Cover Story
Local malls shop new approaches
A thin film of dust covers the floor in the main foyer of the old Irondequoit Mall. It shows no footprints and generally gives the impression that nobody’s been through the place in a while. That’s not surprising: the mall has been closed to the public since 2009, except Macy’s and Sears, which owned their…
I Scene It: Guster at Anthology
Guster knows how to put on a concert, and it certainly likes to have fun. The band smiles and laughs and adds quirky humor while playing with real ease. The sweetness was on display when the alternative rock band performed a sold out show on Thursday night at Anthology. Rochester’s The Demos kicked off the…
Cobbs Hill Village decision again delayed
The City Planning Commission again delayed a vote on the controversial Cobbs Hill Village proposal on Thursday, following a deliberation meeting. Rochester Management wants to demolish six single-story apartment buildings, which house low-income seniors, and replace them with five two- and three-story buildings for seniors. The decision was originally scheduled to be made on January…
Jerome Underwood named ABC’s president
Action for a Better Community has named Jerome Underwood, an official with the Rochester school district, as its new president, succeeding James Norman. Underwood, who assumes the role on February 2, has been the district’s director of family initiatives and previously served as its senior director of operations. He chaired ABC’s board of directors for…
Theater review: Kingfisher’s overhauled “The Devil, The Witch, and the Blacksmith”
The Kingfisher Theater’s annual holiday production of “The Devil, the Witch, and the Blacksmith” is now in its third year, and though the play has had its shortcomings, the latest iteration has considerably more charm. A decidedly bizarre Christmas tale adapted from Nikolai Gogol’s story “The Night Before Christmas,” Amy Canfield and Kevin Dedes’s telling…
Feldman to lead UR as interim president
University of Rochester President Joel Seligman is resigning effective February 28, according to a statement from the school.
Report finds no violations in UR-Jaeger case
An investigator’s report says the University of Rochester properly handled sexual misconduct accusations against a star professor.
Related:Seligman resigning from UR
LeBron, Funchess named to Rochester school board
The Rochester school board has selected Beatriz LeBron, a community health worker with Rochester Regional Health, and Melanie Funchess, director of community engagement with the Mental Health Association, for positions on the board. They’ll be officially appointed at the board’s January 25 meeting, filling positions vacated by Malik Evans, who became a member of the…
ALTERNATIVE ROCK | Guster
Ever since Guster released “Lost and Gone Forever” almost two decades ago, there’s been a strong bond between the band and Rochester fans. Guster has made Rochester a regular tour stop, and Flower City Gusterrhoids have flocked in droves to the band’s shows. When the quartet rolls into town this weekend, it will be Guster’s…
ELECTRONIC | NastyNasty
Hailing from San Jose, California, NastyNasty (Jasper Reeder) blends the likes of dubstep, glitch-hop, 2-step, and noise, resulting in a uniquely contemporary, electronic hard-style. Proudly eliciting the screwface in audiences, Reeder has supported electronic heavyweights Bassnectar and Zed’s Dead. NastyNasty’s latest record, “Broken Moon,” was released in October 2016 on the German label Saturate Records. NastyNasty plays Friday, January 12, at Photo City Improv, 543 Atlantic Avenue, on the first night of the…
SINGER-SONGWRITER | Sam Nitsch
Rochester musician Sam Nitsch is a talented multi-instrumentalist, but it’s the man’s voice that’ll hook you and pull you in. It’s thoughtful and honest and plain, which cradles his songs leaving them to breathe emotionally — and maybe dusted with just a pinch of sadness. It’s indie rock with a smile on its dial. Sam…
ROCKABILLY | The Lustre Kings
All the reported sightings from the mouth-breathers at the Wal-Mart aside, the King is dead. Long live the King. If he were still on this side of the grass, Elvis Presley would be 93 years old. Uh-huh. He was the gateway to rock ‘n’ roll, and was a pill-popper before pill-poppin’ was cool. Well, in…
SPECIAL EVENT | ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ in Concert
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra wants you to phone home and “be good” in the New Year. The RPO will perform the iconic music of John Williams live in accompaniment of Steven Spielberg’s beloved sci-fi family film, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.” Telling the story of a young boy and his life-changing friendship with a lost, lonely alien,…
Carolyn in Wonderland
My love of Carolyn Wonderland began with my love of Johnny Winter, in particular, a love for his 1973 recording of Rick Derringer’s “Still Alive and Well.” That song has been my litmus test for blues artists who wring some rock into the stew along with their own blood and sweat. When Wonderland performed at…
Album review: ‘Blues and Country’
Roger Kuhn “Blues and Country” Self-released rogerkuhn.bandcamp.com Intrepid bluesman Roger Kuhn is back with a highly anticipated new one he calls “Blues and Country.” Kuhn has that rare gift of sounding the same in the studio as he does on some random street corner in downtown Rochester. That’s right: we’ve got ourselves a for sure…
Album review: ‘Ride’
Personal Blend “Ride” Self-released personalblend.bandcamp.com I thought I knew what I was getting into when the guitar kicked off Rochester band Personal Blend’s new EP, “Ride.” It hinted at a poppy, straight-ahead, guitar-driven party, but 45 seconds later the whole band deconstructs into a reggae groove. It’s a groove that’s shallow at first, but swimming…
