Cover Story
Latino Rochester: pride and power
Don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t remember, but the City of Rochester has already had its first Latino mayor. City Commissioner Carlos Carballada filled the office for a blink-and-you-missed-it period of time in 2011, when everyone was arguing over the legal process to replace former Mayor Bob Duffy. (Duffy won election as…
Daily Choices: What to do on Wednesday, April 17
Music: Get ready to swing your hips, and apparently, your gates, too. The Gateswingers headline as the featured band of this week’s Big Band Dance Series, held every Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Roger Robach Community Center (180 Beach Ave.). Each dance costs $2 per person. See the rest of this year’s…
Environmental groups push bi-national commission to advance lake levels plan
A coalition of environmental groups is calling on the International Joint Commission to move forward with its proposed Lake Ontario levels management plan. The IJC, a bi-national commission that handles issues involving water bodies with shared US-Canadian borders, is meeting today and tomorrow in Washington, D.C. And the environmental groups are asking the commission to…
Daily Choices: What to do on Tuesday, April 16
Music: Pianist Kathryn Blaine, saxophonist Stephanie Venturino, and violinist Helen Wong will all have their talents spotlighted in the David Hochstein Competition Winners Recital, featuring classical performances from each of these three talents.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 5: Bitter, sweet symphony
Confession: I spoiled myself on the results of tonight’s episode earlier this afternoon after some idiot posted the first 10 minutes of NEXT week’s episode right on the Logo website. I watched it and knew who won tonight’s challenge, who was in the Bottom 2, and who went home. But even if I hadn’t gotten…
Concert Review: Ruff Alley Rounders, Ryan Montbleau Band, Lowkey
Though the answer sounded rather obvious, it had never dawned on me before upstanding, upright bassist Brian Williams spelled it out. “That’s because you can’t clog on grass,” he said. Williams was sitting in on the bottom end with The Ruff Alley Rounders, bringing extra happy to Abilene’s Friday night happy-hour hootenanny. He was explaining…
![[UPDATED] RPO challengers lose legal battle](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/1365428684-rpo-icon.gif?resize=200%2C150&ssl=1){kind=icon}
[UPDATED] RPO challengers lose legal battle
Both sides in the legal case respond to Justice Kenneth Fisher’s ruling.
Concert Review: Jessye Norman, Garth Fagan Dance at Kodak Hall
There was something regal about Jessye Norman during Sunday night’s concert at Kodak Hall. A certain calm, unhurried presence that gave her performance the exquisite touch that only a mature and self-confident artist can bring to her audience. You could argue that the three-hour event went on too long. There were various introductions going into…
Concert Review: Deerhoof, People Get Ready, The Demos at Water Street
The members of Deerhoof have said that they are never sure what kind of music they will create next. Since the band’s formation in 1994, it has kept fans and critics guessing, too. While the San Francisco group’s earmark may be unpredictability, a Deerhoof show is sure to include batty stage antics and a kaleidoscopic…
![[UPDATED] Week Ahead: College Town grocer wants tax breaks; learn about the Common Core; RCSD budget meeting](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/1366034920-news1_collegetown_04-10-13.webp?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] Week Ahead: College Town grocer wants tax breaks; learn about the Common Core; RCSD budget meeting
Update, Tuesday, April 16: According to a spokesperson for Monroe County, Meliora Provision Co. pulled its application from this month’s COMIDA agenda because they are still working out details with College Town’s developer. The company looking to build a grocery store in the future College Town project on Mount Hope wants sales and mortgage tax…
“Game of Thrones” Season 3, Episode 3: Let’s give the boy a hand
Welcome back to Westeros! In this week’s episode a boy became a man (several times over), a queen haggled for slaves, and Jaime Lannister’s personal Applause-o-Meter took a permanent hit. Beware: here there be spoilers. Let’s start with Riverrun, a completely new location for the show, and ancestral home of Catelyn Stark. The show fast-forwarded…
Daily Choices: What to do on Monday, April 15
Special event: Want to taste what you’ve been missing in wine all this time? Instructor Elle Andrews will lead you through the basics of wine tasting in her Wines With Elle class,
Daily Choices: What to do on Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13
Music: Need to add some color to your Saturday night? Then check out the epic paint party that is Life in Color, featuring Sander van Doorn,
Rochester school board member Willa Powell among parents rejecting tests
School districts across the state will begin administering standardized English Language Arts tests next week to students in third through eighth grades. The following week, students will begin taking math and science tests. But not every student will participate, including the son of Rochester school board member Willa Powell. Powell’s son is a student at…
Rochester’s education, housing, and poverty by the numbers
If you’ve lived in the Rochester region for a few years, the scores on ACT Rochester’s recently released annual Community Report Card probably won’t shock you. Most of us already know that the nine-county Rochester region, overall, is doing better than the state in some areas — the economy, education, health, and housing. But when…
“American Idol” 2013: Results (Top 6 to Top 5)
And finally, our long national nightmare is over. I’ll keep tonight’s blog short and sweet. Here’s what you need to know: -Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery was back, singing his incredibly repetitive new song. And frankly he did not sound great. He also still looks 12, which made it all the more uncomfortable when Ryan…
No decision today on RPO lawsuit
