Cover Story
Dade takes over
It’s reasonable to wonder whether Terry Dade knows what he’s gotten himself into as the new superintendent of Rochester’s schools. But Dade, who is days into a job that is certain to test him, is hardly naive. He’s keenly aware of the public’s skepticism, frustration, and disillusionment about the district. And in a recent interview…
Donald Trump, racism, and a divided nation
Racism, xenophobia, nativism: These will be the foundation of the Republican Party’s campaign for the presidency, the House, and the Senate.
FESTIVAL | Water Lantern Festival
The serenity felt from being near gently moving water at night is only enhanced by hundreds of glowing lights, reflecting off the rippling surface. Now add music, food, and community, and you’ve got the scene will be created this weekend at North Ponds Park in Webster. Water Lantern Festival is an organization that produces mass…
THEATER | ‘Newsies, The Musical’
Based on the real newsboys’ strike of 1899, “Newsies, The Musical” recounts how poor and orphaned teens worked together and took a stand against Hearst and Pulitzer, the most powerful publishers in the country. When the moguls raised distribution prices at the expense of the boys’ already scanty profits, Jack Kelly — famously played by…
INDIE CLASSICAL | Jordan Sand
Double bassist and Ithaca College alumnus Jordan Sand will bring her distinctive approach to songwriting back to Upstate New York when she plays The Spirit Room on Thursday. Vocally, Sand stretches an airy, jazz-crooning tone over elongated phrases, with plenty of playful rhythms. The result is an idiosyncratic singer-songwriter sound that is simultaneously abstract and…
FAMILY | ‘Lunar Liftoff!’
This Saturday marks the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, and Rochester Museum & Science Center has already kicked off moon-related festivities. Through Saturday, RMSC is presenting “Lunar Liftoff!” featuring daily activities and programs including rocket launches, a Mars rover VR experience, a half-scale model of the Apollo 11 “Eagle” lunar module, and hands-on activities.…
RECREATION | ROC SweatFest
Rochester’s fitness community is coming together this weekend to present the first ROC SweatFest, an entire day of blood-pumping workouts including cycling, boxing fusion, Zumba, Pilates, and boot camps. A variety of fitness studios, instructors, and wellness experts will be present, as well as the RPD’s SWAT Team, which will lead one of the boot…
JAZZ FUSION | Swimmer
Based in Burlington, Vermont, Swimmer is an experimental jazz-rock quintet of precocious young musicians working on the same sonic jigsaw puzzle. Featuring drummer Cotter Ellis, guitarist Joe Agnello, keyboardist and sax player Matt Dolliver, bassist Jack Vignone, and guitarist Paul Klein, Swimmer has released multiple live albums since 2014, in addition to its debut studio…
SOUL | Gedeon Luke and the People
Just as sly as Sly and twice as funky, Gedeon Luke and the People bring it from the soul…the Memphis soul. And there’s some church in there, as joyously exemplified by the breakneck breakdowns they frequently cop to, adding some old-time religion to the band’s R&B. Gedeon Luke and the People and Josh Shapiro open…
EXPERIMENTAL ROCK | The Messthetics
Former members of 90’s prog-punk band Fugazi — drummer Brendan Canty and bassist Joe Lally — teamed up with experimental guitarist Anthony Pirog (half of the duo Janel & Anthony) in 2016. Based out of Washington, D.C. and signed to Dischord Records after its first show, the band released its self-titled debut album in 2018.…
BLUES | George Thorogood with Cedric Burnside
George Thorogood and his band, The Delaware Destroyers, have been laying it down thick and mean since 1975. George Thorogood is an 11th-hour bluesman, riding on the coattails of legends like Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, and Hound Dog Taylor — the musician who is most influential on Thorogood’s rough ‘n’ tumble gutbucket guitar sound.…
OLD-TIME FOLK | Chatham Rabbits
An acoustic husband-wife duo, Chatham Rabbits takes you down a country road of mellow folk music pulsing with familiarity. Banjo player and vocalist Sarah Osborne McCombie and singer-guitarist Austin McCombie pay homage to old-time folk music in its recently released debut studio album, “All I Want from You.” Chatham Rabbits churns out quaint, rustic vibes…
