Cover Story
David the Goliath
The Democratic primary for the State Assembly’s 137th district is sure to be a referendum on the long career of incumbent David Gantt. Gantt has represented the district for more than three decades. On September 13, voters will decide if they still want or need the influence Gantt’s seniority offers, or whether the district is…
Daily Choices: What to do on Wednesday, September 5
Peaches and Cream Luncheon, jazz photos, reggae, blues, and more
Paterno biography ultimately unfulfilling
I love biographies, but I don’t trust them. I tend to think they’re more akin to what Truman Capote called “nonfiction novels.” I just finished Joe Posnanski’s biography of Penn State’s legendary coach Joe Paterno, who was fired during the firestorm over the Jerry Sandusky child-molestation scandal. The scandal broke while Posnanski was writing the…
CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENT: fun. coming to RIT
Pop rock group fun. will be returning to Rochester this fall, playing at the Gordon Field House on the RIT campus on Saturday, November 3. Tickets go on sale September 7, and prices run $16-$30. Head to RIT CAB’s website for more details.
Once again, it’s Monroe County vs. the state comptroller
County officials are on the offensive over the latest state Comptroller’s Office audit report criticizing the county’s use of local development corporations (LDC’s). Late Friday, the county released a draft of the audit report, which specifically targets the county’s use of Monroe Security and Safety Systems LDC to contract out upgrades to public-safety communications systems.…
Daily Choices: What to do Saturday and Sunday, September 1-2
SPECIAL EVENT: On Saturday or Sunday, take a morning flight on the Intrepid, a Civil War-era hot-air balloon at Genesee Country Village & Museum (1410 Flint Hill Road, Mumford). Flights take place 7-10 a.m. and cost $35-$45. RSVP for your spot: 294-8218, gcv.org. FESTIVAL: Captain Redbeard’s Feast takes place this weekend at Honeoye Lake (call…
Vito Lopez, Shelly Silver, and the harassment of women
I feel like I’m reading the same story over and over, just with different perps, different victims, and different kinds of abuse: Jerry Sandusky, Catholic priests, and now Vito Lopez, the New York Assembly member accused of sexually harassing women staff members. And once again, the reaction from higher-ups is to protect the accused. Aren’t…
Sibley sale imminent
Rochester Mayor Tom Richards announced today that the sale of the Sibley building to a Winn Development company is practically imminent.
Romney, unveiled
The Republicans have wrapped up their convention in Tampa, and if I were the people in the Obama campaign, I’d be worried. Particularly after Mitt Romney’s speech. I could certainly find plenty to criticize, as I did throughout this attack-dog week. Speaker after speaker simply threw facts to the wind. And the hyper-patriotism and “USA!…
Concert Review: Synthetica at the Little Theatre Cafe
Someday soon, when ape-like creatures with digital watches are rummaging through the artifacts and wreckage of our civilization, the music of Synthetica will serve as a fitting backdrop. Synthetica is a blast of pearlesque dissonance, of controlled chaos, of understated beauty. I was moved. I parked in back of the Little Theatre Café Thursday night…
State targets RCSD for intervention
The Rochester school district has been flagged as one of 70 “Focus School Districts” by the New York State Education Department. Twenty-two of Rochester’s schools have been identified as “Focus Schools” by the SED, and 30 described as “Priority Schools.” The full SED report was released today. The designation means that a team of education…
Concert update: Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be hitting town, playing the Blue Cross Arena on October 30. Tickets go on sale September 8 at 10 a.m. through the Blue Cross box office, ticketmaster.com, or via phone at 800-745-3000 and cost $101. Head to bluecrossarena.com for more information.
