New York Route 89 ain't much; it twists and winds its way like so many rural thoroughfares through the Great Lakes region. There's scenery to be seen (when there's daylight), all sorts of critters to crush, assholes and their hi-beams coming at...

Three more big concerts have been announced for area venues:
ALT-ROCK: OK Go Sunday, April 25. The Haunt, 702 Willow Ave, Ithaca. 8 p.m. $15. dansmallspresents.com.
METAL: Mastodon w/Between the Buried and Me, Baroness, Valiant Thorr Tuesday,...

Alan Whitney and The Beekeepers live at Saxon Studios on Saturday night may have been one of the most intimate performances I've ever seen. This wasn't just a performance, but a limited-seat concert, recorded live. In my experience, the studio...

Rock legends Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers have been added to the 2010 Darien Lake Performing Arts Center concert series. Petty and the band will perform along with folk-rock giants Crosby, Still and Nash on Saturday, August 14, for a 7:30...

RIT announced today that hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg will play the college's Gordon Field House Saturday, April 10, 8 p.m. Tickets for the show will cost $38, and go on sale this Saturday, February 27, at 10 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at the...

I walked into Montage Music Hall Saturday night as Deviant was serving up a crushing, bottom-heavy metal groove as part of a multi-band build-up to Michael Graves' set. I say "bottom heavy" because the guitar was so loud, it wasn't put through...

Water Street Musical Hall has announced two upcoming spring shows:
AMERICANA: Ha Ha Tonka w/Nick Field Band Tuesday, March 2, 7 p.m. $8-$10. 800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com.
SINGER/SONGWRITER: Walter Trout Thursday, April 15, 8 p.m. $15-$20....

Prog-rock giant Jethro Tull will play Blue Cross Arena Thursday, June 17, with special guest Procol Harum. Tickets for the show go on sale Saturday, February 12, at noon through Ticketmaster (800-745-3000).

The Montage Music Hall (50 N Chestnut St) announced several upcoming shows this week:
ROCK: Michael Graves' The Misfits 2010 with Bitter Flesh Thing, Deviant Saturday, Feburary 20, 8 p.m. 16+ show. $10 advance.
ROCK: Flaw with Saturate, Caustic...

It wasn't a huge crowd, but I was still impressed with the hundred or so who braved the outdoor suction to catch the Cheetah Whores with Velvet Elvis at The Club at Water Street Wednesday night. "I'm here to support the Whores," I overheard a...

"Meet me by the edge of this moment, you bring stillness, I'll bring movement. Meet me by the edge of right now, you bring silence and I'll bring sound."
Heather Maloney's lyrics are enough to stop you dead. Poetic and powerful, Maloney's...

The German House announced a slew of big-deal concerts coming to Rochester this spring and summer, such as:
ROCK: New Riders of the Puprle Sage plays Thursday, March 11, 8 p.m. showtime, $20-$25 tickets.
JAZZ/BLUES: The Taj Mahal Trio plays...

I saw State Radio years ago at Milestones, playing to a modest crowd that dug the band without having too much background, exposure, or access to the lyrics. Now on its "Lefty Rides Again" tour, the Sherborn, Massachusetts, trio has road...

Some big shows coming to Rochester in the coming months:
METAL: Breaking Benjamin w/Chevelle, Red, and Thousand Foot Krutch will play Monday, March 15, at Main Street Armory, 900 E Main St. 7 p.m. $35-$38. For iformation call 244-5044, or...

Some of you probably expect me pan "Rain," as I'm not one to champion tributes and covers. However the show Friday night at the Auditorium was incredible --- not just in the dead-on mimicry, but in the way it presented The Beatles' beginning,...

Modern-rock band Daughtry will close out the second leg of its current US tour with a Saturday, June 19, show at Blue Cross Arena (1 War Memorial Square). Also on the bill will be Lifehouse and Cavo. Tickets for the show (cost TBA) will go on...

How do you jam without staying at the party too long, or getting the jam all over you? You follow Pia Mater's lead. I've heard these cats in acoustic situations more than I've heard them plugged in, so I know the tunes at their barest. When a...

The Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival has announced two more headliners for the 2010 edition: R&B legend Gladys Knight and experimental jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock.
Knight will perform opening night, Friday, June 11,...

They were generating a mushroom cloud of steam heat last night at the Bug Jar for what was supposed to be the UV Rays' last hurrah. Singer, leader, co-conspirator Kevin Wilcox is moving to Las Vegas with his lovey-dovey this week to work with...

I often wonder what road Elvis would have gone had he not checked out on the throne back in 1977. Would he have taken up permanent residence in Las Vegas? Would he have been mentioned in the same breath as Englebert and Jones? I can practically...