Organist Fred Costello celebrates 40 years with the Rochester Red Wings It’s the bottom of the ninth. Bases are loaded. The fans are on the edges of their seats, restless, noisy, and anxious on a cocktail of beer and fingernails. You can taste the tension. The batter walks up to the plate, focused and determined. […]
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The Majestics are back
It’s not that The Majestics don’t care; it’s just that stardom and the magnetic allure of its trappings don’t matter anymore. The legendary Rochester reggae band no longer chases the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The band abides. And after a lengthy hiatus, The Majestics are back, Jack. Ron Stackman (guitar […]
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The Mighty High and Dry keeps moving
As sort of a tip of the hat in the rearview mirror to The Band, The Mighty High and Dry pile on an extra helping of storied songs suitable for framing on its new CD, “The Next Waltz.” This is a true test of the time that goes into crafting a record. And with the […]
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There’s no language barrier for Swamp Trotter
To dig a band or the song it’s laying down, you don’t necessarily need to understand the words. And in some cases, the lack of lyrical comprehension can better serve the song. The melody is more streamlined and unfettered by narrative. We’re not talking “na na hey hey” here, but rather a different language all […]
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Pat Bianchi has gone from the basement to gigs with jazz legends
Pat Bianchi’s fate was sealed on Christmas Eve 1983, when his parents took the 7-year-old to celebrate the holiday with his grandparents. “I went into the basement and there was a Farfisa organ on a dolly with a big bow on it,” Bianchi says. “I couldn’t believe it. Then, Christmas Day, I went to my […]
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Ray Paul Brings The Power
Ray Paul is all about the snap and crackle of a pop song: its hook, its catchiness, its undeniable sing-along and finger-snap appeal. Want proof? Just dig Paul’s new CD, “Whimsicality,” on his own Permanent Press Records label. “Whimsicality” is a mighty fine 10-song collection of power pop goodness. (Power pop is like garage rock […]
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Playing outside the box
A little over a decade ago, Charlie Lindner was making a good living at Hasbro, the toy company in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. He was applying the knowledge from his college degree in Packaging Science, making the containers for G.I. Joes and Nerf Balls more cost-efficient. Lindner studied the subject at Rochester Institute of Technology, working […]
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The Rustix shake off nearly 50 years of dust
Darlings of blue-eyed soul, The Rustix, reunite for Rochester Music Hall of Fame induction.
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Maybird settles into Danger Mouse’s label
When we first sat down to kibitz with pop giant Maybird in 2014, the band was still vacillating between The Josh Netsky Band, which it was, and Maybird, which it was becoming. The band has since eased into that transition, and has hitched its wagon to some utterly amazing pop music: a gorgeous, psychedelic ebb […]
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Rapper Moses Rockwell is still discovering himself
There’s a bit-o-mystery to Moses Rockwell and the things he does … even to the man himself.
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Seeking Monte is more than just its parts
When guitarist Lee Heberger left the band Rainline back in 2013, he took a break — bought a house, built a studio — before diving back in. No pretense, no agenda; this time the mission was nothing other than to have fun. “I didn’t set up to do anything,” Heberger says. “I wanted to be […]
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Occasional Saints make being bad sound so good
Paul Nunes’ hands dance effortlessly up and down the 88’s in a powerful polydactyl boogie. It’s a sound of big ease, of Louisiana bump and sparkle with dashes of jazz and pop mirth. It’s beautiful; it’s sanctified. But a saint, he ain’t. Nunes has finally hit the scene with his new outfit The Occasional Saints, […]
