Back for its eleventh year, the annual Rochester Fringe Festival returns with more than 500 performances and events from September 13 to 24, 2022. The multi-genre, 12-day festival spans over 30 venues and offers music, comedy, dance, kids’ fringe, spoken word, film, and more scattered around the heart of Rochester.
This year’s Rochester Fringe Festival boasts some incredible acts to bring all your entertainment needs. On Friday and Saturday, Sept. 16 and 17, acrobats The Flying Españas will perform daring stunts set to live music from NYC band Mountain Girl. Also during that weekend, all the way from France, artist Juhyung Lee will premiere an immersive art collective experience.
Other headliners include the vertical performers BANDALOOP on Sept. 23 and 24, who will use technology to dance along the side of the 21-story Five Star Plaza building as crowds can watch from Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. Fringe Street Beat will also be making an appearance on Sept. 24 at this year’s festival, with an all-styles of dance and break dancing competition. Additional headliners will be announced in the coming weeks.
Photo credit: Erich Camping for Spiegeltent and BANDALOOP; provided photo for Cirque
A new variety show called “Cirque du Fringe: Afterglow” will also premiere for 13 shows with an all-new cast. Matt Morgan and Heidi Brucker Morgan will star in their first return to Fringe since 2019 with an energetic and captivating performance.
Additionally, the annual hugely popular Silent Disco returns to the Spiegeltent for four late weekend nights. The festival introduced the disco back in 2013, and ever since it has been in high demand.
More Fringe favorite events return this year, including Kids Day, Gospel Sunday, Pedestrian Drive-In, and more. The Spiegelgarden will also host the Theatre Bar, food trucks, games, and more entertainment options.
Photo credit: Erich Camping for Spiegeltent and BANDALOOP; provided photo for Cirque
After debuting in 2012, the Fringe festival has grown to become the largest multi-disciplinary festival in NY, and strives to offer a space for artists to showcase talents and for audiences to enjoy them.
Over 125 of the 500+ shows are free, and tickets for the highly-anticipated festival are on sale now. More information, tickets, and additional lists of events can be found on the festival’s website.
Infected Rain is on a month-long US Tour in support of the band’s latest album, Ecdysis and performed at The Montage Music Hall in Rochester on Friday, May 20. With the band being from Moldova, an eastern European country that borders Ukraine and Romania, it is a rare treat to see them in the United States.
The Montage had a good turnout for what ended up being just Infected Rain and supporting act, Gone In April. Three local bands were scheduled to perform, but due to unforeseen circumstances all of these acts dropped off. This made for what turned out to be an intimate, but in your face metal show that fans will surely remember.
Taking the stage at 8:30pm, Infected Rain made their entrance to an energized audience that greeted them with applause and cheers. The band went right into full throttle mode with their hit “Pendulum” and while a smaller crowd, the band performed as if they were playing in front of thousands of people. The energy Lena Scissorhands puts off as she is screaming, and singing is captivating. You can tell she actually really enjoys performing with the constant engagement with the audience and smiled after hearing applause from each song they finish.
I have been waiting awhile to finally see Infected Rain, and it was exciting to see them in a small intimate setting with not an overly crowded venue to really be able to appreciate the performance. It’s honestly one of my favorite things about The Montage, and I have seen several of my favorite artists perform there before they have really blown up in popularity.
Infected Rain put on a fantastic 12 song set which included in my opinion, their best songs they could have chosen. Just about all of their songs are heavy hitting, in your face, make you want to mosh kind of feeling and the only disappointing thing about their set was that it was only 12 songs. This is definitely a band worth seeing, they are fun, energetic, and passionate when they play. Lena Scissorhands is a fantastic frontwoman that definitely gives off Tatiana from Jinjer vibes, and I mean that in the best way possible. Hopefully someday we can get a Jinjer, Infected Rain tour that comes to the US.
Setlist: Pendulum > Mold > Black Gold > Longing > The Earth Mantra > The Realm of Chaos > Postmortem Pt. 1 > Passerby > Fighter > Orphan Soul > Fool the Gravity > Sweet, Sweet Lies
On Sunday May 1st, Beartooth brought their Dark Below tour to Main Street Armory in Rochester and they came with an incredible lineup. Upon arriving at the venue, a long long line of attendees were waiting to get in as this was definitely a show not to miss. If you were looking for Beartooth merchandise, the line was as long as the one outside.
Erra, who hails from Alabama, started off the night right with lots of energy to get the crow moving.
ERRA
After Erra, The Devils Wear Prada, a metalcore band from Ohio, took the stage next, who is probably the heaviest band on the tour.
The Devil Wears Prada
Then followed up by them was Silverstein, who came from just across the border in Canada. They have played many shows, recently in Albany and will be back on tour in September.
Silverstein
As the night couldn’t get any crazier, to finally take the stage, Beartooth. During setup, a white curtain concealed as stage hands worked to prep everything and when the band took the stage, after 20 seconds or so, the whole thing dropped and a roar came from the crowd. They played a good chunk of songs from their newest album Below but of course played many of their older hits like Body Bag which seemed to be a crowd favorite. Later this summer they The Ghost Inside, and Bad Omens support A Day To Remember on the Just Some Shows tour.
