Cover Story
The Nixon-Cuomo race
While challenger Cynthia Nixon is campaigning as the more strongly progressive candidate, it’s hard to find many issues on which she and Governor Andrew Cuomo disagree.
More primary action: Three Democrats seek Morelle’s Assembly seat
Ciminelli resigning, Simmons to serve as interim RPD chief
Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli is resigning to take a job with the US Drug Enforcement Agency. His last day as chief will be September 15 and Deputy Chief Mark Simmons will fill the post on an interim basis starting September 16. In a press release announcing the changes, Mayor Lovely Warren says she “has strongly…
UR leader Paul Burgett dies
Paul Burgett, a towering, larger-than-life man and the beloved vice president of the University of Rochester, died August 25 after a brief illness. Burgett was a graduate of the University’s Eastman School of Music and spent much of his career in key administrative positions at the university. Devoted to young people, he served as dean…
Activist urges city to release police video
A video showing Rochester police officers’ interaction with a citizen should be released to the public, a long-time police-reform activist said today. The video was taken by a police body camera in early May, when two officers stopped and questioned Rochester resident Christopher Pate, who is African American, during a crime investigation. Pate says that…
Album review: ‘Weston Blues’
The Cotton Toe Three “Weston Blues” Toe Jam Recordings cotton-toe.bandcamp.com You can sidestep the blues’ requisite evil and attitude all you want, but you can’t escape it here. It’s inevitable, man. Slide guitarist Mike “Cotton Toe” Scrivens is a likeable bloke and isn’t nearly as harsh as some other bluesmen and their dobros tend to…
Album review: ‘This Thing is a Bullet’
Kevin Reed “This Thing is a Bullet” Self-released This thing is an utterly fantastic record, peri-fuckin’-id. OK, maybe I should expand upon that a little. Second-generation rock ‘n’ roller Kevin Reed (the pride of 5Head frontman Rob Reed’s loins) delivers a thoughtfully conceived, beautifully constructed, and brilliantly executed four-song EP with “This Thing is a…
THEATER | ‘Hair’
If you haven’t checked the astrological charts lately, I can inform you that the moon is in the Seventh House and Jupiter aligns with Mars. Or, at least, that’s where they should be as Geva Theatre Center gets ready to present the love-rock musical “Hair.” This now classic originally opened in 1967 and has come…
ART | ‘Byways’
Oxford Gallery’s new exhibit, “Byways,” features new work by area artists Darryl Abraham and Roland (“Chip”) Stevens. Each artist works in watercolor on paper: Stevens’ style blends a moody realism and impressions of the rural landscape and domestic scenes, while Abraham favors a more stylized, illustrative style and incorporates mixed media into his work. “Byways”…
NIGHTLIFE | ‘The Ultimate Black Party’
After the closing of TILT, one of the Rochester’s favorite LGBTQ+ clubs, a new series of drag events was created to have a safe, fun place for the community to revel. DeeDee Dubois has teamed up with a team of queens, local DJs, and Photo City Improv for DeeDee’s Club Night Out. The series kicks…
Feedback 8/29
Send comments to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. We edit selections for publication in print, and we don’t publish comments sent to other media. A Pride divide? I read the article on Black Pride (“Pride Divide”) with much sorrow. I have been an LGBTQ…
Highland Hospital’s expansion worries residents
Highland Hospital officials are planning a $70 million expansion that adds four more stories to its southeast wing. That part of the hospital, near Mt. Vernon Avenue and Bellevue Drive, is currently only three stories tall. Even though the expansion is within the hospital’s current footprint, the size and mass of the building has many…
SOUL – R&B | Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People
Coming off a joyous summer tour in Europe, Danielle Ponder and The Tomorrow People are back in town. Rochester’s own reigning queen of soul will take the stage at Funk ‘n’ Waffles this Saturday. No one’s voice exudes more passion or spice than Ponder’s, and her infusion of R&B and gospel into the songs makes…
The state Assembly race
Joe Morelle has represented the 136th Assembly District since 1991, but come January, another Democrat will hold the seat. Republicans Morelle’s running for the seat in Congress that was held for 16 terms by the late Louise Slaughter. As a result, Morelle’s Assembly seat is wide open, and three Democrats are vying for it. They’ll…
