It was a lopsided split when local band Boneyard disbanded last year. Cloud-busting singer JJ Lang went one way, while guitarist Mick Ditko, bassist Doug MacDonald, and drummer Brian Donnelly went another. Lang went on to form The JJ Lang Band and keep with his former band’s heavy, Southern gothic grind and wail. The other […]
Rochester music
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The Mighty High and Dry
In addition to having arguably one of the cooler band names in all of Smugtown, The Mighty High and Dry is the sum of some impressive parts. Members of this elite ensemble have flexed in the wall-o-brash brass that was The Po’ Boys Brass Band and the funky-as-it-gets boogie of Street Level. Compared to those […]
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MUSIC FEATURE: Greg “Stackhouse” Prevost
Anticipation ran high amongst the glitterati and the black-clad hoi polloi as Rochester rocker Greg Prevost mounted the Skylark Lounge stage in his high-heeled shoes. A few in the joint had laid ears on his new bluesy solo disc, “Mississippi Murderer,” but most were in the dark, not knowing what to expect on this chilly […]
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The Ginger Faye Bakers
While driving to Petco the other day, I shoved the Ginger Faye Bakers’ boss disc, “Feast,” into my dashboard, cranked the volume, and did a double take. I could’ve sworn I heard the ghost of Ron Asheton haunt the speakers amidst this Rochester band’s heavy jam. The Ginger Faye Bakers rock harder than a lot […]
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JJ Lang
We all remember our first time. Some persuading, a little awkward fumbling, bated breath, high expectations, followed by a sense of elation and perhaps an apology. And for once I’m not talking about paradise by the dashboard light. I’m talking about a guitar riff. Rochester musician JJ Lang remembers his first. It was played on […]
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Maximum rotation, maximum joy
It ain’t fair, it ain’t fair! I know that asking people to pick their five favorite records is limiting and frustrating. Imagine the torture it must have been when I posed these questions to those who sling vinyl for a living. I thought their heads would explode. In all fairness, I did it to myself […]
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Concert Review: RoarShark, Moon Zombies at Monty’s Krown
Though Friday may have been one of the first snow-flurry-filled nights of Rochester’s winter season, inside Monty’s Krown the musical temperature was anything but low. RoarShark opened up the night with a set of surefire surf rock, filled with that genre-defining wet, splashy reverb and tonal riffs that call to mind everything great about the […]
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Concert Review: The Fools at Dinosar Bar-B-Que
I’m not fooling when I tell you that The Foolsain’t foolin’. Sure, the name might come off as dismissive, but these fools positively rocked my ass Thursday night at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, where more heat was coming off of Mickey Ames’ guitar than from the smoker out back. This long-haired cat is in the Rochester […]
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Concert Review: Deke Dickerson, Mike Snow Band, Guy Forsyth
Guitar impresario Deke Dickerson positively peeled the paint off the Abilene walls with his blistering guitar work Friday night. Dickerson is one of the slickest, fastest guitar players alive, and his skill is rivaled only by his genuine, aww-shucks charm. Dickerson’s drummer took a crack at playing guitar while two audience members held him by […]
