Abilene Bar and Lounge

06/14/2026

Do NOT miss guitarist extraordinaire, Special Show! Deke Dickerson and the Ecco-Fonics
Live at Abilene Bar and Lounge
This coming Friday, June 19th.
Tix: $20 and on sale right now at https://abilene.showare.com

BOPFLIX session with Californian rockabilly band DEKE DICKERSON & T...

06/13/2026

Tonight at Abilene Bar and Lounge
Saturday, June 13, 2026
Doors 6:30pm, Music 7:30pm
Slingin' drinks... Tisa Marie
Mixing sound... Kris Acklen

Benny Bleu with Special Guests, Einstein's Dreams
Benny Bleu
Banjo troubadour Benny Bleu will release his much-anticipated album "When I Am A Fossil" with his incredible backing band:
Huck Tritsch: Drums
Eric Heveron-Smith: Bass
Gus Tritsch: Fiddle
“New York-native, Benny Bleu is a geologist by trade, banjo player and singer-songwriter who touches on our connections with the natural world and each other.” – Putumayo World Music
Benny Bleu Haravitch plays old time banjo in the Finger Lakes of upstate New York – a land defined by deep lake valleys and steep highlands.
https://bennybleu.com

Einstein’s Dreams
The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Eric Heveron-Smith, Einstein’s Dreams blends chamber folk textures with jazz-infused improvisation. Weaving Alan Watts references into stories about migratory birds, Heveron-Smith’s voice soars as he alternates between soulful bass lines and shimmery, fingerpicked chords on his six string bass.
In 2025, Einstein’s Dreams released their debut album Flight Manifest (funded in part by a grant from the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts). The album plays with themes of space travel, birds, and evolution, acting as a launch pad for flocks of woodwinds, stacks of brass, and entire landscapes full of stringed instruments. Eric’s own multi-instrumental tendencies are augmented by special guests including Benny Bleu on banjo, Tony Padilla (Mambo Kings) on congas, and hammered dulcimer player Max ZT (House of Waters).
https://www.instagram.com/einsteinsdreamsmusic/
Cover: $20

06/12/2026

Tonight at Abilene Bar and Lounge
Friday, June 12, 2026
Doors 4pm, Music 7:30pm
Slingin' drinks... Raven Strong

It's a Cajun Dance Party featuring Rendezvous Des Amis!...and Free Red Beans & Rice!!!

It's a Cajun Dance Party featuring Rendezvous Des Amis!...and Free Red Beans & Rice!!!
Louisiana native Brandon Moreau has played Cajun and Creole music all over the country for over 25 years, including a ten-year residency on Bourbon Street. He has toured with many bands, including Ray Abshire, Acadien Cajun Band and the Dixie Club Ramblers. Brandon brings his passion for traditional Louisiana’s music to Rochester, forming the base of a band with true Louisiana love.
Bobby Henrie is a talented and highly regarded musician: a multi-instrumentalist who is proficient in many genres. He has a deep love for the music and style of the Balfa Brothers, who introduced the music of Southwest Louisiana to the world. Together, Bobby and Brandon are a force on twin fiddles, reminiscent of the true old sounds of the Balfas.
Adding to the mix is Betsy Terr Fuller of the fabulous Terr family. Betsy is a powerhouse on rhythm guitar and has been an ambassador for Louisiana music and culture for many years. Our special guest tonight is C’est Bon front person Barbara Sanders, who will be locking in on rhythm with her solid t’fer skills.
Joining the band on triangle will be Barbara Sanders. Oh yeah!
Rendezvous Des Amis is here to bring the sounds of Southwest Louisiana to your front door step…and the stage of Abilene Bar and Lounge.
Cover: $15 at the door

06/11/2026

"A Couple of Wanderers," Faith Kelly and Caswyn Moon wsg, Mike Brown
Thursday, June 11, 2026

