NYS Music 20​15

Tag: rochester lilac festival

  • Rochester’s 2015 Lilac Festival, Best Ever?

    The 117th annual edition of Rochester’s Lilac Festival was nothing short of a resounding success. Blessed by near perfect weather, a killer musical lineup, and actual flowers in bloom for once – it was a far cry from the past few years that were plagued by rain and unseasonably cold temperatures.

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    The Lilac Festival always has all the typical amenities one would expect in a festival atmosphere – beer tents, kid activities, face painting, fake tatts, deep fried freaking everything, and of course, the ubiquitous barricaded off 100 person deep line for kettle corn. Seriously, do they sprinkle crack on that stuff or what?

    However, what makes Lilac Fest truly special are the little extras. The giant food tent filled with local vendors offering everything from “Bacon Bomb” sandwiches to Rochester’s own heartburn special – The Garbage Plate. The brand new “big top” tent that offered a string of activities throughout the week including a wine and chocolate tasting and a brew fest. The weekend based arts and crafts exhibit that moved a block over to Reservoir Drive this year – a great idea that truly helped the traffic patterns. And of course, lots of lilacs!

    This years music lineup, brought to you by the Springut Group, had a little bit of everything from country to reggae to bluegrass to good old shreddy rock and roll. Monday brought in a (too) rare appearance from Pennsylvania’s Dr Dog. Wednesday’s headliner, Blues Traveler, seemingly had the biggest crowd in Lilac Fest history with a virtual sea of people watching harmonica master Jon Popper giving them the “Run Around.”

    Friday brought Austin’s Mingo Fishtrap back to town for their third visit in the past year. The last day featured one of Rochester’s hottest up and coming bands – Danielle Ponder & The Tomorrow People. Like a musical super hero, Danielle is a lawyer by day and a stunning soul singer by night. Surrounding herself with some of the areas best musicians, The Tomorrow People are started to grab some huge crowds and will continue to grow.

    Sunday’s festival closer, Ana Popavic, seemed to be unknown to most I spoke to that day, but will now be implanted in their brains as the sexy lady in the red dress who also happens to be a female master of the blues. This girl simply melted every face on the lawn ending a close to perfect week with mouths agape.

    Props to this years organizers and all who put together such an amazing free time for the good people of Rochester. NYSMusic will be back next year – check out several photo galleries from the week below.

    Adam Ezra, Dr Dog and Lilacs

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    Davina and the Vagabonds, Blues Traveler

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    Mingo Fishtrap

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    Danielle Ponder & The Tomorrow People, Ana Popavic

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  • Pokey LaFarge Stops and Smells the Lilacs

    The first Rochester Lilac Festival dates back to 1898. It added musical entertainment just a few years later in 1901. Over a century later, in 2015, Pokey LaFarge would grace the Lilac Festival stage playing music that harkened back to the festival’s humble beginnings. While his music does pull from many early music influences like Western swing, ragtime, old-time country and jazz, it manages to rise above a simple throwback. Still, Pokey LaFarge was bringing the festival way back. And he was doing it playing his new and original music, leaning heavily on material off his latest release, Something In the Water.

    Everything about LaFarge fits into the persona of the music. His name, his hometown of St. Louis, the way he carries himself, his incredible voice and the company he keeps. His band, with Adam Hoskins on guitar, Ryan Koenig on harmonica, banjo and percussion, Joey Glynn on upright bass, Chloe Feoranzo on clarinet and saxophone, TJ Muller on trumpet and banjo, and Matthew Meyer on drums, kicked the set off with a jazzy intro for their time-shifting leader to waltz out to. LaFarge amassed the perfect outfit to suit his musical vision. Not only in the instrumentation, but the players he has chosen match and enhance the old-time nature of the music both in their playing and persona.

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    Musically, the band was able to adjust to the needs of every tune, giving each one it’s own individual character. Even in reaching its goal of sounding old, it came across quite fresh. The band contracted and expanded, forming different configurations. When Meyer took a break from the drums, it left the audience to fill in with a dance of claps and stomps on LaFarge’s instruction. The horn players each had a turn on the bench as well. A trumpet or harmonica could be swapped for a banjo or percussion. And they all chipped in with their voices, each taking at least one turn on harmonies. Of particular note was a duet with Chloe Feoranzo on “Let’s Get Lost” off of LaFarge’s self-titled album.

    The festival was blessed with an unusually hot opening weekend, prompting LaFarge to declare, “Let’s forget spring and skip straight to summer,” before kicking into “City Summer Blues” featuring Adam Hoskins on slide guitar. “Wanna Be Your Man” got TJ Muller up front and center with some nifty trumpet work. They closed out the set with a cover, a rousing rendition of Bob Willis’ “What’s the Matter with the Mill” that gave every member of the band a chance to shine on a solo and the crowd one last chance to dance in the grass under the hot sun.

