12:00: Crossing borders to play the Jazz Festival
1:00: Brian Wilson’s impact on local music
Since its inception in 2002, the Rochester International Jazz Festival has always been, as its name states, international. Performers from Canada, Europe and elsewhere regularly make the trek to play at 18 different venues around town for audiences that can total 200,000. But 2025 feels different, backdropped by the Trump administration’s trade war with Canada and rising fears about border crossings and detainments. Musicians also say the cost of securing work permits in the United States has increased dramatically in recent years. Is it still worth it? And what’s it like for local jazz players, whose gigs don’t require the same logistical red tape? This year's festival is already in full swing and runs through June 28. Guest host Patrick Hosken talks with performers about their experiences. Our guests:
- Bill Tiberio, music educator and 2025 Jazz Fest performer
- Claire Voy, musician in SHEBAD and 2025 Jazz Fest performer
- Allison Au, musician and 2025 Jazz Fest performer
Then in our second hour, the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson died on June 11. He was 82, but as writer Sam Sodomsky wrote in a remembrance for Pitchfork, “‘immortal’ is still the word that comes to mind.” Wilson’s forward-thinking musical compositions helped redefine pop music in the 1960s — as well as what anyone thought was possible at the time. Tributes have poured in, including from local musicians. Submarine School of Music co-founder Ben Morey labeled Wilson “a guiding light to me for most of my life,” while psych-pop tinkerer Alex Northrup called for more Wilson-influenced sunshine “in a world that seems to be growing increasingly darker.” Both join musician and CITY magazine art director Jacob Walsh and guest host and CITY Magazine arts reporter Patrick Hosken to talk about Wilson’s influence on their lives as music makers. Our guests:
- Ben Morey, musician and co-founder of the Submarine School of Music
- Alex Northrup, musician with the Darlingtones and solo
- Jacob Walsh, musician in Big Nobody and art director for CITY Magazine
*Note: "Connections" is livestreamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.
