Cover Story
Rubblebucket’s un-quiet riot
Face it — there’s no pure rock ‘n’ roll anymore. But it could be argued that there never was any in the first place; that the genre was the bastard offspring of mismatched parents looking for kicks in the backseat of America. Even the purest forms of rock music, by anyone’s definition, are mash-ups or…
Daily Choices: What to do on Wednesday, January 2
Music: Even if you were far away from home or friend or family this holiday season, you still have to chance to be almost home, or at least close to it, tonight. Check out Close To Home (with We Are Defiance opening up) tonight at Water Street Music Hall (204 N. Water St., waterstreetmusic.com) at…
Daily Choices: What to do on Tuesday, January 1
Special Event: Get started on your resolutions! Become a little more cultured, get in shape, or attend a workshop to learn how to do something you’ve always wanted to know more about. Check our calendar online at rochestercitynewspaper.com to peruse the wealth of opportunities Rochester has provided for the fresh new year.
‘Cliff’ notes
Hold your nose and close your eyes: it looks like we’re going over the fiscal cliff. But the fight Congress is having with President Obama is a bit of a short-term distraction. The deals being discussed in Washington will do little to address the country’s real long-term economic crisis: rebuilding the US work force. Almost…
West Webster coverage: too much?
I realize I’m leaving myself wide open here, but I’m uncomfortable with the wall-to-wall coverage of the tragic deaths of Webster firefighters Mike Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka. Photographers need their shots, obviously, but live Tweeting from the funerals? It feels perverse, and I’m not sure what the news value is. My co-worker, Jeremy Moule, disagrees.…
Week Ahead: Lots of school board action
The Rochester school board will meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, January 2, to elect a board president.
Some useful gun-death statistics
Slate is working with the anonymous operator of the @GunDeaths Twitter feed to track gun deaths since the December 14 shootings in Newtown, Connecticut.
Concert Review: Rock ‘n’ Roll Social Club, Turnip Stampede, Johnny Rawls
What Tala Vera lacks in size, it makes up for in vibe. Friday night was my first experience hearing a band on the heavy side at this downtown venue. While the music was perhaps a couple of clicks over too loud, the space still managed to contain the hard rock of both Rock ‘n’ Roll…
Daily Choices: What to do on Monday, December 31
New Year’s Eve: New Year’s Eve is finally here! If you are looking for things to do, your first stop should be our fabulous New Year’s Eve guide, which is full of wonderful classes, comedy, parties, and other events you can check out to ring in the New Year. See it for yourself here. Also…
Daily Choices: What to do on Saturday, December 29 and Sunday, December 30
Recreation: Get some fresh air this weekend by participating in one of the Genesee Valley Hiking Club’s hikes. On Saturday, December 29, at 11 a.m., meet at the Durand golf course lot for a moderate 6-7 mile hike. If conditions permit, snowshoeing is allowed, but skiing is prohibited. The event has no charge. For more…
School board leadership challenge
It’s probably a safe bet that Malik Evans will be re-elected president of the Rochester school board at the board’s January 2 meeting. The 5:30 p.m. meeting is at the district’s central office, 131 West Broad Street. Board members will elect a president and vice president for one-year terms. Evans has already served five terms…
Daily Choices: What to do on Friday, December 28
Recreation: It’s winter, and we’ve finally got the precipitation to show for it. Take advantage of the recent sky dump by participating in the Moonlight Snowshoe at Helmer Nature Center (154 Pinegrove Ave., Irondequoit) tonight, 7-9 p.m. The cost to participate is $5-$7, and this event is adults-only. For more information, call 336-3035 or visit…
Video Game Review: Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
Whoever first said two is better than one wasn’t talking about “Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two.”
The trouble with tracing guns
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has managed to trace the guns that William Spengler Jr. used in his assault on Webster firefighters.
