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A void in the local music scene MUSIC
BY PATRICK HOSKEN AND DANIEL J. KUSHNER
A
few years ago, Hannah Maier drove to Buffalo for a concert. The Atlanta-based psychedelic garagerock band The Black Lips played Town Ballroom, a 1,000-capacity venue in the city’s downtown Theatre District. She recognized plenty of faces. “Almost everyone in the crowd was from Rochester,” Maier said. “I wish they would have just played in Rochester because the venue was basically empty.” Maier knows about the calculus at play when it comes to setting up live shows. She runs the agency Mom’s Home Booking and has worked with local acts like Dangerbyrd, Beef Gordon and Overhand Sam & Bad Weapon. (She’s also the new music director of The Route, which WXXI broadcasts in partnership with two local colleges.) “If they would have played in Rochester, way more people would have come out, even if it was a smaller venue,” Maier said. “I almost feel like those types of bands, they do better if they’re playing at the Bug Jar.” Her take on The Black Lips show points to a broader question about the state of concerts in Rochester, namely those for a certain tier of 44 CITY OCTOBER 2024
Rochester concert promoters weigh in on the solution.