Daily Choices: What to do on Friday, August 31
ART: See the exhibit “Eve’s Garden: The Lost Creation” by Keith Howard at Axom Gallery (176 Anderson Ave. 2nd floor.). The gallery is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. today, and admission is free. For information, call 232-6030 x23, or visit axomgallery.com. ART: The closing reception and artist talk for Bruno Chalifour’s”Tropical Photographs of El Yunque National…
Facts aren’t Ryan’s forte
For weeks, political pundits and journalists — a lot not known for niceties — have treated Paul Ryan’s comments like they were delicate little finger sandwiches. Dan Amira wrote an excellent article for New York Magazine saying that Ryan’s campaign strategy is to ignore the facts and just attack. He’s relying on the public’s ignorance,…
Rochester needs restorative justice
I spent a couple of hours recently with Dominic Barter, a former school teacher who has pioneered a form of restorative justice known as restorative circles. And I came away encouraged about the prospects for Rochester. Restorative justice is not about punishing the perpetrator of a crime — though it can and often does take…
Community leaders endorse Gantt
State Assembly member David Gantt got a big boost this morning when a group of influential black ministers and community leaders endorsed his re-election. The endorsement was announced during a press conference in the FIGHT Village Community Center Elaine Cook-Greene, the executive director of the Coalition of North East Associations, listed organizations and programs that…
Fairport meeting to focus on sharing the road with cyclists
This is a corrected version of the post. As a triathlete, Mary Eggers logs plenty of time on her bicycle. But after her friend, Fairport teacher Heather Boyum, was killed last month while riding in Penfield, she’s been hesitant to ride on the road. It didn’t help that, shortly after that tragedy, a friend was…
“So You Think You Can Dance” 2012: Top 6 revealed (and how we got here)
This week’s show opened with a fairly sloppy and unconnected opening number – there were multiple instances of the dancers not being in synch – by apparently new choreographer Peter Chu. It did very little for me, and the whole thing felt poorly rehearsed. Then we got to the meat of the show, featuring Season…
“Face Off” Season 3, Episode 2: The pirate life for me
Following the excitement of the season premiere’s team challenge — and I’m referring more to Joe’s five-star nuttery than the “Star Wars” task — last night’s episode gave us a better sense of the S3 competitors’ individual skill levels. Seems to me that, on the whole, we have a bunch of very good technicians, but…
Ann Romney’s flawed speech: What’s love got to do with it?
Praise flowed for Ann Romney even before she delivered her speech at the Republican National Convention last night. Hours earlier, Republicans nominated Mitt Romney for president. But Romney, polls indicate, is having trouble with women and minority voters. And it was on Ann Romney’s shoulders to help recast his image in an effort to endear…
Concert slideshow: Hugh Laurie and the Copper Bottom Band
Hugh Laurie brought his Copper Bottom Band through Buffalo on August 28.
Massachusetts’ low uninsured rate has political implications
Massachusetts has the lowest rate of residents without health insurance of any state in the US. That’s a simple fact, released this morning by the Census Bureau. But it has massive political overtones: Massachusetts has a health insurance system that is the basis of Obamacare. And that system — including an individual mandate — was…
Feedback 8/29
We get the violence we want I agree with Al Kempf that violence in TV shows and movies contributes to the “culture of violence” (“The Roots of Our Violence,” Feedback). But I must disagree with his dismissal of the idea that “nobody forced you to buy a ticket.” Hollywood gives us what we want, and…
Shakeco Radio Theater
Before cable and before television, there was a time when people turned to the radio to hear their favorite stories and tales. This weekend, you can go back to that simpler time. ShakeCo Radio Theater will present Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” on Friday, August 31, at 7:30 p.m. at MuCCC (142 Atlantic Ave.).…
Why not ban guns?
I’ve found it nearly impossible to avoid thinking about gun control as the stories kept coming over the past few weeks: 12 people killed and 58 wounded in Aurora, Colorado; six killed, three wounded at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin; a security guard shot and wounded at a Family Research Council headquarters in…
Craig Robinson
You may know him as Darryl Philbin, the warehouse manager at Dunder Mifflin. But Craig Robinson’s comedic talents don’t stop there. Best known for his roles in the hit series “The Office” and in movies like “Pineapple Express” and “Hot Tub Time Machine,” Robinson will perform stand-up this week at the University of Rochester. Catch…
Art Feature: Out of place
Immediately following its annual fundraising, crowd-pleasing “6×6” exhibition, Rochester Contemporary has deftly shifted gears to present the annual “State of the City” show, during which the art space transforms into a forum for discussing the status of Upstate New York cities as they move toward an uncertain future. Last year, the exhibit explored urban planning…
Urban Action 8/29
This week’s calls to action include the following and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) The Brighton Town Board is looking for residents to serve on the Zoning Board of Appeals. The board meets monthly and is comprised of seven members each serving a five-year term. Interested Brighton residents…
New York State Fair
Though it’s an annual event, the New York State Fair is unique every time. If you didn’t make it to as many outdoor events as you hoped this summer, at trip to the fair can truly make up for all of it in just a day. This year the State Fair runs through Monday, September…
Through the grapevine
You know, wine might be the original form of conscious eating. With a label full of details about things like vintage and varietals, few packaged products throughout history have been so transparent with regard to their origins.
