Cover Story
The 2013 High Falls Film Festival
Established in 2001, the High Falls Film Festival was originally conceived with the intent of highlighting the contributions of women in all aspects of the film industry.
Daily Choices: What to do on Wednesday, April 24
Spesh: Join Rochester Winos for a Wine and Food Pairing event tonight, 6:30 p.m., at Banzai Sushi and Cocktail (682 South Ave.). Tickets are $30-$35; to register visit rochesterwinos.com.
![[UPDATED] Democrats endorse Tom Richards](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/1366742696-richardstom05_square.webp?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] Democrats endorse Tom Richards
UPDATE#2, Wednesday, April 24, 9:30 a.m.: Monroe County Democratic Committee chair Joe Morelle sent out a press release last night, responding to the statement from Warren’s camp. His statement follows Warren’s at the end of this blog. UPDATE, Tuesday, April 23, 4:15 p.m.: Lovely Warren’s campaign has responded to the MCDC’s endorsement of Tom Richards.…
Scouts in a changing America
I can’t help feeling sorry for boy scouts: they’re caught in the middle of something they probably don’t understand. No matter how many badges they earn or how many ways they learn to survive in the wilderness, it’s humankind they will have to learn to live with daily. And Boy Scouts of America’s leadership is…
EPA critical of Keystone XL review
Consider it an Earth Day gift: yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency submitted its comments on the State Department’s Keystone XL environmental review. In short, EPA officials say the review doesn’t contain enough information on some critical areas, including greenhouse gas emissions, pipeline safety, and alternative routes. The State Department oversees the approval process for the…
CD Review: Homiside “Back For More”
It’s a singles market these days, so when an album gets released it feels like a big deal. “Back For More” is a debut album from Rochester based rapper Mike Parlayan, aka Homiside.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 5: Courtroom drama
We were down to the big finale. Kind of.Sort of.If you accept the fact that we won’t find out the winner for two freaking weeks. I understand why the show changed its format after the Season 3 winner leak. I get why not crowning a queen until the reunion is critical in an age of…
“Doctor Who” Season 7: “Hide”
First, I did not blog on last week’s episode, “Cold War.” I just didn’t have much to say about it. It was fine, I guess. The Ice Warrior was cool enough, and it was basically “Alien” on a nuclear sub. If you were looking for adventure, you got it. (Though the setting nor the time…
Concert Review: Hatebreed, Slide Brothers, Record Store Day
Digging deep into its catalog, and adding generous doses from its new “Divinity of Purpose” album, Connecticut hardcore harbinger Hatebreed pummeled the heavy crowd at Water Street Music Hall Thursday night. The twin guitars were l-l-l-loud yet discernible as they lead the rhythm-driven onslaught. There was plenty of push and pull between instruments that antagonized…
“Game of Thrones” Season 3, Episode 4: That’s a pretty deep burn, Daenerys
Welcome back to “Game of Thrones,” or as I alternately call it, “Who Are We Burning Today?” I thought this week’s episode rocked, including all of the best elements of the show (minus sex, boo). A lot happened so we’re just going to jump right into it. We’ll start at the end, as we got…
Week Ahead: Sierra Club’s annual environmental forum
Today is Earth Day: a day meant to focus the collective consciousness on the environment, locally and globally. And on Thursday and Friday, the Rochester chapter of the Sierra Club will hold its annual environmental forum. This year’s event features keynote speaker Maude Barlow, a Canadian activist who’s well-known for advancing the concept of water…
Daily Choices: What to do on Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21
On Saturday, April 20, independent record stores around the country — including Rochester — will celebrate Record Store Day
Democratic committees make endorsements for Rochester school board
Four Democratic committees in the City of Rochester met earlier this week to endorse candidates for Rochester school board. The terms of incumbents Van White, Jose Cruz, and Cynthia Elliott are up, and all three are running again. The top vote-getters overall were Jose Cruz, newcomer Candice Lucas, and Van White. Here’s how it breaks…
Concert Review: RPO performs “Beethoven ‘Eroica'”
Before the concert started Thursday night, I heard a woman say to the man next to her, “If you don’t want to stay, we don’t have to. It’s not like you haven’t heard ‘Eroica’ before.” It’s good that they stayed, because last night guest conductor Courtney Lewis led the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra through a definitive…
No hearings set on lake levels plan
This week, the International Joint Commission, which handles issues involving water bodies located in both the United States and Canada, has been holding meetings in Washington, D.C. Previously, environmental groups had publicly urged the commission to move its proposed water levels plan, Bv7, forward by setting public hearings. While not all of the meetings are…
Daily Choices: What to do on Friday, April 19
Film: If the High Falls Film Festival doesn’t fit your cinematic needs, you can also check out this weekend’s two new films: The Chris O’Dowd musical comedy “The Sapphires” and the Tom Cruise/Morgan Freeman sci-fi flick “Oblivion.” See our list of theaters and showtimes here.
