Cover Story
Disc jockeys: Ultimate Frisbee in Rochester
Ultimate Frisbee – typically just called “Ultimate” – is a fast-paced, football-like sport that substitutes flying discs for that pigskin missile. There is no shortage of Ultimate players in the Rochester area.
Local races may mean Lej vacancies
One way or another, the Monroe County Legislature’s Republican caucus is probably going to look different in 2014. The reason: the 2013 local elections. I’ve written about a couple of potential vacancies that could result from the Perinton elections this year. Republican Legislator Mike Barker is running for town supervisor while fellow GOP Legislator Ciaran…
UPDATED: Report lays out RGRTA bonuses
A new report from the state’s Authorities Budget Office makes a big point of highlighting employee bonuses at state and local quasi-governmental authorities.
“True Blood” Season 6, Episode 4: Baby vamps make poor fairy sitters
Sunday’s episode of “True Blood” was easily the best of the season, and possibly of the last few years of the show. It felt like the new showrunners finally got a feel for the characters and the tone of the show, and I saw flashes of the sleazy, campy show I used to love -…
Concert Review: The Bygone Few, JD McPherson
I know it’s lazy to describe a band’s sound with another band — bands as adjectives, I call it — but sometimes it’s a good kick start in the right direction. So when I tell you the new Rochester band The Bygone Few sounds like a Misfit Concrete Blonde, you’ll understand why…and hopefully accept my…
Monroe County candidates begin filing petitions
Monroe County Board of Elections, Rochester City Council, Rochester school board, politics, elections 2013
Week Ahead: County ethics proposal, Citygate hearing
The Monroe County Legislature will meet Tuesday night and it’ll take up legislation to update a section of county ethics law. Democrat Josh Bauroth proposed a measure prohibiting county employees and officials from accepting gifts from anyone doing business with the county. In an introductory memo, Bauroth said that the current law is not clear…
RCSD offers employees city homebuying incentive
Many first-time homebuyers are surprised to learn that reaching an agreement with the seller on a price is only one step in the purchasing process. In addition to a down payment, buyers typically have to come up with closing costs — which can be several thousand dollars. This adds up to a lot of cash…
Building a tougher, cheaper solar cell
Solar panels are becoming increasingly efficient and durable, thanks in no small part to ongoing public and private research. And one of the latest breakthroughs could drive down the cost of rooftop solar systems, says an article posted on Yale Environment 360. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has developed a roof shingle-style panel that can…
Warren lays out economic vision; Richards camp responds
City Council President and mayoral candidate Lovely Warren rolled out her economic plan this morning during a press conference at her west-side headquarters.
SINGER-SONGWRITER | John Valenti
Songwriter John Valenti has a vintage charm that is rarely seen in our local scene. Similar to artists like St. Vincent and My Brightest Diamond, Valenti mixes an obvious love for standards with lo-fi, atmospheric production. His gift for melody, combined with sweeping strings and a simple, but catchy chord structure recalls the music of…
Go slow
Syracuse native Caleb Piron had been practicing law in Manhattan for a little while before he made the choice to move his legal career to the back burner. “It was just an itch I had to scratch,” the self-described “food nerd” says of his decision to trade pocket squares for side towels and dive into…
ROCK | Kid Rock
Among all the concerts I’ve ever attended, it was a Kid Rock show that inspired me to play a bit of hooky by catching the Early Mornin’ Stoned Pimp’s next couple of gigs. What aroused my wayward spirit was crushing tunes and the ridiculousness of Kid Rock and Twisted Brown Trucker, a half-band, half-circus spectacle…
Feedback 7/3
Send comments to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. For our print edition, we select comments from all three sources; those of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit those selections. We don’t publish comments sent to…
WORLD | Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
Shakuhachi is a Japanese flute that has been used by Zen Buddhist monks in the practice of suizen (blowing meditation) for centuries. It is said that a single note can bring one to a state of enlightenment. The sound of shakuhachi is ancient but not obscure. Modern ears are at least familiar with the synthesized…
Urban Action – 07-03-13
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Marriage equality celebration The Episcopal Church of St. Luke and St. Simon Cyrene will hold a special ceremony to celebrate the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act.…
ELECTRONIC/HIP-HOP | Baauer and R.L. Grime
Straight outta Brooklyn, Baauer is going to drop the bass on you when he drops the beat. With a mix of hip-hop and dub as well as some of the most interesting samples I’ve heard in some time, his music has definitely got that booty-shaking mix to get you rolling. R.L. Grime (pictured) might have…
Surveys frustrate teachers
Students, teachers, principals, and parents in the Rochester school district recently participated in comprehensive districtwide surveys. The questions were tailored to each group’s relationship to the district. For example, students were asked about their teachers’ instruction, responsiveness, and classroom demeanor. | The New York State Education Department required the surveys as part of the teacher…
FUNK | The Ghost Peppers
In-the-know foodies will tell you that the ghost pepper is, simply put, the hottest frickin’ thing you could ever think of putting in your mouth. How hot is a ghost pepper? It’s so hot that scientists in India have actually considered weaponizing the hybrid chili. Seriously. So, if you’re going to name your band after…
JD McPherson
For 29 of the 35 years that drummer Jason Smay has spent on the globe, his snappy beats have gotten asses out of seats and started them shaking. An amazingly solid, in-the-pocket performer, he’s kept time with an array of classic rock ‘n’ rollers. Smay has done time — and kept it — in groups…
CD Review: Rich Thompson “Less is More”
Drummer Rich Thompson is no stranger to the Rochester jazz scene. Aside from his main gig, teaching jazz drumming and directing the Jazz Lab Band at the Eastman School of Music, he’s also appeared locally
