What fun!

After a lot of work on many people's parts, a lot of donated time and TALENT, and lots of love and vision, the Rochester Music Hall of Fame launched! The party was good. There really were a ton of people there; some I knew, many I didn't. It was great to see all those people enjoying the twelve bands we had assembled for the event. There was so much enthusiasm right from the first moment.

A little recap on the night, though I did not get to hear as much of each of the bands as I'd have liked - the Spencerport High School Jazz Band was really good, and obviously deserving of the awards they've received. John Akers is excellent, it was a shame to have him on so early in the evening before the bigger crowds came. Next time he plays, it will have to be later in the evening. I missed Paradigm Shift totally, but I heard from many that they were smokin'. I caught just a bit of Cross Roads Project. I am not a big country fan, but this was high-energy contemporary country, and the people listening to the them in The Keg seemed to be really enjoying them.

I missed Redline Zydeco, but having seen them before, I can only imagine that The Keg's dance floor was filled. I heard part of one of Small Town's tunes, and they sounded as great as ever. I was able to catch two of Tinted Image's songs, and I really liked them. They are normally a five-piece, but they played a stripped-down trio version last night. They have a real nice sound - the sax was sweet, the guitarist sounded good on both acoustic and electric, and the female vocalist had a lovely, natural voice. I predict big things for this band.

Crescent City Connection, the New Orleans style band, was lots of fun. They followed Senator Joe Robach's announcement of the first slate of 23 nominees for the Rochester Music Hall of Fame. The Mambo Kings were hot, as always. I was too busy to get in to enjoy them, but it looked like the crowd did. Prime Time Funk was, of course, awesome. They never, ever disappoint. The dance floor filled up during their set and people were really into it. The Atlas horn section joined them for Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours), and WOW - very cool. Atlas followed PTF, and they have a really big, high-energy sound that the crowd liked. The dance floor stayed busy. Oh, and I very much wanted Julianne Holiday's black sequined pants! She looked like a rock star. With their very cool and unique sound, the Buddhahood took the stage last, and there were still a lot of people there ready to dance even though it was late by then.

Thanks to these bands, all of our volunteers, photographers (pictures to follow), and the great group of people who came out to enjoy and support this venture, the Rochester Music Hall of Fame is off to an excellent start!!

yours in music,
Tracy