Not much went as planned last year, but Rochester’s musical vision was still 20/20.
Despite the pandemic, local acts have been making and recording incredible music all year long. Our community’s music scene has recorded everything from bumping deep house tracks to twangy country tunes, and from '20s-inspired instrumental guitar music to emo punk bangers. Records recorded in Rochester have landed on Billboard charts and graced the airwaves of radio stations.
Related: A different direction from NoTrace: Rapper releases “Broken Dreams,” a country/hip-hop single
Hip-hop artist and rapper No Trace hustled to put out four albums this year, including three he raps on — “Ariston,” “No More Pain” and “Empath” — and his instrumental “Out of the Blue.” Our hip-hop scene also included Jae Havoc’s “Mortals” album. The album played on The Current, and Jae Havoc closed out the year with a Live From Med City streamed concert in support of his record.
Related:‘Here We Go,’ Jae Havoc raps on new album
His collaborator Mike Terrill’s project, Fires of Denmark, also managed to get air time on The Current with his dreamy “Start Living Outside of Time.”
Related:A timely message from Fires of Denmark
Some of Rochester’s music made it to vinyl. Luke Hendrickson’s country album “One Night at the Crystal Lounge” came out as a 33 1/3 with some beautiful album art by local artists Amy Dybing and Jessica Bruss. Hendrickson’s record, like several other important local releases, was recorded by Zach Zurn at Rochester’s own Carpet Booth Studios.
Related:Hendrickson releases Kickstarter-supplemented first full album
Zurn’s studio recorded the second full-length album from hometown legend and Mayo High School graduate Matthew Hauri, better known as Yung Gravy. Before recording at Carpet Booth, Yung Gravy already had platinum and gold tracks under his belt. His 2020 record “Gasanova” was No. 6 on Billboard’s emerging artists chart the second week in October.
Related: Looking forward, looking back: 'Singing Surgeons' on time in Rochester and the road ahead
Drs. Elvis Francois and William Robinson’s “Music Is Medicine” four-track EP was another Carpet Booth Studios project. The duo, known as the “Singing Surgeons,” consists of two orthopedic surgeons at Mayo Clinic whose scrub-clad viral videos of songs like John Lennon’s “Imagine” landed them on "The Ellen Show" in 2018.
The Singing Surgeons used their EP to raise funds for the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s COVID-19 Response Fund.
When the EP came out, Rolling Stone reported that it was the nation’s 16th biggest seller via digital album sales.
Related: 2020 Rochester Musicians' Photo --see it now!
You’re sure to find some musical medicine to help you heal in our 2020 Rochester Record Roundup. Here’s the full list:
Artist: Aaron Simmons
Album: “Third St SW”
Genre: Country
Release: Aug. 28
https://www.amazon.com/Third-St-SW-Aaron-Simmons/dp/B08D7317DN
Artist: Cook With Honey
Album: “Letting Go”
Genre: Folk
Release: Jan. 23
Related: Songs about COVID: Local musicians set the pandemic to music
Artist: Doctor Elvis & Doctor Robinson
EP: “Music Is Medicine”
Genre: R&B/adult contemporary
Release: April 17
https://music.apple.com/us/album/music-is-medicine-ep/1508457960
Related: Photos: Singing Surgeons' Farewell Concert
Artist: Fall Risk
Album: “Close to Home”
Genre: Alternative
Release: Oct. 13
https://fallriskmusicmn.bandcamp.com
Artist: Fires of Denmark
Album: “Start Living Outside of Time”
Genre: Alternative/indie
Release: April 24
https://www.firesofdenmark.com
Artist: Tony Fuel
EP: “Change of Heart”
Genre: Deep house
Release: Dec. 11
https://www.traxsource.com/title/1469771/change-of-heart-ep
Artist: Ben Gateno
Album: “A Time When Things Were New”
Genre: Instrumental/solo guitar
Release: March 13
Artist: Glow Mechanics
Album: “Pompous Circumstance”
Genre: Hip-hop
Release: Jan. 11
https://open.spotify.com/album/3iTnGh6yLq7J04E1lkXGJ7
Artist: Amanda Grace
Album: “Please Dear Sun”
Genre: Gospel
Release: Dec. 25
https://amandagrace1.bandcamp.com/album/please-dear-sun
Related: New music in the Med City
Artist: Nikola Hamilton
EP: “Darling”
Genre: Indie rock
Release: Nov. 13
Artist: Jae Havoc
Album: “Mortals”
Genre: Hip-hop/rap
Release: Dec. 17
Artist: Luke Hendrickson
Album: “One Night at the Crystal Lounge”
Genre: Country
Release: Feb. 12
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/lukehendrickson/one-night-at-the-crystal-lounge-2
Artist: Michelle Hilsman
Album: “Sapphire Blue”
Genre: Alternative indie
Release: Oct. 2
Artist: Jealous Brother
Album: “Jealous Brother”
Genre: Rock/Americana
Release: Dec. 17
https://www.reverbnation.com/6751273/album/267225
Artist: Megan Kleven
Album: “I Am”
Genre: Contemporary singer/songwriter
Release: July 11
Related: From volunteer to center stage: Kleven celebrates album release with Chatfield concert
Artist: Local sports
EP: “Actors”
Genre: Emo/punk
Release: March 26
https://localsportsmn.bandcamp.com
Related: Local Sports stretch their musical muscles with new EP
Artist: Loud Mouth Brass
Album: “Louder”
Genre: Brass Band/Pop
Release: July 31
https://www.amazon.com/Louder-Loud-Mouth-Brass/dp/B08CXCHVJT
Related: Loud Mouth Brass' latest EP strikes a new chord
Artist: David Nash
Album: “The Man in the Pines”; “Rise”
Genre: Folk/singer/songwriter
Release: Jan. 1; June 19
https://davidnash.bandcamp.com/album/the-man-in-the-pines; https://davidnash.bandcamp.com/album/rise
Artist: No Trace
Genre: Hip-hop/pop rap/instrumental
Album: “Ariston”; “No More Pain”; “Empath”; “Out of the Blue”
Release: Sept. 18; Sept. 21; Sept. 22; Nov. 6
https://unitedmasters.com/m/ariston; https://unitedmasters.com/m/nomorepain; https://unitedmasters.com/m/empath; https://unitedmasters.com/m/outoftheblue
Artist: Pat Egan and other artists
Album: “Quarantine Dream: a Benefit for Jessa Roquet”
Genre: Compilation
Release: Aug. 7
https://quarantinedreammn.bandcamp.com/album/quarantine-dream-a-benefit-for-jessa-roquet
Artist: Evan Spee
EP: “There Be Some Trouble Here”
Genre: Alternative folk
Release: Nov. 10
Artist: Statehouse
EP: “you know i should be leaving soon”
Genre: Alternative/indie folk rock
Release: April 10
https://statehouseband.bandcamp.com/album/you-know-i-should-be-leaving-soon
Related: Statehouse, separated by state lines, releases first EP
Artist: TRA
EP: “Tan Walls”
Genre: Hip-hop/rap
Release: Oct. 2
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5eCp2X0HsAI3HhfdzWshoX
Artist: Tulip Gang
EP: “Salvo”
Genre: Punk/lo-fi
Release: Nov. 6
https://tulipgang.bandcamp.com
Artist: Yung Gravy
Album: “Gasanova”
Genre: Rap/hip-hop
Release: Oct. 2