“American Idol” 2013: Results (Top 5 to Top 4)
The first 8 minutes of the show did not tape. So I’m going to assume that the judges wasted time by walking to their seats, Ryan Secrest wasted time by giving us a bunch of useless information, the Top 5 did a group song, and, oh, I don’t know, Lazaro galloped across the stage on…
Lovely Warren says city schools would be her first priority as mayor
Rochester mayoral candidate Lovely Warren has staked out education as the centerpiece of her campaign. At a press conference earlier today, Warren said Rochester is facing many challenges, but “none of them is more important than the failure of our schools.” After citing some well-known statistics concerning the city’s grim educational outcomes, Warren put the…
Marketview Heights residents talk about neighborhood’s decline
You can throw around all the statistics you want about crime rates being at historic lows, but if you live in a crime-ridden neighborhood, to you, the city is a violent place. I’ve heard Rochester officials say that more than once, and I experienced it myself last night at a campaign event for City Council…
Self-serving Senate’s failed gun control legislation
A couple of weeks ago, it seemed like the US Senate might actually respond to the will of the overwhelming majority of Americans when it comes to sensible gun control. It seemed as if the Senate, the more deliberative body of Congress, would pass a bill that would at the very least help to prevent…
“American Idol” 2013: Songs from the Year they Were Born/Diva Songs
Well, we’re definitely going to have a female winner for the first time in six seasons. For the first time in show history the Final 5 is entirely one gender, and it is also entirely female. You don’t have to be a Stonemason to work out that conspiracy. Still, there is a LOT of talent…
PETA bringing campus tour to UR
It’s not exactly an experience you’d expect people to line up for, but PETA wants to give University of Rochester students a taste of what it’s like to be a pig confined in a factory farm. Tomorrow, the organization’s youth-oriented arm, peta2, will set up an inflatable tent on the campus’s Wilson Quad. Inside the…
Could charters chew up the Rochester school district?
Lately, there’s been a lot of chatter about charter schools. Rochester, with some of the lowest-performing schools in the country, is a market ripe for an explosion of charters, according to some local educators. Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas has on multiple occasions talked about the decline in student population, which is largely attributable to…
Hemlock-Canadice comment period closed
The comment period for the state’s Hemlock-Canadice forest management plan ended Monday. Now it’s up to Department of Environmental Conservation officials to respond. The DEC received more than 400 comments on the management plan for the Hemlock-Canadice State Forest. Hemlock and Canadice are the only two Finger Lakes with undeveloped shorelines: a distinction they hold…
ART EVENT | ArtAwake
Fifteen local musicians. More than 150 works of art. A drag show, a dance show, and a crafts table. All in just 10 hours. Plan your day accordingly, because ArtAwake has returned. The festival, organized by University of Rochester students and now in its sixth year, will commandeer the Sibley Tower Building (25 Franklin St.)…
ART | “Worlds Apart: Ethiopia and Elsewhere”
You’ve probably never been to Ethiopia. We’re guessing that you’ve probably never thought about going there, either. But “Worlds Apart: Ethiopia and Elsewhere,” the new exhibit at Image City Photography Gallery (722 University Ave.) will bring Ethiopia to Rochester. The exhibit will feature images of Ethiopia from artists-in-residence Jim Patton and David Perlman, as well…
Daily Choices: What to do on Thursday, April 18
Film: Film fans, rejoice: The High Falls Film Festival has returned! After taking a hiatus last year, the festival is back with its original name and a variety of independent treasures from across the world. The festival kicks off tonight with screenings of “Watchtower,” “Facing Mirrors,”
Daily Choices: What to do on Tuesday, April 23
Special Event: The 449th Birthday of William Shakespeare will be celebrated with a benefit event for MuCCC (142 Atlantic Ave.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Pay what you can and enjoy a night of scenes, speeches, songs, and sonnets by William Shakespeare, presented by…
“42”
No doubt consciously timed for the opening of the baseball season, the new movie “42” provides a valuable lesson in contemporary American history, showing viewers the culture of baseball and of the nation not all that long ago. As everyone must know, the picture deals with some of Jackie Robinson’s struggles as the first black…
Daily Choices: What to do on Monday, April 22
Literature: The Record Archive (33 1/3 Rockwood St.) will host a book signing with John Densmore of The Doors today at 5 p.m. Admission is free. Learn more at recordarchive.com.
