Cover Story
Dan Lilker stays sincere
Metal stalwart Dan Lilker is making some of the most intense music of his career right here in Rochester
Proposed downtown DMV’s fate lies with budget vote
Monroe County is on the verge of having a downtown DMV, once again. County Clerk Adam Bello announced his plan to open an office at a press conference this morning. First, however, the County Legislature needs to pass the 2017 county budget without removing funding that Bello’s office set aside for the effort. The Legislature…
WEEK AHEAD: Events for the week of Monday, December 12
The Public Safety Committee of Rochester City Council will discuss Mayor Lovely Warren’s proposal to get rid of red-light cameras this week. Council committees meet at 4 p.m. on Thursday, December 15, in Council chambers at City Hall, 30 Church Street. You can speak out on the red-light legislation at a specially scheduled public forum…
I Scene It: The Struts at Main Street Armory
I love rock ‘n’ roll, but I’m tired of having to look in the rear view mirror to get it, so I sift through the myriad bands that pitch it retro and throwback — bands that sort of lose the point as they wallow in cliché. Few bands the world over get it right, so…
Film review: “Miss Sloane”
Jessica Chastain further cements her status as one of the best actresses working today with “Miss Sloane,” the engrossing new political thriller from “Shakespeare in Love” director John Madden. Chastain stars as Elizabeth Sloane — a brilliant but ethically unscrupulous Capitol Hill lobbyist — who as the film opens is being grilled at a Senate…
Controversial plan for Lake Ontario approved
A bi-national agency has adopted a controversial new plan to regulate water levels in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River: 16 years after it started developing it. And one federal representative is already vowing to fight it. The International Joint Commission announced this afternoon that it approved Plan 2014, albeit an amended version. The…
Finger Lakes region gets $80.5 million for priority projects
The Finger Lakes region will get $80.5 million in state funding to support key industries, economic and community development projects, and anti-poverty programs. The state held its annual Regional Economic Development Councils awards ceremony – sometimes called the state’s economic development Hunger Games – this afternoon. The Finger Lakes council’s plan was named a top…
Homeland Security allegedly contacted about two Naz students
A member of a local church allegedly called Homeland Security after two male Nazareth College students, both Muslim, attended a service and coffee hour at the church on Sunday, said Nazareth president Daan Braveman in a letter addressed to the “Campus Community.”
Urban Action 12/7
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Warren, Dinolfo make economic predictions Rochester Downtown Development Corporation and Rochester Rotary Club will present “Vision-Future” on Wednesday, December 14. The luncheon’s keynote speakers are Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo and Rochester Mayor…
COMEDY | “Don’t Grab My Pussy”
Following a rough election, and coping with its result, local comedian Kelsey Hagen decided to put her thoughts into action with “Don’t Grab My Pussy,” a concert of live music, poetry, monologues, and comedy, run by women, for women. Featuring Marianne Sierk, Penny Sterling, Delaney McLemore, Madelein Smith, and more, 100 percent of the proceeds…
This is why you can’t just dump Judge Astacio
Rochester City Court Justice Leticia Astacio has eight years left on her first term – eight years too long, according to much of the public. But judges have lengthy terms for good reason. Astacio was convicted of misdemeanor driving while intoxicated earlier this year and received a conditional discharge. She was back in court recently…
SPECIAL EVENT | Cirque Dreams: “Holidaze”
When you combine 30 artists, 20 acts, fantastic feats of athleticism, and just the right touch of Christmas music, costumes, and decorations, you get the Cirque Dreams show “Holidaze.” The production has been critically acclaimed for its dangerous, energetic, and high-flying acts, which have been featured on shows like “America’s Got Talent.” This show was…
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL | The Struts
You’re gonna start hearing things like “They’re bringing rock back” and “It’s refreshing” once you get a load of The Struts, an awesome UK-bred foursome that opened for the Stones in Paris. The band harnesses T-Rex and glam rock in particular, all done with danger and an overt androgynous swagger. Now this type of rock…
SPECIAL EVENT | “May Your Days be Merry and Bright”
The Perinton Historical Society will host Michael Lasser — a lecturer, writer, and teacher (and a former CITY theater critic) — for a presentation on the Christmas classic “White Christmas,” and how the song became a hit and led to the success of other holiday tunes like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Let…
VOCAL | Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus
