Rochestergroove.com
2006-04-16
This month’s fan site, has a geographic focus: Rochestergroove.com. Here’s what Marc Check has to say… Rochestergroove.com began in 2001 as an effort to create a central source of information for jamband lovers in the Rochester NY (& Western Upstate NY) area. Initially developed & hosted by myself, the site has gone through a steady evolution over the last five years with the help of several others in the Rochester area that share the same passion for the music and the scene that surrounds it. Growing up as a musician in Rochester in the 80s/90s I was fortunate enough to live through (and participate in) a great era in Rochester jamband music. The Park Ave Band, Resurrection, Into The Now, The Druids, Kernal Wah, The In-Betweens and countless other great bands were the cornerstone of a thriving music scene. Like many other cities, somewhere around the mid-90s (no doubt coinciding with the demise of Jerry Garcia) the scene began to slow & the ‘family’ began to dissipate. Many great bands continued, and new bands came along, but there was no recognizable umbrella under which local jambands were united. Rochestergroove.com therefore began as a tool to help fans like myself access a calendar & other information that would help to sift through a relatively weak music scene & identify the bands which were continuing this great local legacy. Not entirely devoted to local bands, rochestergroove.com also began to promote regional & national acts coming to our area.
Over the past few years the site has exploded with massive interest, primarily from the local community but also from friends & fans around the country. Besides the obvious music calendar and promotional content the site now offers: • Krispytunes – The live music portion of the site, originally named after Kris, a local taper who has been the first to turn around many Rochester area shows within 48 hours, allowing the community at large to download, burn & listen to some of the best Rochester area shows almost immediately after they happen. Rochestergroove.com currently hosts about 120 GB of Rochester jamband concert history for all to enjoy. • The Inner Loop – The message board that has become the backbone of the site, fueled by some of the funniest & strangest fans in the Rochester & surrounding areas. • Rochester Groove Radio – Our own little Internet radio station, which currently is formatted to focus on Rochester bands so others can tune in & enjoy what this great city has to offer. In 2003 we ventured into hosting “Groovefests”, which were meant primarily to get all the local bands together to have fun & hang out while jamming our heads off. The obvious alternate intention was to promote this great Rochester scene to others, developing a cross-fertilization of bands & fans. We are currently are in the process of planning Groovefest 8, which should be the next wildly successful event in this series. In the future we hope to take the Groovefests on the road, promoting Rochester bands in a festival-style showcase at clubs elsewhere in the region. What makes the site & the scene most precious is the devoted fans of the Rochester area who have increasingly volunteered individual efforts to help the scene thrive. As the site has always maintained a non-profit status we rely on the support and contributions of energy and talent to keep the scene thriving.
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