Cover Story
Ask a punk
Rochester punks — and adherents abroad — face new challenges, from inside as well as out. Are they ready for what’s coming? Can punk save itself like it saved rock ‘n’ roll? Or is punk dead?
Reimagine RTS proceeds; routes proposal tweaked
RTS now has a final report and recommendations from its consultant regarding the Monroe County public bus system’s fixed routes. For the most part, the routes are the same as they were in the consultant’s draft report from May, though there are a few important changes that officials say resulted from public input. Officials from…
Riverway plans head toward the start line
The city took the first step today on an ambitious plan to redevelop the riverfront from the University of Rochester area through downtown and north past the High Falls area. At a press conference at the Riverside Convention Center, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that he has accepted plans for 13 of the projects in the…
ART ROCK | David Byrne
In his role as the mastermind behind Talking Heads, David Byrne twisted the funk of Parliament-Funkadelic into a thin white groove during the band’s CBGB heyday. Working with producer Brian Eno, the band’s landmark album “Remain in Light” was an expression of African textures meeting technology. And Byrne’s later collaboration with Eno on “My Life…
JAZZ | Don Menza
Over a six-decade career, Buffalo-born tenor saxophonist Don Menza has played a giant role in the jazz world. He toured with the bands of Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, and Elvin Jones, and had a long stint in Doc Severinsen’s NBC Orchestra. On Rich’s 1968 “Mercy, Mercy” album, Menza’s legendary solo on “Channel 1 Suite,”…
METAL | Slayer
Since 1981, the enduring, eternal rallying cry for metal-heads the world over has simply been shouting “SLAYER!” as loud as humanly possible. No sloganeering, no nuance, just people screaming a band’s name at each other in all manner of public spaces. It’s not just the bone-deep, tribal affection Slayer demands from its audience that makes…
FOLK | Megan Flechaus
Megan Flechaus has been writing and playing music since she was 15, and continues to expand her musical boundaries with each new endeavor. Born in Rochester and now based in Austin, Texas, Flechaus played in a number of different bands while developing her own eclectic sound and songwriting technique. The singer-songwriter combines elements of jazz,…
ROCK | Zeke
For a band that’s been around 25 years, Zeke still has methamphetamine-levels of energy and a whole lot of guts. The West Coast-based, metal-tinged punk band bludgeons its listeners with a full-throttle assault of fast-moving guitar lines and lots of head banging. Since 1993, Zeke has released dozens of singles and eight full-length albums, the…
Album review: ‘Undercurrents’
Heather Taylor “Undercurrents” Self-released heathertaylormusic.com Heather Taylor’s new album, “Undercurrents,” is a holistic celebration of self-acceptance and love. It’s an expression through the lens of a feminine Appalachian storyteller. The 10-song album was recorded at Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville, North Carolina, with the help of Grammy Award-winning producer Julian Dreyer, using live tracking…
Urban Action 8/1
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Activist speaking in Rochester The Mercy Spirituality Center will celebrate its 40th anniversary with “Becoming the Church You Dream of,” a keynote speech by Christian social activist and author Shane Claiborne on Friday,…
Album review: ‘Honey from the Rock’
Druse “Honey from the Rock” Head2Wall Records druse.bandcamp.com Love is music’s favorite topic. More often than not, though, music’s love comes in shallow forms. It’s shiny infatuation or sad yet optimistic heartache. “All you need is love” sounds good on paper, until you realize reality is little more complicated. “Honey from the Rock” is an…
ART | ‘The Man with the Eye’
“The Man With the Eye” is the first major exhibition of photographer, painter, and gallery owner Ralph Thompson’s work since he opened Gallery Seventy Four on Tremont Street. The title of the exhibition comes from a nickname Thompson was given by renowned artist Albert Paley, who will also have a few pieces in the show.…
THEATER | Shake on the Lake’s ‘Richard III’
The rural-based theater company Shake on the Lake is making its Rochester debut with a performance of “Richard III.” Based in Silver Lake, New York, the professional Shakespeare touring company is known for fun, fast, physical theatrical performances that feature live music, improvised comedy, and 360-degree staging. The classic play will be performed by six…
FESTIVAL | Chalk Walk & ArtsFest
ArtWorks in Dansville will host its seventh annual Chalk Walk and ArtsFest this weekend. Chalk artists Rebecca Crocker and Derek Crocker will return as the event’s featured artists, and they along with a group of community chalk artists will create signature pieces near ArtWorks. Throughout the day, festival goers will be able to watch the…
COMEDY | ‘The Roast of Grandma ReRe’
After years of being addicted to crack cocaine, and now more than a decade of sobriety, comedian Renetta Thomas is talking about her addiction in a unique way: as Grandma ReRe, a straight-forward elderly lady who is focused on raising awareness about drug addiction and the impact it has on families and children in Rochester.…
SPECIAL EVENT | ‘3’s Company’
Rochester’s favorite drag queens (don’t @ us), Mrs. Kasha Davis, Pandora Boxx, and Darienne Lake will be giving a special two-night performance titled “3’s Company.” The queens are known nationally for their appearances on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” but have been setting the bar for drag and comedy in Rochester for many years. In this limited…
LECTURE | ‘Frederick Douglass, Rochester Quakers, Social Reforms’
Frederick Douglass’s legacy and how it impacted so many parts of Rochester continues to be explored this year. “Frederick Douglass, Rochester Quakers, and Social Reforms in 19th Century” will take a look at how the Quakers in the Rochester area influenced Douglass’s decisions and contributed to the ideas espoused in his rhetoric. The Quakers, also…
Feedback 8/1
Send comments to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. Comments of fewer than 450 words have a greater chance of being published, we edit selections for print, and we don’t publish comments sent to other media. Council’s vote on the Cobbs Hill Village plan I…
WALLTHERAPY 2018 recap
Another WALLTHERAPY mural festival down, another set of Rochester’s walls freshly adorned with imagery that projects playful, positive messages.
What do city schools have to do with you?
Every year, tens of thousands of Rochester children are robbed of a good future. Everybody in Greater Rochester bears responsibility.
Pop-up dinner series serves up seasonal fare
Hearth and Cellar hosts intimate, seasonally-themed pop-up dinners at various locations in and around Rochester approximately once a month, each with a capacity of 30 to 40 people.
Film preview: ‘Eighth Grade’
The directorial debut of 27-year-old musician and comedian Bo Burnham, “Eighth Grade” understands that middle school is a nightmare for most everyone, though we all miraculously fumbled through it.
Claudia Hoyser finds a home in country
Claudia Hoyser’s star is on the rise. The 24-year-old singer and actor has attracted millions of video views on the Internet with her renditions of classic country songs, and her originals are climbing country breakout charts
