Cover Story
The power of the Black Church
From abolition of slavery to Civil Rights, the church has played a major role in the fight for freedom and equality. (Created by Open Mic Rochester)
To our CITY readers: changes, and an invitation
We’re reducing our page size – but not our journalism. Now readers need to join us as we cover key issues.
CGI Communications takes over Jazz Festival sponsorship
The Rochester International Jazz Festival is getting a new title sponsor. The festival for 10 years has had Xerox at the head of its name, but festival organizers announced Tuesday that CGI Communications will now take on the sponsorship. Full name: CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival Presented by M&T Bank. CGI Communications, a digital marketing…
Rochester Reads 2019 selection: Omar El Akkad’s ‘American War’
El Akkad’s work of dystopian fiction envisions a Second American Civil War, the devastating results of climate change, and more of our worst fears. The author will be in Rochester next spring for a series of readings, signings, and other appearances.
Excellus says it’s seeing fewer opioid prescriptions
Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield says that between 2013 and 2017, it saw a 35 percent drop in the opioid prescriptions filled by its “commercially insured” customers across New York State. And the decrease is higher than what the insurer is seeing in its other markets across the country, which have an average 29 percent…
Dems have big state primaries ahead
Rochester-area Democrats just wrapped up one big primary election campaign, for the Congressional seat held by the late Louise Slaughter, and now they’re gearing up for additional campaigns, for a variety of more local offices.
City school district’s graduation rate still stuck in the 50’s
About a month ago, some board members were hopeful that the Rochester school district’s 2017-2018 graduation rate would be the one that finally broke 60 percent. But at the school board’s Excellence in Student Achievement Committee meeting yesterday, district officials said the district is still stuck in the 50 percent range. The graduation rate for…
ART | ’50 Artists 50 Years’
The National Institute for the Deaf is celebrating 50 years of providing deaf and hard-of-hearing students with state-of-the-art technical and professional education programs, complemented by an arts and sciences curriculum. On view now is “50 Artists 50 Years,” featuring more than 100 works in various media by 50 alumni artists, including pieces from Dyer Arts…
FILM | ‘The Story of The Slits’ Screening Party
The revolutionary, all-girl London punk band The Slits changed rock n’ roll in the 1970s, continued to pioneer in punk and dub through the 1980s, and were active again from 2005 until lead vocalist Ari Up’s death in 2010. A long-awaited film about the group was released on DVD on July 6, and Record Archive…
RECREATION | BioBlitz
The Cumming Nature Center this weekend will offer an opportunity for people of all ages to learn about the ecology, landscape, and culture of the Finger Lakes at the center’s 900-acre nature preserve. The public can join scientists, naturalists, and teachers to participate in the citizen science event BioBlitz. Race to catalogue as many living…
FESTIVAL | Corn Hill Arts Festival
This year’s Corn Hill Arts Festival celebrates 50 years of art, music, and neighborly fellowship. Beer and wine gardens will feature New York State beverages to enjoy after your time perusing art and listening to live music. Highlights include the 1969 Revival Parade on Saturday, July 14, at 11 a.m. Two stops along the parade…
Feedback 7/11
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. Don’t remove the Broad Street roadway The city recently announced plans to renovate the North Terrace of the Rundel Library…
Roc Pride 2018
Rochester’s annual Pride Festival, presented by the Out Alliance, takes place Saturday, July 14, through Sunday, July 22. This year’s fest, “Stand Out: [Live] in Color,” aims to spotlight the full spectrum of who we are and promote individuality and diversity.
