Cover Story
Red Wings organist celebrates 40 years
Organist Fred Costello celebrates 40 years with the Rochester Red Wings It’s the bottom of the ninth. Bases are loaded. The fans are on the edges of their seats, restless, noisy, and anxious on a cocktail of beer and fingernails. You can taste the tension. The batter walks up to the plate, focused and determined.…
We don’t need a park on the Midtown site
Parcel 5 is a valuable development site. We shouldn’t close out that option with a park that we simply don’t need.
Reform proposals aimed at COMIDA, county
The Monroe County Industrial Development Agency’s board didn’t instigate the I-Square controversy which engulfed the early days of County Executive Cheryl Dinfolo’s rookie term. And yet, the board is now stuck between dueling reform proposals. One set of recommendations comes from Dinolfo; they aren’t really recommendations so much as directives, but the board does have…
GOP shenanigans live!
Listen, this election is weird, this Republican convention is weird. The only sane way to consume it all is through the slightly twisted take of an alternative newsweekly. Our sister alt, Pittsburgh CityPaper, is doing a thorough and flat-out hysterical job of live blogh-ing (the “h” is silent) the GOP jamboree in Cleveland. Trust us,…
Nuns on the Bus to make stop in Rochester
Nuns on the Bus will come to Rochester on Wednesday, July 20. They will visit St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center, 417 South Avenue, at 3:30 p.m. The nuns will also attend the 7 p.m. program, “Caucus to Mend the Gaps” at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, 1100 South Goodman Street. Twenty Catholic nuns from around the…
Capturing the Maccabis’ Miracle on Hardwood
Among the 26 feature films at this year’s JCC Ames Amzalak Rochester International Jewish Film Festival, which continues through July 18, is a special preview of the inspirational sports documentary, “On the Map.” The film, which will be screening for Rochester audiences ahead of its official U.S. premiere, chronicles the gripping story of the Maccabi…
SPECIAL EVENT | College Town Drive-in
College Town is changing up the Drive-in movie night experience by moving it to the roof of a parking garage in the middle of Rochester. About 80 cars are expected to fit on top of the College Town parking garage for a free showing of “Goonies” and “Back to the Future.” Movie goers also have…
FOLK | Harpeth Rising
The three women behind Harpeth Rising — cellist Maria Di Meglio, banjoist Michelle Younger (of the fantastic Younger Gang), and Jordana Greenberg, violin — are classically trained musicians that have decided to forgo Vienna in favor of Appalachia. The group’s chamberfolk, overlaid with beautiful three-part vocal harmonies, certainly contains a hint of classical influence and…
THEATER | “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson”
JCC CenterStage this weekend will begin a run of “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” which tells the story of our seventh president, using modern rock and emo music. In the show, Andrew Jackson is a loose cannon rock star and his voters are the star struck fans. This show started in Los Angeles in 2008 and…
Local garage punk quartet Secret Pizza is keeping it real
Local garage punk quartet Secret Pizza is keeping it real. The group of friends is taking a DIY approach to its music, and it’s keeping complete control over its own destiny. It’s all about having a good time — and leaving all the baggage of unrealistic expectations behind. Secret Pizza was established in summer 2013…
FILM | “We Hate Movies” Live Podcast
The “We Hate Movies Podcast” will be coming to Rochester to record a live episode on Saturday, July 16, 9 p.m., at The Little Theatre (240 East Avenue). The comedy group will provide live commentary for no one’s favorite live-action Ninja Turtle movie: 1993’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III,” which finds the Heroes in a…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Back to the City”
Amos Hoffman “Back to the City” Self-released amoshoffman.com Amos Hoffman is one of those great, old-fashioned Kenny Burrell-style guitarists. His latest album, “Back to the City,” showcases his brisk and breezy style on a winning combination of originals and standards. Along for the ride for much of the album are Omer Avital, bass; Duane Eubanks,…
Feedback 7/13
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. Leave the…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Spin Cycle”
