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I'm a musician looking to find a new home in the northeast where I'm originally from. I'm currently live in Seattle, WA and I've had my sites on the Capital District in NYS. Seattle just doesn't do it for me anymore. I don't have a family.
What I'm looking for is a nice small town (or near one) that is isn't too far from a bigger city area. This is so I can look for other musicians to jam and eventually record with. I really don't know the music scene/status in the CD. Just looking for fertile New York State ground for a musician.
(You may think that the big city would be the place to go for someone like me but, when it comes to PR and stuff, the Internet can do wonders. I'm still considering the real big city areas.)
Firstly, NYS state seems to have a lot of places that evoke the small hometown feel that I'm looking for. Lots of front porches, trees, sidewalks, parades, etc. Cooperstown seems perfect but it's too remote. I'm trying to avoid too many cookie-cutter suburban areas. (Sometimes it seems like that's all there is.) I've always wanted a place that has an old-fashioned, kind of retro feel too it.
I've also had my sites on Saratoga Springs for a while. I know it's a little pricier than most and that the NY taxes are high anyway which is fine (from where I live now I'm used to that). Still, I'm not sure about SS because it might be considered too far from the CD, especially from what I heard about the traffic. I could live in between SS and the CD, maybe places like Malta or Clifton Park.
If it isn't the CD area, I might look at the Rochester area. The areas around there seem nice and I suppose active musically. I think Ithaca is out - too remote and too dense.
I'm planning to fly over there to get a feel of the place. Hopefully later this year.
If upstate NY doesn't work out, I'll be considering the big city areas like NYC, Boston or even So Cal. I just don't know yet.
Can anyone give me an idea of how a musician might get along in the CD or surrounding areas and maybe recommend some places?
Rochester is definitely the most music-friendly city upstate if you ask me. Rochester Philarhmonic, Eastman School of Music, House of Guitars etc.. Some of the small towns around here that you might like would be Pittsford or Fairport (the villages, not so much the towns wich are more suburban) village of East Rochester, Canandaigua (a little further out) Brockport (a college town). It kind of depends on how close you would want to be to the ammenities of Rochester itself and how much you are willing to spend (the cost of living overall in the Rochester area is pretty affordable, but it still varies from town to town).
What kind of music are you into? There are the places listed above which are great.
If you play metal, this area has a large number of extremely talented musicians compared to other cities in the state.
Garmin, all kinds, 60s-70s mostly. I especially like big band and swing. Not really just metal..
When you visit Rochester you might want to check out Nate Rawls. He is one of the most well known musicians in that area and he plays a lot of Big Band sound. His web address is: Flash Page He is a really nice guy, they even have a Nate Rawls Day. Good Luck
Rochester has pretty much no big famous bands but a truly excellent stream of teen DIY starting with a strong new wave scene (New Math, Personal Effects) and a current scene of Garage Pop. We have been pretty famous for Sixties Garage, a tradition now upheld by the Chesterfield Kings, who are pretty much the face of that music to the World nowadays.
That and the Eastman cats and we are just unbeatable.
Oh, and by the way, I live in a front porch neighborhood and it's heavenly. People are out, kids running around everywhere, dinner on the porch, hi to everyone...and a fabulous house full of hardwood trim, a full basement for workshop activities, a full attic for music activities...
Well that sounds nice Sonorio. Some people on Craig's list says that the Music scene in Rochester (or Rotten chester as they sometimes call it) is pretty much nil, though those posters may be just kids. I dont know that myself but its the area that kind of attracts me and the surrounding small towns (avon, victor, canadiagua, geneseo, etc). I'm presently looking for every excuse not to move to Los Angeles...not that I hate it, it's a beautiful place in many ways to but kind of "too much".
Trolls?! 'k. Kinda wanted to hear that. BTW, are there any open mikes in Rochester?
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