SPECIAL EVENT | Wine Cruise on Sam Patch
I can hardly think of a more relaxing activity than sipping delicious vino while gently cruising on a waterway. The season of wine cruises aboard the historically named Sam Patch kicked off last week, and will stretch into the summer and early fall, showcasing delicious wines and the stretch of the lovely Erie Canal between…
CD Review: Lisa Hilton “Getaway”
It’s become an unusual thing to say in the context of a jazz album, but Lisa Hilton is a great songwriter. There is no doubt that Hilton is a superb jazz pianist
COMEDY | Polite Company: Summer Camp
I don’t know about your recollections of summer camp, dear readers, but mine are a mash-up of shyly watching my pre-teen crush being heroically outdoorsy, wanting to spend more time doing sporty things but being stuck with prissy, lip-glossy girls, getting a mother of a sunburn, being forced to attend boring, crappy-crafting workshops, and a…
CLASSICAL PREVIEW: Summer road trip with the RPO
According to Ward Stare, the only place you’ll want to be on July 19 is at the Eastman Theatre, where he’ll lead the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in “three of the greatest works by three of the greatest composers.” Stare, a 30-year-old Rochester native, speaks of Beethoven, Mozart, and Wagner the way that some speak of…
FILM | Monroe County Movies in the Parks
Monroe County’s free “Movies in the Parks” series will screen eight films at Ontario Beach Park and the Highland Park Bowl again this summer. The season kicks off on Tuesday, July 9, with classic thriller “Jaws” at Ontario Beach Park and will be followed by “The Amazing Spider-Man,” “Skyfall,” and “The Hunger Games” on subsequent…
ART | Festival of Sound & Light
I often wish I had been present to witness phenomenal artistic events in the past. For example, beginning in 1915, renowned Rochester architect Claude Bragdon dramatically transformed his architectural work throughout New York State by designing theatrical events and settings, which he called Festivals of Light and Song. The events took place at night and…
SPECIAL EVENT | Independence Day Events
The following Independence Day celebrations will be held in and around Rochester on Thursday, July 4. For more events, visit our online calendar at rochetsercitynewspaper.com. City of Rochester: Downtown Rochester. Free festivities start at 7:30 p.m. with a jazz performance by the Jimmie Highsmith Experience featuring vocalist Fatima on the Main Street Bridge, followed by…
THEATER | “Legally Blonde: The Musical”
When sweet, carefree, and strikingly blonde sorority president Elle Woods’ boyfriend dumps her to search for someone more serious, the unsinkable Elle decides to follow him to Harvard Law School and win him back. Along the way, Elle must contend with her ex-boyfriend’s new flame, who seeks to sabotage Elle’s romantic and educational efforts, as…
“White House Down”
The appearance of “White House Down,” a thriller about a terrorist attack on the White House only a short time after “Olympus Has Fallen,” a thriller about a terrorist attack on the White House, should inspire more commentary than the obvious remarks about coincidence. The movies, after all, are the creation of the American film…
Rights and the Supremes
Last week was a historic, and deeply troubling, week, with the Supreme Court issuing some of the most important rulings it has made in recent years. On the court’s final day, there was a lot to celebrate, with the fall of the Defense of Marriage Act and a decision that, in effect, legalizes same-sex marriage…
“The Heat”
The buddy-cop genre has always been an almost exclusively male club. The plots of these films typically follow a strict formula revolving around two law-enforcement types whose personalities clash upon first meeting, but who must find a way to work together to bring down a big bad, violating the civil rights of every suspect they…
METAL | Megadeth
If you didn’t know better, you might think that Dave Mustaine got dealt a lame hand when he was fired from Metallica in 1983. In reality, his band Megadeth has been one of the most durable and influential thrash metal outfits of all time, having sold more 50 million records worldwide, while garnering consistent critical…
“The Gender Show”
Though the exhibit on gender currently showing at George Eastman House does not seek to lecture its viewers about contemporary socio-politics, its scope and range of representations provide ample opportunity for cultural and self-reflection. The first show presented by the Eastman House team under its new director, Bruce Barnes, “The Gender Show” explores the ways…
Chess kids
You might wonder how, in the ever-expanding empire of video games, an ancient board game can still attract players. But a group of ninth graders at Wilson Foundation Academy in the Rochester school district say there’s nothing like the cerebral matches in chess. The six-student Rochester team recently came in sixth in the U.S. Chess…
JAZZ | Paul Hofmann
Paul Hofmann’s annual summer concert will pay tribute to Dave Brubeck. He’ll be playing some of Brubeck’s best-known tunes like “Blue Rondo A La Turk,” “It’s A Raggy Waltz,” and “In Your Own Sweet Way,” and some less familiar works. Hofmann will be supported by some of Rochester’s finest players, including Howard Potter on vibraharp;…
Imminent domain
A once fought-over piece of land next to Buckland Park in Brighton may end up in the town’s hands, after all. Brighton officials tried unsuccessfully to buy the land between Westfall and South Winton roads several years ago to add to the then-nascent park. The property was instead purchased by Faith Temple Church with plans…
SINGER-SONGWRITER | Cammy Enaharo
Local songstress Cammy Enaharo’s tunes are truly a breath of fresh air. The songwriter recently released her first EP, and is currently a common presence on the Rochester scene. Enaharo’s instrument of choice is her baritone ukulele, which pairs perfectly with her hypnotic, contralto voice. Thanks to her sultry chops, comparisons to the legendary Lauryn…
Contami-Nation: Josh Fox returns to fracking fracas
Matthew Schniper is an arts editor at the Colorado Springs Independent. He also frequently writes about film and sustainability topics. Of all things flammable in the wide world, tap water shouldn’t be one of them. At least that’s the consensus — call it crazy — among environmentalists and fracking foes, for whom the phenomena, supposedly…