ART | ‘The Art of Connection’
So much about being an artist is learning to see differently or more clearly, and working through happenstance toward discovery. Rochester-based plein air painter Jim Mott has a uses his skills to connect with people he may not otherwise get to know, and go to places he may not otherwise go. In 2000 he initiated…
Urban Action 7/17
This week’s call to action includes the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.) Government and racial segregation As part of its 50th anniversary observance, the human services organization Pathstone will host author Richard Rothstein for a discussion of his book, “The Color of Law,” on Friday,…
Mayor seeking funds for Parcel 5 project
City Council will vote on July 23 on a request for $4.7 million in state funds to create an enclosed entertainment venue at Midtown’s Parcel 5. The Warren administration is considering transforming much of Parcel 5 into a Rochester version of Kansas City Live!, a block-long, covered complex that hosts concerts, major sports broadcasts, and…
Elia resigns as state ed head
New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia announced Monday that she is resigning at the end of August, taking members of the state Board of Regents by surprise. Over the last year, Elia has been a key figure in the scrutiny of the Rochester school district. She was the person who appointed Jaime Aquino as…
To our readers
Our July 10 cover story, “The Police and Pride,” contained factual errors as well as misleading, unfair implications. It does not meet journalistic standards of fairness and accuracy and should not have been published. The online version of the story has been deleted. To correct the factual errors: • Jazzelle Bonilla works for MOCHA, not…
ART | ‘Process & Purpose’
Printmaking is one of the oldest art forms in human culture, having originated in China shortly after paper was invented in the first century. Yet to this day the field continues to see shifts and expansions in technique and definition. An upcoming exhibition at RIT City Art Space centers on this subject while showcasing the…
Album review: ‘Intelligence Is Rising’
Chaz Hearne & The Dazzlers ‘Intelligence Is Rising’ Self-released chazhearne.bandcamp.com Rochester singer-songwriter Chaz Hearne’s paper-thin, pitch-perfect tenor casts a dreamy haze over the music. At times it’s akin to Paul Simon, and at others, it’s more like Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear. With the homey, backwoods feel of the banjo and acoustic guitar, Hearne’s music…
The sun sets on Hill Cumorah Pageant
The Hill Cumorah Pageant isn’t just an annual theatrical experience. It’s a religious destination in Palmyra, NY, sacred to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the site where Mormonism founder Joseph Smith discovered the buried golden plates he would translate into the Book of Mormon.
Film preview: ‘The Art of Self-Defense’
Director Riley Stearns’ strange and seething satire is a pitch black comedy for the modern era, coming at a time when our culture continues a long overdue conversation about identity, masculinity, and violence.
Sweet treats and keto cakes at Tu Amor
Tu Amor Cakery goes beyond cupcakes with sweet and savory offerings, from spinach artichoke turnovers to puff pastries in a variety of flavors such as pineapple cheesecake or guava.
Album review: ‘Die Alone’
Great Red ‘Die Alone’ Self-released greatred.bandcamp.com Seemingly out of an astute nothingness comes the clever buildup. It’s a buildup that sits patiently with the listeners hanging around Great Red’s bullpen. The new EP, “Die Alone” exemplifies restraint, with the promise of a rather stark psychedelia right around the corner and in your face. Though the…
Fresh Cut: ‘Please Carolina’ by Teagan and the Tweeds
On the new single, “Please Carolina,” Teagan and the Tweeds delve into a tender yet upbeat country sensibility that feels particularly earnest.
Ryan Flynn releases new electro-pop EP
He calls it “space pop.” Ryan Cullinane is a Rochester-based electronic artist who soaks his sound in ethereal, new-wavey gravy and effervescent possibilities. It’s inescapable, it’s catchy. And a July 19 show at Radio Social will celebrate the release of a new EP under the moniker Ryan Flynn.