Daily Choices: What to do on Thursday, December 27
MUSIC: It’s always great to see local musicians coming together for a good cause, and tonight you have a chance to give back at X-Fest, a benefit Concert for the victims of the Newtown tragedy at California Brew Haus (402 Ridge Road West). Over ten acts will be there, music starts at 8 p.m. and…
AP: Fracking not likely to start in 2013
An Associated Press report says that New York is unlikely to see the start of fracking in 2013, even if the state does green-light the process. The article gives two simple explanations. For one, industry officials expect that if the state OK’s high-volume hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling in deep shale formations, getting a permit…
The better (not necessarily best) movies of 2012
Gertrude Stein once said, “Remarks are not literature,” and I would add, opinion is not criticism. The best movies of 2012, those I believe possess genuine merit for a number of reasons, not coincidentally, are also the ones I personally liked — a fusion, I hope, of personal judgment and objective analysis. The brevity of…
Guns, criminal justice, and a national agenda
There are things that are simply too terrible.
MOVIE REVIEW: “The Guilt Trip”
It’s one of those unfortunate but unavoidable facts of life that even the most responsible, mature, put-together adult can, in an instant, regress back into the role of petulant child when in the company of their parents for any extended period of time. It might take just a look, or a single judgmental comment, but…
COUNTRY/POP | Kate Lee
This Webster native’s voice is as pretty as she is. Having made the coffeehouse scene here in Rochester with No Strings Attached, Kate Lee is now stirring things up in Nashville. With her fiddle as well as her pipes and pulchritude, Lee has shared her talents and the sage with artists like Rascal Flatts, Keith…
Feedback 12/26
We welcome your comments. Send them 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 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in print. We don’t publish comments sent to other media. The irony…
ALTERNATIVE | The World is Already Over Show
It’s time to reset your doomsday clock and squeeze in a pre-New Year’s Eve bash that features four epic bands. The Absolutes (pictured) is a young group with an old soul. I mean that in a good way. The quartet has 60’s garage rock down pat and is a comfortable fit among like-minded bands. Guitar-and-drum…
Deal sealed for Sibley building
The board of the Monroe County Industrial Development Agency unanimously approved a tax deal last week for the developer of the Sibley building downtown. | The COMIDA agreement sets a baseline tax payment that increases as the building is redeveloped and leased. | Boston-based Winn Development closed on the Sibley building on East Main Street…
CLASSICAL | Baroque Organ Concert
Every Sunday afternoon during the school year, a student from the Eastman School of Music gives a 25-minute presentation and mini-recital on the Italian Baroque organ at the Memorial Art Gallery. On December 30, organ graduate student Anne (Cheuk Bun) Lam will perform. Lam graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a bachelor’s…
SINGER/SONGWRITER | Steve Laciak/Kate Phillips
Now here’s an interesting pairing: Steve Laciak and Kate Phillips come from rather different corners of the ring. Laciak has a BA in jazz studies and has traversed the globe absorbing music along the way. Phillips has spent her career traipsing the Great White Way appearing in productions from “Bye Bye Birdie” to “Hello Dolly.”…
Better eating in the RCSD
Several years ago, students staged a mini revolt over the food they were being served in the Rochester school district. To prove their point, they brought a hamburger from a district cafeteria to a school board meeting, but couldn’t find a board member willing to take a bite.
COUNTRY/POP | Jackson Rohm
It’s Atlanta’s Jackson Rohm’s boredom that’ll save you from yours. Rohm rolls well within the contemporary pop/country idiom, dipping his wheels in rock ‘n’ roll grease. Rohm barnstorms the United States a la carte, his songs fleshed out and dressed up in a beautiful, detailed Americana. On disc and backed up, the man has the…
Hate on video
An incident involving a Brockport teen has multiple flash points: threats of violence, racism, and social media. And they’ve come together in a confusing and heated series of events. Earlier this month, Greece police charged Nicholas Robare, 18, with aggravated harassment. Robare, who is white, allegedly posted a disturbing video to the Facebook page belonging…
POP/ROCK | The Hoodies
If you’re a fan of Joywave, then it’s possible that at one time you may also have been a fan of local predecessors The Hoodies. If you’ve no idea of what I speak, a quick rundown: having sold out a few shows at Water Street, traveled parts of the country touring, and trekking to LA…
DINING REVIEW: Grinnell’s
In the world of restaurants, a place is “old” when it manages to last a decade. At 20 years, people start calling it an “institution.” At 30, the word “beloved” is often bandied about. Almost no restaurant survives to the half-century mark, and those few that do have more often than not long since abandoned…
Albion’s new landfill fight
For Albion residents and government officials, the Orleans Sanitary Landfill has been an on and off source of controversy. And right now, with a proposal to build a new landfill on the site, the controversy is definitely on.