The fight against HIV isn’t over
When Bruce Whitmore visited the AIDS Memorial Quilt on the National Mall in Washington, DC, he says, it was a life-changing experience. “You couldn’t go to that and not be moved,” he says. “Seeing all these people who died, you couldn’t stop crying.” That was in October 1996, and it was the last time that…
SOUL | Seratones
Straight outta Shreveport, Louisiana, it’s the Seratones bringing a brilliant mash-up of searing soul and greasy, greasy R&B. Reminiscent of The Bellrays’ blast of punk and soul and The Reigning Sound’s lo-fi garage rock, Seratones is an outfit full of cocksure swagger and bodacious guts. Led by singer A.J. Haynes, the band doesn’t just play…
WORLD BEAT | MAKU Soundsystem
Prepare to get pantsed on the dancefloor when New York City’s MAKU Soundsystem goes off. This is pure polyrhythmic glee set to stun. The band is contagious and looks to set everything in motion in a sort of pharmaceutical-grade, nightly world beat free for all. MAKU Soundsystem plays Wednesday, July 18, at Funk ‘N Waffles,…
INDIE ROCK | Wilder Maker
The brooding Brooklyn band Wilder Maker returns to Rochester this Saturday, playing Small World Books in support of its new album, “Zion,” which will be officially released the day before. Wilder Maker’s sound is both intricate and ruminative; it’s as if Americana moved to the big city, bringing quiet epiphanies that flourish until they burst…
JAZZ | RPO Jazz Trio
Summer is the perfect season to hear a side of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra that you don’t typically get during the regular concert season. In addition to the customary, warm-weather lineup of movie score classics, pops favorites, and patriotic fare, there’s also the RPO Jazz Trio. The group will perform where Joseph Avenue and Clifford…
ROCK | Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express
Chuck Prophet perked my ears when he opened for Lucinda Williams at Party in the Park several years ago. The guitar gunslinger stole the show by performing one of the most memorable sets I’ve ever heard; every song was seemingly better than the last. Prophet writes top-notch tunes similar to the late Tom Petty but…
POP | Freezepop
Freezepop takes synthpop to its very definition: this is poppy, sugary, sometimes quirky electro-rock. The Boston-based band is coming up on 20 years of making danceable cuts that have a slightly geeky flair to them — if you played a lot of “Guitar Hero,” you’ll probably remember the song “Less Talk, More Rokk,” and the…
Album review: ‘The Time: Night’
Sastrugi “The Time: Night” Self-released sastrugi.bandcamp.com This here’s a dip in odd waters with the Rochester band Sastrugi. This new, five-song EP, “The Time: Night,” has a sound reminiscent of the attack of pop guitar coming out of a transistor radio mounted on the handlebars of your banana-seat five-speed — a mood demonstrated on the…
Album review: ‘Big Wheel Turn’
Stone Soup “Big Wheel Turn” Unified Field Records stonesoupmusic.com Stone Soup’s “Big Wheel Turn” is derived from a whole lot of music in the folk tradition. It’s neo-traditionalist, to say the least. But the traditional comparisons end there. Stone Soup picks and sings big and pretty with its own contemporary flair. The band offers smooth…
KIDS | ‘The Frog Prince’
RAPA Family Theatre’s production of “The Frog Prince” presents a magical world of whimsy and amphibians. The story follows a young princess as she navigates the challenges of marriage and bewitched curses along with a cast of fairytale standards including a King, Queen, a large frog, and of course, a Fairy Godmother. Each performance runs…
FESTIVAL | Genesee County Fair
Genesee County has since 1839 hosted a fair that allows agriculture enthusiasts of all ages to view the best livestock, draft horses, and competitive tractor driving contests. Classic fair events including a midway with rides, live music, and food, and the fair boasts more than 800 animals, a demolition derby, cowgirl couture barrel racing, tractor…
Rochester Fringe announces 2018 lineup
The 7th annual Rochester Fringe is now expanding to 11 days and will include more than 500 performances at venues in and around downtown Rochester. Fringe 2018 takes place Wednesday, September 12, through Saturday, September 22.
Chow Hound: Summer dining events
We’re deep in the throes of summer which means there are loads of opportunities to wine and dine outside (or indoors for those that prefer that sweet relief of air conditioning).
Bike share has a health potential
Common Ground Health and the Genesee Transportation Council studied the Pace bike share system and concluded it offers a lot of health benefits. But they also pointed out some disparities.
Film review: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’
Left free to veer from the straight man role he played in the first film, Paul Rudd gets to unleash his comedic prowess and gift for physical comedy, and remains an affable hero. The film comes loaded with clever gags and inventive size-shifting action.
Japanese Breakfast rolls back through Bug Jar
Michelle Zauner has a distinct vision and Japanese Breakfast is the vessel. The indie hero got her start in the band Post Post before fronting Philadelphia’s much-loved Little Big League. But when a difficult time hit, Japanese Breakfast became Zauner’s solo outlet, bringing together both melancholy and upbeat pop elements. Japanese Breakfast’s first album, “Psychopomp”…
Interview: filmmaker Amy Adrion
In “Half the Picture,” women directors discuss their experiences navigating and finding success in a frequently hostile industry. Director Amy Adrion will be in town for a post-screening discussion on Tuesday, July 10.