“The Place Beyond the Pines”
As the showing I attended of “The Place Beyond the Pines” — director Derek Cianfrance’s moody, ambitious, new crime-drama — came to an end, I couldn’t help overhearing the conversation happening amongst the college-age group sitting behind me. One was explaining to his friends that while the film wasn’t what he expecting, he thought it…
Curbside compost
Rochester residents receive city-provided trash and recycling pickup, but when it comes to composting, it’s kind of a DIY thing. That’s about to change. Local residents Brent Arnold and Steve Kraft have started a city-based business, Community Composting, which will provide residential pickup of compost fodder. They’ll give subscribers a bucket for food scraps and…
“Room 237”
Rodney Ascher’s documentary, “Room 237,” playing at the Dryden this week, presents some very unusual interpretations of Stanley Kubrick’s classic adaptation of “The Shining.” Through voiceover, we hear from a number of people offering their explanations for what the director was really saying with his horror masterpiece. Using “clues” found in the film, they see…
JAZZ | Joe Locke
On the first cut of his superb new album, “Lay Down My Heart,” Joe Locke enters the slow groove of “Ain’t No Sunshine” with the melody and then proceeds to take it for beautiful flight. The Rochester native, who graced the stage of Jenks n’ Jones and other long-gone local clubs in the late 1970’s,…
Sounding the alarm on water
The Aral Sea in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan was once one of the world’s largest saltwater lakes. But in the 1950’s and 1960’s, the Soviet Union ramped up agricultural programs in the sea’s basin, which included diverting the freshwater streams that fed the sea and using the water for farming. By 2010, the Aral Sea was…
BLUES | Harvey Mandel and The SnakeCrew
At a time when the radio was flooded with acts looking to cash in on the psychedelic craze, Harvey “The Snake” Mandel made a name for himself as a technical master of the blues guitar. The music industry’s ubiquitous respect of Mandel’s skills landed him a string of studio gigs with rock legends like The…
Community report
The scores on ACT Rochester’s recently released community report card probably won’t shock you. Most people know that the nine-county Rochester region, overall, is doing better than the state in certain areas — the economy, education, health, and housing. | But when the report focuses on the city, it exposes stark disparities involving race and…
ROCK/SOUL | The Mighty High & Dry
Influenced by a veritable hall of fame list of rock musicians, this Rochester-based quartet is gaining some acclaim of their own. The Mighty High & Dry’s sound is rooted in soulful blues, but will surprise you with its ability to funk it up with the best of ’em. The grooves are infectious, the songwriting solid,…
From our cold, dead minds
Before there was Wayne LaPierre, there was Charlton Heston. At the 2000 NRA convention, he raised a rifle high over his head, conjured up the straw man of gun confiscation, and declared: “I’ll give you my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.” Bluster and intimidation have been important elements in the…
CLASSICAL | Concentus Women’s Chorus & Spectrum Women’s Ensemble
Concentus Women’s Chorus invites you to “Sing in the Spring!” a concert with the SUNY Geneseo Spectrum Women’s Ensemble, Gwendolyn Gassler of Concentus and Gerard Floriano of Spectrum Women’s Ensemble, conductors. The concert includes two pieces the groups will perform together by Geneseo-based composer Glenn McClure. Concentus Women’s Chorus was founded in 2000, and it…
FESTIVAL | Woodsmen Conclave
If you’re looking to gather a team of handy folks for your apocalypse survivalist group, think lumberjacks. Around 250 woodsmen — and women — from around 18 colleges and universities in the northeastern United States will converge this weekend on the campus of Finger Lakes Community College for the two-day 67th Annual Northeast Collegiate Woodsmen…
CLASSICAL | Penfield Symphony Orchestra
As the perfect accompaniment to this season’s dramatic weather, the Penfield Symphony Orchestra will present a concert titled “Revolutionary Russians” at the Penfield High School Auditorium on April 22. Conductor David Harman will lead the PSO in Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C-Major, Op. 26 (featuring Joseph Werner, piano) and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5…
LIT | JOHN DENSMORE
Legendary rock drummer John Densmore is one hardcore dude. As a founding member of The Doors, Densmore was part of a pivotal time in music when the worlds of entertainment, social consciousness, and spiritual awareness collided. And, as it still does, corporate America wanted a taste of the windfall. For The Doors, and in particular…
MUSIC FEATURE: Joel Harrison
