For Mikaela Davis, the 2026 Rochester Lilac Festival is a homecoming. Though the harp-playing, twangy, jam-adjacent singer-songwriter is now based in Catskill, New York, she still considers Rochester home enough to make her May 13 headlining set in Highland Park the release party for her new album, “Graceland Way.” Fellow local cornerstone group Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad will support. Mikaela Davis. PHOTO PROVIDED It’s just one of the many shows at this year’s Lilac Festival that celebrates Rochester in all its musical diversity. The fest, which runs May 8-17, features 10 nights of live music spanning funk and jazz, jam and folk, soul and pop, old and new — and a good crop of generally unclassifiable, always dynamic genre polymaths. There’s a sound for every taste. And Davis’ is far from the only music that began ringing out right here in the Flower City. Scott Mayo. PHOTO PROVIDED On May 12, the festival stage features an entire evening of performers curated by the Rochester Music Hall of Fame, anchored by hall of famer and local music legend Scott Mayo. A former member of Earth Wind Fire, Mayo’s musical journey began as an 8-year-old in Rochester and was fortified by an eventual internship at WDKX when he was a student. Decades later, Mayo’s saxophone contributions can be heard on Beyoncé’s disco smash “Cuff It” and in films like Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon.” He also handled arrangements for Bruno Mars and Sérgio Mendes’ smooth and lightly funky “Don’t Say Goodbye” between recording his own solo albums. In Highland Park, he’ll be backed up by Western New York’s premier horn-centric ensemble, Prime Time Funk, with support from fellow local players in The Dawgs and Stoney Lonesome. Cimafunk. PHOTO PROVIDED After all, it’s not a party without some funk, something Erik Alejandro Iglesias Rodríguez, AKA Cimafunk, understands innately. The Cuban musician expertly fuses Afro-Cuban rhythms with Latin rock and a flair for glamorous 1970s fashion — something he brought to a charming set at the 2025 Rochester International Jazz Festival. His May 8 Lilac Fest headlining set features an amuse-bouche from Zahyia, the local powerhouse RB and soul singer who is no stranger to charming sets. It also arrives a night before that of Lee Fields, who doesn’t just embody the sound of old-school soul; he actually lived it. After a recording career in the 1960s and ‘70s, Fields retreated from the industry, only to return in the ‘90s and build a new foundation with his heart-rending, tidal wave of a voice. Lady Wray. PHOTO PROVIDED Thanks in part to Daptone Records, Fields helped define the soul comeback of the 2000s along with label mates Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. His May 9 set in Rochester follows one from Lady Wray, an RB vocal talent with ties to Swing Mob, the musical collective that helped fortify the careers of Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Ginuwine and more from an unlikely spot in Rochester’s East End. As party music has evolved over the decades, so has its instrumentation and style. Case in point: talents like Brooklyn’s The Lone Bellow, which makes uplifting Americana, and Fairport native and delicate country singer Claudia Hoyser; both are on stage May 10. Roses Revolutions. PHOTO PROVIDED Despite her humble beginnings playing the New York State Fair in 2007 and 2008, Taylor Swift is now impossible to see outside of a stadium. But local tribute act Cruel Summer makes it easy to have a similar experience; the group headlines on May 11, supported by local alt-pop act Roses Revolutions. But old heads might ask: what ever happened to rock and roll? Rockabilly guitarist and singer-songwriter JD McPherson, a favorite of the Abilene Bar Lounge crowd who came through at Christmastime, returns for a May 16 set supported by the formidable local Prime Time Brass ensemble. Joe P, meanwhile, has garnered attention for playing a nylon-string guitar in dozens of Instagram videos. He also performs live, including on stage at Highland Park on May 14, backed up by Rochester power-pop greats The Demos. And then there are the folks who can seemingly do it all, like Anees. The vibrant talent found his song “Sun and Moon” go viral in 2022, and he performed it on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” He’ll bring his unique blend of pop, RB and alternative to the Lilac Fest on May 15. Rochester rapper, spoken-word artist and educator Chi TheRealist supports. Chi TheRealist. PHOTO PROVIDED How does one bring a festival in the Flower City to a close? Eggy can help. The New Haven jam band is made up of great interpreters, spinning staples like Crosby Stills Nash’s “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” and Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” into full webs of musical exploration. The hot-rod rock group High Fade performs as direct support for the fest’s closing night on May 17. With a sound for every sensibility — some loud, some quiet, some curious, some funky — make sure to bring earplugs. And as always, don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers. roclilacfest.com The post Rochester Lilac Festival has a musical act for every ear appeared first on CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.. ...read more read less