Articles
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The artist burning wood to reach ‘Elevated Places’
The walls of ARTISANworks pop with fine-art paintings, kitschy collectibles and even a pinhole camera built from a Tibetan skull. This month, the art-dense venue will also be home to woodworks that channel ancient mythology and wisdom via earthy presentation. “Elevated Places,” a gallery event on August 8 presented by the Rochester Black Arts Council, […]
Posted inMusic
REVIEW | ‘The Commons’ by Thornéd Crown
Thornéd Crown may describe themselves as a “dungeon folk outfit,” but the Rochester band’s debut cassette release “The Commons” is a stylistically diverse collection of (mostly) instrumental songs, ranging from the modal psych raga of “Swamprun,” reminiscent of Kikagaku Moyo or Goat, to the ‘70s folk horror movie soundtrack territory of “Torchlight.” Expanse by Thorned […]
Posted inPhoto essays
The 19th-century sandlot in Mumford
By the time you’ve traversed through the 68 buildings that make up the circa 19th-century Genesee Country Village & Museum (GCVM) and made your way to the furthest point of the 600-acre grounds, your brain may be convinced you’ve traveled back in time. Especially once you step through a wooded tree line and beneath an […]
Posted inMusic
REVIEW | ‘Are We Damned?’ by Goat Farm
If you’re looking for music that doesn’t just sound good, but also takes hold of you and reaches all the way down to your soul, Goat Farm’s new album, “Are We Damned?” (released June 20) is an excellent place to start. The stoner metal group based in Rochester has outdone itself with a collection that […]
Posted inMusic
REVIEW | ‘Tales of the Finger Lakes, Western New York & Beyond’ by Growl Bear
With local Americana band Growl Bear’s new offering, the 20-track concept album “Tales of the Finger Lakes, Western New York & Beyond,” its frontman, singer-songwriter Jeremy Button, has produced a group of story-songs that stand on their own while also making a collective statement about upstate New York culture. He has also secured an impressive […]
Posted inMovie Reviews
Review | ‘The Big Cheese’
American cheesemongers have a chip on their shoulders. It’s not entirely unwarranted. American cheese (the category) is fairly young, all things considered, gaining traction only in the 1970s, and is often conflated with the giant bricks of yellowish-orange American cheese (the product) found in grocery stores across the country. “The Big Cheese,” a new documentary […]
Posted inCulture
The nation’s first founding farm animal sanctuary marks 40 years in Watkins Glen
It’s 1986, and Gene Baur is selling vegan hotdogs at Grateful Dead shows. Surrounded by the sounds of Jerry Garcia and company, Baur spends his time educating fellow “Deadheads” about the cruelties of animal agriculture, providing firsthand accounts from his investigations at factory farms, stockyards and slaughterhouses. Then Baur finds Hilda, a discarded sheep left […]
Posted inMusic
REVIEW | ‘Hard Candy for Hard Times’ by Handsy Grandma
Listeners who gravitate toward punk rock, fast-paced music that makes them jump as well as engaging messaging will feel a sense of belonging with Handsy Grandma. The band’s “Hard Candy for Hard Times,” available July 24, brings all the energy with 16 dynamic tracks ready to pump up listeners for the heat of summer. The […]
Posted inCulture
The Witches of Water’s Edge dance to benefit others
It’s a Wednesday night in Seneca Falls, and a group of women prepares for another busy weekend of performances. In a few days, they’ll don pointy hats, grab their broomsticks and dance into their roles as modern-day witches. But they aren’t just dancing for spectacle —- they’re raising awareness. The Witches of the Water’s Edge, […]