This afternoon, State Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Fisher heard arguments in a lawsuit against the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. He’s not issuing a decision today but will do so by the end of next week, says Eileen Buholtz, the attorney that filed the legal challenge. Buholtz is suing to invalidate the results of the RPO’s annual…
More EV charging stations coming to New York
A state agency announced this afternoon that it’s awarding $3.6 million toward 260 electric vehicle charging stations, which will be installed across New York. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority sent out a press release breaking down the awards, which are going to various companies. Only a couple of summaries mention specific…
More ‘Spider-Man’ news
The City of Rochester sent over the following press release this morning with more details on the upcoming movie shoot in Rochester: Mayor Thomas S. Richards met with the producer of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie this week to discuss the logistics of the production that will take place Downtown. The major motion picture shoot…
“American Idol” 2013: Burt Bacharach/Songs the Idols Wish They’d Written
Last night’s “Idol” featured the highs and the lows of competition. Literally, we had some of the best singing of the season, but also the worst of possibly ANY season. I was hooting and clapping so loudly at my TV screen that I realized: this season has actually somehow become amazing. Largely in spite of…
Daily Choices: What to do on Thursday, April 11
Film: The documentary “Two Who Dared” will screen for free at 7:30 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church of Rochester (220 Winton Rd. S., rochesterunitarian.org). The film tells the story of a Unitarian minister, Waitstill Sharp, and his wife, Martha, who rescued refugees from Nazi-occupied Sudetenland in 1939.
Rochester parents want more music and arts in the schools
Unlike some prior budget proposals in the Rochester school district, where the response from parents and teachers was swift and aggressive, the response to Superintendent Bolgen Vargas’s current budget proposal has been more of a slow build. But last night’s public hearing on next year’s budget drew a nearly packed conference room at the district’s…
Lej Dems stand up to the GOP
Democrats in the Monroe County Legislature voted against two borrowing measures last night, one for a bridge project in Wheatland and the other for a road project in Chili. Because the borrowing measures require approval from two-thirds of legislators, they failed. The votes were a tactical move by the Democratic caucus, which is in the…
Daily Choices: What to do on Wednesday, April 10
Lecture: Most people celebrate getting over their hump day by drinking and partying. But a select few people might prefer to celebrate it by, say, listening to lectures about philosophy or the medical profession. That’s the ideal crowd for Nerd Nite at Veritas Wine Bar
RECREATION | Philbrick Park Guided Tour
As of press time, Rochester seems to be actually resembling spring — there are decent temperatures outside, lots of sunshine, and we haven’t had any freakish snowstorms for at least the last day or two. So we advise that you soak up the warm weather before things get weird again. One way to make the…
FOLK/ROCK | SoundRabbit
Shortly after the group’s formation in 2007, SoundRabbit was awarded “Best Pop/Rock Release by a New Band” by the Mile High Music Store in Denver for its debut album, “This Room Becomes a Crowd.” The buzz continued to grow around the Boulder band and its fusion of folk, jazz, rock, and world music as it…
CD Review: Bruce Forman Trio “Formanism”
The name Bruce Forman might not ring a bell but chances are you’ve heard his music. As the guitarist of choice for Clint Eastwood when he directs films, Forman has been featured on the soundtracks of “Million Dollar Baby,” “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Hereafter.” It’s not long into the first tune of his new…
SPECIAL EVENT | Art of the Mix: Tax Day
John Lennon summed up everything I have to say about the IRS. Well, almost everything…and The Beatles were certainly more polite about it than I would be. So I’ll just point out that you can commiserate — or celebrate, depending on how your 2012 return shaped up — the tax deadline in style, with an…
JAZZ FUSION | AudioInFlux
Despite beginning as a studio project in the fall of 2007, AudioInFlux has since evolved into an exhaustive — and exhausting — live concert experience. This Rochester quintet is one of the most aptly tagged troupes around. Its performances are nothing if not lessons in musical mutability, bringing jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, and reggae together…
“Eat It: Artists Explore Food & Consumption”
During the Industrial Revolution, we moved systematically away from traditional, deliberate ways of feeding ourselves. And as this basic element of survival slipped from ours into bureaucratic hands, we became less reliant on our communities for genuine needs, and our relations grew brittle for lack of practice. There are attempts to reverse this, but we…
THEATER | TheatreROCS Showcase
Have you been to the Downstairs Cabaret Theatre or the Geva Theatre Center lately? OK, well, how about Geomantics Dance Theatre or PUSH Physical Theatre or the Rochester Children’s Theatre? Or how about seeing some shows from the Webster Theatre Guild or the Penfield Players? Yes, we know, there’s too much good theater in this…
CLASSICAL | Jessye Norman
The incomparable Jessye Norman will perform a benefit concert at the Eastman Theatre for Action for a Better Community, Inc. this Sunday. Joining her for the program, called “The African American Cultural Legacy,” will be special guests Garth Fagan Dance and pianist Mark Markham. Action for a Better Community is an agency that promotes and…
CLASSICAL | Sound ExChange
Sound ExChange is a group based out of the Eastman School of Music that explores alternative ways of presenting tunes to audiences by re-imagining the traditional concert experience. This program is designed to transform ARTISANworks into an interactive concert hall. You can take Sound ExChange out of the theater, but don’t expect to take the…