Brooks’ busy week
Maggie Brooks was in the news a lot last week. On the county executive front, her administration reached a tentative agreement with negotiators from a CSEA unit. The terms will be kept under wraps until union members have reviewed the agreement. Members must also ratify it before it goes into effect. The unit represents approximately…
Adela & Jude
It seems today that a never-ending supply of bands mimic Americana traditions to give their sound soul; it’s the musical equivalent of an Instagram filter. For Adela & Jude, however, Americana is their soul. When their powerful voices combine on songs like the steady ballad “Sinner Girl,” the Boston-based duo captures the gravitas of the…
Starting at the top
Saxophonist David Liebman will never forget January 13, 1973. That was the night he played for the first time with Miles Davis at New York’s Fillmore East. Then he took a taxi across town to join Elvin Jones’ for his second set at the Village Vanguard. Liebman was 26. “It was the heaviest night of…
The Can’t Tells
It seems that in today’s ever-expansive musical climate, any band that employs guitars and defies any obvious genre categorization is usually placed in the “Indie” section at your local record store. This Brooklyn-based trio’s catalog would probably be found there. The Can’t Tells approach to music is simple, as the band’s website succinctly declares: “We…
A new kind of biker flick
The movie begins with a scary collision between a bicycle and an automobile, which sends the cyclist flying through the air in extremely slow motion, flipping over a few times and landing hard his back. After that moment, with the time officially (and regularly) noted on the screen, the action moves backward, so that the…
Kelly Clarkson
More than a decade after her crowning as the original American Idol, Kelly Clarkson remains the de facto answer when people try to legitimize televised singing contests. Since leaving the danger stools Clarkson has more than paid her dues, selling millions of albums and singles thanks to her incredibly catchy songs (“Breakaway,” “Since U Been…
The kindness of strangers
For as long as they’ve been making movies, they’ve been making movies in which a crabby older person finds purpose and redemption by caring for a younger person in serious need of guidance. Titles as varied as Walter Salles’ Oscar-nominated “Central Station” and Wes Anderson’s “Rushmore” immediately spring to mind, as does Luc Besson’s “The…
Baby Gramps
Hobo troubadour Baby Gramps is like one of those Japanese soldiers that came out of the jungles of the Philippines, years after V-J Day, completely unaware that the war was over. That’s not to say Baby Gramps is in the dark. The cat cops from a solid knowledge box, a copasetic compendium of tantalizing adventure…
Forever is a long time
The end of a relationship isn’t always the burning wreckage that Hollywood likes to portray. Sure, that scenario lends itself to crucial narrative conflict and vicariously entertaining spite, but more often than not, when a romantic love dies, the entrenched bond remains. Navigating that conundrum is at the heart of Lee Toland Krieger’s surprisingly touching…
Ontario Barn Festival
Wayne County is known for producing some of the region’s yummiest fruits and veggies, and among its farms is the Lake Ontario Wine Trail. This group of wineries includes Ontario Barn Vineyards, sponsor of the 6th annual Ontario Barn Festival. Five bands that broadly fall under the Americana genre anchor the event. There’s jug band…
Eat to the beat
Part of The Public Market Band’s allure is its duct-taped assembly, its rag-tag nonchalance, its Rube Goldberg framework. Bands practice this for years, trying to make their performances all gunfighter cool and dangerous. TPMB is one of the few bands that doesn’t try, and yet it achieves that hipster cool like a swingin’ Frigidaire. Add…
Synthetica, Sonam
When you hear Eric Taylor (stage name Synthetica) is bringing flutes to an electronic gig, you’re like, “What? How does that work?” Well, all those background noises that would usually be done with the computer are done by the flute (Sonam) and voices, which work really well with the computer-generated sounds, and leaves the computer…
School 16 spurs neighborhood action
The situation at School 16 has many residents in the city’s southwest neighborhoods re-thinking their relationship with the Rochester school district, neighborhood leaders say. Residents are holding a meeting tonight — Wednesday, August 29 — to discuss the situation. The Rochester school board approved closing School 16 for this school year for much-needed repairs —…
Pat Metheny Unity Band
Pat Metheny and the jazz guitar have been practically synonymous for close to 40 years. He began his illustrious career with a teaching assistantship at the Berklee College of Music in the early 70’s. There he worked with fusion-jazz pioneer and legendary educator Gary Burton. Metheny made his recording debut in 1974 and the following…
Familiar names in Assembly battle
David Gantt, Jose Cruz, and John Lightfoot will face off in the 137th Assembly District primary.