New Year’s Eve 2013 Guide
In retrospect, 2012 was a pretty monumental year. Just within the past few months, we grappled with Superstorm Sandy, witnessed the reelection of the nation’s first African-American president, learned how to work it “gangnam style,” and managed to survive the Mayans’ predicted end of the world. For those of us still standing, I’d say we…
KIDS EVENTS | School Break Activities
With no classes, homework, or teachers in sight for a week due to holiday break, children will be looking for things to do. This break be sure to explore all the exciting activities local organizations have to offer. Though they won’t be doing arithmetic problems or writing essays, children can still exercise their brain power…
RECREATION | Moonlight Snowshoe
If you’re looking for a little peace post-holiday madness, and could use a little exercise after the yuletide binge, join the guided Moonlight Snowshoe event, held at Helmer Nature Center (154 Pinegrove Ave., Irondequoit) on Friday, December 28, 7-9 p.m. The moon will be full and will light up the crystalline woods — provided that…
SPECIAL EVENTS | Kwanzaa Events
Kwanzaa is the celebration of family, community, and culture, of looking back to what people have endured and risen above, and working hard for the future that we want to actualize. The Rochester Kwanzaa Coalition invites the Rochester community to celebrate Kwanzaa 2012 at six different arts and cultural institutions in Rochester. On Wednesday, December…
THEATER | “The Man In Black”/”My Gal Patsy”
It’s old-school country week at Downstairs Cabaret Theatre, with two shows that feature classic country favorites. Whether your love makes sure you “Walk the Line” or go “Walkin After Midnight,” DCT has something that’s sure to get your feet tapping and hips swaying. In “The Man in Black,” Robert Shaw and musicians from his Lonely…
Video Game Trailer: Aliens Colonial Marines
Did “Prometheus” get you excited for even more adventure in the “Alien” universe? Well, Sega has released a new trailer for the upcoming game “Aliens: Colonial Marines,” showing off story elements for the upcoming shooter. The game isn’t that far off, and will be launching February 12 in the new year for PC, PlayStation 3,…
THEATER | “An Evening Of Andrew Lloyd Webber”
In the realm of modern-day musical theater few have created as great an impact as Andrew Lloyd Webber. He touched our hearts with the tragic story of a deformed, reclusive musical genius in “The Phantom of the Opera,” stirred us to political action in “Evita,” and inspired us to follow our dreams in “Joseph and…
DANCE EVENT | Dancing 4 Walls
Spend your holiday break by working off some excess-induced pounds while raising money for a good cause. On Saturday, December 29, at 10:30 a.m. Nia instructor Jane Pagano will host “Dancing 4 Walls” to raise funds and awareness for the 4 Walls Project/Proyecto 4 Paredes at the Tango Café Dance Studio (389 Gregory St.). In…
ALTERNATIVE/FOLK | Mr. Boneless
What I remember from my undergraduate days at Fredonia State University is limited to the approximate number of gin mills, watering holes, bootie bars, and what-have-you in a one-block radius of the campus — the total being somewhere around a dozen. Mr. Boneless, and the band’s collection of freaky folk songs, is right at home…
ART REVIEW: “Lost Infinity”
The trains that thunder by every dozen or so minutes just a few yards from the oldest standing building in East Rochester are part of the history of the place, which was originally a boarding house off the railroad tracks. The space houses East Rochester’s young gallery, Art and Vintage on Main, which is managed…
