A Stage Dive Into the 585’s Rising Music Scene, Part 2
An indie band performing at the Skylark Lounge on Union Street in downtown Rochester.
Back on May 21, 2025, I began working on a light series to highlight the 585’s notable and growing music scene titled, “A Stage Dive Into The 585’s Rising Music Scene, Part 1”. Over the past year, I have spent many active nights basking in live music and absorbing the focus and intimate energy of local and touring artists who have performed across the greater Rochester region.
When contemplating the arts and music scene across New York, very few stop to consider Rochester, or its metro region, as a musical hub. Instead, most focus on the dynamic music industry in New York City, or across the border in Toronto. Let me be clear, I am not proposing that Rochester’s music scene is as monolithic as New York’s most iconic city, but I firmly believe that Rochester’s scene should not be ignored simply because it does not attract many “big-name” artists due to its lack of a major music venue.
A man throws two thumbs up at the end of the Killers’ 2025 performance at CMAC in Canandaigua, NY.
In October 2024, writers at City Magazine published an article titled “A void in the local music scene,” it was a collaborative piece by City’s writers Patrick Hosken and Daniel J. Kushner that offers a gloomy perspective on the dwindling music scene in post-pandemic Rochester, and a critique of the experiences traveling across Western New York to catch larger touring artists at Buffalo venues, especially when Rochester’s geographical location seems prime to attract audiences from both Buffalo and Syracuse.
I agree with their sentiment and posit this: Rochester is an untapped market that can attract attendees from the 3.5 million metro residents across Western and Central New York and the Finger Lakes region. Time and time again, we have seen popular artists like the Killers and Hozier sell out larger regional venues like CMAC in Canandaigua, which has a capacity to fit 15,000+ attendees. It should be noted that the Killers sold out CMAC in a matter of minutes in 2025.
The Dandy Warhols performing at Anthology in Rochester, New York, shortly after reopening in May 2025.
With that in mind, I am here to shift the direction of the conversation from a dreary one to an optimistic one. First, since the City’s article was published in 2024, Anthology, one of Rochester’s premier venues that can host up to 1,000 attendees, has reopened with a fresh start. You can read about it in another article I previously wrote here called, “Anthology is F**king Back, Baby!”
Over the past year, the 585 has seen new intimate music spaces open across the city of Rochester. These venues include: Vanni’s Jazz Lounge, a jazz-oriented speakeasy. Next, the Biltmore Lounge, a new bar and lounge that hosts lesser-known traveling musicians and pays homage to the former State Street bar, the Spirit Room. Finally, Whiskey’s Upper Deck in Charlotte, NY, a restaurant and music space at the Port of Rochester that hosts rock cover bands, and there is still more to come.
On April 10, 2026, the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) will open a new mid-sized 750-seat performing arts center. The new performing arts space will offer residents more opportunities to catch shows at one of the city’s top institutions. With a new mid-sized performance center in the region, this will add to the already growing number of venues and will likely attract more artists to Rochester, even if only for a night or two.
A jazz quartet performing at Vanni’s Jazz Lounge, a speakeasy located inside the Inn On Broadway in downtown Rochester.
The eclectic stage in the Backroom Lounge at Record Archive in Rochester, NY.
The Greater Rochester region is a thriving hub of talented individuals and musicians, with a direct connection to a top-tier music institution in the city’s downtown. In 2025, the Eastman School of Music was ranked in the top 10 best colleges for music by HelloCollege and 13th in the world by QS World University Rankings due to the university’s academic reputation and its graduates’ strong employability. This speaks to the experience of graduates who, both regionally and internationally, balance employment and a life of music.
While concert goers like myself desire to see the complete revitalization of the Blue Cross Arena, a Rochester arena that holds 15,000+ attendees and which historically hosted popular bands in its heyday, or the development of a new music venue that can support more commercial touring artists, it would be wrong to ignore the ubiquitous talent radiating across the 585. Currently, you can catch live music at roughly 36 music venues and at dozens of bars across the greater Rochester region. To understand the 585’s rising music scene, one must see the value of local talent, as there are over 3,000 unique artists performing throughout the year at local bars and music venues. Rochester has an eclectic artistic underbelly, and while local music venues tend to be smaller, they excel at offering a closer connection between the audience and performers.
These 36 music venues range from large performing arts theaters to small and intimate bars and cafes.
West Herr Auditorium Theater/RBTL
Vanni’s Jazz Lounge
Kodak Center
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theater
Bug Jar
Anthology
Skylark Lounge
Photo City Music Hall
The Little Cafe
RIT Performing Arts Center (Opens April 10, 2026)
Blue Cross Arena
CMAC
Temple Theater
The Duke
The Biltmore Lounge
Whiskey’s Upper Deck
Nashville’s
B-Side
Lux Lounge
In-Tune Supper Club
Buntsy’s Band Stand
Montage Music Hall
Water Street Music Hall
Perington Center Park Amphitheater
Backroom Lounge at Record Archive
Abilene Bar & Lounge
Flour City Station
The Theater at Innovation Square
75 Stutson
Boulder Coffee Co. Cafe and Lounge
Radio Social
Three Heads Brewing
Lovin’ Cup
Bar Bad Ending
Bop Shop Records
Iron Smoke Distillery
The far-out stage at the Bug Jar on Monroe Avenue in downtown Roc.