Doors 4pm, Music 7pm

“A Couple of Wanderers” - Faith Kelly and Caswyn Moon
Faith Kelly and Caswyn Moon are two solo artists who travel together from the Catskills of New York to share their songs to everyone everywhere. Caswyn starts off with his p***y yet melodic Americana with old country undertones while Faith accompanies him with her Moog synthesizer. Once he's done rockin' his set, Faith Kelly takes over with her spacey folk rock'n'roll with Appalachian mountain roots.
A little about the show. They usually play two separate sets. Caswyn Moon begins with Faith Kelly accompanying his music with her Moog synthesizer. Then Caswyn steps away and Faith begins her set. Just a couple of wanderers. Playing music to anyone, anywhere. For no apparent reason.
http://www.faithkelly.com/couple-of-wanderers.html
https://www.facebook.com/faith.xkelly
Mike Brown
In addition to a prolific career as a singer-songwriter, producer and multi- instrumentalist, Grammy-nominated artist Mike Brown is an incredibly dynamic and versatile collaborator. His debut record, American Hotel, was self-recorded in all 50 states over the course of eight years, and features a staggeringly diverse roster of 75 special guests, including members of: The Band, Los Lobos, The Jayhawks, Wilco, Television, Nine Inch Nails, Bare Naked Ladies, Guster, Goo Goo Dolls, The Wallflowers, Counting Crows, Sparklehorse, Gwar, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Matchbox Twenty, The Meat Puppets, Soul Asylum, Cracker, Superdrag, Whiskeytown, Morphine, Moxy Fruvous, Belle and Sebastian, 10,000 Maniacs, The Minus 5, Freedy Johnston, Letters To Cleo and Soul Coughing.
Brown is also the founder of Temperamental Recordings, a recording studio and label based out of a former Methodist church built in 1828. In 2011 the impressive space and collection was featured on The History Channel show American Pickers, with Brown appearing as an expert and appraiser of musical instruments and vintage recording equipment.
In 2014 Brown released a CD with a childhood friend Zac DeCamp titled Automatic Music Can Be Fun and, with the help of Brian Grunert from White Bicycle Design Firm, was nominated for a GRAMMY in the Best Recording Package category against Jay-Z, David Bowie, Metallica, and Reckless Kelly.
https://mikebrown.org/about
Cover: $10 at the door

06/10/2026

Tonight at Abilene Bar and Lounge
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Doors 4pm, Music 7:30pm
Slingin' drinks... Raven Strong

Side Eye

Side Eye is a Rochester, New York based original soul rock and blues band that lays down a strong groove time and time again. Immersed in their mission of becoming one of the premier original bands in the region. Five members with different musical influences come together to write and arrange songs over a foundation of rock and blues.
Side Eye is Bryan Sanders on vocals, Dalton Zelasco on bass, Evan Tisby on guitar, Mike White on percussion, and Rob Mossotti on keyboards.
Blending gritty emotion with electrifying grooves, Side Eye delivers a fresh take on Soul Rock 'n' Roll. Original songs that channel raw feeling and high-energy performances, the band weaves the heart of soul with the edge of rock to create a sound that's as powerful as it is honest.
Side Eye rides into Abilene!
https://www.sideeyeband.com/
Cover: $10 at the door

Side Eye is Rochester, New York's Premiere Original Soul Rock 'n' Roll Band. Booking Now!

06/09/2026

On Sale Now! The Suitcase Junket!!!
Live at Abilene Bar and Lounge
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Tix: $22 advance, $27 day of show
On sale now at https://abilene.showare.com

06/06/2026

Tonight at Abilene Bar and Lounge
Saturday, June 6, 2026
Doors 6:30pm, Music 7:30pm
Slingin' drinks... Raven Strong

The Majestics
The Majestics are celebrating over 50 years of performing original roots music plus distinct versions of classic reggae songs.
The three original members — Ron Stackman, Jim Schwarz, and Lou LaVilla — began performing together in 1972. The first band was named Bahama Mama, and the three founders have been performing under the name the Majestics since 1980. Originally a trio, they developed a fanbase in upstate New York — with Stackman on Hammond B-2, clavinet, and guitar, and Jim on bass and Lou on drums.
They backed Lee "Scratch" Perry on a string of dates opening for The Clash in New York City, as well as recordings with Perry in Jamaica. In the mid 1980s, the Majestics added two members to round out their sound — Rudy Valention on guitar and the late Brother Fitzroy James from Trinidad on percussion.
Throughout the 1980s the Majestics toured throughout the Northeast opening for the most popular reggae acts in history, including Burning spear, Peter Tosh, Third World, Gregory Issacs, Jimmy Cliff, T***s and the Maytals, The Wailers, and Ziggy Marley. The Majestics also recorded an EP titled “Future Now,” which hints at the fact that, as some have said, the band’s clever mix of rock and reggae was ahead of its time.
Today the Majestics are actively playing the Rochester music scene, the original trio is joined by Kevin Hart on guitar and Vince Ercolamento on saxophones.
In March 2024, they released their first vinyl LP in 40 years, Lonesome Cowboy. Self-recorded and produced in Upstate New York, the album found the Majestics continuing to blur musical boundaries in a mix of originals, deep cuts, and a brand new version of the title track, which Record Archive first released as a single in 1980. “The 8 track collection has the roots-reggae underpinnings that have long characterized the bands sound, but the music is stylistically expansive…Musically it’s an encapsulation of an unlikely but effective mash-up in which Caribbean vibes meet the big-sky sonics of desert rock.” (Daniel Kushner / City Magazine / Rochester NY)
https://www.facebook.com/majesticsreggae
Tickets: $20 and on sale right now at https://abilene.showare.com and tonight at the door