Cover Story
PHOTONICS: Building Rochester’s future
A one-year report card on Rochester’s progress as the center of this new industry.
Fear? Anger? Hope?
It’s hard to urge reason in the face of shouts and appeals to the worst of our emotions and our nature.
Home Leasing taking second shot at East Main housing plan
The first design was rejected by the city and opposed by much of the neighborhood.
Week Ahead: Events for the week of Monday, July 25
The Education Committee of the Southwest Common Council will hold a meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27. There will be updates on Schools 10, 16, 29, and 44, as well as the city school board’s review of the school choice policy. The meeting will be held at the Arnett Branch of the Rochester…
SUNY Geneseo may take control of School 19
The Rochester school board is working to establish a partnership between SUNY Geneseo’s School of Education and School 19 on Seward Street in Rochester. The agreement would mark the second time that the school board has looked to a higher education institution to assume the management and supervision of a city school. The first was East…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Spear”
Pleistocene “Spear” Casual Punks I wouldn’t necessarily call Rochester indie-rockers Pleistocene’s new release, “Spear,” a pop recording, but it has this sweet, undeniably magnetic catchability. The same irresistibility that was first found in the cracks between punk and new wave; cracks that the band fills with a thick, low-fi fuzz, a four-on-the-floor drive, sonic wash,…
Four hours in Philadelphia
What good does it do to spend 12 hours on a bus so that you can walk in withering heat for four hours, chanting slogans to politicians whose heads are so far up the butts of money that they can’t hear anything? You know you’ll be lucky if this elaborate demonstration, the hard work of…
ART | “Glorious, Vibrant, and Vital”
“Glorious, vibrant, and vital” are the words that Rochester architect, writer, and stage designer Claude Bragdon (1866-1946) accurately used to describe the women in his life. Bragdon’s varied career led him through many social, artistic, and physical locations, and each step of the way provided him new women who mentored and nurtured him both personally…
SPECIAL EVENT | Native American Dance and Music Festival
Ganondagan will celebrate the diversity of the Native American culture with the 25th annual Native American Dance and Music Festival. Performances throughout the festival include singer-songwriter Darryl Tonemah with his mix of rock, folk, and country music; Zuni Olla Maidens, who perform dances with pottery resting on their head; Iroquois Social Dancers, and more. The…
THEATER | “Spring Awakening”
Once banned in early 20th-century Germany for its themes of youthful lust and exploration, Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play “Spring Awakening” has produced one of the most cutting-edge musicals of the past decade. The adaptation, created by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, opened on Broadway in 2008 and went on to win eight Tony awards, including…
THEATER | “Romeo and Juliet”
The experimental WallByrd Theatre Co., led by Virginia Monte, returns to the stage this month with a new take on Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Monte directs the show in partnership with the Shakespeare Players of Rochester and Rochester Community Players, which offer an annual outdoor Bard show run. The classic love story — complete with…
Theater review: “Austen’s Pride” at Nazareth”Austen’s Pride: A New Musical of Pride and Prejudice”
Since “Pride and Prejudice” was published in 1813, the British novel has inspired everything from comic books and fan fiction to plays, films, and TV shows. But with the exception of one 1959 Broadway musical – “First Impressions,” named after Jane Austen’s first draft of the novel – the romantic tale of Mr. Darcy and…
FOLK-ROCK | Dawes
Dawes has an earnest and easy quality to its folk-drawn rock. The band’s fourth and latest album, “All Your Favorite Bands,” is full of honest, effortless vocals weighted with full snares and resonant, clean guitar lines. Oh and harmonies, quite beautiful harmonies. The band opens for Old Crow Medicine Show and Brandi Carlisle. Dawes plays…
FOLK | Ray LaMontagne
Ray LaMontagne has a raw, earthen quality about him. It’s been more than a decade since his hit debut, “Trouble,” and his raspy, baritone croon is still so familiar. Earlier this year, LaMontagne released “Ouroboros,” his dreamy and etheric sixth album, with a dip into synths and electronics, and backing vocals by Jim James of…
SPECIAL EVENT | ROC the Park
ROC the Park Music Festival will bring a series of three concerts to downtown Rochester throughout the summer, beginning with a Latino Family Night on Saturday, July 23. The concert will include performances from Next Level, Afrikando, the Luis Carrion Trio, and Sammy Pressure. Then on Saturday, August 6, ROC Rhythm and Groove will feature…
ROCKABILLY | Rockabilly Riot
Fresh out of the studio with producer Dave Anderson, the rockabilly heroes in Krypton 88, join Kickstart Rumble and the Surfin’ Cadavers in what promises to be a low-down slap, bang, and twang hootenanny. Add to that an added tribute from each outfit to the late, great Scotty Moore. Rockabilly Riot will take place Saturday,…
JAZZ | Vince Ercolamento
It’s been more than 10 years since saxophonist Vince Ercolamento has released an album, and on “Delightful Eyes,” Ercolamento proved himself to be an excellent composer and arranger. This week, the veteran sax player from Prime Time Funk will finally be releasing his wonderful new album, “Inner Soul.” He’ll celebrate with a concert of original…
CLASSICAL/ROCK | “Sonic Cluster”
A group of Rochester rockers has teamed up with classically trained Eastman School of Music musicians for a collaborative concert that blurs the lines between the classical and pop worlds. “Sonic Cluster” will feature a set co-written by classical pianist Olga K. Shupyatskaya and rock musicians Forrest Green (Pleistocene; Beastman), Tyler Farren (Stress), and Matt…
VIDEO: Roger Kuhn’s beautiful blues
He’s everywhere. Roger Kuhn is a fixture around these parts, a ghost if you will, steeped in the blues. A busker at heart, Kuhn can be seen throughout Rochester with his shiny Dobro, squeezing Washingtons – and the occasional Lincoln – out of passers by. Some stop and listen before shelling out their pittance as…
ALBUM REVIEW: “The Dead City Heist”
Clockmen “The Dead City Heist” Verlaine Music With an accompanying comic book to telegraph the music’s powerful punch and reach, Rochester threesome Clockmen is back with “The Dead City Heist,” its much anticipated follow-up to the band’s 2010 release “No, You’re Fired.” Well, Eureka! Here’s some more smart and heavy indie-punk from the boys that…
Rochester’s school choice policy is under review
The Rochester school board has implemented more than a few controversial and contentious policies over the years. But its school choice policy is in a class of its own. While some people extol the policy, critics say that school choice is bureaucracy at its worst and that it, ironically, doesn’t guarantee that students will get…
Meraki Coffee Co. serves up coffee with soul
Ryan Baker found the Greek word meraki (pronounced “may-rah-key”) on Google. He was searching for interesting names and came across the word, which means “to do something with soul, creativity, or love; to put something of yourself into your work.” Baker chose it as the name for his new pop-up coffee company that recently made…
Feedback 7/20
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. You blew…
Urban Action 7/20
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Correction: Our Lady of the Americas Church will not hold a special service for the homeless on Thursday, July 20. A previous listing, which has been deleted, was inaccurate. Nuns spread economic justice…
NOTA president: Oil trains pose threat
Oil trains have the potential to blow a hole through the resurgence taking place in Rochester’s Neighborhood of the Arts, says NOTA’s president, Evan Lowenstein.
