Cover Story
The East-UR ‘experiment’
Shaun Nelms on the changes at a once-failing school
RPD officers, accused of excessive force, suspended
As community activists continue their push for major reform of police oversight in Rochester, Mayor Lovely Warren and Police Chief Michael Ciminelli announced today that two officers have been suspended without pay related to allegations of excessive force. And they have asked Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley to investigate possible criminal misconduct. Rochester resident…
The F Word: I was there. Were you?
It was June 1986, and my hair was perfect. I was a 20-year-old rock ‘n’ roller working on my hustle outside the club Rumours on South Avenue. And even though I had played in this joint with my band, there was a chance I wasn’t going to get in to see what is still my…
Poll shows Morelle leading over Maxwell
A Siena Research Institute poll shows that among respondents, Democrat Joe Morelle holds a commanding lead over Republican Jim Maxwell. Pollsters asked participants who they’d vote for if the general election were held today, among some other questions. Of the respondents, 55 percent chose Morelle, the Assembly majority leader and an Irondequoit resident, while 31…
LECTURE | ‘Jason Lee: A Plain View’
Actor and photographer Jason Lee will this week speak in Rochester as part of the George Eastman Museum’s Wish You Were Here photography lecture series. Lee’s talk will center on his newest, Texas-focused installment of photographs in his ongoing series, “A Plain View,” which is a documentation of rural America. Lee created his images using…
LITERATURE | Erin Dorney
Western New York native Erin Dorney’s “I Am Not Famous Anymore” is a volume of poems drawn from media interviews with the sometimes inspiring, sometimes enigmatic Shia LaBeaouf. But by erasing parts of his statements and reframing the text as a poem, she’s turned LaBeaouf’s discourse into a poetic examination of fame and identity. Dorney…
ART | ‘The Molok’ Performance and Object Offering
Earlier in the year we reported that Rochester-based sculptor Annalisa Barron had been tapped to create a creature for “The Molok,” a live action fantasy film being planned by New York City-based filmmakers. The construction of the creature’s frame is well under way, but it’s missing some essential pieces: “The Molok” will eventually be built…
Album review: ‘Secret Language’
Sergej Avanesov “Secret Language” New Centropezn Music sergejavanesov.wordpress.com Growing up in Rostov-on-Don, in the south of Russia, Sergej Avanesov began playing the saxophone at the age of 9. Listening to greats like John Coltrane and Keith Jarrett, he developed a love for jazz. After studying in Russia, at the age of 17 he moved to…
ROCK | Desmond Jones
Lively and sultry, serious and humorous, channeling a late-90’s alternative-rock vibe similar to Marcy Playground: Desmond Jones is a five-piece jazz-rock fusion band. With music centered in guitar melodies and funky grooves, it’s known for high-energy shows packed with skillful improvisation, drawing influence from Frank Zappa, PHISH, and Charles Mingus. Desmond Jones performs with Electric…
Album review: ‘Pay for It on the Other Side’
Pete McCann “Pay for It on the Other Side” McCannac Music petemccann.com Over the decades, great guitarists like John McLaughlin and John Scofield have played at the intersection where jazz meets rock, creating a kinetic hybrid in the process. Pete McCann joins that elite club with his new album, “Pay for It on the Other…
Feedback 8/22
Send comments to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. For our print edition, we select comments from all three sources; we edit selections for publication in print, and we don’t publish comments sent to other media. Why don’t voters vote? In a recent guest commentary,…
JAZZ – BLUES | Natalie Douglas
Vocal powerhouse Natalie Douglas will perform a tribute concert at the Lyric Theatre on Saturday, August 25, honoring some of the most iconic female voices in jazz and gospel history. The concert, titled “Four Women,” will celebrate the music of Nina Simone, Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, and Billie Holliday. Douglass’s performance is part of the…
REGGAE | Aaron Kamm and the One Drops
Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Aaron Kamm and the One Drops is a power trio blending flavors of reggae, blues, and rock into its music. Vocalist and guitarist Aaron Kamm has a classic Rasta voice with a tender scratch and heart-felt clarity that resembles Bradley Nowell of Sublime. Bassist Andy Dorris flows in and out…
Urban Action 8/22
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) State candidate speaking here Jumaane Williams, one of four candidates for New York lieutenant governor, will speak at a townhall-style meeting in Rochester on Wednesday, August 22. His topic: “Schools and Not Jails.”…
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL | Alison Pipitone
It’s that pesky “a” that hangs at the end of “Americana” that’s becoming a bit detrimental to the multitude of genres that find shade under its branches. And as a genre title, it threatens to become more and more ambiguous, and less and less impactful. Buffalo’s Alison Pipitone is a straight-up, straight-ahead barroom rock ‘n’…
SOUL – R&B | Summer Soul Music Festival
The City of Rochester’s “Rochester Music Festival” has been re-tooled and re-tweaked and given a much-needed general overhaul focusing on a strictly soul and R&B format. The 2018 lineup of the now renamed “Summer Soul Music Festival” is a killer-diller with a bunch of legends and heavy hitters set to perform. Saturday’s line up-includes Angie…
BLUES ROCK | Joanne Shaw Taylor
British blues rocker Joanne Shaw Taylor straps a guitar on between her and the rest of the world. And she certainly knows her way around the neck. But it ain’t blues as some might say. It’s more guitar-centric rock complete with fiery finger work. It’s her voice, where the hint of blues climbs aboard. But…
City adding ‘play’ to project list
City officials have announced three more projects, this time having to do with play, not buildings or infrastructure. One will create a “Corridor of Play” from the Genesee River east on Court Street, then south on Chestnut Street to the Strong Museum of Play. Another will create new play-oriented activities in the Jones Square Park…
ART | ‘A Study in Color’
Whitman Works Company continues their tradition of supporting artists based in Rochester with their current exhibition, “A Study in Color, the Experimental Arts of Todd Bassage.” While working as a laboratory scientist during the day, Bassage’s has focused his studio art career on abstract painting, sculpture, and photography. He explores techniques, color, surface, and different…
THEATER | Sankofa Festival
Since 2007, the annual two week Sankofa Festival has spotlighted primarily local playwrights, actors, and directors in a mainstage and variety of supporting performances. The first week of this year’s fest features “The Green Book Chronicles,” inspired by the Negro Motorist Green Book, a traveler’s guide used by a generation of African Americans seeking safe…
1916 is now
With an excited kerrang, Rochester Celtic rockers 1916 dives headlong into its show. The mechanics that go into the wielding of its collective instruments is blinding; all arms are in a windmill-blur. Since 2010, 1916 – Billy Herring, guitar and lead vocals; Ryan Hurley, upright bass; Steve LaDue, drums; and John Kane, mandolin – has…
Film preview: ‘Puzzle’
The modest indie drama follows a predictable path, but packs a secret weapon in the form of a powerhouse lead performance from actress Kelly Macdonald.
Comedian Marlon Wayans is getting to the good part
African Americans do travel: actor Marlon Wayans discusses becoming a comedian, working NBC vs Netflix, and learning to laugh at yourself.
Chow Hound: Omakase at Next Door Bar & Grill
It’s chef’s choice at Omakase (Japanese for “I will leave it to you”), which is offered on Thursday nights only. Our writer got out of her sushi comfort zone and enjoyed a diverse array of flavors.
Film review: ‘McQueen’
With their deeply affecting documentary, directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui take a close look at Alexander McQueen’s life and work, and in the process create an engrossing film, even for those who don’t consider themselves fashion connoisseurs.
