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Indigenous Environmental Activism in Art
MCC’s Mercer Gallery hosts exhibit of Indigenous visual activism to raise awareness about threats to the environment
Seal, Bela Fleck, and Alison Krauss among XRIJF 2018 headliners
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and no, we aren’t talking ’bout Xmas or even Festivus. We mean The Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival when jazz artists as well as musicians of all stripes descend upon our fair city for nine days in the summer. Well, the bigwigs at the XRIJF have just…
Groups team up for RTS meeting
Several advocacy groups will hold a Reimagine RTS “Meeting in a Box” from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Worker’s United Building, 750 East Avenue. Reimagine RTS is a deep study of Greater Rochester’s bus system, initiated by RTS’ operater, the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority. When the project is complete, RGRTA will have…
RoCo marks 40 years with Members Show, lights mortgage on fire
Rochester Contemporary Art Center this weekend will celebrate 40 years in operation with its 27th Annual Members Exhibition, opening Friday, December 1, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and with a Mortgage Burning Bash to be held on Saturday, December 2. The organization began as Pyramid Arts Center in 1977 and became Rochester Contemporary in 2000. This year’s…
City Council starts work on police-oversight changes
Rochester’s City Council is preparing to work on “possible changes” to the way complaints about police misconduct are reviewed, Council President Loretta Scott has announced. And, Scott said in a statement, “Council anticipates that these changes will be substantive and will ultimately require legislation.” At a meeting yesterday, Council members reviewed a study of Rochester’s…
Dance review: Garth Fagan debuts new works at Nazareth College
Garth Fagan and his dancers are pushing their own boundaries by pioneering new works that encourage audiences to look at cultural and societal issues through the lens of movement.
SPECIAL EVENT | Baobab Cultural Center Fundraiser
The Baobab Cultural Center is in need of some community aid. The art gallery and resource center, dedicated to educating Rochesterians about the African Diaspora, is racing to raise $10,000 to stay open. A fundraiser will be held Friday, December 1, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the center (728 University Avenue), with a $10…
HIP-HOP | Scarface
Scarface is probably your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper. Nas has listed “Mr. Scarface is Back” (the Houston emcee’s 1991 solo debut) as one of his favorite hip-hop albums; Killer Mike has called Scarface the greatest of all time; and Jay-Z in his book “Decoded” writes he’s “maybe the first truly great lyricist to come out…
JAZZ | Larry Carlton
There’s smooth jazz and then there’s the music of Larry Carlton, who is just too good to be pigeonholed under that label. That’s Carlton you hear on Joni Mitchell’s “Court And Spark” album. And that’s him playing the great guitar solo on Steely Dan’s “Kid Charlemagne.” And then there are his four Grammy Awards, including…
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL | The Regrettes
The Regrettes’s video for its song “Seashore” features singer Lydia Night being burned at the stake like Joan of Arc while suggesting I go fuck myself. And that’s all it took, really — I’m in love with this band from Los Angeles. It’s straight-out-of-the-garage pop with a bite from punk rock teeth. It’s The Ramones…
ROOTS | Daddy Longleg’s Homegrown Revival
Thanks to Daddy Longleg’s Homegrown Revival, Cleveland is now the center of the world. These cats are rustbelt gumbo with every spice imaginable tossed in the pot, along with some gunpowder for added bang in the boogie. Just dig the band’s version of The Beatles’ “Come Together.” Daddy Longleg’s Homegrown Revival plays happy hour on…
PUNK | LMI
Lansdale, Pennsylvania’s LMI is tough to pin down stylistically, so please don’t take that big “PUNK” above this write-up too literally. LMI isn’t punk in the sense that they trade in three-chord anthems and bratty dispositions, but rather it has a youthful willingness to try just about anything under the heavy music sun. Its most…
POST-HARDCORE | Thrice
For a band on the precipice of entering its 20th year, Thrice still sounds as vital as ever. While the group of kids who wrote the blistering post-hardcore anthems found on 2002’s fantastic “The Illusion of Safety” and 2003’s major label follow-up, “The Artist in the Ambulance,” have done a lot of growing up over…
VOCAL/HOLIDAY | ‘A City Sings for the Season’
Nothing quite says “holiday celebration” like a community-wide event to benefit others in our city. This Sunday, Rochester Oratorio Society will host the fourth annual “A City Sings for the Season” at the Stardust Ballroom. This free concert is notable for the sheer number of ensembles and artists set to perform: the Rochester Oratorio Society’s…
SOUL | Danielle Ponder & The Tomorrow People
Danielle Ponder’s voice is a peerless blend of strength and smoothness. The charismatic singer and her band, The Tomorrow People, have long galvanized audiences with their infectious pop-R&B sound and dynamic message of love, understanding, and social justice. On Friday, Ponder and company will take it to the next level when they return to The…
Forever sunshine
Cammy Enaharo is easily filling a large role in Rochester’s indie music scene. The 25-year-old, ukulele-strumming, singer-songwriter performs solo acoustic shows on a regular basis and plays with several local bands, including Pleistocene and Ben Morey and The Eyes. She also recently got involved in a new project, Gold Koa, with Matt Battle and Kamara…
Album review: ‘Sit & Smile’
Willow Bay “Sit & Smile” Self-released willowbay.bandcamp.com Let’s see now: thickly chopped power chords; snotty vocals; clever songs; little or no excessive guitar noodling; accelerated tempo. Lemme guess, it’s the new Green Day. No? Then it’s the Foxboro Hot Tubs? No? This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but Rochester punkers Willow Bay’s “Sit & Smile”…
Album review: ‘Algorithmic Soul’
Red Sky Lullaby “Algorithmic Soul” Self-released redskylullaby.com Red Sky Lullaby’s new “Algorithmic Soul” is the soundtrack to lunar-bound, waking dreams in all of its narcotic splendor and ambience. Red Sky Lullaby is the one-man-mission of producer Stuart Kilbride, who paints an infinite expanse of colorful wonderment. It’s chill and mellow to the max. But before…
