Hey Rochester, pat your local venue owners, bookers and promoters on the back, they’re firing on all cylinders this October. The month ahead is one of the most chock-full live music months in recent memory.
Legend of legends Bob Dylan, grunge stalwarts Mudhoney, gypsy jazz wizard Stephane Wrembel for four nights, punk-turned-folky Jonathan Richman are just a few of the talents coming back through town. To make it easier to narrow this list down to just five shows, let’s take a look at some first-timers in Rochester you are not going to want to miss and let’s coax them to come back by giving them some great crowds.
October 5: Bitchin Bajas at Skylark Lounge
Bitchin Bajas are a synth-heavy instrumental trio out of Chicago that will send your mind afloat into the ether. This will be a unique show the likes of which we don’t always see in these parts. Sweetening the pot, local psych rockers Overhand Sam and Bad Weapon will open up the evening.
Tickets are $10 and the show will start at 9p.
October 6 & 7: Danielle Ponder at Essex
An international sensation, Danielle Ponder is unquestionably the queen of Rochester, not remotely new to town so what gives? As must-see as she is she certainly doesn’t belong on this list. Yes but, she’s opening the much-buzzed new venue Essex. Live music fans all over the city are clamoring to get a look inside and enjoy a new spot to catch some great shows. So Essex, new to Rochester, and worthy of a hearty welcome from all of us, come on out! Chi the Realist will open Friday night and Sheneiqua Shine on Saturday.
Tickets are $30 and the doors open at 7pm.
October 19: Buffalo Nichols at Abilene
Folksy blues man Buffalo Nichols has the voice, the licks, the songs and he definitely has the name. Put it all together and you’ve got a young talent that you’re going to want to get on board with ASAP. He’s touring behind his fantastic brand new album, The Fatalist.
Tickets are $15, $20 dos and the show gets started at 730pm.
October 20: Chris Forsyth’s Evolution Band at LUX
Chris Forsyth is a guitar player extraordinaire of the knock your socks off variety. He’s coming with a trio including Ryan Jewell, a superb drummer playing with a number of awesome bands too long to list, currently on tour with Woods. And Douglas McCombs, who is most notably the bassist in post-rock legends Tortoise. Tuck these guys into the wild and intimate LUX late on a Friday night and you’ve cooked yourselves up an ass-kicking time of high-powered psychedelia. Will Veeder and his band will open the show.
Show starts at 10pm and admission is just $5.
October 21: Cat Clyde at Skylark Lounge
Local promoter Honest Folk is back with another great show, in a new-to-them venue at Skylark Lounge. Cat Clyde, a young singer/songwriter from Ontario, Canada, is bringing a full band to present her stellar new release, Down Rounder. She connects the old and new in unique and beautiful ways and this should be a thrilling show.
Show starts at 8p and tickets are $20.
Bonus! And while we’ve got your here, Honest Folk is actually bringing in another hip cat named Kat worth checking out. Two folkin’ cats in one month, is this heaven? Rochester native Kat Wright is whiddling down her usual big soul band to just a trio for a more stripped down sound. Hear them at Good Luck on October 8.
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