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Festivals Preview 2016
Almost like a starting gun, the Lilac Festival is the first in a flood of festivals that will fill the Rochester late-spring and summer. Virtually every weekend finds a new event bringing out crowds of people into the warm weather for food, music, and arts. From Erie Canal celebrations and local heritage commemorations to art…
Superintendent search closed to the public
Selecting superintendents for Rochester’s schools has become something of a ritual over the last 10 years. And some form of public engagement is often part of the process. You may remember the search that led to the selection of former superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard: public forums, writing your questions for the candidates down on index cards,…
Dinolfo asks state lawmakers to help dismantle LDC’s
Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo says that dissolving two county-linked local development corporations will save taxpayers a few million dollars in debt and administrative costs. But she needs the State Legislature to pass a new law to make it happen. The LDC’s have one source of income and that’s the county, which has multi-decade contracts…
![[UPDATED] State ed. commissioner rebuffs Warren’s request](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/warren-lovely06_sidebar-e1755019037565.webp?resize=250%2C166&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] State ed. commissioner rebuffs Warren’s request
Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said that no legal provision exists to create an achievement district that operates independent of a school district in New York.
Week Ahead: Events for the week of Monday, May 9
The proposed redevelopment of the former Rochester Psychiatric Center, 1201 Elmwood Avenue, is the topic of a public meeting today (Monday, May 9) from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Brickstone (Winter Garden), 1325 Elmwood Avenue. The presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by comments and questions. The site includes about…
Party in the Park announces 2016 series
The 20th season of Party in the Park starts Thursday, June 26. Highlights include Robert Randolph, Lou Gramm, and Keller Williams.
Theater review: “The May Queen” at Geva
Molly Smith Metzler’s tragicomedy “The May Queen” made its debut in 2014 as a commission from the Chautauqua Theater Company. It has always been a compelling work, but a lot has changed since its inception. For one thing, the playwright (originally from Kingston, New York) has moved to Los Angeles and joined the writing team…
Remaining LDC defendants sentenced
A while back, four guys were charged with working together to rig bids for two big Monroe County contracts. Today, three of the men received their comeuppance in court; one of the three is headed to prison. The men were sentenced by Acting Monroe County Court Justice Dennis Kehoe this morning. Daniel Lynch, who was the…
Photo gallery: City Newspaper’s Best Busker 2016
Crowds filled the South Wedge Thursday evening for City Newspaper’s annual Best Busker competition.
Concert review: RPO performs Tyzik world premiere
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Pops concert was an intriguing blend of classical and jazz.
Writers & Books names new executive director
Writers & Books today announced the selection of its new executive director following a nation-wide search. Writer and literary translator Kyle Semmel, most recently of Bethesda, Maryland, will take the position on May 16. “We were looking for someone with a real passion for literature, because you can’t really do this job without that,” says…
Playing outside the box
A little over a decade ago, Charlie Lindner was making a good living at Hasbro, the toy company in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. He was applying the knowledge from his college degree in Packaging Science, making the containers for G.I. Joes and Nerf Balls more cost-efficient. Lindner studied the subject at Rochester Institute of Technology, working…
Feedback 5/4
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. Comments of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in print. We don’t publish comments sent to other media. Sanders should…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Full flight”
Blue Falcon “Full flight” Self-released bluefalcon.bandcamp.com I hope this vinyl resurgence continues. Not just because it sounds better, but hopefully it’ll change listening habits. Right now, LPs and EPs are getting gutted by digital butchery as listeners pull out only what they like. But these albums, these collections of music, have been assembled with a…
Spreading the love of local meat
The hanger steak might be the perfect symbol for the struggles of the local meat industry. It’s not as common as porterhouses or strip steaks, but for those in the know, the hanger steak is a flavorful option at a more modest price. But it’s a single, one-pound-or-so muscle from an animal that provides more…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Symphonies of Dirt & Dust”
Chris Trapper “Symphonies of Dirt & Dust” Starlit Records christrapper.com As a Push Stars fan in the late 90’s, I always admired the way Chris Trapper approached his guitar playing. He dug into his Harmony Rocket like it was an acoustic guitar, which gave his songs a sparkly jangle. Now as a solo artist with…
JAZZ | Twin Talk
Since graduating from the Eastman School of Music, bassist and vocalist Katie Ernst has not slowed down. After moving to Chicago, she teamed up with tenor saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi and drummer Andrew Green to form the progressive trio Twin Talk. The trio’s name refers to the unique language developed by some pairs of twins. The…
Rochester Cocktail Revival returns for its third year
This is the third year of the Rochester Cocktail Revival, a week of tastings, seminars, and parties celebrating the vibrant cocktail scene in Rochester. Chuck Cerankosky, co-owner of Good Luck and Cure, and Joe Fee of Fee Brothers, along with other Rochester bar and restaurant owners came up with the idea of the Revival in…
ROCK | The Sheepdogs
It isn’t particularly hot in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Not like it is in, say, Alabama or Georgia — hot beds of heat and Southern rock. But this province to our north is home to The Sheepdogs, a band born in 2006 to serve up an excellent blend of Southern rock, mixed with a little hippy and…
COMEDY | Amy Schumer
