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Connections
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
Connections

Changes to the Rochester music scene

By Evan Dawson,
Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published September 18, 2026 at 3:19 PM EDT
Four people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman front left has long blonde hair and is wearing a sleeveless green sweater, blue jeans and white sneakers; a balding man front right is wearing eyeglasses, a light grey button-down shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers; a man back left has short grey hair, a grey goatee and is wearing eyeglasses, a black t-shirt and short-sleeved button-down shirt; a man front right has short grey hair and is wearing eyeglasses and a beige polo shirt.
Mary Hussong-Kallen
/
WXXI News
(foreground) Hannah Maier, (background) Mark Kaidy and Danny Deutsch with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Friday, September 18, 2026
WXXI News

Abilene Bar and Lounge will close after nearly two decades of hosting live music in Rochester. And the Hi Fi Lounge in Brighton is up for sale after 40 years. It opened in 1986 as The CD Exchange.

Speaking of CDs, they’re making a comeback. The Washington Post reports that CD sales grew faster than vinyl in the past year, with many fans preferring the audio quality of compact discs.

We discuss what’s changing, what’s evolving, and why Abilene is not the only live music venue to close this year.

Our guests:

Connections
Evan Dawson
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
See stories by Evan Dawson
Megan Mack
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
See stories by Megan Mack
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams