It’s quite simple, really. Rochester singer-songwriter Meg Gehman set out to record a new album. She adhered to the protocol. Raise the money, write the songs, secure the producer, rinse, repeat. Then things got peculiar; things got weird. The money was raised, no sweat, the songs were penned, and the producer — David Chance (of […]
Rochester music
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Busted Americana
Ask all the members of Dust & Bone whether they prefer the studio to the live stage, the answer comes back instant and unanimous: “live.” Dust & Bone is a leather and denim Americana band, straight up, and a good one, too. Elements of blues, country, and folk do the dance with rock ‘n’ roll. […]
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Guided by Veluxe
If Rochester can be viewed as a microcosm of music happening on a grander scale, then you can easily define its own Veluxe. The band emerged in the early aughts as an answer to the previous decade’s slick, big rock bloat. It would be purely by definition that this is a pop band of the […]
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Breaking boxes
Depending on who you ask — or when you ask the question — you’ll get a variety of explanations of what the Sound ExChange Project really is: A local contemporary classical ensemble; a chamber group; an artist collective; composers; curators; educators; community-investors.
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The better to hear you with
The music on singer-songwriter Kaylin Cervini’s new EP, “Breadcrumbs,” floats on the healing end of hurt. Hurt from a tragic loss (that served as the kick start to her career) and whatever hurt her audience learns to confront by this young lady’s fearless example. Cervini’s music also circumvents the everyday humdrum of songs steeped in […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Tossing & Turning”
Talking Under Water “Tossing & Turning” Self-released talkingunderwater.bandcamp.com Somehow the word “epic” feels inadequate in describing Rochester band Talking Under Water’s EP, “Tossing & Turning.” The album gets off to a gentle start: all peaceful and harmonious like The Shangri-Las on methadone. It’s at this point you say to yourself, “Gosh, this sure is all […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Arrival”
Kire Najdovski “Arrival” Self-released Multi-dimensional guitarist, Kire Najdovski occupies an unparalleled stratospheric level of technical skill and power, like a less noodly Jeff Beck. Having lent his guitar to more limited settings — like his work with David Letterman’s Al Chez — “Arrival” marks the arrival of the sonic shriek and fusion found in this […]
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Dark Nemesis rising
Though he generally comes off as a happy guy, for the last two decades or so, Rochester musician Eddie Nebula has spewed buckets of beautifully biographical vitriol. Wearing his bleeding black heart on his sleeve, Nebula has accosted the anger head on with punk energy, metal speed, and the jaded insight of a young man […]
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Foxy Laddies
Though the band is up and running in high gear, Rochester cool, rhythm and blues sensation, The Fox Sisters still has a little of that new band smell wafting in there with the Aqua Velva and sweat. The band has now horned up the ranks with a little hard-hitting brass atop the bruising rhythm section. […]
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Who catches what
There’s no mistake. You can distinctly hear Fran Broderick in all of his projects: the casual gravel and grind of his voice, his broad, chunky attack on the acoustic guitar, and lyrics that swing from the personally bittersweet to the flat-out hysterical. You may recognize Broderick from his work with Friday in America. You may […]
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Lone on the Mountain”
Miles Wide “Lone on the Mountain” Self-released mileswide.bandcamp.com Miles Wide, the stage name for Rochester-native Kyle Donovan, threw his hat into the local singer-songwriter ring after moving back to town from Colorado. “Lone on the Mountain,” Miles Wide’s second album, contains live, acoustic renditions of original songs from his debut, “Moon Howls.” This seven-track […]
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The gospel according to Serena Young
When Serena Young competed last year in the seventh season of Black Entertainment Television’s popular gospel show “Sunday Best,” the judges used words like “conviction” and “grace” to describe her performances. Young says it was heady praise coming from the gospel greats, including Yolanda Adams and Donnie McClurkin. “Out of maybe 20,000 contestants, I made […]
