For over a year now, I’ve been writing “The F Word” for CITY Newspaper exclusively on the web. Through this scratched screed, I’ve expounded wisdom, swapped recipes, observed the absurd, and called bullshit.
Rock ‘n’ Roll
Posted inMusic
Album review: ‘EP’
The Dirty Pennies ‘EP’ Self-released thedirtypennies.com Looking for a guitar hero? Look no further than The Dirty Pennies, a Rochester trio which, on its new “EP,” serves up the songs like cuts of lo-fi beef. It’s slick, but it’s not showy. It’s primal rock ‘n’ roll with just the right amount of blues to keep […]
Posted inMusic
Songwriting icon Chip Taylor plays Abilene
Chip Taylor is a mellow cat. He’s so cool, sheep count him. Artists like Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Eddie Arnold, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Jimi Hendrix have had his words in their mouths.
Posted inMusic
The Stedwells find their place in Rochester’s indie pop cadre
Two parts garage rock, one part pop, one part wow, shake well, and you’ve got The Stedwells.
Posted inMusic
Album review: ‘Conscience’
Sam Nitsch “Conscience” Self-released samnitschmusic.com Yup, I hear a marimba in there. And some electric violin, too. But that isn’t what makes the diversity on this album so captivating. On his new release, “Conscience,” Boston by way of Rochester singer-songwriter Sam Nitsch takes the listener on a pleasant stroll down a musical path of oddity […]
Posted inMusic
Album review: ‘Searching Hands’
Buffalo Sex Change “Searching Hands” Admirable Trait Records buffalosexchange.bandcamp.com Buffalo Sex Change is back with a new set of songs, following up a self-titled, full-length debut album that more closely replicated the duo’s high energy performances. On “Searching Hands,” all the elements that make BSXC potent are still there: Phil Pierce’s jangly, surf-tossed guitar work; […]
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Anamon’s music finds chaos in the quiet
The band stopped into CITY to discuss chaos, maintaining its edge, and
feeling alone
Posted inMusic
The Hi-Risers make their own kind of fun
Rochester’s rock ‘n’ roll roustabouts The Hi-Risers’ new album kicks off with that snap, crackle, and pop the band has become known for. Album number nine, “My Kind of Fun,” is pure Hi-Risers, full of clever licks and hooks. You can dance to it, too. The tenacious trio has become its own thing over the […]
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Bloodshot Bill leads a one-man boogie
Straight out of Quebec, Bloodshot Bill is a howlin’, snarlin’, croonin’ great ball of fire. As a frenetic and frantic one-man-band, the Montreal madman captures the essence of primitive rock ‘n’ roll in between hiccups and some vicious slapback. Beneath an oil-slicked ducktail that would make an Exxon executive blush, Bloodshot Bill intones salaciously, evoking […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Featured Artist: Binker and Moses
It seems to me that the jazz greats — the truly great ones, like Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, et al. — have elements to their sound that are there to confound for the listener’s own betterment. And it seems the more you train your ear in the direction of these passages, the more you begin […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Featured Artist: Marcia Ball
Marcia Ball is a piano-playing neck-breaker from Orange, Texas, who tickles the ivories in a raucous barrelhouse style. Her voice has just enough of that roadhouse weariness to make her all the more enchanting and legit as her band summons the crowd with its boss back beat and shuffle. But Ball isn’t boastful when it […]
Posted inMusic
Willie Nile is a true believer
Willie Nile is the walking example of pure rock ‘n’ roll. Black clad and cocksure, the man defines cool. But the New York City musician ain’t cliché: he’s classic. Playing with a fist in the air and a blast of exuberant rebellion. But Nile knows that even though it’s all about the big beat, rock […]
