your plow
Stay the Plow arose from the ashes of Dang!, a tongue-in-cheek country outfit that some
people didn’t get. The band now plays sincere country that’s often flawless.
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Fresh Cut: ‘I Was Living Here’ by The Mighty High and Dry
The Mighty High and Dry “I Was Living Here” Self-released themightyhighanddry.com Soulful Rochester rockers The Mighty High and Dry have struck a nerve on its new single, “I Was Living Here.” With guest vocals by roots rocker Brian Lindsay and soul singer Danielle Ponder, each weighing in on a verse, the band addresses nascent issues […]
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The Crooked North digs the dark dichotomy in bluegrass
The Crooked North blends bluegrass and old-time folk with a diesel kick that is both sharp and clean. It’s yesterday played today, and it comes on like a veritable freight train. But The Crooked North is playing with you. It candy coats its lyrical darkness in the light of its exuberant bluegrass. Bluegrass by its […]
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Album review: ‘Wasting Time’
The Tragedy Brothers “Wasting Time” Self-released tragedybrothers.com The Tragedy Brothers open up its second album, “Wasting Time,” with a casual lope that’s more on the roll side of the rock ‘n’ roll idiom. The rock isn’t necessarily neglected, but it’s used sort of as an afterburner to add push and punch when required. Overall, “Wasting […]