CHOW HOUND: Tip Jar
Until cloning becomes more affordable, I can’t be everywhere at once. That’s why I rely upon a stealthy network of well-placed informants for food intel, along with intriguing tidbits submitted by hungry readers like you. But reporting on the recent avalanche of new restaurants has left little room for me to empty the ol’ tip…
BROADWAY/CLASSICAL | Lotte Lenya Competition
Find your way over to the Eastman School of Music this weekend for the 15th Annual International Lotte Lenya Competition for the rising stars of musical theater. The 24 semi-finalists who auditioned in New York City in mid-March have now been narrowed down to 12 finalists. Hailing from Ireland, Australia, China, and the United States,…
Feedback – 04-10-13
Austerity or jobs? The national mythology about the economy given by the mainstream media can be summarized as a discussion whose terms are “austerity” and … “austerity.” Not “versus full employment” or “jobs” but how much austerity, when, and for whom. We all need to share in the sacrifice… Riiight! The media choose to forget…
WORLD | Sultans of String CD Release
Anyone who heard the Sultans of String at one of the group’s high-energy performances at last year’s Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival can easily understand why the group is one of the hottest on the Canadian world music/folk scene. Spanish Flamenco, French Manouche, Arabic folk, and gypsy jazz are just some of global strains that…
“The Whipping Man”
“The Whipping Man” by Matthew Lopez begins in desolation and ends with not much more than a speck of hope — a meager sense of opportunity if the characters can somehow overcome years (even centuries) of experience (and history).
ALTERNATIVE | Deerhoof
San Francisco’s Deerhoof has been at it since the mid-90’s, crafting its unique noise-pop over the course of multiple albums and singles, with numerous compilations and one-off tracks littered throughout. The foursome remains democratic, shifting attention equally amongst its parts, melding high-energy performances with solid musicianship at every point. Despite the equality in the ranks,…
“Wicked”
Since opening on Broadway in 2003, “Wicked” has had smashing success, breaking box-office records and becoming one of the most beloved modern musicals. It has a large, devoted fanbase and inspires the sort of passion in people so that they are eager to see it time and time again. That at least partially explains why…
INDIE ROCK | Instead of Sleeping
My first dose of Pittsburgh’s Instead of Sleeping was the band’s song “Two Chords,” which is made of, you guessed it, two chords (Am and C, to be exact). Beneath the soft intensity of the quartet’s swirling dynamic — and plenty more chords — is a tantrum in waiting, a bristling urgency that aptly suits…
Urban Action – 04-10-13
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) RIT hosts LGBT conference RIT will host the annual “Northeast Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Conference” from Friday, April 12, through Sunday, April 14. The conference features workshops, films, panel discussions, and speakers including…
FOLK/PUNK | Dolfish
Dolfish — one Max Sollisch — is quirky in his astute observations of the otherwise mundane. His delivery is hysterically deadpan, and his haphazard strokes across distorted strings are appropriate and somewhat epic and basically just really freakin’ cool. If you like guys like Hamell on Trial, you’ll love this cat from Columbus. Cottage Jefferson…
Missing March Madness
In our house, March used to be a great month, the NCAA basketball championship a happy break after slogging through the worst of winter. And as alumni of a Southeastern Conference school, both of us raised in a state where University of Tennessee loyalty bordered on fanaticism, there was a special attraction: even if our…
CLASSICAL | Pegasus Early Music
Pegasus Early Music is a cultural gem, filled with passionate musicians who often perform on period instruments. So imagine my surprise when this season was unveiled, including the upcoming concert of Zappa, Zappa, and Zelenka. The first “Zappa” turns out to be an 18th century Italian composer Francesco Zappa. The “Zelenka” is Jan Dismas Zelenka,…
College Town’s problem with windows
When Marcia Barry, the City of Rochester’s director of planning and zoning, meets with College Town developers this week, they’ll talk windows. Last month, the city’s zoning board gave College Town, a 16-acre mixed-use development planned for the west side of Mount Hope Avenue between Elmwood Avenue and Crittenden Boulevard, leeway on some zoning requirements.…
CD Review: Boyd Lee Dunlop “The Lake Reflections”
You may remember the story from a few years ago about a great jazz pianist in his 80s who was discovered in a Buffalo nursing home. His name was Boyd Lee Dunlop and his story was a tough one. Despite being a formidable pianist and the brother of drummer Frankie Dunlop, who played with Thelonious…
Improving neighborhoods
Rochester Mayor Tom Richards wants to keep the city’s Focused Investment program operating in the same four neighborhoods for at least two more years, saying the program needs more time to work. The city started Focused Investment about four years ago, singling out four challenged neighborhoods for intense investment of time and resources: Marketview Heights…
“On the Road”
For reasons no critic quite comprehends, Neal Cassady commanded the attention and indeed the love of most of the major members of the Beat Generation, dominating their literature and their lives. The Beat saint, the holy goof, a car thief, street hustler, speed freak, and prodigious womanizer, he even accomplished the odd transition from one…
Pittsford Y proposal comes down to cars
The YMCA of Greater Rochester wants to build a 90,000 square foot to 130,000 square foot facility on the northwest corner of the Jefferson-Clover intersection. The facility would be the new home for the Southeast YMCA, which is currently located on East Jefferson Road just outside of the Village of Pittsford.
