Homegrown punk goodness

I have admittedly been missing out on few recent great shows, and since I'm leaving Rochester soon (details to come), I frantically realized that I wanted some delicious hometown music before I check out.

Thankfully, the BugJar is my savior, and is hosting a sweet group of bands this Sunday. For less than $10 you can stop by, enjoy the people watching, and vibe to some dirty, DIY, Roc music–some indie, some punk, some....et cetera.

Doors at 8, music at 9, including Bad Kids, Torus, Sexy Neighbors (Brooklyn), and Goons.

Saturday night in the ROC

What do you get when you add one part Hot Rod Circuit, one part Taking Back Sunday, one part Coheed and Cambria and a heaping spoonful of some fantastic, dance-along ska/punk? A solid night at Water Street.

Saturday night in the ROC, we welcome ska all stars Streetlight Manifesto on their Ship of Fools Tour featuring opener and pop-rock conglomerate Terrible Things to the stage at Water Street. I saw Streetlight back in 2009 on Warped Tour, and they were a personal favorite with their horn section and enthusiastic beats. Anyone who can get hundreds of exhausted, sweaty Warped Tour-goers to smile in the middle of the day and dance along earns a special spot in my heart.

It's guaranteed to be a night of fantastic music, ranging from punk to pop. Doors at 6:30, tickets are $20 at the door.

All My Best Friends Are Metalheads

With Bayside and Terrible Things come and gone-and me still pissed I had to miss them- it's time to get geared up for the next great show to come to the ROC. It's almost time for one of the more prolific 90s-2000s pop-punk-ska band to light up Rochester with their confetti guns and horn section.

Last time Less Than Jake came to town I was lucky enough to catch their acoustic set at the HOG and snag an autograph from Chris Damakes. This time, I'll be less of a stalker, and more of a devoted fan from the pit at Water Street on January 31st. Tickets are $16, $20 at the door. Featuring Supervillians, Off With Their Heads and more.

Snowbirds and Townies

When I first heard that Hit the Lights was coming through the ROC, I knew that their show would be the highlight of the winter. With Rochester natives Nate VanDame and Kevin Mahoney on stage, it was bound to be an awesome homecoming show.


And then, the openers were announced.


One after another the supporting acts were announced and the list reads like a who's who of awesome hometown acts, across the genre spectrum of rock, punk, indie and pop punk: Preemptive Strike, A Summer Scene, Joywave, Avenue You, Such Gold.

Needless to say, I will be camped out at Water Street all night to catch them all. And you should too, as this is the best lineup of Roc-local bands we've seen in a while. Thursday night, doors at 6:30.

Local music this weekend

There is a sweet handful of local music playing this weekend, spanning ska, punk, pop-punk and rock. Be sure to check out the following shows and support your local scene tonight and tomorrow:

Friday
Syracuse natives, Honor Bright, are opening for Alesana at Waterstreet. Doors at 6, $15 tickets, ages 16+ without a guardian.

Even Jeff Spevak, who I consider a total fogie when it comes to local music reviews knows what's up with this show: 5Head Reunion Show featuring The Beaumonts. Expect awesomeness from this ska show with their indie openers. Both, that's right both, are diamonds in the rough of Rochester's local scene. Doors at 8, $15 tickets, ages 16+ without a guardian.

Saturday
Arguably the best show this winter to commute for, the AP Tour is coming just outside of Buffalo. We're excited for Bring Me The Horizon, but the showstopper is always Rochester/Syracuse's own sons, Polar Bear Club. Doors at 6, $17 tickets.

Please Don’t Hang Out In Front Of The House

Ever cram into someone's house (or equally intimate venue) for a show and it rocked your face off? The close-quarters, shitty acoustics and racing-heart emotion that happens in someone's basement or garage is hard to replicate.

If this is your idea of a solid Saturday night, check out the first volume of Please Don’t Hang Out In Front Of The House featuring tracks from some freakin-sweet artists playing songs about playing house parties. Very introspective, eh?

Notable acts include Attica! Attica!, Mayflower, The Sweet Revenge, and Roch's own Sakes Alive!!, featuring Hit the Lights guitarist, Kevin Mahoney.

Follow the link below to download and enjoy:

Volume 1 download

Happy Birthday to ME!

I am a Sagittarius- optimistic, a little crazy, super loyal and a bit mouthy. This year, as I approach a milestone birthday near the end of the month, I was looking for a way to celebrate that's as loud and boisterous as myself and fellow Sagittarii can be. The answer? Rochester's Skanksgiving.

