The Rochester area is a hotbed for folk music — even if it’s difficult to define what ‘folk’ means.
Music Feature
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Krooks full of hooks
On its rockin’ debut EP, “Steal the Show,” The Krooks blend some unlikely sounds that tug ears in multiple directions. There are subtle, and not-so subtle, influences flying about the band’s rock ‘n’ roll soundscape. The consistency lies in singer Sara Passamonte’s vocals — vocals that exude mood and myriad tones that come sailing out […]
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The Struts do glam rock tougher
It was during the deep freeze of last December’s winter when roughly 500 of the frozen and the faithful piled into the Main Street Armory’s downstairs venue. The crowd was alive with the bizz-buzz about The Struts — Derbyshire, England’s gift to rock ‘n’ roll. The band was straight-up sing-along glam rock. It delivered with […]
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John Valenti perfects a suave persona on Passive Aggressives Anonymous’s ‘The Mauve Album’
When John Valenti sings, he sounds like a man who perpetually walks around with cocktail-in-hand as he haunts some candlelit speakeasy.
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Me and Bobby T
The Bug Jar’s Bob “Bobby T” Teresa was casually shaving his mug one day back in April when he discovered a lump on the side of his throat. “I said to myself, ‘That doesn’t look too good,”‘ Teresa says. His doctor said the same thing. They ran some tests and did a biopsy. It came […]
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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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John Nyerges orchestrates a life in jazz
If you’ve seen pianist John Nyerges in concert over the last three decades, chances are you were in Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre. Nyerges has occupied the jazz piano chair in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s Pops concerts for 27 years. But when Nyerges takes the stage at Lovin’ Cup on Saturday, he’ll be playing […]
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Foster the People feels the spirit
There’s a certain kind of magic that connects a band with its music, and in the case of Foster the People, the inspiration behind the tunes is indefinable. “When writing, what we call ‘the spirit’ enters the room,” says Isom Innis, the band’s keyboardist. “It’s something that’s elusive, but when it comes, it’s a rush […]
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Black Violin’s Wil Baptiste on hip-hop, classical music, and race
It’s not hard to understand the appeal of the Florida duo Black Violin. Violist Wil Baptiste and violinist Kev Marcus have created a hip-hop, classical hybrid that you can feel immediately, with infectious hooks and indelible beats that resonate from your ear drums all the way to the bottoms of your feet. Listen to any […]
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Folk phenoms of Auld Lang Syne focus on family life
For a group that isn’t actually based in the city anymore, Auld Lang Syne simultaneously remains one of Rochester’s most beloved bands — particularly among area musicians — and arguably the city’s best-kept musical secret. The songwriting vehicle of married couple Kathy and Timothy Dick, who first met while studying music at Roberts Wesleyan College, […]
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Cavalcade is a band that’s not afraid of genre
Cavalcade is an indie rock outfit of little restraint or convention. Come to think of it, that’s the definition of most indie bands, isn’t it? The band commands a big rock dynamic as it calls upon odd time signatures and grooves. That’s why it’s hard to picture them as outcasts or misunderstood musical orphans (again […]
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Highsmith chronicles
Jimmie Highsmith Jr.’s ninth release, “Indigo Chronicles Chocolate Brown Eyes,” finds the Rochester saxophonist channeling interpretations of love, loss, and life through his instrument. In particular, through an alto sax he calls “Indigo.” “I was a nerdy kid with no friends and no girlfriends,” Highsmith says. “My saxophone was my first girlfriend. My saxophones are […]