Spin Cycle “Spin Cycle” Sound Footing Records spincyclemusic.org The four members of Spin Cycle are so in-demand for recording sessions and performances that their collective side-man duties cover every corner of jazz and pop, from Joe Lovano and Lee Konitz to Etta Jones and Cheap Trick. Each member of the quartet — Scott Neumann, saxophone;…
Urban Action 7/13
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Public hearing on gun safety bill The Rochester Coalition for Reasonable Gun Laws encourages gun safety advocates to attend a public hearing being held by Democratic legislators at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July…
Irondequoit gives neighborhoods a boost
Young families are moving into Irondequoit’s Winona Woods neighborhood, between St. Paul Boulevard and Titus Avenue. And when it became evident one year that quite a few of Winona Woods’s children were bound for kindergarten, the neighborhood association organized what has become an annual back-to-school meet and greet. The event helps residents get to know…
Deane-Williams is first woman leader of Rochester schools
The Rochester school board has selected Barbara Deane-Williams as the district’s new permanent superintendent. She is district’s first permanent female superintendent and begins her three-year term on Monday, August 8. Her starting annual salary is $225,000. Deane-Williams has over 30 years of administrative experience, including 10 years as a superintendent. She is currently senior deputy…
Three Heads puts down roots in Neighborhood of the Arts
Three Heads Brewing was born out of a love of good people and good beer. Six years later, Three Heads opened its new brewery and tasting room in the Neighborhood of the Arts (186 Atlantic Avenue) based on that same philosophy. The “Grand Opening Weekend Spectacular” in June surpassed the expectations of everyone. “It was…
Reboot for EMMA housing project
Home Leasing is retooling a proposed housing project for Rochester’s East Main, Mustard, and Atlantic Avenue neighborhood after the original proposal was unanimously rejected by the city’s Planning Commission last month. The first concept for The Community on East Main was two buildings, one a conversion and one a new build, on East Main Street…
Who you gonna call?
Like most of Paul Feig’s films, “Ghostbusters” is an examination of female friendship, and the likability and easygoing, natural chemistry of the ensemble makes it work.
Rochester Pride 2016
Rochester held its annual gay pride parade on Saturday afternoon. This year was particularly poignant in light of the June massacre of LGBTQ people at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Some of the parade’s participants/floats referenced the tragedy and honored the victims. ALL PHOTOS BY JOSH SAUNDERS
SPECIAL EVENT | “Books Alive!”
On Saturday, July 16, Writers & Books (740 University Avenue) will present “Books Alive!,” a multimedia experience featuring regional noise and music acts paired with spoken word performances by writers. “Basically, we’re going to take over the first floor of W&B and put on this long literary-music-visual art performance,” says Director of Adult Programs Albert…
Rochester Pride 2016
Rochester held its annual gay pride parade on Saturday afternoon. This year was particularly poignant in light of the massacre of LGBTQ people in June at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
THEATER | “Art”
The Rochester-based Theatre/Theater Company will perform the Tony Award-winning dramatic comedy “Art” this weekend at MuCCC. A mixture of humor and existential crises, “Art” follows a successful dermatologist, a self-proclaimed mentor, and a neurotic groom-to-be in a struggle for power and reconciliation within their long-term friendship. Conflict begins when the dermatologist takes to the frequent…
CONTEMPORARY | Yanni
The world’s most exotic places are merely backdrops for Yanni’s concerts. The Greek-American composer has performed at the base of the Great Pyramid of Egypt, the Acropolis in Greece, the Forbidden City in China, the Taj Mahal in India, and even the Kremlin in Russia. When Yanni and his orchestra roll into Canandaigua, they will…
JAZZ | Paul Hofmann and Angelo Di Loreto
Pianist Paul Hofmann has played with Kevin Mahogany, Ron Carter, Steve Gadd, Karrin Allyson, Diane Reeves, and many more. In his upcoming Hatch Hall concert Hofmann will be joined by his former student, Angelo Di Loreto, who has worked with Jane Monheit, and was named best soloist in the 2015 Jazz International Contest in Belgium.…
Downtown theater options revealed
A long-awaited study on the feasibility of putting a performing arts center downtown was released this morning. The study presents two options.