Local muesli wizard Ian Szalinski makes business out of breakfast
If you’re feeling a little weighed down after the annual holiday cookie exchange and one too many champagne toasts, a local health foods brand has a few ideas about how you can set yourself straight in 2018 — by starting with breakfast. Evoke Healthy Foods has been making natural and organic muesli since 2011, and…
Lumiere Photo is back; The Yards winter art residency kicks off
Following a heart attack in February 2017, Lumiere Photo founder Bill Edwards came to the grim conclusion that he had to close up shop in the end of March. Lumiere remained partially operational for months while Edwards focused on healing and discussed selling the business to potential buyers. Throughout 2017 Lumiere still offered digital printing…
North Star Players celebrates Frederick Douglass’s legacy through multimedia production
Two hundred years have passed since trailblazing abolitionist and famous Rochesterian Frederick Douglass was born. And while his bicentennial is cause for celebration, it’s also a sobering reminder: It’s 2018 and mass incarceration of African Americans and police brutality are still national maladies; civil rights advocates from Black Lives Matter to professional athletes are still…
LECTURE | ‘The Three Erie Canals’
The Erie Canal is currently in a bicentennial period — construction on the canal broke ground in 1817 near Rome and was celebrated as complete in 1825 — but 2018 also marks the 100th year since the completion of the New York State Barge Canal. The Perinton Historical Society, on Tuesday, will host a lecture…
KIDS/THEATER | ‘Fly Guy: The Musical’
Buzz has something of an odd pet: a fly. The “Fly Guy” series by children’s book author and illustrator Tedd Arnold (who happens to live in Elmira) has become a modern kids’ classic for its silliness and heart, and it’s now up to 17 stories in the set. TYKEs (Theatre Young Kids Enjoy), this weekend…
COMEDY | ‘Making Our Mark’
Sketch and improv troupe Polite Ink. is marking (we promise we won’t fill this write-up with puns) five years with an anniversary show, “Making Our Mark.” The PI ensemble — Michael Anthony, Don Beechner, Corrie Carter, Karen Craft, Bolan Graham, and Reuben Tapp — will do what it does best: Staging hilarious original sketches and…
KIDS | Science Olympics
The world will turn its eyes toward 2018 Winter Olympics host Pyeongchang, South Korea, next month as top athletes from around the globe execute remarkable feats of physical capacity. But observing the impressive abilities of the Olympians gains an added fascination when you learn the science behind the blade of a skate gliding over ice.…
SPECIAL EVENT | ‘Winter Warmth: a Soup(er) Benefit’
Cat Clay’s annual “Winter Warmth: A Soup(er) Benefit,” is a popular charity event that donates 100 percent of proceeds to the Healthy Sisters Soup & Bean Works, a non-profit organization that helps prepare women in recovery to re-enter the workforce. Last year, the event raised more than $4,000. For a donation of $20, visitors choose…
ART | ‘Dream State’
Main Street Arts Gallery is opening 2018 with an invitational exhibition of work by four artists that explores the personal territory of unreality, reverie, and the push and pull of time and space. “Dream State” includes symbol-laden paintings by Buffalo artist Matt Duquette, surreal photographs by Bill Finger of Seattle, hybrid human and animal ceramic…
A North Clinton cleanup focus: heroin sales
The Rochester Police Department documented 179 heroin-related incidents last October – either sales or use – in just one location in the North Clinton area near St. Michael’s Church. Although it was the worst hot spot for heroin activity in the neighborhood, it was just one of nearly three dozen such sites that the RPD…
Cuomo unveils big ideas; housing activists want action
As usual, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State speech last week was full of big proposals – seemingly fuller than usual, maybe because he’s ready to run for another term, maybe because he has his eye on the White House. Whatever the reason, Cuomo had a lengthy wish list, packed with a few things…
Urban Action 1/10
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Preserving towns and villages Historic Pittsford and the Pittsford Village Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee will present “Historic Preservation in the 21st Century: What Will Pittsford Look Like in 10 Years?” on Wednesday, January…
Fresh Cut: ‘Little Lost’ by Gold Koa
CITY is debuting Gold Koa’s first single, “Little Lost.” Gold Koa, the collaboration of Cammy Enaharo and Oh Manitou’s Kamara Robideau and Matt Battle, have created an infectious dance tune that’s great for fighting back the winter blues.
A reflection of America: the president doesn’t read
While we’re snorting about what we learn from ‘Fire and Fury,’ should we ask how much better the rest of us are?
Bonus features: ‘Solver’ opening at The Little
Mendon native and “Solver” writer-producer Jack Kelley describes the film as “National Treasure” or “The Da Vinci Code” on a micro-budget scale, explaining that the types of codes and puzzles depicted in those films have always held a special place in his imagination.
Film preview: ‘The Post’
For the past year, it’s been tempting to try and parse every movie that’s hit theaters, reading each superhero origin story, goofy comedy, and earnest drama for signs of how it relates to or comments on the age of Trump. And there’s good reason for that — the endless bumbling, corruption, and lies of the…
