Latest Posts

Maybird Releases New Single, Music Video For “Turning Into Water”

June 1, 2015

Rochester/Brooklyn psych rockers, Maybird, have released its first single in nearly two years and an accompanying music video to go long with it. The track, “Turning Into Water,” has some Tame Impala freak outs mixed with just a touch of early 90’s Brit Pop (think Supergrass), and is set to be included on the band’s forthcoming Turning Into Water EP, with a proper full length to follow. Directed by band member  Adam Netsky, the video for “Turning Into Water” features the band playing in front of some rather trippy green screens and backdrops as the projections wash over the members while performing. “‘Turning Into Water’ is about a melting feeling of being ignored by someone you admire, and the self consciousness and anxiety that accompany it. The video uses clips of rushing water to visualize that feeling, they start as projections and gradually take over the visual plane in superimposed layers[...]

Faux Leather Jacket’s Trevor Courneen Launches Audible Handshake Podcast

May 26, 2015

Late last month, Trevor Courneen, member of Rochester’s alt-country outfit, Faux Leather Jacket, launched a new podcast series titled Audible Handshake. The first two episodes featured interviews/chats with fellow Rochester musicians Katie Preston of Pleistocene and Howlo‘s Ben Morey. “I wanted to start the podcast because for the past few years that I’ve lived in Rochester, I’ve met a lot of cool people,” begins Courneen. “People in the music scene, the art scene, the food scene, etc., I consider many of them friends at this point, but the truth is, I know very little about them beyond what they do. Katie and Ben are exceptions to this obviously because I’ve been good friends with them for a few years (which is why they were the first two, I knew I’d be comfortable and it would get me used to the process).” The podcast is more than just friendly talk with musical friends, but[...]

Hania Yiska – The Beauty Within

May 25, 2015

You could be listening to one of two different artists if you’re giving our latest album of the week a spin. Well, kind of. One of Rochester’s primo electronica artists, Jeffery Hull, writes under a slew of various pseudonyms, his name contingent upon the style and mood under which he is writing. For the purpose of this article, which highlights his latest release The Beauty Within, I’ll be focusing on two: Hania Yiska, which explores his sonic creations with vocals layered on top, and Mad Hugs, which is the artist’s instrumental side of things. It should come as no surprise that Hania Yiska and Mad Hugs are actually very similar; both projects are brainchildren of the same brain. Yet, where there are obvious and innate similarities, there are also small differences that mark an interesting variety in Hull’s electronic craft. While Yiska delves into vocal territory with a pseudo-experimental fervor[...]

Genesee Live Premieres Latest Installment feat. Amateur Radio Club

May 22, 2015

Keeping with its recently steady pace, Rochester’s live session series, Genesee Live, released its latest installment yesterday, this time starring Amateur Radio Club, the solo project from former SPORTS keyboardist, Ian Egling. Featuring track’s from Egling’s debut LP, and our recent Album of the Week, The Laughing Vulcan and Her Dog, the bouncy session was filmed at Rochester’s WITR Radio studio. Watch the full session below and catch up on all of Genesee Live’s past installments here.

OHS – Long Legs

May 18, 2015

It stands to say that Sam Snyder is about as DIY as they come. The Rochester-based musician, commonly referred to as “Overhand Sam” on the local band circuit, is the emblematic jack-of-all-trades—writing, playing, recording, and engineering his own sonic outpourings. But his musicianship is not the only facet that defines him—Snyder also runs a local record label / production team hybrid called Turtle Phonic that records artists in his attic studio and subsequently promotes the shit out them. (Have a look at #turtlephonic on Instagram.) Snyder’s latest release under his OHS moniker—a “mini LP” titled Long Legs— is a stylistic potpourri, drawing influence from a grand multitude of artists and ultimately cohering into his most stimulating material to date. It’s tough to lay down an all-encompassing classification on such an eclectic bunch of tracks, though most of the songs share elements of psychedelia at its most basic of definitions. Sam[...]

Genesee Live Releases Latest Installment feat. the Absolutes

May 4, 2015

A couple weeks ago, Genesee Live, Rochester’s premiere live session video series, debuted its latest installment featuring the retro-rock trio, the Absolutes. We first caught the Absolutes at our Bug Jar invasion showcase back in November, and most recently played Buffalo at Nietzsche’s alongside of the Soft Love a couple months ago. The bluesy threesome recall British Invasion acts like the Rolling Stones, Cream, and the Beatles, and feature members of Talking Under Water and Mikeala Davis’ band Watch the full clip below, and if you want to catch up on Genesee Live’s 20+ plus sessions, you can view all of them here.

Gay Angel Releases Second Installment of floral

April 28, 2015

As promised back in February, the next installment of floral, the ambitious, 100-track project from Rochester’s chamber folk musician, Gay Angel, has arrived. After about a year of listening to Jake Bellissimo’s Gay Angel recordings, there are always a few things to expect on each release: an overwhelming track list (although once you look at some of the track lengths it becomes much less), an endless list of featured musicians, and some vulnerable, heart on your sleeve lyrics. For floral, pt. 2, Bellissimo didn’t stray to far from what made pt.1 so great, but the new installment does see the musician head in a couple new directions. “growing leaves” finds Gay Angel dipping his toes into folk-punk, while “letter to brazil” may be the closest Bellissimo comes to releasing a doo-wop song. “whose fault is it” even sounds Dirty Projectors’ Amber Coffman doing some vocal warm ups before a show. With the sudden[...]

