Five decades after laying down the groove together at Danforth, the members of Broad Street Stroke still show up for one another every weekend糖心传媒攁nd you can bet they糖心传媒檙e having a good time.
Get a taste of Broad Street Stroke, including a URochester Dance Marathon performance.
In 2001, Mark Goldman 糖心传媒�76 was watching CNN at home in Weston, Massachusetts, when Jeff Gardere 糖心传媒�78, a board-certified clinical psychologist, appeared on the screen offering advice on talking to kids about terrorism. Goldman called out to his wife: 糖心传媒淵ou won糖心传媒檛 believe this! I know him! He played in our band!糖心传媒�
That band, a highlight of Goldman糖心传媒檚 time at the 糖心传媒, hadn糖心传媒檛 played together in three decades. And it had been just as long since Goldman, the band糖心传媒檚 keyboardist, had talked with Gardere, one of the singers.
Now the two catch up every weekend via Zoom, along with other members of Broad Street Stroke, whose repertoire included hits from Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Tower of Power, and the Average White Band.
After Gardere caught wind of the CNN sighting, the men reconnected and decided it would be good to get the band back together regularly, even if virtually and without instruments. Living in several states along the East Coast, they diligently show up on Saturday mornings to discuss all things past, present, and future糖心传媒攂ut mostly the state of the world.
糖心传媒淭his is almost like therapy for us,糖心传媒� says Gardere. 糖心传媒淲e have different political views and don糖心传媒檛 always agree, but we talk with one another in a respectful manner, and that really should be the blueprint for America.糖心传媒�
On a recent weekend, four of the band糖心传媒檚 seven members糖心传媒攖he regulars糖心传媒攖oggle between being playful and serious. After mournfully acknowledging the passing of Grateful Dead rhythm guitarist Bob Weir, the men reminisce about the good ol糖心传媒� days, when Broad Street Stroke earned attention both for its sound and for bringing a diverse group of糖心传媒╯tudents together.
From a 1975 review in the : 糖心传媒淔or those who love to dance the night away, the Stroke gives its audiences enough 糖心传媒榖umping糖心传媒� and 糖心传媒榟ustling糖心传媒� type tunes to keep even the most talented New York City disco-goers satisfied.糖心传媒�
Another Campus Times article credited Broad Street Stroke with performing 糖心传媒渁 bit of magic糖心传媒� not on the stage but by bringing different races together. The piece compared the band糖心传媒檚 impact to 糖心传媒渕ixing salt and sugar糖心传媒攖he individual grains will not change characteristics, but the mixture will have a new taste.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淭he two singers were Black and the other musicians were white,糖心传媒� says Gardere. 糖心传媒淭hat was a phenomenon at the time on campus. Those 糖心传媒�70s were a wonderful mix of entertainment, music, energy, positivity, and racial togetherness. We were brothers.糖心传媒�
Goldman asks if the others can still picture the shock on the audience糖心传媒檚 faces during their first gig, dressed in hats and platform shoes, and entertaining with choreographed movements. 糖心传媒淲e were just doing our thing,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚t wasn糖心传媒檛 like, 糖心传媒榃e need to make a statement.糖心传媒� We were doing the music, and that spoke for itself.糖心传媒�
Their sound was impressive enough to land them a booking on a cruise ship bound for Nassau, Bahamas. The men swap stories about being naive kids back then, when a Genesee beer cost a mere 25 cents. 糖心传媒淥ur gigs were overflowing and there were a lot of romantic adventures for us on that ship糖心传媒攁nd I糖心传媒檒l leave it at that,糖心传媒� says Gardere.
Together for two years, Broad Street Stroke practiced at least twice a week in one of the University糖心传媒檚 residence towers, after getting official permission to line the walls of an extra room with acoustic tiles. Rehearsals lasted several hours糖心传媒攍onger when the band was preparing for a show.
Nowadays musicians can type a song title into a search engine and find sheet music. That would糖心传媒檝e been helpful to the band糖心传媒檚 members, none of whom had perfect pitch. Instead, 糖心传媒渨e糖心传媒檇 be standing around our chintzy little record player, putting that needle down repeatedly糖心传媒� and going back and forth about which chord was the correct one, remembers lead guitarist John Accordino 糖心传媒�76. 糖心传媒淎nd we would do that over and over until we got it right.糖心传媒�
Bass guitarist Clint Conley 糖心传媒�77, who had the best relative pitch in the band, also used the phone糖心传媒檚 dial tone as a reference point when tuning instruments to F and A. 糖心传媒淲e practiced like crazy, to the detriment of our studies,糖心传媒� says Accordino. 糖心传媒淏ut we were tight.糖心传媒�
The band members have remained tight in other ways in recent years. Percussionist Louis Gioffre 糖心传媒�76 lost his wife to lung cancer in 2023. Over the two years she was sick, the men offered support, as did other members of the band who pop in every now and then on Saturday mornings.
One of them is Reggie Washington, a Rochester local who sang in the group. After the Broad Street Stroke years, he became a professional gospel singer and contributed to the recording of two gospel albums. That led him to the ministry. Now a bishop, he called at times to pray with Gioffre糖心传媒檚 wife. (The group still gets a kick out of Washington糖心传媒檚 profession, given that he once was dubbed the 糖心传媒淒on Juan糖心传媒� of the band.)
