June 30th, 2025

Greetings folks,

   The 22nd annual Rochester International Jazz Festival is in the books. Saturday was the last day, with FREE performances all over the East End and packed crowds to see Trombone Shorty on Parcel 5. Julie and I both worked at the store on Saturday. Sadly, neither of us saw any music during the festival. We attended no performances, but we got to talk with lots of performers who came in the store. Attending musical performances is a difficult task for me. I always have to worry if there is a place to sit or if there is accessibility or if I’ll be able to use my mobility scooter, so sadly, I did not see a single performance. I don’t have a place to stay in Rochester, so on Saturday night we headed for home for an alternate plan. Since we had driven to Rochester separately, we had to meet in Penn Yan, and then, together, we scurried through the Italy Valley, passing through Potter and Rushville and Middlesex toward the idyllic town of Naples, NY. Naples lies at the southern tip of Canandaigua Lake and,  much like Penn Yan it is the heart and soul of the Finger Lakes region. It is also the home of great music emanating from Temple Cabin Studio, built by Aaron Lipp.

    I have known Aaron Lipp for nearly half his life. He is a guitarist supreme and I put a link with his bio in the picture. He is a force of musicical  creativity in Western New York and he has stayed the course here, instead of being lured to Nashville or New York or other places where musicians are absorbed. Perhaps he had his full of touring when he was with Giant Panda or the Robert Randolph Family band, or the S. Grisman Project, but today he is loyal to his roots and his fellow musicians. He has a community of players and they put together a fantastic album release party on Saturday at Hollerhorn Distillery, for his latest creation, We Must Build Fire.  The cast was All Star with our own Ryan Yarmel holding down the beat on the upright bass. The performance also featured many other local musicians, including Ric Robertson, Gregor Bone, Elliot Schwartzman, Will Siegel on drums and others. They were joined by the opening act Richie Stearns and Rosie Newton. It was a true Finger Lakes event. I encourage you to listen to the album or buy the vinyl record. It is worth the time and I don’t make a lot of recommendations for music, but this one is a must. On the ride home Julie and I listened to the entire album.

    Our June sale, with 200 instruments marked down to bare bones, has been a great success….but instead of ending it today, I told Sam to continue it through July 5th so you have one last chance this week to peruse our website and see some incredible deals or just shop right here.

With peace,   

John Bernunzio 

The road to Naples

….is an ethereal drive…

On Sunday afternoon, we were privileged to be invited to the high school graduation party of our neighbor’s daughter. It was a downright country affair and I couldn’t help but snap this picture of kids having fun on the farm.