Cover Story
Yarms: a profile in musical curiosity
If you’ve frequented the folk and singer-songwriter circuits in Rochester in the last 10 years, you’ve probably heard Ryan Yarmel play. Every Wednesday this month at Abilene Bar and Lounge, Yarmel is hosting a stylistically diverse concert series called the “Yarms February Frolic.”
RPO 2019-20 season brings fresh programming
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has announced its 2019-20 Philharmonics and Pops series. Next year’s season features a meticulously crafted blend of beloved, heavyweight composers and fresh, new-to-the-RPO works from the 20th and 21st centuries.
McFadden drops reelection campaign
City Council member Adam McFadden, who on Friday pleaded not guilty to four counts of wire fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering, is ending his campaign for reelection to the South District seat. McFadden has informed Monroe County Democratic Committee Chair Brittaney Wells of his decision, says MCDC spokesperson Briana Scott. McFadden was recently designated as…
Trump bars key Planned Parenthood funding
President Trump today issued a rule barring federal Title X funding for family planning groups that provide abortion services or abortion referrals.
City ‘guidelines’ set off alarm
It’s not always clear who speaks for residents of a neighborhood in dealings with the city. But when the city tried to come up with a way to deal with the problem, things got tense.
Adam McFadden facing federal charges
Rochester City Councilmember Adam McFadden was charged with four counts of wire fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering in US federal court this morning.
RIT-NTID announce 2019-20 theatrical season
Each of the fully-accessible shows will feature a combination of deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing actors and dancers performing stories that tackle a variety of social and political themes.
The F Word: Too much practice is bad for you
It’s good to know your instrument and your limitations therewith. But too much rehearsal is no bueno. In order to live and breathe, music has to be interpreted somewhat loosely and in the moment.
Institutions to honor Frederick Douglass legacy
The MAG, St. John Fisher, and the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commemoration Committee continue the celebration of Douglass’s life and legacy with exhibits and events.
CLASSICAL | Lilya Zilberstein
When classical superstar Martha Argerich needs a partner for a piano duo, she turns to another virtuoso, Lilya Zilberstein. When you hear her play, with equal shares of dazzling technique and exhilarating style, it’s easy to understand why. Zilberstein has a knack for fluid phrasing and effortless lyricism, while losing none of her characteristic articulation…
Feedback 2/20
Who’s behind the opposition to Whole Foods? While I enjoyed the drawing of Brighton Town Supervisor Bill Moehle in the paid advertisement on the back cover of CITY, I must take issue with its message. The public doesn’t know who is behind the big money being spent on ads like this one to fight the…
Urban Action 2/20
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Forum planned on police accountability City Council will hold its last public forum concerning its legislation to establish a Police Accountability Board on Thursday, February 21. If it passes, the legislation would mean…
Coalition focuses on gun violence
The ROC Against Gun Violence Coalition, a broad-based organization that includes citizens’ groups as well as law enforcement agencies, has unveiled a plan it hopes will help reduce the city’s gun violence. The plan includes adding funding to the Rochester Police Department budget, developing a gun amnesty program, enforcing gun laws more strictly, pushing for…
Standing together against hatred
It is with great distress that we read of the recent arrests of individuals from the Town of Greece accused of making bombs and possessing weapons, with the intention of carrying out an attack on the Muslim community of Islamberg in Delaware County. According to news reports, members of the group planned the attack using…
RECREATION | Native American Winter Games
Once the weather turns harsh in Western New York, it’s easy to want to just hole up for the winter, when we don’t have to be at work, school, or running errands. But in the 17th century, this region was home to active Seneca town Ganondagan, which bustled with outdoor activity. You can get a…
SPECIAL EVENT | Little Theatre RocOscar Party
Sure, you can watch the Academy Awards ceremony from home, but why not get fancy and make a night of it? The Little Theatre will host a shindig this weekend that includes viewing The Oscars on the big screen in theater 1; unlimited popcorn, water, tea, coffee, and fountain beverages; desserts from Premier Pastry and…
FOLK | Connie Deming
Connie Deming is everything a singer-songwriter should be, bringing every aspect of her life into her songs. While her tunes are imbued with echoes of all the rich traditions of folk music, stylistically they are all her own. Deming is a fine pianist and a nicely percussive guitarist, but she can still soar when she…
SPECIAL EVENT | Special Olympics