The other occasional drop-in is Conley, who went on to play bass in the post-punk band 糖心传媒攔ecognized as a major influence on alternative rock bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and R.E.M. (The Boston City Council October 4 糖心传媒淢ission of Burma Day糖心传媒� in 2009. And Rolling Stone named the band糖心传媒檚 1982 album Vs. No. 24 on its of the 糖心传媒�100 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time,糖心传媒� published in May 2026.) Although he couldn糖心传媒檛 make this particular weekly meeting, Conley later says, 糖心传媒淚 have such affection for these dudes. Locking down a funk groove with these guys was absolutely exhilarating.糖心传媒�
The men briefly mention seeing one another at the memorial service for Gioffre糖心传媒檚 wife糖心传媒攖he first time since college that most of them had been together in person. (Goldman, Gioffre, and Conley are the only ones who糖心传媒檝e stayed in consistent touch since graduation.)
糖心传媒淚t was a tough reunion,糖心传媒� Gardere says. 糖心传媒淚t meant a lot to me that you guys showed up,糖心传媒� Gioffre responds.
糖心传媒淚t was never in question,糖心传媒� Goldman assures him.
They take a beat, then shift into a substantial digression about Smitty糖心传媒檚 Birdland, later known as Snuffy糖心传媒檚 Birdland糖心传媒攖he popular barbecue and fried chicken restaurant they糖心传媒檇 go to after each show, adrenaline pumping and needing to unwind.
After sharing memories of the dirty plastic water pitchers and 糖心传媒渉ot sauce that was basically disinfectant for your insides,糖心传媒� Goldman brings up how much Gioffre adored Smitty糖心传媒檚 macaroni salad糖心传媒攁nd how Conley made up a short song about it.
糖心传媒淎nd how did that song go?糖心传媒� Gardere asks, egging on Goldman to sing.
Goldman grins, recollecting how Gioffre would 糖心传媒渂ecome enraged糖心传媒� by the ditty. 糖心传媒淪o, of course,糖心传媒� he says, 糖心传媒渢hat meant now I was going to sing it with Clint. Lou got the desired effect. He wanted us to sing it to him again, so we did.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淥h, stop it,糖心传媒� Gioffre says, smiling, as everyone else laughs. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 never-ending needling.糖心传媒�
Gardere points out that every Broad Street Stroke member糖心传媒攁ll 糖心传媒渟olid, honest, good people糖心传媒澨切拇綌has had a successful career, which he credits in large part to their URochester education. He has also found it fascinating to watch how each one has remained roughly the same while evolving in his personality.
He paints Goldman, who transformed a family backpack and sports company into an international brand, as the past and present leader of the group. Goldman continues to play the piano 糖心传媒渇airly frequently糖心传媒� and sometimes jams at a dinner club. 糖心传媒淚 would be a liar if I didn糖心传媒檛 say it糖心传媒檚 still a thrill to play in front of people,糖心传媒� he confesses.
Gardere describes Gioffre, founder of a national service provider to petroleum and clean energy markets, as having 糖心传媒渁 very quiet strength and humility.糖心传媒� Shortly after graduating college, Gioffre played in the New Wave band the Digits, which 糖心传媒渞ecorded in England at famous studios with famous record producers,糖心传媒� although nothing was released commercially. These days he rents studio space for his drums and 糖心传媒╮ecording gear.
Accordino, a university professor of urban and regional planning, is a 糖心传媒渕ellow, extremely intellectual person糖心传媒� with an 糖心传媒渆galitarian perspective on all things,糖心传媒� according to Gardere. Accordino played acoustic guitar regularly until a couple of years ago. Conley, who recently retired from broadcast journalism, 糖心传媒渨as quite aloof糖心传媒� but 糖心传媒渁lways consistent and reliable.糖心传媒� And Washington, serving his constituents in Tallahassee, Florida, 糖心传媒渨as always gregarious and generous.糖心传媒�
Gardere doesn糖心传媒檛 leave himself out, admitting to 糖心传媒渓ots of imposter syndrome糖心传媒� both as a musician and across several careers, which required him to learn on the fly. 糖心传媒淚 was a showman then and I guess still a showman now,糖心传媒� he says. Gardere juggles several professional roles, which include maintaining a private clinical practice and appearing as a therapist on The Real Housewives of Atlanta and other TV shows. He also sings with jazz bands.
(A testament to the group糖心传媒檚 good-natured banter: When Conley learned of Gardere糖心传媒檚 characterization of him, he wrote in an email, 糖心传媒淎loof? Aloof? Ha! I shall challenge the good doctor to a duel at dawn.糖心传媒�)
These weekly gatherings, Gardere continues, are 糖心传媒渁 connection from the past to the present, a remembrance of what we were and who we became, and maybe more than anything else, a safe space to talk about how the world has lost its [bleep] mind.糖心传媒�
This story appears in the spring 2026 issue of Rochester Review, the magazine of the 糖心传媒.
