Cover Story
No guidebooks, no masters
Shawnee Hill, Patrick Kinz-Thompson, Rebecca Lomuto, and Margaret Storms push their artwork outside conventional bounds
Film review: ‘Wonderstruck’
Todd Haynes isn’t a director typically associated with the family film genre, but he does well with “Wonderstruck,” bringing the same eye for impeccable period detail that made films like “Carol” and “Far From Heaven” such sumptuous pleasures. “Wonderstruck” contains two separate storylines told through two distinct styles. The first is set in 1927, and…
Dinolfo’s budget will add funding for visitation programs
A coalition of children’s advocates, faith leaders, and medical professionals are urging Monroe County officials to better fund services that have been proven to help prevent child abuse. Specifically, the coalition wants Monroe County to restore $1.7 million worth of funding that has been cut from some of those programs since 2014. They include Nurse-Family…
Film review: ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’
Director Yorgos Lanthimos specializes in dark and demented tales that delight in dismantling the rules and norms serving as the basis for civilized society. His previous work and one of last year’s best films, “The Lobster,” upended and satirized the idea of romantic relationships. That story had Lanthimos’ trademark bleak outlook, but was balanced with…
Ron Gallo finds the change within
Everything about Nashville’s Ron Gallo is “utter”: utterly chaotic; utterly fractured; and his bio describes a man who is not afraid to call utter bullshit on the most disappointing human norms. He shines bright despite being a sort of anti-rockstar. Musically, Gallo — who fronted Philadelphia’s Toy Soldiers before the band parted ways in 2014…
Album review: ‘Baby Brother’
Jon Lewis Band “Baby Brother” Self-released jonlewis.bandcamp.com The way the Jon Lewis Band puts the pedal to the metal on “Let Me Go,” the opening track to “Baby Brother,” its new release, doesn’t give you much time to get out of the way of the rest of the album, laying there coiled and waiting. There’s…
Album review: ‘The Wishing Stones’
Tom Guarna “The Wishing Stones” Destiny Records tomguarnamusic.com There is no shortage of excellent young guitarists on the scene today, but few of them are as distinctive as Tom Guarna. Guarna’s new album doesn’t rely on reinterpreting standards or pop tunes. “The Wishing Stones” is full of original tunes that explore new harmonic ideas, varied…
LECTURE | Zanele Muholi on Visual Activism
South African artist Zanele Muholi works in photography, video, and installation, and is dedicated to increasing representation through her breathtakingly gorgeous black and white portraits of black lesbian, gay, transgender, and intersex people. Despite policy changes — South Africa legalized same-sex marriage in 2006, for example — discrimination and violence against LGBTQ people persist. Artists-as-activists…
CLASSICAL | RPO’s Beethoven Festival
As Schroeder said to Lucy, “Beethoven is IT, clear and simple! Do you understand?” When it comes to the title of “King of Classical Music,” Ludwig van Beethoven remains the heavyweight champion (Western European Division). This week and next, Ward Stare and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra salute Beethoven with programs featuring two of his works…
FOLK | Rochester Folkus
A new music group, Rochester Folkus, is here to promote acoustically based music — whether it’s bluegrass, Celtic, folk, or whatever. And this will be on a semi-regular basis on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at Downstairs Cabaret. The maiden voyage takes place this week with Sally Rogers, whose storied lyrics are rivaled only…
THEATER | ‘Coriolanus’
Shakespeare’s plays captured the essence of humanity so effectively that his plots and characters can don the skin of any era, and the audience will collectively nod their heads and bark a wry laugh in response. The Bard’s tragedy “Coriolanus” tells of a Roman warrior returning home to political unrest. The ruling class’s foreign military…
CLASSICAL | Paul Lewis
English pianist Paul Lewis is what you could call a Beethoven specialist. An expert interpreter of the classical music master, Lewis plays with an engaging combination of exactitude and finesse, communicating all the power of Beethoven without diminishing any of the composer’s melodic flourishes. On Monday, Lewis comes to Kilbourn Hall as part of the…
SPECIAL EVENT | ‘How Did We Get Here?’