If you've read this blog for a few posts you'd see that deep down, ska is the soundtrack of my life. My heartbeat is a horn section. Which is why I'm so obsessed with Rochester's ska/punk scene. (And why I nearly pounced on Chris Vandeviver when he worked some horns into a new Sakes Alive!! track)

So, without further ado, here is the list of acts for Skanksgiving, an all-day ska show at Dubland Underground on the 27th and unofficial way to celebrate another year of my fantastic being. Doors at 1:30, show at 2:00:

2:00-2:25 Condition Oakland (Ashland PA folk punk)
2:30-2:55 Radioactive Snowshu (Rochester thrash n' ska)
3:05-3:30 Cobrafield (Rochester pop-punk)
3:40-4:05 Free For All (Rochester punk/ska)
4:15-4:40 4point0 (Syracuse ska)
4:50-5:15 The Steakouts (Rochester ska)
5:25-5:50 The Couchtesters (Rochester ska)
6:00-6:25 Two Ton Ska (Rochester ska/rock)
6:35-7:00 Fun with Shot Gun Shells (Rochester punk)
7:10-7:40 Do it with Malice (Buffalo skacore,)
7:50-8:15 Sand Bar (Rochester dub/ska, NYC return show)
8:25-9:00 Mrs Skannotto (Rochester rockin ska/reggae)

This is Halloween

Behind the 4th of July, Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday of year. Sorry, Christmas, New Years, and my impending milestone birthday. Luckily, Rochester is lousy with things to do to celebrate Mischief Night and Halloween. Check some of these out, and support your local musicians and businesses while getting frisky on mysterious, dry ice-infused beverages. And, if you see me downtown (A sinner being pitchforked by my devil roommate) give a shoutout to your favorite Rochester punk-lover.

2010 Zombie Walk and 24-hour Horror Fest at The Little

Halloween Havoc at Montage Music Hall

Halloween Extravaganza at The Bug Jar

Four Superbowls, No Rings

I am watching the Bills right now (currently 13-7, Packers) and stumbled on Such Gold's video for their jam Four Superbowls, No Rings. I now have my new BB's soundtrack:

Check out their new EP while you're at it:

Rage Fest. In seven words or less.

Storm the Bay
Buffalo produces pop beats, beards, hand claps

Sirens and Sailors
Pack the club, SandS is on stage!

Call Me the Patriot
Going deaf from awesome. I'm not sorry.

Young Bloods
Don't worry, boys, your hair looked great.

Endyga
Melodies and harmonies? Other bands, take note.

The Dream Anatomy
Sounds like Ace Ventura joining Cannibal Corpse

Every Last Thursday
Hey, there's a chick up there. Rockin'.

Such Gold
585 hardcore is alive and well, thanks!

Rage Fest 2010

We're 24 hours out from Rage Fest 2010 and this girl couldn't be any more excited. Three weeks ago I thought I couldn't go, this week I snagged a ticket off the boys of Young Bloods, tomorrow over 20 local bands that range from punk to metal are tearing the roof off of Water Street.

Headliners include Such Gold, Every Last Thursday, Sirens and Sailors, Storm the Bay and Mercia. Also keep an eye out for support bands Call Me The Patriot, Soma Slumber, Heavy Lies The Crown, and Red Letter Statement.

Doors at 5 and tickets are $10 in advance. Get down to Water Street early to catch a prime spot as it will be jammed with the 18 and under crowd quickly.

Social D in the ROC

The hallmark band of the American punk scene in the late 80s to 90s, Social Distortion will be playing August 5th at Nola's in Charlotte. Tickets are $30 and doors are at 6pm.

I've got my tickets....

...on the way to me tonight. Did you get yours yet?
Joywave's first show in the ROC since becoming Joywave is this Friday at the German House. Tickets are $10 in advance. Doors at 6m.

East End Fest rockers

Fairport teen rockers, Vanity Strikes, won the Insider/Metromix Battle of the Bands and are playing the 5:45 slot at the Metromix stage tonight, kicking off East End Fest. Come down and support these underage winners by buying a beer and enjoying the scene.

End of April, Time to Rock

If punk music (and derivatives of) were food, then the shows going on tonight are of the guilty pleasure variety...like s'mores and Guinness. There is no better way to celebrate the end of another month and welcome the coming weekend than one of these two shows in both Buffalo and Roc City.

