Lower Expectations “High Hopes” Self-released lowerexpectationsband.bandcamp.com I didn’t have any expectations — low or otherwise — when I gave Lower Expectations’ debut album, “High Hopes,” a couple of spins. Consequently I was surprised, pleasantly, in fact, when it came barreling out of my headphones. The twin guitar attack found here stops just short of being […]
Rochester music
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Fresh Cut: ‘Spintech’ by Diluted
Diluted’s newest EP, “Legitimate Bastard,” is being released in August, and it finds the band revisiting some of its earliest material.
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Album review: ‘Heatin’ Up’
Stickybun “Heatin’ Up” Self-released stickybun.bandcamp.com While Stickybun is a relatively young band, the musicianship on its debut EP, “Heatin’ Up,” makes it clear these players weren’t born yesterday. The local funk rock band came together in winter 2016 after bassist Shawn Rotolo and singer-songwriter Aaron Shewan turned their weekly jam sessions into a project with […]
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The F Word: Occupy Jazz Fest
Logistically speaking, the Jazz Fest bigwigs do a phenomenal job. But there are still some things music fans have to do on their own to keep things running smoothly.
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Album review: ‘Facade’
Ed Iseley “Facade” Self-released ediseleyexperience.com I have a deep appreciation for artists who deliver their message couched in the lyrical trick of metaphor and double entendre. Now, Rochester musician Ed Iseley is one of those straightforward types who states the not-so-obvious as if it were. “A problem’s only big when it’s mine,” he sings with […]
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The F Word: The look, sound, and taste of words
Art that can be interpreted by other art is more durable and accessible
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Calicoco can’t find one bad thing about making music
On her new album, “Float,” Giana Caliolo, who performs as Calicoco, wields her big guitar like a paint brush to further color the nighttime sky. Her voice is unassumingly pretty and innocent, and her at-times gentle songs serve to pull the listener out of their shell and into her world. “Float” comes out July 6 […]
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Ian Downey is Famous soundtracks an epic battle between body and soul
The moniker “Ian Downey is Famous” doesn’t just hint at how Ian Downey views or presents himself, it’s the name of his band with drummer Darren De Wispelaere and bassist Chris Reeg. He’s cut out the middleman and heads straight for the glory
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Album review: ‘The Stedwells’
The Stedwells “The Stedwells” Self-released thestedwells.com What we have here is a fantastic pop record full of chunky guitars, big drums, and streamlined vocals just this side of an urgent plea. The Stedwells — brothers Ryan and Brendan Warren on guitar and bass and drummer Alex Durr — is powerful in its indie pop approach. […]
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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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Forty years in, Rochester Women’s Community Chorus can’t help but sing
The choral rehearsal begins like any other: singers gather, and their excited, friendly chatter gradually settles down as the director guides the singers through breathing, stretching, and vocal warm-ups. The focus and the concentration grow as the women pay attention to balance and blend, tuning and tempos. The rehearsal space contains nearly 50 women, swaying […]
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I Scene It: Queens of the Stone Age at the Dome
You can’t deny the power of the riff. And frankly, why would you want to? Royal Blood, opening up for The Queens of the Stone Age at The Dome on Friday night, spilt Rochester peasant blood as people clamored to get closer to the stage. Not since Morphine have I seen a band led by the […]
