Formed after the death of reggae legend Bob Marley in 1989, The Wailers have kept Marley’s memory alive, starting with the continued work of original members.
Bassist Aston “Family Man” Barrett and Junior Marvin kept the name The Original Wailers before whittling it down to just The Wailers. They still support the album “I.D.” which some consider the best-selling reggae album of all time.
The Wailers featuring Julian Marley, Bob Marley’s son, play Photo City Music Hall, 543 Atlantic Ave., Friday, March 25, 7 p.m. $25.
The Mighty High and Dry
The more you peel back The Mighty High and Dry’s skin, the more confused you become. It’s not the band’s job to explain itself to fans or potential fans. In fact, you could apply this to all bands in the Americana genre. Don’t try to figure it out, don’t reason with it or toss around flowery language that can just confuse the issue. Just sit back and enjoy what’s happening to you, what’s happening to those around you, just sit back and groove. You owe it to yourself. Don’t think too much. It’s only rock ’n’ roll, after all.
It’s been two years since frontman Alan Murphy dropped “American Record” on fans and he kind of owes us a new one. Just sayin’…
The Mighty High and Dry play Three Heads Brewing, 186 Atlantic Avenue, Friday March 25, 8 p.m. $10.
Heard around town
At her performance in Rochester at the Little Theatre, Jill Sobule was nothing but charming, not just as a performer, but also as an acute storyteller. She worked the blue side of the aisle, which was endearing, to say the least. Her voice waxed Betty Boop while her topics were nothing short of charming.
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I already spun out telling you about the Sonny Landreth and Cindy Cashdollar show happening at the JCC, but even my borderline obnoxious hyperbole couldn’t have described what I was in for when I rolled into the theater, the Tim man playing wingman at my side.
Our collective jaw hovered dangerously close to the floor for the duration as the two slide masters hovered close to the sky. It was all a Santo and Johnny steel tease as Landreth stuck to a custom and swung for the fences with a custom Tele for most of the show. Cashdollar had an arsenal of custom lap steels, some so shiny that I could’ve checked my lipstick in the reflection.
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Philly’s Seeds of Perdition completely pummeled and pulverized the Bug Jar stage last weekend, even tighter than when I’d seen them before with their monster-in-the- mouth roar. There was nowhere to hide from the down stroke gloom and thunder.
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I know it’s not fair to play favorites, but the homeboys in the Los Spirits performance once upon a Saturday night at Skylark Lounge put the band further into the upper echelon of local band fandom.
They hit on hooks the walls in the lounge hadn’t seen in a while. Especially when guitarist Ryan Moore broke out the single pickup Silvertone and tore a hole in the ceiling with it. Being at the joint after all this time was fun, fun, fun.
Record review: “A New Kind of Old”
With the title playfully skewed on Erin & Ross’ “A New Kind of Old,” the duo breaks out with the oddball pairing in the arsenal it employs to get its authentically vagabond, lightly, delightful, gypsy sway.
Let’s not beat around the bush here. We’re talking about a duo that sings monumentally while gently playing acoustic guitar and French horn.
It all started like a bomb with a silencer. Abilene’s lowly saloon keeper, Danny Deutsch, breathed heavy into the blower. I was at the other end.
“You got to see this,” he said. “They’ve got something here.”
So, I shagged the short over to Liberty Pole Way to dig the duo swing it with the oddest of tools. It was rooted by two musicians, which wasn’t entirely out of order. But with the way they mixed the French horn with the guitar, which rode the map from a lonesome cowboy’s waltz to a gypsy caravan, it felt like I was in a movie, a really good movie.
Ross Falzone is on guitar and Erin Futterer on the French horn. Both handle vocals and bring the beauty on home equally, majestically. Aaaaaal right!
“A New Kind of Old” is now available on CD at erinandrossmusic.com
Here’s a comprehensive list of live shows in and around Rochester: Get Your Gig On
Frank De Blase is Rochester Beacon music writer. The Beacon welcomes comments from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name.