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    The crowd had steadily grown throughout the set, as passersby from the festival grounds were drawn in to the sweet sounds of old-time jazz and country. The music might even have transported some from a Lilac Festival past. I could have sworn I saw some flappers out there…

  • Rochester Lilac Festival 2015 Lineup

    Every year thousands upon thousands of people flood Highland Park in Rochester to enjoy the annual Lilac Festival 2015. Featuring a full hillside of blooming lilacs and other spring flowers, two weekends of craft vending, and a whole week of the city’s finest high brow and low brow food (Thanks Tahous!) – the biggest draw is ultimately the stellar musical lineup the city offers to music loving denizens for free. And wow – kudos to the organizers as this years lineup is jam-packed with talent.

    Festival producer Jeff Springut of the Springut group on this years festivities:

    “It’s always a delight to plan the musical lineup for the Rochester Lilac Festival, it’s a wide-open canvas, a free stage that goes from 10:30 in the morning until 8:30 in the evening. It’s a pleasure to have this opportunity to bring in some of the best touring musicians in the country.”

    Running the gambit from the 70’s cowboy rock of The Outlaws, the funk-tastic Mingo Fishtrap and Dr Dog to jam favorites Blues Traveler and Rusted Root – this year will leave no music fan unfulfilled.

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    As always local bands get the focus most afternoons with Rochester’s own Thunderbody, Buddhahood, and Extended Family in the mix. The festival runs May 8-17 and admission is free. Check out the full lineup and day by day schedule below.

    2015 Lilac Festival Lineup

    5/8 Outlaws, Tommy Brunett, The Blind Owls
    5/9 Zac Brown Tribute Band, Pokey LaFarge, Guthrie Brown and the Family Tree, The Blind Owls
    5/10 The Psychedelic Furs, The Blind Owls, Deborah Magone, Kat Wright and the Indomitable Soul Band
    5/11 Dr. Dog, Adam Ezra Group, Extended Family
    5/12 Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, Cracker, Buddhahood
    5/13 Blues Traveler, Davina and the Vagabonds
    5/14 Rusted Root, Nobel Vibes
    5/15 Mingo Fishtrap, Thunder Body
    5/16 Charlie Musselwhite, Joe Beard
    5/17 Ana Popovic, Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People, The Prickers, The Blind Spots, The Blind Owl Band

    Detailed Day by Day Schedule – Sahlen’s Stage

    Friday, May 8

    10:30 am Cosgrove 7th Grade Chorus
    11:30 am Passion For Purple Event
    12:30 pm TBA
    1:00 pm TBA
    4:00 pm The Blind Owls
    5:30 pm Tommy Brunett
    7:00 pm The Outlaws

    Saturday, May 9

    12:30 pm Cool Club with the Lipker Sisters
    1:30 pm Natalie B
    2:30 pm The Blind Owls
    4:00 pm Guthrie Brown and the Family Tree
    5:30 pm Pokey LaFarge
    7:00 pm ZBTB: Zac Brown Tribute Band

    Sunday, May 10

    10:30 am Fred Vine
    11:30 am Fat City
    12:30 pm Anonymous Willpower
    2:30 pm Kat Wright & The Indomitable Soul Band
    4:00 pm Deborah Magone
    5:30 pm The Blind Owls
    7:00 pm The Psychedelic Furs

    Monday, May 11

    10:30 am Webster Montessori School Chorus
    11:00 am Gates Chili Middle School Jazz Band
    12:00 pm Bishop Kearney High School: Murder of Crows
    1:00 pm Twelve Corners Middle School Jazz Band
    4:00 pm Extended Family
    5:30 pm Adam Ezra Group
    7:00pm Dr. Dog

    Tuesday, May 12

    10:30 am St. Joseph’s Elementary School Band
    11:00 am Holley Elementary Chorus & Band
    12:00 pm School 22
    1:00 pm Leroy Central School District Bands
    4:00 pm The Buddhahood
    5:30 pm Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds
    7:00 pm Cracker

    Wednesday, May 13

    10:30 am Paul Road Elementary School Band
    11:00 am Richard Mann Elementary 5th Grade Band
    12:00 pm NRCS Select Choir and Wind Ensemble
    1:00 pm Twelve Corners Middle School Jazz Band & Select Choir
    4:00 pm TBA
    5:30 pm Davina and the Vagabonds
    7:00 pm Blues Traveler

    Thursday, May 14

    10:30 am Pal-Mac Select Ensembles
    11:30 am Indian Landing Singers
    12:15 pm School #19
    1:00 pm Northstar Christian Academy
    4:00 pm Noble Vibes
    5:30 pm TBA
    7:00 pm Rusted Root

    Friday, May 15

    10:30am – 3:00pm Rochester City School District “Bloomin Arts”
    4:00pm Sirsy
    5:30pm Thunder Body
    7:00pm Mingo Fishtrap

    Saturday, May 16

    10:30 am Clayton Band & Choir
    11:30 am Big Mike & The Motivators
    12:30 pm TBA
    2:00 pm Shine
    3:30 pm Prime Time Funk
    5:00 pm Joe Beard
    7:00 pm Charlie Musselwhite

    Sunday, May 17

    11:30 am TBA
    12:30 pm The Blind Owl Band
    2:30 pm The Blind Spots
    4:00 pm The Prickers
    5:30 pm Danielle Ponder & The Tomorrow People
    7:00 pm Ana Popovic