METAL | Intronaut
Los Angeles, California’s Intronaut occupies a rare space in prog-metal. While the band openly indulges in the herbal supplements you’d expect a band with album titles like “Valley of Smoke” to condone, Intronaut’s time signature defying riffs suggest a more focused and musical approach than their bong-ripping compatriots. With a near-constant stream of genre-bending releases…
Inner Loop candidates named
In response to a Freedom of Information request, the City of Rochester released the names of the organizations vying to develop a filled-in portion of the Inner Loop last week. The companies are: Home Leasing Services; the Morgan-Christa development team; DHD Ventures; and Strong museum/Indus Hospitality Group/Konar Properties. The city has not released any specifics…
BRAZILIAN BLUEGRASS | Matuto
That’s right, you heard me correctly: Brazilian bluegrass. It oughta be a heady cataclysmic collision of time signatures and rhythms when Matuto brings this brilliant hybrid to life as part of the George Eastman Museum’s Garden Vibes series. Bring a chair, but you won’t need it. The same goes for shoes. Matuto performs Wednesday, July…
SPECIAL EVENT | Westside Music and Food Festival
Food and rock ‘n’ roll will collide in the first annual Westside Music and Food Festival. Bands playing include Springer, Cherry Bomb, Catch 22, Bonfire, Guy Smiley, and Rock ‘n’ Roll Social Club. Food trucks Cheesed and Confused, Wraps on Wheels, The Bento Box, Tony Tomatoes, and Hot Rosita’s will be out. The Westside Music…
CLASSICAL | Canandaigua Lake Music Festival
Pianist Jon Nakamatsu will perform with the RPO and the Society for Chamber Music next season. But the Canandaigua Lake Music Festival has him in the area first, for its opening weekend of a concert series running through July 24. On Friday, July 15, Nakamatsu gets the festival off to a thoughtful start by playing…
Eastman Museum preps another preservation push
The George Eastman Museum is in the business of preservation — preservation of 400,000 photographs, 28,000 movies, and photographic technology. Now it needs to address the preservation of some parts of the house that Eastman himself lived in, which is part of the museum complex on East Avenue. Upkeep and restoration of the 112-year-old house…
Film review: “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates”
Back in 2013, real-life brothers Mike and Dave Stangle faced the prospect of finding dates to their cousin’s wedding, eventually deciding that the most effective option was to place an ad on Craigslist. With a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor and a memorable image featuring their faces Photoshopped onto the bodies of centaurs, the ad went…
Fringe Festival announces its lineup
This year’s First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival will include outdoor performances by the nerve-wracking STREB Extreme Action Company, a rare appearance by comedian Patton Oswalt, a breakdancing and hip-hop competition, and a world-premiere show by the creators of last year’s “Cabinet of Wonders.” The 10-day festival, celebrating its fifth year, will feature 500-plus performances —…
Again and again and again and again
It’s not just the images of black men being gunned down by police; it’s the pervasive sense of injustice that’s driving the outcry we see today.
The Dallas shootings and a divided nation
“This is just terrible,” said an editor friend from Vermont Friday morning at our alt-media association’s annual convention. “I’m really worried about what’s happening in this country.” A black man killed by police in Baton Rouge, another killed by police in St. Anthony, Minnesota, and then the carnage in Dallas during a peaceful Black Lives…
The history behind Brighton’s ‘No Draft’ graffiti
While Defacer Eraser, Rochester’s graffiti removal operation, buffs walls soon after they’re marked up, graffiti tends to stick around on trains and other railroad property. Railroads choose to invest in structural maintenance rather than cosmetic considerations. And this is why, for 35 years, the well-known “NO DRAFT” graffiti, accompanied by a peace sign and the…