On March 30th, Attack Attack! brought the East Coast Scuttle to Montage Music Hall in Rochester and what a performance it was. It had everything from mosh pits, to crowd surfers and crab fingers. Although the venue wasn’t sold-out, it was hard to tell on this Wednesday evening as a sea of fans could be seen while entering the venue’s main entrance.
The night began with local act, Armor Alive. While the lightest out of all the bands with their rock sound, they were still was able to pump-up the crowd.
Next up was Across The White Water Tower, who are another local but are part of the tour. They brought a mix of rap and metalcore on top of their high energy stage performance.
Until I Wake followed, who also hail from the state. The Buffalo natives performed with a heavy metalcore influence
Conquer Divide were the penultimate performers. The group, which is made up of 5 very talented women” were the reason for many of the fans in attendance.
With the first 4 performers, the crowd was delivered wild night of raging and uproar and that was before the headliners made their way to the stage. Attack Attack!, who are known for their crab stance as they perform and their unique song titles, rocked the stage. Bringing full-circle a night for the ages at Montage Music Hall.
If you didn’t catch them on this tour, don’t worry, a little birdie said that they may be back in the fall with a new lineup.
Heading into nearly 35 years as The Australian Pink Floyd Show, the band returns with a new live show with the “All That’s To Come” Tour with 50-dates in North America and will stop in New York on September 16th in Brooklyn at Kings Theatre and September 21st at Kodak Center in Rochester.
The Australian Pink Floyd Show is the first Pink Floyd tribute show that brought their music to life in a worldwide platform. The band is viewed as more than just a tribute band due to three decade run with their note to note perfection and extraordinary audiences.
The 10-member band has performed in over 35 countries and has sold over 4 million tickets worldwide since the creation of The Australian Pink Floyd Show in 1988. The band has taken the stage with Rick Wright, performed at David Gilmour’s 50th birthday and interviewed with BBC radio.
One of the most revered and well-reviewed tribute bands in the game brought a powerful performance…With haunting performances of ‘Welcome to the Machine’ and ‘Time,’ the Australian Pink Floyd had the crowd in a dreamlike state of ecstasy.
Rolling Stone
The Australian Pink Floyd Show lineup for the tour consist of Jason Sawford (keyboards), Dave Fowler (guitar, vocals), Steve Mac (guitar, vocals), Paul Bonney (drums), Ricky Howard (bass, vocals), Chris Barnes (vocals), Mike Kidson (saxophone), Lorelei McBroom (backing vocals), Lara Smiles (backing vocals), Emily Lynn (backing vocals).
Tickets for most shows are on sale now; visit https://www.aussiefloyd.comfor ticketing information and more details.
ALL THAT’S TO COME 2022 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
Thursday, August 4: Thousand Oaks, CA @ Fred Kavli Theatre
Friday, August 5: San Diego, CA @ Humphreys Concerts By The Bay
Saturday, August 6: Costa Mesa, CA @ Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Sunday, August 7: Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre
Tuesday, August 9: Santa Rosa, CA @ Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
Thursday, August 11: San Francisco, CA @ Orpheum Theatre
Friday, August 12: Lincoln, CA @ Thunder Valley Casino
Sunday, August 14: Airway Heights, WA @ Northern Quest Casino
Tuesday, August 16: Bellingham, WA @ Mt. Baker Theatre
Wednesday, August 17: Woodinville, WA @ Chateau Ste. Michelle
Friday, August 19: Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
Saturday, August 20: Las Vegas, NV @ The Smith Center
Sunday, August 21: Chandler, AZ @ Chandler Center for the Arts
Tuesday, August 23: Denver, CO @ Arvada #
Thursday, August 25: Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion ^
Saturday, August 27: Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Sunday, August 28: Dallas, TX @ Music Hall at Fair Park
Thursday, September 1: Kettering, OH @ Fraze Pavilion
Friday, September 2: Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
Saturday, September 3: Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
Sunday, September 4: Fort Lauderdale, FL @ AuRene Theater at Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Monday, September 5: Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
Wednesday, September 7: Highland Park, IL @ Ravinia ~
Thursday, September 8: Minneapolis, MN @ Mystic Lake Casino Showroom
Friday, September 9: New Buffalo, MI @ Four Winds Casino
Saturday, September 10: St. Louis, MO @ The Factory
Sunday, September 11: Milwaukee, WI @ The Riverside Theater
Monday, September 12: Grand Rapids, MI @ Meijer Gardens +
Wednesday, September 14: North Bethesda, MD @ Strathmore
Thursday, September 15: Youngstown, OH @ Covelli Centre
Friday, September 16: Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
Saturday, September 17: New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl
Sunday, September 18: Red Bank, NJ @ Count Basie Center
Wednesday, September 21: Rochester, NY @ Kodak Center
Thursday, September 22: Boston, MA @ Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion
Friday, September 23: Lancaster, PA @ American Music Theatre
Saturday, September 24: Bensalem, PA @ Parx Casino
Sunday, September 25: Wilkes-Barre, PA @ F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
Tuesday, September 27: Kitchener, ON @ Centre in the Square ^
Thursday, September 29: Windsor, ON @ Casino Windsor #
Friday, September 30: Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
Saturday, October 1: Laval, QC @ Place Bell
Sunday, October 2: Trois- Rivières, QC @ Amphithéâtre Cogeco
Tuesday, October 4: Halifax, NS @ Scotiabank Centre
Thursday, October 6: Alma, QC @ Centre Multisport
Friday, October 7: Quebec City, QC @ Centre Videotron
Saturday, October 8: Riviere-du-Loup, QC @ Centre Premier Tech Arena
Sunday, October 9: Sherbrooke, QC @ Maurice O’Bready
In anticipation of their debut EP, Broken Dance, set to release on May 6th, Gooseberry has dropped the titular track of their forthcoming project. The Brooklyn band, consisting of Asa Daniels, Evin Rossington, Sam Rappaport, and Will Hammond, is slowly building an underground following.