“Evil Dead”
With 2012’s “Cabin in the Woods” still so fresh in the minds of moviegoers, Fede Alvarez’s new remake of Sam Raimi’s horror classic, “The Evil Dead,” has its work cut out for it. It has to find a way to make fresh the tropes of the now well-known story that “Cabin” so cleverly sent up,…
Port work should begin this fall
City of Rochester officials learned the hard way that Rochesterians don’t care to go to the lake in the off-season. Pier 45, the city-subsidized restaurant at the terminal building, had to stop operating in the winter because of steep financial losses. So what makes officials believe that they can transform the port from a summer…
“No”
In 1988, the Chilean government was forced to enact a referendum wherein the population would vote whether to keep then president/dictator Augusto Pinochet in power. A “yes” vote meant he stayed, “no” meant that democracy would win out and an election would be held to elect a new leader. “No,” Oscar-nominated last year for Best…
ART | Allie Hartley “Nocturnal Devotions”
Talented Rochester-based artist Allie Hartley returns to the Record Archive (33 1/3 Rockwood St.) this week, presenting a body of new drawings under the title “Nocturnal Devotions.” Hartley has also recently shown her work at hell-themed hipster haven Lux Lounge on South Avenue. Her stark, graphic works are darkly romantic and reminiscent of old Hollywood…
Power play
The powers that be want to close a nuclear plant that provides electricity to downstate, but upstate ratepayers shouldn’t be on the hook for that decision, State Senator Ted O’Brien says. | Federal licenses for Indian Point Energy Center’s two operating reactors expire soon: one at the end of September, the other in 2015. And…
The Ginger Faye Bakers
While driving to Petco the other day, I shoved the Ginger Faye Bakers’ boss disc, “Feast,” into my dashboard, cranked the volume, and did a double take. I could’ve sworn I heard the ghost of Ron Asheton haunt the speakers amidst this Rochester band’s heavy jam. The Ginger Faye Bakers rock harder than a lot…
KIDS | Cool Kids EcoFest
The last few generations of humanity did a pretty good job of messing up the environment for the rest of us. So it’s up to the next generation to learn from our mistakes and start having a more positive impact on our planet. On Saturday, April 13, kids can learn what’s cool about green living…
CD Review: Stan Killian “Evoke”
You might say saxophonist Stan Killian had it in his blood. His dad, Joe Killian, played piano and Hammond organ with the likes of Sonny Stitt and Don Wilkerson. So, even though he grew up in the not-exactly-jazz-mecca state of Texas, Killian emerged a distinctive player. Since moving to New York in 2006, he’s collaborated…
Fringe Festival extends 2013 show submission deadline
Interested artists now have until Friday, April 19, at midnight to submit their proposals to the festival website.
LECTURE | Art as Activism
There are many daunting challenges that we face as individuals, and as citizens in this wide, weird world. We can easily be overwhelmed by the magnitude of crucial matters that require our attention, and these matters are ever competing with numbing entertainment diversions. Some politically and socially conscious individuals choose to broach crucial subjects through…
CD Review: Myriad3 “Tell”
Pianist Chris Donnelly, bassist Dan Fortin and drummer Ernesto Cervini are three of the top players in the Toronto jazz scene, and they all have strong musical personalities that they’ve deployed in a variety of settings. But, as in the case of many strong leaderless group, Myriad3 is more than the sum of its part.…