SPECIAL EVENT | Metro Justice Alternative Fair
Metro Justice will again this year offer family-friendly holiday shopping — with a conscience — at its 32nd annual Alternative Fair. The two-day event features thousands of fair-trade, sustainable, and locally produced gift items, including pottery, textiles, jewelry, fine art, toys, games, and ornaments. And the goods are offered in a price range that fits…
SPECIAL EVENT | Native American Winter Arts Weekend
If the winter doldrums have their claws in you, a bit of vibrant revelry might be the remedy. Ganondagan State Historic Site’s two-day Native American Winter Arts Weekend offers music, storytelling, opportunities to purchase visual art, activities for kids, a film screening, and a panel discussion. This year’s headliner performance is by Tuscarora singer-songwriter and…
Round-up: upcoming holiday dining events
With winter setting in, it’s only natural to want to crowd around the table for a warm, hearty repast. Happily, there’s no shortage of opportunities to gather for a good meal as the holidays approach. Restaurants all over Rochester this December are getting creative with special seasonal menus and dining events that will work for…
VSW stages John Cage’s open-ended ‘Variations III’
Twenty-five years after his passing, John Cage remains an enigmatic and largely misunderstood musical and artistic figure in the public consciousness. The trailblazing composer is often seen as a solitary, almost shamanic philosopher-artist, perhaps best known for his highly conceptual “silent” composition “4′ 33”,” written for a single performer who never plays a note. Visual…
Feedback 11/29
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com or post them with articles on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com. Those of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published; we edit selections for publication in print, and we don’t publish comments sent to other media. ‘Twelve Angry Men’ in the post-truth era As a…
SPECIAL EVENT | ‘Miracle on Main Street’
December’s Hungerford Building event has become one of my favorite First Friday stops of the year (second only to its October “Haunted Hungerford” night). Local artists and makers open up their studios and embrace the season in unique, funky ways, and it’s easy to knock three or four names off your gift list — plus…
Urban Action 11/29
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Looking at the economy Rochester Downtown Development Corporation and the Rochester Rotary Club will present “Vison Future” on Tuesday, December 12. Business and political leaders will discuss successes in 2017 and share their…
Housing trust gears up
Liz McGriff’s fight to regain ownership of her Cedarwood Terrace house has stretched over five years, but soon that struggle could be over. McGriff fell behind on her mortgage payments after she lost her job with the US Postal Service. The loan’s owner, MidFirst Bank, foreclosed on the property. But McGriff has managed to resist…
FAMILY/HOLIDAY | ‘Holly Trolley’ Rides
The New York Museum of Transportation is using its vintage trolley railroad to celebrate the holiday season. On Sundays, December 3, 10, and 17, the museum will offer “Holly Trolley” rides on its trolley railroad — the only one in New York State — with Santa and Mrs. Claus, hot chocolate, and cookies. The museum…
Republicans’ housing shakedown
President Trump promised that an overhaul of the tax code would make it simpler for everyone to file their taxes and that it would mostly benefit the middle class. But critics say the Republican tax plan that’s moved through the House and seems poised to pass the Senate is far from friendly to working and…
THEATER | ‘She Kills Monsters’
If you pay attention, you can learn a lot about yourself and other people while playing a role-playing tabletop game like Dungeons & Dragons. You can see how decisions are made in the moment, get a glimpse at the character other people want to project into the world, and grow a little closer with friends…
Rochester’s changed. Now it’s transit’s turn
Greater Rochester’s public bus system is from another era, quite literally. It was originally designed when the city’s downtown was a hub of offices, jobs, shopping, and services, and the buses were meant to move people between that core and its surrounding neighborhoods. That means it was designed before Marketplace, Greece Ridge, or Eastview Malls;…
THEATER | ‘Occupant’
If you’re going to form a relationship with a writer, there’s a fair chance you can expect to be written about. Playwright Edward Albee and sculptor Louise Nevelson were good friends during her lifetime, and more than a decade after her death, he penned a portrait of the artist-as-a-ghost in his 2001 play, “Occupant.” The…
Search starts for Evans’ replacement
The Rochester school board will have two new members in January 2018. Natalie Sheppard won a seat on the board during the November elections. She’ll take over the seat held by Jose Cruz, who didn’t run for another term. The school board has also started its search for candidates to replace longtime member Malik Evans,…
Can’t local Democrats be faithful to their ideals?
Some Democrats were outraged by the Monroe County Democratic Committee’s selection of Todd Baxter — a conservative, Republican-turned-Democrat — as its candidate for sheriff. One of them, Gary Pudup, ran a write-in campaign and has continued to speak out. In this guest commentary, he explains his views.
Film review: ‘Roman J. Israel, Esq.’
Dan Gilroy in 2014 burst into the scene with his directorial debut feature, “Nightcrawler,” making a big impression with the dark satire about local news and tabloid culture. Now the filmmaker returns with “Roman J. Israel, Esq.,” another slippery morality tale built around a protagonist with questionable social skills. Part legal drama, part character study,…
Film review: ‘Coco’
Ever since Pixar released their first full-length feature, “Toy Story,” back in 1995, seeing any new offering from the studio has been a pleasure. Following that groundbreaking work was a run of films that was nearly unprecedented in terms of both critical and commercial success, and even if some of the magic has diminished in…
Film review: ‘Novitiate’
“Novitiate” is a spiritual drama following 17-year-old Cathleen as she falls hopelessly, giddily in love. But it’s not a boy — or any other human — who’s captured her heart, it’s God.