Stand-up comedian Amy Schumer has become well known over the last few years as the creator, co-producer, co-writer, and star of the award-winning Comedy Central sketch series “Inside Amy Schumer,” and as the writer and star of the recent Judd Apatow comedy “Trainwreck.” Her popularity is in part due to the relatability of her topics…
Sun’s out
City Newspaper’s 2016 Festival Preview Guide This is the wonderful time of year when Rochester trades in its scarves for sunscreen. It’s when festival season kicks into overdrive — and not just in Rochester, but in Ontario, Livingston, and Wayne counties, too. It certainly can be hard to keep track of all the festivals throughout…
SPECIAL EVENT | Cinco de Rhino
Seneca Park Zoo’s 21-and-older “Cinco de Rhino” event is geared toward educating audiences about the challenges rhinos face in their natural ranges, and what can be done to help. In addition to a talk given by a rhino keeper, the event will feature music by Significant Other, beer and wine samples, food, Wii bowling, and…
HIP-HOP | Garden Fresh
“Garden Fresh is really dope / Fillin’ the r-o-c with hip-hop hope / They ain’t just about bitches and money / And their shit is really really funny.” Instead of the avaricious drivel often seen in hip-hop, or the cerebral, socially conscious diatribes that have a responsible social and political slant, the duo known as…
LECTURE | Khuram Hussain on the Black Panther Party
When I was in growing up, there was little discussion in school about the Black Panther Party’s contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. And if the organization was mentioned, it was vaguely dismissed as a group of domestic terrorists. No mention was made of the programs it held to elevate black children’s self-regard, or the…
POP | Rachael Sage
Singer-songwriter and pianist Rachael Sage bills her latest album, “Choreographic,” as “ballet pop,” a harkening back to her early training as a dancer at the School of American Ballet. It’s a winning set of very danceable, or at least very foot-tappable, songs with catchy tunes, rhythmic hooks, and intelligent lyrics. “Choreographic” will be released on…
THEATER | “The May Queen”
Geva Theatre closes its 2015-16 season with playwright Molly Smith Metzler’s “The May Queen,” a new work that’s brimming with both empathic human drama and clever, quirky humor. The play tells the story of Jen Nash — once the beloved “May Queen” of her high school — who mysteriously returns to her hometown to take…
CLASSICAL | “Music for Scandals”
If you were a successful composer-performer in the 17th or 18th centuries, chances were excellent that you were part of a royal court. And if you’re part of a royal court, you would inevitably be exposed to, or even involved in, some scandal. This was the case with four well-traveled guitar virtuosi and composers of…
THEATER | “Ain’t Misbehavin'”
The musical revue inspired by 1920’s and 30’s high-society Manhattan nightclubs that jumped and jived during the Harlem Renaissance comes to life at JCC CenterStage. Broadway’s Zoe Walker, who appeared in the original cast of the Broadway musical in the 1970’s, directs a cast of local stars. The Tony Award-winning musical features a soundtrack completely…
Historically speaking
We look at three festivals that take attendees to different eras A celebration of cool, obsolete machinery Western New York State is rife with fertile farmland; it’s given the region a rich agricultural history. And though farming is still a major part of life in rural areas, industrial cities grew in the late 19th century,…
FESTIVAL | Imagine RIT
Now in its ninth year, Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Fesival is an invitation for the public to “experience the breadth and depth of RIT through interactive presentations, hands-on demonstrations, exhibitions, and research projects” from RIT faculty, staff, and students. The event is family-friendly and often includes opportunities for children to interact with exhibitors. Imagine…
FOLK | Ellis Paul
Besides writing impeccable tunes, Ellis Paul practices good karma. Paul’s keynote speech at the 2015 Northeast Regional Folk Alliance conference told the story of how he built his career among friends, created a network, and earned grassroots support one fan at a time; it’s been 25 years since he played his first gig. Prior to…
FUA Krew’s RANGE has first solo show
You can usually tell when a graffiti artist has a gallery show by the names dropped all over the block. Following the Saturday night opening of Victor “RANGE” Zarate’s solo show at AXOM Gallery, monikers in colorful calligraphy were scribbled and scrawled on the city’s surfaces up and down Anderson Avenue — consider it a…
A (festival) day in the life
Food truck operators run long days in the summer heat to be out with the festival crowds Since modern style food trucks started hitting Rochester streets in 2011, they have become a cornerstone of the area’s festival scene. At this point, it would be hard to imagine going to Park Ave Fest or the Jazz…
ROCK | Dialects
Even through a cascade of notes, there’s a feeling of infinite, vast space that Dialects creates in its music. It’s like standing on the bridge of a speeding spaceship and looking out at pinpoints of stars and bright nebula whizzing past — and it may be what the band was going for, with song titles…
Urban Action 5/4
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Discussing migrant worker issues The Rochester Committee on Latin America will present a panel discussion, “Immigration Initiatives in New York State: Where Do We Go from Here?” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May…
Looking for hope from a Midtown casino
Is a free performing arts center enough to overcome the negatives a downtown casino could bring with it?
Film review: “The Invitation”
Plenty of films have mined awkward dinner parties for the sake of laughs. Forced small talk, unwanted reunions, and the occasional clashing of personalities, all heightened by the presence of alcohol: it’s a situation ripe for uncomfortable comedy. But with “The Invitation,” director Karyn Kusama (“Girlfight,” “Jennifer’s Body,” and “Æeon Flux”) has something else in…
Theater review: “The Book of Love” at DCT
Every romantic relationship has a life cycle consisting of several stages. Often, it looks something like attraction, romance, commitment, reality, recommitment (or severance). For anyone who’s been in a long-term relationship, it’s a familiar pattern. The relatable factor of relationships is exactly what Oliver Blatt capitalizes on in his original musical, “The Book of Love,”…