ROCK | Big Pink @ Swan Dive
The rock gods and goddesses of Anamon and Maybird help kick off Swan Dive’s new Big Pink @Swan Dive music series. The event will feature different bands each week, as well as beer from Fifth Frame Brewing Co. Here’s a chance to plan even more musical excellence into your busy schedule. The series starts on…
ELECTRONIC – DANCE | The Black Party
This Sunday, two of Rochester’s foremost electronic music collectives will partner in presenting a 12-hour-long dance party. Signal > Noise and Sole Rehab, known for hosting techno and house music gatherings year-round, bring their eclectic club atmosphere to One Nightclub and Ultra Lounge for The Black Party. After sunset, the party will move from the…
JAZZ | Eastman Jazz & Contemporary Media Faculty
You’ve probably heard them individually or in small groups at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, but here’s your chance to catch the embarrassment of riches that constitutes the Eastman School of Music’s Jazz & Contemporary Media Faculty. On stage, in various configurations, will be pianists Gary Versace, Bill Dobbins, and Dariusz Terefenko, saxophonist Charles…
ROCK | In The Whale
In The Whale is a powerhouse rock duo that has been captivating audiences around the country with its high-energy shows since 2010. Currently the Denver-based duo is celebrating the release of its latest EP, “Dopamine,” which came out earlier this August. The EP is defiantly anthemic, with conversational lyrics about love, sobriety, and being an…
FOLK | Dàimh
Dàimh is a traditional Scottish folk quintet that has performed jigs and ballads throughout its nearly 20-year history. The group stays true to its Gaelic roots on its seventh studio album, “The Rough Bounds,” released earlier this year. Dàimh delivers tender, romantically soothing melodies, with lyrics in traditional Gaelic. Ellen MacDonald has the voice of…
SPECIAL EVENT | Seneca Heritage Day
Many living in the Canandaigua watershed and the wider Finger Lakes region are concerned with the health of the freshwater that we use on a daily basis, and for some that has come to be a defining part of life in Upstate New York. During the Annual Seneca Heritage Day, guest Jason Corwin (Seneca, Deer…
LECTURE | Perspectives on Nicaragua
Rochester Committee on Latin America (ROCLA) keeps our community abreast of issues faced by neighbors to the south. In its upcoming presentation, “Perspectives on Nicaragua: Two progressive viewpoints on current Nicaraguan reality,” longtime ROCLA members Michael Argaman and Arnold Matlin will examine and present their views on the recent anti-government protests in Nicaragua. Dr. Karleen…
JAZZ | Mughal Muesli
Combine the name of a North Indian empire with a mixture of fruits and grains, and you get the adventurous trio Mughal Muesli. With influences ranging from Sonny Rollins to Ornette Coleman, saxophonist Xavier Del Castillo, drummer Vicente Hansen, and bassist Mat Muntz play an eclectic range of music, stretching from jazz to world music.…
Interview: KaeLyn Rich and the femme resistance
Rich’s debut title, “Girls Resist! A Guide to Activism, Leadership, and Starting a Revolution” is for the person who doesn’t have access to mentorship in activism, but they’re mad about the world and they need the language and the tools to create change.
Spirituals show sparks controversy
Rochester’s Fringe Festival events don’t ordinarily create controversies. This year, though, one show has: over whether the performers are the appropriate ones for the subject matter.
Film preview: ‘Juliet, Naked’
Based on Nick Hornby’s 2009 novel, “Juliet, Naked” is a sweet, amiable little romance about second chances and new beginnings.
McCain, Trump, and the state of this nation
At some important moments, John McCain spoke out for a different kind of America than the America that elected Donald Trump.
Everyone is family at The Golden Fox
The fourth installment in our series on diners spotlights The Golden Fox Family Restaurant, a charming joint that features a wide-ranging everyday menu, daily specials, and diner staples.
Judas Priest rocks on with firepower
Judas Priest is playing at Darien Lake Amphitheater on Wednesday, September 5. In a recent interview during a tour break, frontman Rob Halford was warm and gracious as he discussed the music, human rights, and his own Christianity.
