More music

The South Wedge neighborhood is home to some of the most popular restaurants and bars in the city. Now it's home to the Rochester Independent Music Festival.

The festival, which launched last year, has undergone many changes. In 2008, it was a one-day event featuring six bands at Water Street Music Hall. This year, it's spread out over three days — Thursday, Oct. 1, to Saturday, Oct. 3 — and will feature more than four times as many bands at several area venues.

"(Event co-founder) Ned Corman had a vision for a new music festival for Rochester ... one aimed at a younger 18- to 35-year-old audience of students and young professionals that would take place in the early October, period," said Steven Gates, also a co-founder of the event. "We wanted to create a festival in a neighborhood where there are a number of venues within walking distance of each other."

Josh Reed, 23, a recent University of Rochester graduate and South Wedge resident, is the Rochester Independent Music Festival (RiF) event coordinator.

"I've spent a lot of my time checking out the venues and other spaces, talking to people and thinking about how the festival can grow this year and in the years to come," he said. "Basically, I just probe out new opportunities and try to pull people into the bigger picture."

Reed worked with Gates to help book the bands.

"I'm definitely the youngest person on the whole RiF team," added Reed, who joined last year to help promote the festival at UR. Performers, like Annie Crane, also are excited about the festival's growth. Born and raised in Rochester, Crane moved to New York City a few years ago to begin her music career. She'll return to her hometown with another former Rochesterian, Beth Price, her bassist.

"Who knew 10 years ago when I was in Brighton High School's production of Grease with Beth Price that we'd be playing my music on the stage of The German House for the second annual Rochester Indie Festival? It's pretty incredible, and it's going to be a great show."