If festive songs sound like holiday fun, the Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus has the concert for you. The group will perform “Comfort and Joy” on Friday and Saturday. Whatever your taste might be — from the traditional “What Child Is This?” and the snowy classic “Winter Wonderland” to innocuous tunes like “Recycle the Fruitcake” —…
THEATER | The Hornets’ Nest Series
Along with being a staff writer for the Netflix series “Narcos,” Martin Zimmerman is an award-winning, multi-ethnic, bilingual playwright. His work is largely current issue-based, making it a perfect match for The Hornets’ Nest, Geva Theatre Center’s annual script-in-hand series that investigates “the most challenging and controversial ethical dilemmas of our time.” Zimmerman’s recent work,…
CLASSICAL | RPO performs “Messiah”
Handel’s oratorio “Messiah” has not been out of the repertoire since its first performance in 1743, and no Christmas is complete without it. Last week, “Messiah” made the first of several Rochester appearances this year thanks to the Rochester Chamber Orchestra. Next up is this weekend’s presentation by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Rochester Oratorio…
POP PUNK | The Ataris
“Being grown up isn’t half as fun as growing up,” goes the chorus from what’s probably the biggest song Anderson, Indiana’s The Ataris have written to date (save for a perplexing cover of Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer”). It’s a sentiment that anyone who came of age in the era of low-slung Les Pauls,…
INDIE ROCK | Shana Falana
When you think of shoegaze, a specific set of images tend to come to mind: Fender Jazzmasters drenched in reverb, washed out vocals, and flickering lights from seemingly endless pedalboards. While these are certainly unmistakable signifiers of the subgenre, the real beauty of shoegaze lies in its more subtle sonic possibilities. Kingston, New York’s Shana…
HARDCORE | Ovtlier
Fronted by the magnetic Joey Arena, Ovtlier is a dynamic blend that teeter-totters between indie anguish and hardcore rage — sort of like when the band worked under the Youngbloods moniker. The main difference is that this band is better: harder in the hard parts, gentle where it needs to be, and with a smooth…
OPERA | Joyce DiDonato
Joyce DiDonato is arguably America’s most beloved mezzo-soprano today. On Monday, DiDonato takes the stage at Kodak Hall along with classical ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro to perform a concert intriguingly titled “In War & Peace: Harmony Through Music.” On this program, the mezzo-soprano’s pure tone will convey classic opera arias from the Baroque period. A…
Mrs. HD takes a step back on ‘Analog’ and makes it raw
Geoff Dale is a gregarious gadabout. This is a character with little sleep in his background — or foreground for that matter. The man fronts two bands and brews beer. Along with his latest band, Mrs. HD, Dale leads the nine-piece jam band Extended Family and acts as one of the heads at Three Heads…
Rochester builds on bike successes
Imagine taking a relaxed, pleasant bike ride on one of Rochester’s moderately busy streets — coexisting peacefully with cars and enjoying the scenery. But then the lane just ends at an intersection or in a spot where the roadway narrows. Suddenly, you’re forced into the street. “To the casual observer, you’re riding along and you…
Album Review: ‘High Diver’
Seth Faergolzia “High Diver” Blang Records faergolzia.com Seth Faergolzia wrote 100 songs last year, put nine of them together on “High Diver,” and English label Blang Records put it out. You got to wonder what the editing process was in order to whittle it down this far — I mean 90 percent didn’t make the…
Album Review: ‘The Vision EP’
Distant View “The Vision EP” Self-released facebook.com/distantviewband The music on Byron, New York, rockers Distant View’s new five-song offering, “The Vision EP,” is reminiscent of the post-grunge melodic rock that came out of the 90’s, especially if the decade wet up to nineteen ninety-eleven. Just give a listen to the tenacious track “Good Day” and…
Family-run Iron Tug Brewing touts nitro stout
Iron Tug Brewing has an unassuming physical location. If my friend and I had blinked, we might have driven by it entirely. It feels like a small beer hall or public meeting place inside the colored brick building — in fact, the space was formerly a firehouse, and looking up at the ceiling, I could…
Feedback 12/7
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. The way…
Charlotte Square development funds public art
Figuring out the aesthetics of a city isn’t a small thing. Developers putting money into downtown Rochester should take a page from Home Leasing LLC, which commissioned public art to accompany its Charlotte Square project in the East End. A new sculpture by Kevin Dartt, which can be seen day or night due to a…
Trump and city schools: spreading charters and vouchers
The president-elect and two key appointees have embraced charter schools and vouchers. That will spell trouble for urban districts like Rochester’s.
Film review: “Manchester by the Sea”
“Manchester by the Sea” is a heartbreaking exploration of grief and loss among characters who’ve lost the tools to process them