Guitarist Joel Harrison may have made his name in the jazz world, but when you go to hear him don’t expect perfect bebop runs. “I approach the guitar as an orchestral instrument in the group, not as the star soloist,” says Harrison, who plays at the Bop Shop on Friday, April 26, “so when I’m…
FOLK | Archimedes
The essence of folk music is stories and melodies. It’s a gift from the performers to the audience and back again. Acoustic folk group Archimedes is lush with melodies and sings about everyday things, if your world is poetry. The band nails it down with male-female vocal harmonies and sympathetic notes on guitar that resonate…
RECREATION | Color Vibe 5K
This weekend brings a great, get-active event not only for running enthusiasts, but also for anyone playful enough to become part of a human rainbow. The Color Vibe 5K run, held throughout the nation and resembling the joyful Indian holiday Holi, is a unique race in which the participants are turned into human canvases as…
SPECIAL EVENT | Record Store Day
It’s nice to know that some cool things in this country aren’t being gobbled up, chewed up, spit out, re-packaged, and re-sold. Independent record stores are still going strong. On Saturday, April 20, independent record stores around the country — including Rochester — will celebrate Record Store Day by offering special limited releases and all…
SPECIAL EVENT | Cirque Zuma Zuma
The only circus I want to see features no animals with the wild nearly broken out of them, and instead showcases mind-blowingly talented humans willingly showing off their obsessively honed skills. Because of its quality of performance and production, Cirque Zuma Zuma has been described as an African-style Cirque du Soleil by adoring critics and…
GROOVE ROCK | Montage Music Hall Groove Fest
They’re calling it a groove fest, but I’m telling you it’s a lot more. Groove rock has moved beyond the hippies who birthed it to include angrier, grittier, jazzier, and more rock overtones. But just like its long-haired forefathers, it welcomes all with open ears. Just dig this swirling lineup. On Friday you’ll get PharmHouse,…
Urban Action 4/17
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Film on Israeli-Palestinian conflict Christians Witnessing for Palestine will show the film “With God on Our Side” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 18. The film looks at Christian Zionism and will be…
CHILL WAVE | El Ten Eleven, Slow Magic
El Ten Eleven is back in town bringing the summer sound with that mix of indie and Casio it does so well. While the music doesn’t have lyrics, the density says all it needs to through the magic of mix pedals. Slow Magic has a nice display of chill wave, so if you like The…
THEATER | “Avenue Q” School Edition
The Internet is for…socializing? The Bad Idea Bears have cut back on drinking? And what happened to my girlfriend who lives in Canada? This isn’t the foul-mouthed “Avenue Q” that you know, love, and can’t sing in most public places. Rather, this is “Avenue Q” School Edition, a family-friendly (or at least, friendlier) version of…
A surge of charters to Rochester?
A new company created by Joe Klein, chair of Klein Steel and former board member of True North Rochester Preparatory Charter School, is recruiting specialized organizations to open and manage charter schools in Rochester. By recruiting well-known and tested charter management organizations, E3 Rochester could potentially change the education landscape in the city by adding…
THEATER REVIEW: “33 Variations”
Intricate, delicate, and lovely are possibly the three words that best describe “33 Variations,” the drama currently on stage at Blackfriars. The play, written by Moises Kaufman (“The Laramie Project,” “I Am My Own Wife”) and directed by John Haldoupis, is a nuanced look at the way people relate to one another, refuse to relate…
Beethoven’s “Eroica”
It’s fun to imagine the kind of kid who would fall in love with Beethoven’s monumental “Eroica” symphony — that jolt, eyes lighting up, smile growing wide. “It’s one of the first pieces I ever loved as a child,” says Courtney Lewis, who will guest conduct the Rochester Philharmonic in a program headlined by Beethoven’s…
DINING REVIEW: Harry G’s New York Deli & Cafe
My tax worksheets this year were a little bit hard to read by the time I actually got around to filing on Monday morning. On one corner of the first page of my 1040 form was a mustard-colored blot obscuring the signature block. My Schedule C was spattered with tiny dots (and not-so-tiny dots) of…
What did Rhee know about cheating in DC schools?
This is a corrected version:Nearly 200 teachers in roughly 70 schools appear to have been involved in another widespread city school district cheating scandal. This time, however, the “wrong to right” erasures may have happened during the tenure of the grande dame of education reform: Michelle Rhee, founder of Students First. In a report called…