CRUSHES Release New Single “i miss you”

April 20, 2015

This past week, Rochester birthed duo, CRUSHES, released their first single in over a year, titled “i miss you.” Comprised of long-time Rochester DJ, David Lee Rad, and Buffalo/Rochester floater, DJ Lulu, “i miss you” is an impressive indietronic collaboration by the pair, reminiscent of Chromatics, Ladyhawke or even Cut Copy. Let’s hope this is not just a stand alone track, but a single from a forthcoming EP, or maybe even a full. One can dream. Check out “i miss you” below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/200662838″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Joywave – How Do You Feel Now?

April 20, 2015

Since the band’s inception, Joywave has been somewhat of a buoyant hot air balloon, steadily gaining altitude with every move they make. These Rochester natives can more-than-safely say that they’ve stepped beyond the realm of the local music scene, and even the regional music scene. They’ve saturated the alt-rock airwaves, successfully pinned a number one song on the alternative Billboard charts, been name dropped by Tony Hawk on Twitter, and have late night TV performances on both Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel tucked neatly under their belts. The explanation for this rapid emergence is simple. Joywave is a lure that will reel you in one way or another — if the incredibly catchy synth lines don’t get you, the adrenalizing dance beat or the slick mystique of singer Daniel Armbruster’s falsetto will. Their recently released full length album, How Do You Feel Now?, strongly supports this claim. The album opens[...]

Mario Bee and Mike Gerbino Announce Point of No Concern EP

April 14, 2015

Two former Rochester-based artists, DJ Mario Bee and rapper Mike Gerbino, are set to release their debut collaborative EP, Point of No Concern on April 20th. Featuring an assortment of hip-hop, electronic, and grime beats, the five-track record abrasively touches on subjects like the middle-east, prostitution, global warming, and Facebook. Well known for his work on HBO’s Brave New Voices poetry special, Gerbino is an accomplished spoken work artist in addition to his hip hop endeavors, while Mario Bee began his career DJing and producing in both Rochester and Buffalo before moving to New York City where he now gigs frequently throughout the city and the East Coast. The pair are also having a release party for the EP this Saturday at Leftfield Bar in New York if you find yourself in the area Check out the project’s first single, “Eliot Spizter,” below.

Amateur Radio Club – The Laughing Vulcan and Her Dog

April 13, 2015

Rochester’s got some new digs. Ian Egling, formerly of the band SPORTS, and now performing solo under the moniker Amateur Radio Club, just released his debut late last March. The eight track album, titled The Laughing Vulcan and Her Dog, is heavy on the electro pop stylings and draws influence from the synthy jams of yesteryear; snap judgements conjure Bowie and Depeche Mode. Further critical listens reveal a certain modern charm that, when paired with the unambiguous vintage flair, gives this release a unique sound worth diving into. The Laughing Vulcan and Her Dog is our Album of the Week. Vulcan opens strong with the catchy and intimate “SOMEWHERE SUMMER,” making the most of a cheeky synth line layered with electric piano and bouncy drum beat. The synth solo towards the latter half serves as the sweet icing on an already delicious cake. “On and on, on and on…” sings[...]

Tonight: BRC and RRC Present UNITY!

April 11, 2015

The Buffalo Rage Community and the Rochester Rave Community have joined forces to present a quarterly event of music and local talent that will encapsulate the title itself: Unity. Talent from the two cities will share stages at Waiting Room, with each community drawing a crowd of loyal followers. The last BRC event held at the venue was so full to capacity and was energetic beyond belief, there was a line winding out the door which is hard to come by for Buffalo events these days. The lineup for tonight is stacked and there will be a taste of any genre. For those that hoop, poi, glove, and any other visually stimulating trip trick toy, the BRC and RRC encourage you to bring them. Note: Just please be mindful and respectful of those around you. Sneak a peak at the time slots below. 8-9pm: MatKa B2B Chucks 9-10pm: Miosi B2B[...]

Maybird Releases Music Video For “Two Horizons”

April 6, 2015

In the midst of recording new material, the Rochester bred psych folk act, Maybird, released the music video for “Two Horizons,” a track found on the group’s debut release Down and Under. The band currently splits time between Brooklyn and WNY, and for the clip, director and VICE news contributor, Michael Faller, choose to focus on the citizens of the band’s adoptive new city, recording intimate shots of both the young and old, at work and at play, some touching and some humorous, all while occasionally catching the breathtaking city skyline on film. The video feels like a moving collage of the Humans of New York photo series. Take a minute to watch the video for “Two Horizons” below and keep an eye out in the near future for new music from Maybird.

The Televisionaries Drop Latest Track “AGAVE”

March 23, 2015

Despite this last blast of winter, summer is coming (we think), and with that, we have a seasonable new song from Rochester surf trio, the Televisionaries. Titled, “AGAVE,” the track is set to be included on the band’s forthcoming sophomore album sometime in the near future. Just don’t mistake that intro for “When The Saint Go Marching In.” You can catch the Televisionaries in their live (and free!) glory along with Buffalo’s finest surf acts, Aaron & the Burrs and the Hamiltones, next week on Friday, April 3rd. No matter what the weather looks like outside that evening, thoughts of sunny skies and tiki drinks will be in the air in the Glitterbox basement. Listen to “AGAVE” below. Surf’s up.

Blue Falcon Drops New Single, “S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder)”

March 17, 2015

After an extended lull out of Rochester, our sister city’s music scene had a sudden surge last week with the release of some quality, blog worthy material. One of those bands, Blue Falcon, released its latest single during the tail end of last week. Titled “S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder),” something I would have to assume most WNYers were hit hard with this past, insufferable winter, the song has a laid back Mac DeMarco meets Earlimart slacker feel, a bit of a departure from the band’s blues-rock sounds on its previous EP, First Flight. No word yet on whether the single is going to be included on a future release, so in the mean time, listen to “S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder)” below.