Lovin’ Cup 4-Year Anniversary
Sure, Rochester’s got the musicians, and the fans, but without the clubs who take a chance on live music, we’d all be stuck at home watching “Law & Order” re-runs. Lovin’ Cup is run by music fans and presents a vibe where the music predominates. For this big four-year anniversary party, The Swooners will get…
Test anxiety
Rochester could join a number of schools around the country that forgo high-stakes standardized testing if the Rochester school board approves a policy proposed by board member Mary Adams. | The resolution will be voted on this month. | High stakes testing was a main feature of the No Child Left Behind law, and it…
The Black Party
Summer — wasn’t that fun? Believe it or not, dear readers, we are hurtling toward autumn. The trees will start changing soon. Those shorts will magically transform into corduroy pants. The sunscreen in your car will be replaced by a shovel and an ice scraper. Gird your loins, because the cold months are a-comin’. So…
Our new website
Today we welcome readers to City’s new online site, a much-anticipated replacement for a site snuffed out last spring by a massive offsite technical breakdown. It comes, obviously, with an entirely different look, and over the next few months
DAILY CHOICES: What to do on Wednesday, August 29
MUSIC: Sometimes it just takes two. In the case of Jumbo Shrimp, it is exactly that: Just two guys, an acoustic guitar, and drums, churning out your rock and roll favorites all around town. The shrimp come to shore at Marge’s Lake Side Inn (4909 Culver Road) tonight, at 6 p.m., for a free show.…
Labor Day Parade & Film
Hooray for a Monday off…but don’t take worker’s rights for granted. This Labor Day, celebrate and commemorate the hard work of previous generations of workers, and learn about what struggles yet remain. The annual Labor Day Parade will take place Monday, September 3, beginning at 11 a.m., and will travel down East Avenue to Main…
Daily Choices: What to do on Thursday, August 30
ART: Opening tonight at Tower Fine Arts Center (SUNY Brockport, 180 Holley St.) is “Telling Their Stories: The Lingering Legacy of Hurricane Katrina.” A free reception takes place 4-6 p.m. The exhibit runs through October 12. For information, call 395-2787, or visit brockport.edu. FILM/COMEDY: Nuts and Bolts Comedy Improv will hold a screening of “Roadhouse”…
International Spanish Festival
If you get your produce at the Rochester Public Market, it’s likely that you pause your shopping long enough to visit Juan & Maria’s Empanada Stop for a delicious fix. If you’ve never heard of the cheese- or meat-filled crispy pastry pocket, it’s time to ask somebody, or better yet, get your hands on one…
Ward’s gets dubious honor
Ward’s Natural Science has earned a dubious distinction: it’s one of the inaugural inductees into the Corporate Tax Dodgers Hall of Shame. The Hall of Shame, which is a satirical website, was created by the Getting Our Money’s Worth Coalition, which is made up of labor and progressive activist groups from across the state. The…
CD REVIEW: Charles Mingus “The Complete Columbia & RCA Albums Collection”
Charles Mingus occupies a special place in the pantheon of true jazz visionaries. A brilliant composer capable of orchestral majesty, he never strayed far from the vernacular musical vocabulary at the root of jazz. No matter how tight the horns are, the rawness of the African American experience always comes through. The full spectrum of…
FALL GUIDE ’11: Music preview
Given the number of venues, musicians, and concerts taking place any given week, it would be impossible for us to give you a comprehensive look at all of the popular-music concerts coming our way this fall. Instead several of the City Newspaper music writers have selected their picks for 10 can’t-miss shows. For a full…
