Sunday, May 10, 2026

2:30 pm

In an age when it’s increasingly difficult to discern what’s actually real, Singing Riverstand poised to point the way forward with our sanity—and good taste—intact. With their current EP Shoutin’ Good Time, the roots/Americana sextet issues a timely reminder that music requires the human spirit in order to give it life, and that the art of curation will never go out of style. Long before machines could reproduce genres entirely on their own, living-breathing artists all too often succumbed to the temptation to freeze musical traditions in the past rather than keep them alive. For Singing River, this distinction forms the lifeblood of their existence as a band.  After recording primarily as a duo for their 2024 full-length Talkin’ Destination Blues, co-founders Mike James and Anthony Kuhn re-constituted the group as a full-blown six-piece ensemble for Shoutin’ Good Time. Naturally, this gave James and Kuhn more colors and timbres to work with, resulting in a spirited blend of rockabilly (“King of the Minor Leagues“), ragtime (“I Thought I Heard Bob Dylan Say“), No Depression-influenced anthems (“Lost by the River“), and a three-way intersection between Nashville twang, Memphis soul, and rock (the title track)—along with James’ fascination with pre-war jazz, early rhythm and blues, and folk. 

Singing River performs at The Little Theater’s Roots and Americana Stage at the Rochester International Jazz Festival on June 20th, 2026. Two sets: 6:30pm & 9:00pm. Civic Americana from Western New York featuring tuba, pedal steel, and roots rock textures.