This weekend’s Special Olympics New York Winter Games is the culmination of more than 1,000 athletes and coaches’ year-round training in six winter sports, and the competition returns to Rochester again this year. Featured sports include Alpine and cross-country skiiing, figure skating, floor hockey, snowboarding, and snowshoeing. The Riverside Convention Center will host the floor…
CLASSICAL | Pegasus Early Music
According to Pegasus Early Music director Deborah Fox, a “fandango” is not just a Spanish dance, it’s also a party. That’s her hope in presenting this week’s Pegasus concert of the same name, a miscellany of song and dance from Baroque-era Spain and from its New World colonies, including Colombia, Peru, Guatemala, and Mexico. One…
DANCE | Brockport Dance 50th Anniversary Celebration
The College at Brockport’s dance program celebrates its 50th anniversary this week with a celebration that will feature 1972 graduate and acclaimed choreographer Elizabeth Streb, former faculty member and celebrated choreographer Garth Fagan, and more. Attendees can take classes with alumni instructors, watch Streb’s documentary “Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity” (Thursday, February 21,…
JAZZ | Mostly Other People Do the Killing
Mostly Other People Do The Killing takes jazz to a whole new level by japing standard traditions and reveling in pushing sonic boundaries. Based in New York City, the band began as a quartet and continues to fluctuate in size as a free-improvisation collective. MOPDTK typically presents itself as a horn-filled jazz septet with a…
ART | ‘Out of the Shadows’
There’s still a little time left to check out “Out of the Shadows,” an exhibit of paintings by Richmond Futch Jr. that were informed by Futch’s work with Rochester’s homeless community, as well as Michele Ashlee’s photographs, which were used as reference for many of the paintings. Futch is a homeless advocate and artistic director…
SURF ROCK | The Surfrajettes
All-female surf rock quartet The Surfrajettes has become an international sensation over the past few years. Based in Toronto, the band is known for its psychedelic surf rock instrumentals, delivered in a classic, 60’s go-go style. Rochester’s Anne Liebel plays drums in the group, alongside guitarists Nicole Damoff and Shermy Freeman and bassist Sarah Butler.…
SPECIAL EVENT | ASL Workshop & Performance
Whether you’re an American Sign Language interpreter or interested in witnessing the art of interpretation in action, you won’t want to miss Crom Saunders’ Rochester appearance this weekend. On Sunday, February 24, Saunders will present his “Green Eggs and Hamlet” workshop for ASL interpreters, followed by his one-man show “Cromania!” The events are presented by…
GARAGE ROCK | Buffalo Sex Change
One of Rochester’s favorite party bands, Buffalo Sex Change brings down the house with only two people behind the wheel of the sexually-charged, grunge-pop thrill ride: guitarist Phil Pierce and drummer Clayton Eddy. The duo has celebrated three releases since its debut in 2014, including its most recent album, 2018’s “Searching Hands.” Covered with lo-fi…
Album review: ‘Dirty Anxious Low’
Jan the Actress ‘Dirty Anxious Low’ Self-released jantheactress.bandcamp.com Most bands build up the energy over the space of a few cuts. But not Jan the Actress, no. The band’s latest CD, “Dirty Anxious Low,” delivers that slash, crash and burn immediately. It’s there the minute you switch it on, and it doesn’t stop for nine…
Our national emergency
We’ve let a succession of presidents do this. And in the process, we’ve been chipping away at the Constitution.
Fast-casual pizza on Monroe Ave
The convenience of the location and the freshness of ingredients at Create A Pizza are enough reasons to frequent the restaurant. And people rarely agree on what to put on a pizza, so there’s nothing like a personalized pie all to yourself.
Review: Alan Singer’s ‘Shapely’ at AXOM
Singer writes computer code that recreates the natural phenomena of form and color, creating geometry-based abstractions that become dazzling monotype prints, which in turn inform the geometric visuals he paints in oil and acrylic.
The 6th Annual Lubies
The Academy Awards happen this Sunday, but let’s be honest: the ceremony audiences are really excited for are the Lubies, CITY’s annual Oscar-alternative honoring films, performances, and trends that have been unjustly overlooked by the Academy.
Abortion conflict flares up in Batavia
America’s culture wars never end, and one of the fiercest conflicts has been over a woman’s right to safe, legal abortion. Right now, that division is having an impact in the City of Batavia,
Album review: ‘Go Digital!’
The Saplings ‘Go Digital!’ Master Hand Records thesaplingsmusic.bandcamp.com The Saplings’ beautifully odd album “Go Digital!” is definitely a mellow, clever, and cool collection that punches like a clown on the nod. The band exhibits a ton of varied personalities: electronic moods cleverly stirred into pop hooks, from Devo to emo. All 13 cuts are accessible…
Interview: The Goddamn Gallows
Of all the bands currently out there liberally slathering the suffix “billy” all over their diagnosis – as in psychobilly, punkabilly, swingabilly, et al. – The Goddamn Gallows makes the most sense.
