Skate or DIE!

Regardless of what our own individual music/lifestyle preferences are, alterna-kids always have to stick together and represent. And what is often a common thread across the board? Skating.

Support a truly positive endeavor for the great city of Rochester this Wednesday as locals come together to help build a skate park in the ROC. This project is grassroots, and grassroots = DIY. And, we all know how this girl feels about doing it yourself.

Awesome locals sponsoring the event involved include:
Krudco (the only place I buy my boards from...)
One Mind Design
KKBB Apparel (wicked gear)
Vanity Strikes

Come down and check out raffles for some pretty sweet prizes, as well as skater-themed drinks all night (I'm all over a couple of "nose grinds"). Cost: $10 over 18, $5 over 21.

March Madness Final Four

My bracket is busted. Yours probably is too, especially if you leaned on the Big East early. Let's all take out our frustration by rocking out at four badass shows at the end of this month:

Friday 3/26-
Krypton 88 at Monty's Crown. Straight up, bitchin' rockabilly music, fused with a little rock and bluegrass. Winner of the Final Four's economy award at $3 to get in, this is the chance to dance off the rage of losing your bracket pool. Starts at 10 pm.

If the jazzy sounds of rockabilly are not your thing, and you would rather thrash out than dance out your March Madness rage, come to The California Brew Haus for hardcore/death metal band Str8jacket. Show is at 9 pm and bring your closed-toe shoes and ear plugs.

Saturday 3/27-
A cool mix of punk, hardcore, pop punk, electronic and alternative bands showing at Montage for Spring Meltdown 2010. Rochester favorites A Scene Unseen will be headlining the 8+ act show, and we're excited to see pop punkers What It's Worth. $10 will get you in, doors at 6 pm.

Local metal and hardcore enthusiasts should come out to welcome Storm the Bay's new album, By All Means, to Waterstreet this weekend. With a line-up of excellent openers, this is another chance to rock your March Madness woes away. Come check out our recommended Call Me the Patriot and Heavy Lies the Crown at 5pm for $12 day of, $10 presale from the bands.

March Madness Continues...

Get ready for back-to-back marathon music, spanning indie, hardcore and ska, in 24 hours or less. Gas up your car, because we're racing back and forth between Buffalo and the ROC to appreciate some of these shows:

Thursday the 18th:

Rochester- Perfect to bring your girl to, indie rock headliners Sherwood bringing in Orchard Drive, Lyrics to Life, and Reece. Tickets are $14 at Ticketmaster outlets and doors are at 6, show at 6:30.

Buffalo- Punk rock veterans H2O are blowing the doors off Mohawk Place with The Swellers. Also check out openers The Mongoloids and Buffalo's own Chosen Ones. Tickets will set you back $15.

Friday the 19th:

Rochester- Be a do-gooder while getting your skank on. Mrs. Skannotto is playing a Haiti Benefit show at Dubland Underground. Price is undetermined, but who the hell cares because it's for a great cause. Show is at 6pm.

The Green Album

If I could compile some of my favorite Celtic tunes and St. Patrick's beats, I would call the following tracks my Green Album:

F– You, You're Irish, Hub City Stompers
Pints of Guinness Make You Strong, Against Me!
The Dirty Glass, Dropkick Murphys
Goodnight Irene, The Pogues

#FollowFriday

Twitter's #FollowFriday– ROC Bands you should get to know on a personal basis because they kick ass:

March Madness Starts Here

Winter is dying down, Roc city punks, and it's time to start creeping out of hibernation, shaking off those cobwebs, and getting ready for the concert season to arrive.  We think there's no better way to kick off our own version of March Madness by packing the upcoming weekend with local music.  Clear your schedule all weekend long, because you don't want to miss a minute of these recession-friendly shows. 

Friday the 5th
If your preferences tend to aim more towards reggae, ska and dub, get down to Dubland Underground for an extremely eclectic mix of sounds.  Look forward to a chill Friday night with bands including Two Ton Ska, Reviving Ivory, and headliner Jatas.  Tickets will only set you back the price of a beer.

Saturday the 6th
It's déjà vu all over again if you were at the German House over Thanksgiving vacation.  But, if you are a fan of down-home Rochester kids making sweet, sweet rock music and the sound of screaming 15-year-old girls, this is your show.  Headliners The Sunstreak welcome back Mochester, Avenue You, and This AM Static as openers.  Tickets are $10 through Ticketmaster, or the respective bands.

Sunday the 7th
This is the show I'm most looking forward to, if only to take notes on up-and-coming Roc talent: Vanity Strikes, Yesterday's Heroes, Every Last Thursday, Whitecliff Drive, 441 and Oh Cassandra.  $12 at the door for this Battle of the Bands DVD release party at Water Street buys you access to see some hot bands that range from pop punk to metal, some of the members still in high school.

Bring on the freakin' weekend!

Ok Go Crazy

Alternative rockers Ok Go have once again created an absolutely eye-catching music video to herald in their new single This Too Shall Pass. Like the treadmill choreography of Here It Goes Again, the video has the type of imagery that keeps you watching and saying WTF?

The band, with assistance from members of Syyn Labs, used the concept of a Rube Goldberg machine which is hardly innovative. However, theirs is less streamlined and more destructive than ones we've seen in the past, and we love the messy outcome, as well as the indie sound of the song itself. Enjoy:

#MusicMonday

This Twitter #MusicMonday is brought to you with a royal theme. The origin of my first name means "crowned one" (which I like to remind people of ALL the time.) so let's kick off this work week with some music fit for a King (or Queen):

Nightingale, Saves The Day
The Queen and I, Gym Class Heroes
Royal Oil, Mighty Mighty Bosstones
You Were Right, Badly Drawn Boy