Recently, the band placed in the Final Four in NYSMusic’s March Madness 2022 bracket, and their newest release continues to highlight their talent.
Gooseberry
Gooseberry’s music is a magnificent blend of soulful R&B and indie-pop. Their newest release continues to showcase this amalgamation. The titularly titled track, “Broken Dance,” features a happy yet inquisitive piano roll. Accompanied by a melancholic violin and intimate lyricism, the track wonderfully captures the antonymic feelings of intimacy and loss.
The four-piece talent will also be touring the American Northeast. In New York, they will return to the Bowery Electric on April 14th and to Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory on May 21st. Additionally, the band will also pass through the Finger Lakes region and will play at Grist Iron Brewing on June 11th.
TOUR DATES
04/13 – O’Brien’s – Boston, MA
04/14 – Bowery Electric – New York, NY
04/16 – Transparent Clinch Gallery – Asbury Park, NJ
05/21 – Knitting Factory – Brooklyn, NY
06/11 – Grist Iron Brewing – Burdett, NY
Gooseberry is set to have an exceptional 2022, for more information on the band and to pre-order Broken Dance, visit gooseberryband.com.
Marco Benevento has announced a brand new full-length studio album, Benevento, which drops June 10th via Royal Potato Family. Accompanying this exciting news, Benevento’s newest single, “Marco & Mimo,” is available for streaming now.
Additionally, Benevento has announced that they will be touring this April and June with a stop at Abilene Bar and Lounge in Rochester.
“Marco & Mimo,” the first single from the album, contains three songs. On it, Benevento blends groovy funk bounce with psychedelia, creating a beautiful blend of these two formative 80s genres. The vocals on the tracks further transport you into this window of time Benevento creates, transporting the listener back forty years. The single reeks of personality only Benevento can create and his talent shines through. My personal favorite, Winter Rose, has snappy instrumentation, mind-bending keys, and entrancing vocals that make for a magnificent listen.
The entire album was recorded in Woodstock at Fred Short Studios during the pandemic, and the sounds emitted from Marco & Mimo pay homage to Woodstock’s iconic psychedelic culture and history.
In addition to his new album, Marco Benevento has also announced a list of upcoming shows:
4/7 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
4/8 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
4/9 – Fairfield, CT – Stage One
6/22 – Rochester, NY – Abilene
6/23 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird
6/24 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
6/26 – Rothbury, MI – Electric Forest Festival
7/1 – Scranton, PA – Peach Music Festival
7/3 – Quincy, CA – High Sierra Music Festival
9/3 – Portland, ME – Ghostland Festival
Tickets and limited edition bubblegum pink and classic black 180-gram vinyl are available at marcobenevento.com.
On February 26th, Cannibal Corpse stopped by to a sold out show at Anthology in Rochester and accompanied with a pretty heavy line up by White Chapel, Revocation, and Shadow Of Intent. Upon entering the venue, you can tell right off the bat it was going to be a packed house with the main floor area already full and lines at the mercy tables. The show started off with Shadow Of Intent who reigned from Connecticut and wasted no time getting the crowd moving and you can feel the energy throughout.
Cannibal Corpse
Next up to kick off the wild night was Revocation, who was formed in Massachusetts. Revocation was a fun band to watch as front man David Davidson, who is the lead vocalist and guitarist.
White Chapel
After them, we had the heavy hitters, White Chapel who are well known for their American deathcore music. When they took the stage, things got a bit foggy and rowdy as some decided it was time to give the security staff a workout.
Looking back into the crowd, all you can see is a sea of metal lovers waiting for the main reason why we all came out tonight. Cannibal Corpse, who is no stranger to the area as they were formed in Buffalo back in 1988. As soon as the band kicked off their set, crowd surfers were in full force, making some of the photographers duck for cover as the security staff was busy catching them. Watching them perform was a delight, as they really showed why they are part of some of the most iconic death metal bands around. With their tour in full swing still, surely it won’t be long before Cannibal Corpse comes back with another killer show that would most definitely sell out again.
