Even the cab driver snapped a photo. When Jesse Ferrara and his wife were on a babymoon in Japan, Ferrara, a lifelong fan of Power Rangers — yes, the Mighty Morphin’ kind — saw it as a great opportunity. On a break from exploring the local culture, the couple ventured to a remote quarry. But […]
Patrick Hosken
Patrick is CITY's arts and culture reporter. He was formerly the music editor at MTV News and a producer at Buffalo Toronto Public Media.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Artist Jay Lincoln, whose caricatures captured Rochester, has died
Jay Lincoln, the local artist whose vibrant and dynamic paintings and caricatures decorated the city’s bars and coffee shops, has died at age 60. He posted on Facebook about his prostate cancer diagnosis in early 2025. Lincoln worked in caricature, presenting faces with exaggerated features that brimmed with motion. He painted local fixtures and celebrities, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Kathy Clem Museo de Arte readies its large walls for a grand opening
No matter the medium, an artist’s work is her own language. Painter Kathy Clem took that a step further. She invented her own alphabet. “If you’re an artist, you have to have a style, or that’s what everybody says, anyways,” Clem said. “But I decided not to have a style. I wanted to learn a […]
Posted inMusic
Abilene Bar & Lounge to close in November
Abilene Bar & Lounge, the downtown Americana club known for its cozy vibes and robust live-music programming, is set to close in mid-November, owner Danny Deutsch announced today. In a Facebook post, Deutsch thanked the “pretty vibrant and caring community of music fans and friends” the venue has built for 18 years of “wonderful music […]
Posted inRochester Fringe Festival
Five drag nuns walk into a gay bar in standout Fringe premiere ‘Mass Drag’
The photo of James Lopata’s parents meeting Pope John Paul II hangs near his front door but somehow doesn’t command attention. Lopata’s paternal grandmother grew up with John Paul in Wadowice, Poland, so he had a family connection. When he mentions the pin his mother wore to greet the pontiff, the scene becomes downright revolutionary. […]
Posted inMusic
REVIEW | My Morning Jacket and Guster at Hoochenanny Festival
Jim James’ entire musical modus operandi might as well be “this dude is in love with his guitar.” That’s something someone might say if their entire exposure to James’ band, My Morning Jacket, was the Southern-rock banger “Mahgeetah” from 2003’s opus, “It Still Moves.” In fairness to this hypothetical plebe, the song is literally called […]
Posted inMusic
Phoebe Bridgers listening parties coming to Strasenburgh Planetarium
A Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has chosen Rochester’s Strasenburgh Planetarium to help promote her latest album. New music from Phoebe Bridgers can soon be heard as part of a laser show and with special projections in the venue’s dome. The “Lost Weekend Planetarium Experience” kicks off Monday, August 10 and runs through the album’s release on Friday, August 14. The listening parties give fans […]
Posted inCulture
Rochester Ten | John Kucko
Age: 61 Hometown: Binghamton Current residence: Penfield Occupation: Digital content creator During a recent MRI, John Kucko laid inside a tube with a cylinder resting inches above his face. Physically, he remained still for about 30 minutes while the machine captured images of his brain. But mentally, he took a trip to the Adirondacks. “I […]
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 inMovies
REVIEW | ‘The Odyssey’
“Is Christopher Nolan Catholic?” That’s the first thing I Googled upon exiting “The Odyssey.” As a director, Nolan has built a filmography around tortured men: atomic-bomb patriarch J. Robert Oppenheimer; dream wanderer Dom Cobb in “Inception;” marooned Joseph Cooper in “Interstellar.” But Nolan’s latest protagonist, the Greek hero Odysseus, endures a barrage of suffering so […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘Circus in the City’ anchors Rochester Fringe Festival 2026 lineup
There can be no ESL Rochester Fringe Festival without the Spiegeltent, the signature mirrored hall that houses many of its shows. Indeed, the Spiegeltent will return for the fest in September. But this year’s Fringe also brings a slew of outdoor acrobatics, trapeze and aerial arts performances to downtown venues like Parcel 5 and Gibbs […]
Posted inCulture
Local radio show ‘Rainbow Roc’ celebrates 10 years of proud LGBTQ+ advocacy
When Brian Hurlburt applied to host a radio show on low-power community broadcaster WAYO-FM, the station didn’t technically exist yet. This was 2015, and organizers were still laying cables and installing power racks before launching. Hurlburt wanted in. He’d worked in radio before, hosting a show in Batavia, and he dreamed of returning to the […]