The premise is simple: What if different Rochester musicians all wrote songs with the same exact title? More than 20 local songwriters will give that a shot, including Connie Deming, Maria Gillard, Madeleine McQueen, Mike Muscarella, Scott Regan, and Jeff Spevak. Actor and comedian Michael Koldan will serve as host. “How Did We Get Here?”…
Urban Action 11/8
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) A focus on water quality and phosphorus The Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association will present a discussion on Wednesday, November 8, on phosphorus and its potential to harm to water quality. The speaker will…
SPECIAL EVENT | ‘Come As You Are’
After covering the 2017 KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival, “Come As You Are” was my top pick for the show I’d like to see again. During the hour-long spoken word production, four women shared their personal stories dealing with identity and acceptance — topics varied from the experience of being a single mother to being the…
School 41’s future uncertain
The Rochester school board is once again faced with the question of what to do with one of its lowest performing schools. School 41, in the Kodak Park area, was one of two statewide that didn’t meet performance goals last year. (Buffalo school district’s Build Academy was the other.) Last week State Education Commissioner MaryEllen…
SINGER-SONGWRITER | Joni Mitchell birthday party
Joni Mitchell’s impact is two-fold in that her message of peace and love is carried further by the legions of artists she has influenced over the years, like Rochester belter Lauren Faggiano. Faggiano and her band will be the hosts to an army of Mitchellites, including Connie Demming, Maria Gillard, Scott Regan, Sara Rogers, and…
Council considering loan for Morgan development
Should Rochester taxpayers loan one of the region’s biggest developers $1.5 million? That issue is on the agenda for City Council’s November 14 meeting. Mayor Lovely Warren is asking Council to approve the loan to one of the Morgan development companies for apartments it’s building at the corner of South Avenue and Court Street. The…
THEATER | ‘The Mikado’
W.S. Gilbert saw a benefit to setting “The Mikado,” his 1885 comic opera with Arthur Sullivan, in a fictional Japanese village: Establishing the action in a faraway location would hopefully give Gilbert and Sullivan more room to satirize absurd British law, mores, and institutions — not to mention there was a fascination with Japan at…
Homeless shelters are already crunched
Year after year, homeless shelters in Rochester face a dilemma. On many days, they see more people who need shelter than they can accommodate. That leaves them with two choices: turn the people away or methodically search for available beds in other shelters. Typically, they do the latter, and usually to little success. Normally, this…
FOLK | John Gorka
With widespread accolades, John Gorka has been one of folk music’s brightest stars, though he seems to stick to solo outings and the intimate venues of the coffee-house circuit. The thing that separates Gorka, besides his rich baritone, is the scale of his storytelling, which makes snapshots of everyday life seem as if epic tales…
Are you there, College Town?
Last week, I decided to make a rare healthy decision for myself and head to Saha Med Grill in College Town for one of its bangin’ Greek salads. I paid the $1.50 to park on Mt. Hope Avenue, only to find a sign indicating that Saha’s College Town location was closed (the University Avenue business…
COMEDY | Comedy Benefit Shows
Two comedy shows this week are aiming to fill seats for good causes. Rochester troupe Polite Ink Sketch & Improv on Saturday, November 11, will throw its first “Oh Watta Night” benefit show for Willow Domestic Violence Center. The comedy group — Michael Anthony, Don Beechner, Corrie Carter, Karen Craft, Bolan Graham, and Reuben Tapp…
CITY’s WORST DATE CONTEST!
You could win a night out for sharing your worst date story with us!
JAZZ | Björk Project
Of all the singers who have emerged in the last few decades, perhaps none fits the term “unique” better than Björk. The Icelandic vocalist’s range covers everything from fragile, ethereal beauty to wonderfully crazy primal screams. Perhaps that’s the reason Björk has inspired musicians in a variety of genres. The Institute for Creative Music, known…
Baxter wins sheriff race; Dems make gains in the ‘burbs
Monroe County Democrats had a good night: they took the sheriff’s office, they picked up a County Legislature seat, and they won a smattering of town seats. Democratic candidate Todd Baxter unseated sitting Republican Sheriff Patrick O’Flynn with approximately 57 percent of the vote. That gives Democrats their biggest win of the night. Some progressives…
The nation under Trump
Guns, climate change, war: the facts are available. But for much of the American public, truth is what we want it to be.
Eastman Museum highlights ‘Stories of Indian Cinema’
Adam previews “Stories of Indian Cinema” and the related exhibits at Eastman Museum, and some upcoming one-off screenings and events at The Little, VSW, and Downtown Presbyterian.
Film review: ‘Thor: Ragnarok’
It has taken three movies to get here, but Marvel has fully embraced the transformation of Thor into a genuine comedy star. There’s always been a sly sense of humor to the studio’s stories centered around the Norse thunder god, even in Kenneth Branagh’s more operatic first outing. But with each subsequent installment, tongue was…
Theater review: ‘Dracula’ at Blackfriars
Although Christmas decorations quickly replaced any remnants of Halloween in stores, a large harvest moon hangs low in the sky and the weather has just begun the transition from temperate to bone chilling. With the opening of its second 2017-18 season production, “Dracula,” on Halloween, Blackfriars Theatre isn’t in a rush to move past the…
