Lawnmowers + Redline Zydeco + Tina & the Two-Timers + Small Town = Musical Weekend

A very musical weekend, indeed!

Friday night, I dragged Joe out of Fairport to the world of hellish parking that is downtown Rochester so that we could catch one of my faves, The Lawnmowers, at Abilene. They must be many peoples' faves, because the place was packed. Lots of musicians out to see this band with their special guest, Rudy Valentino. Not the one from the silent films.

The band sounded great, but the venue was a problem. I really like what the owner is trying to make happen at Abilene, but the setup is difficult. I was sitting at the bar watching people rudely walk in front of Russ Roberts to get out to the patio - WHILE HE WAS PLAYING - over and over again, and it made me mad. At least wait until a song ends, people. I couldn't really see much, just Russ being cut in front of, since there was a guy the size a of SubZero refrigerator who chose to stand directly in front of me. Oh well, I could still hear, and what I heard, I enjoyed.

The next night, I was going to a private party at which Redline Zydeco was playing, with a nice surprise of our friend, Dave Cohen, sitting in on drums. A beautiful night, the party host had built a nice little covered bandstand lit with white Christmas lights - it was really beautiful. Everybody loved the band; there were many dancers (even me; thank God it was dark) whooping it up on the lawn. Really fun band, really good sound.

From the party, I popped in to see my friends, Tina & the Two-Timers at The Landing. Tone-god, Dave Charneski, was sounding really good. I especially liked his solo on Waitin' on the World; it was beautiful. Tina's voice is one of my all-time favorites, so I always enjoy listening to her, and her harmonies with Bob Miller were lovely. Bob's slide guitar, $Bill Blind's drumming, and Richie's bass all come together real nice. A fun band, don't miss them the next time they hit The Landing (or anywhere else).

Finally on Sunday afternoon, I got Joe to take me to Schooner's to listen to Small Town. I have to admit, that I did more talking (to Kevin Hart's lovely wife) than I did listening. However, what I heard were dead-on covers of songs everyone loves. That's why this band is so successful; they're excellent musicians, they know what people want, and they do it really well. The last song was Soul Sister, by Train, which I absolutely love - everyone was singing along! There was a big crowd for them at Schooner's, and it was a very fun way to pass the afternoon. I can't wait to do it again.

Speaking of Small Town, apparently there's going to be a big bash featuring them at Slammer's this Friday night. I hope to be there. I am betting a lot of Rochester's musicians will be; it should be an excellent night for music.

yours in music,
tracy