Ska your pants off:
That's what we imagine will happen with how much move-busting there will be going on at Water Street tonight. Mrs. Skannotto & Among Criminals with The Sandwich Crackers, Murphy's Kids, Jack Bandit, Oh Cassandra, and Preemptive Strike at The Club side. Get down there early, because with presale tickets at $10 and $12 at the door, this is going to be a packed event.

Pop punk for the soul:
New Found Glory at Medaille campus in Buffalo. SOLD OUT right from under us, but that's the breaks with one of the most popular pop punk bands-gone-mainstream-awesome. So, a moment of silence as we enjoy their tunes:

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.

Holiday Havoc - Saturday Scrutiny

The much awaited Holiday Havoc IV show at Harro East came and went last Saturday with a lot of anticipation, and a fair return on investment. My partner-in-crime, a former ROC local drummer, and I arrived early, amped up to see the line-up that ranged from pop-rock to metal. Sets flew by (around 20 minutes apiece) and tunes were shredded. All in all, the show was worth the 10 bucks, but could have used a little diversity in the sounds, and a lot of help with the equipment and technical difficulties.

Rock quartet, Avenue You, is always a crowd-pleaser, and didn't let us down. However, the boys were suffering the wrath of a crapped-out amp. Technical difficulties aside, we love their genuine rock foundation and pop-punk roots

Drawing Infinity had a lot of flash, but need to work on the substance behind the scenes. Song Pirates on Parade was a whimsical rock-metal journey. But, their most innovative sound came from their cover of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, which either shows their ability to rock an iconic/ironic oldie, or reveals cracks in their own creativity.

Loved the brand new tune Upstate Confidential with its heavy bass sound. Storm the Bay, was this you? On a related note, bands, set lists change, always enunciate your band name in the mic, eh?

Finally caught up with A Scene Unseen, the veritable wet-dream of the local metal/rock/hardcore scene. We really wanted to love them too, but they came at the end of a block of acts with the same rock-metal sound. But, their potential- mainly in the guitar crescendos- makes us want another shot. Keeping an eye out for their next ROC show.

Just as band after band was lulling us to sleep with their cookie-cutter hardcore, Lights of Autumn blew up a pop bomb and rescued us from monotony. Playing such favorites such as Business Men, we were glad they closed with the most lyrically developed and mature song of their repertoire, Anything.

We tried to bear the rest of the night, catching ATSOC as our last act (Thumbs up, I-town represent with singer, Jake Gissen), but when our only main draw was so my concert companion could see Thom of Young Bloods play, we called it quits.

Cheers to the holidays, and a Happy New Year filled with shows....

Roc Local Holiday Show

Every season in the Roc welcomes concerts that mash the local bands we love into a venue for one night of our enjoyment. This Saturday the 26th brings Holiday Havoc 4 to do just that. The bill is filled with some we've seen before, and some we've been dying to see and slacking on (cough, A Scene Unseen, cough). Be sure to get front and center for these highlights:

-Storm the Bay's power guitars and pit-worthy tunes. Watch out for this girl throwing some 'bows.
-The never-ending girl power and newish lineup of Lights of Autumn (fingers crossed that they play Anything)
-A Thousand Shades of Cold's speed-metal guitars. Aggressive backing + powerful vocals = must see.
-The boys of Avenue You, playing their pop-rock complete with lyrics that will break your heart and make you fall in love in 3 minutes or less.

Presale tickets are suggested, and must be purchased through a band. But, if you need 'em, shoot me a DM @PunkROC on Twitter or an email at Punkrochester@yahoo.com.

Where: Harro East Ballroom, 16+
Time: Doors at 6

King Me

Retro jams are reigning blows down on the ROC this weekend. The Chesterfield Kings, Rochester's own throwback rock band of crazies, is shredding the German House Saturday night. They are a misfit group of musicians that easily have one of the best stage shows this chick has seen. Come on out if you have a genuine appreciation of rock music's past taking shape today.

Location: The German house
Time: 8PM
Cash: $25 at the door or the Bop Shop

Full Metal Set List

Back in August we happened upon metal rockers Call Me The Patriot at Ragefest while dashing back and forth between the sides of Water Street. We were struck by their stage presence, enthusiasm, and powerful vocals. But, they admitted that they were pretty fresh out on the scene, and their set showed it: lots of heart, needed some elbow grease.

Now, after a couple months, a lineup change, and some time in the studio, they're back headlining a night of metal bands from the Rochester area. We're excited to see what CMTP has been up to since the summer, and also for some rock solid openers. Our pre-show favorites are looking like Sky Davis and Heavy Lies the Crown.

When: Friday the 11th
Time: Doors at 6
Damage: $10 presale, $12 at the door