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Choice Concerts
Dale Evans on November 11th, 2009
I wonder if "for a good time call The Hot Seats" is written on every bathroom wall in Richmond, Virginia. It should be, and perhaps we can carry on the tradition up here. A highly entertaining band, with songs about sleepover parties of giggling girls, The Hot Seats is just
Choice Concerts
Dale Evans on November 4th, 2009
At some point, most of us want to run off and join the circus. Not Roy Book Binder. After a few $5 guitar lessons he ran off with his teacher, the Reverend Gary Davis, on a gig to Chicago, and beyond. That's just the kind of story you'll hear when
Choice Concerts
Dale Evans on November 4th, 2009
Walk into any beer joint on a Saturday night and you're sure to find a rock ‘n' roll cover band. They seem to be the mainstay of many palliative pouring places that might otherwise go out of business if it weren't for those weekend riots. What keeps us coming back
Choice Concerts
Dale Evans on October 7th, 2009
Jann Klose could be a poster boy for exchange students. Born in Germany, raised in Africa, Jann Klose then jumped across the pond to Cleveland, Ohio, where he was encouraged by his sponsors to put fingers to both keys and stings. Thankfully, he also opened up his pipes, seasoning them
Choice Concerts
Dale Evans on September 30th, 2009
"My God that was good...Just tremendous." High praise coming from TV late night talk show host David Letterman. And while musical director Paul Shaffer may be a band's man, Letterman is a bit more personally discerning - many times leaving the stage during performances. That he made a point to
Choice Concerts
Dale Evans on September 16th, 2009
A native of Australia, Boyes first hit our shores in 2003, winning the International Blues Challenge. And with Pinetop Perkins' endorsement, comparing her finger picking to Memphis Minnie, she's never stopped running. Described as a "one-woman blues tent revival," Boyes claims your attention like a come-to-Jesus meetin', and there's no
Choice Concerts
Dale Evans on September 16th, 2009
Malcolm's songs are simple and poignant, about maidens, battles, hometowns, pubs, and the sea. Typical Scottish fare. What's not so typical is his voice. Like the call of the sirens, Malcolm's voice will mesmerize you, carrying you along on his lyrical voyages. Even if you can't understand a word through
Choice Concerts
Dale Evans on July 22nd, 2009
America is littered with cover bands. Whether renditions follow the original note-by-note, or are so reinterpreted as to make the model unrecognizable, the versions of the archetype are still surrogate. Greencard - a bunch of limeys torn from the motherland and deposited in these fine parts - began to feel
Choice Concerts
Dale Evans on July 15th, 2009
When you mention the accordion, what usually comes to mind are polkas and Weird Al Yankovic. But the instrument is prevalent in modern music if you dig a little. Musicians like the Counting Crows, Tom Waits, Flogging Molly, and Great Big Sea have all incorporated the squeezebox for its
Choice Concerts
Dale Evans on July 15th, 2009
With a voice as deep as an oil well and just as slick, Dave Donnelly has pumped classic country into the veins of Rochester on and off for more than half a century. His isn't the line-dancing, sparkle, crinoline petticoat, reception hall-sized production that has come to be known as
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Recent Blog Posts
Music Blog
Dale Evans on November 19th, 2009
First, let me come clean. When someone says the words "jam band," I inwardly roll my eyes and insert a finger down throat. Gag me. I have no desire to listen to another half-hour of the same riff over and over again, with a few minor alterations
Entertainment Blog
Dale Evans on November 2nd, 2009
I grew up with Michael Jackson. I pre-teeny-bopped to "ABC," school danced to "Stop, The Love You Save May Be Your Own," and ran the make-out bases to "I'll Be There." I defy anyone to watch old footage of the Jackson 5 and not notice there was something special about
Music Blog
Dale Evans on October 9th, 2009
It's not easy being the foreplay act for a headliner with fans that have been waiting for many, many years. Even harder is walking out on that great big stage with just you and an acoustic guitar. I imagine a lot of thought goes into the set list. Should you
Music Blog
Dale Evans on June 18th, 2009
The Jazz Fest really messes with my sleep schedule. I'm up until at least midnight, and those are the nights I don't hit the nightly jam at the Plaza. And I'm sure I'm not the only one already looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday morning. Some people I've talked
Music Blog
Dale Evans on June 18th, 2009
I slipped into my mackintosh and galoshes and slipped my City umbrella into my bag. That necessitated donning a garment that, once shed for the summer, I don't usually reapply until that white stuff begins to fall: socks. But the sky was crying like the blues and I was out
Music Blog
Dale Evans on June 17th, 2009
It's challenging to listen to jazz. It is almost the thinking person's music. And it's not everyone's cup of tea. Which is why I commend the Jazz Fest for bringing in a smattering of musical acts that appeal to a broader audience. And how it makes every night of the fest
Music Blog
Dale Evans on June 15th, 2009
I wonder if Neil Crowley ever considered being a meteorologist. Christ Church may have been a bit warm and stuffy Sunday, but his music took me on a tour of the atmosphere. He pounded his piano like the rough-and-tumble thunderstorms of the high plains. Then his music swirled like
Music Blog
Dale Evans on June 14th, 2009
I pulled myself away from messin' with The Chief at the Chestnut Street Stage. I had found me a job, and in that moment, my job was to get funky. I rounded the corner to the Jazz Street Stage and what to my wondering eyes should appear? He's ba-ack! Dancing
Music Blog
Dale Evans on June 3rd, 2009
Being a David Byrne fan could easily be a full-time endeavor. He's an artist that has worked in a list of media a lifetime long; really, he's an "artiste" in the most expansive definition of the word. His life is a work of art, his art is a work of
Music Blog
Dale Evans on March 17th, 2009
It was a celebratory crowd that nearly filled Blue Cross Arena for Fleetwood Mac Monday, March 16. And I think most of them had filled their bellies at the Dino prior to the concert. The rib-running-jam was so backed up that the hostess pleaded via loudspeaker for patrons to exit
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Recently Reviewed Movies
Dale Evans on May 29th, 2007
For many Americans, the Memorial Day weekend kicks off the first picnics of the season: picnics that include fresh produce turned into comfort foods like potato and macaroni salads, corn on the cob, and watermelon slices. People fill their carts at grocery stores or stuff bags at the Public Market
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