Cover Story
Painting for the people
Rochester-based artist and homeless advocate Richmond Futch Jr. embraces humanity through art. His newest, literary-themed mural project on the Arnett Branch Library facade was a collaborative endeavor with youth mentees.
RIT’s MAGIC Center gets new director
David Long has been appointed director of Rochester Institute of Technology’s Center for Media, Arts, Games, Interaction, and Creativity and MAGIC Spell Studios. Long, who is associate professor in the College of Art and Design, earned his doctoral degree in color science and is founder and chair of the motion picture science program in the…
Black Lives Matter group shuts down intersection, RPD makes arrests
Rochester police arrested 16 following Saturday’s rally
Rochester clergy hold Eucharist in support of migrants
The Old Testament book of laws, Leviticus, lays it out: “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” In the New Testament, Jesus spoke often about caring for your neighbor,…
City could sign off on tent city site
Rochester could soon have an officially designated location where homeless people could set up an encampment. City of Rochester officials are in talks with local homeless advocates to designate a parcel of land on Industrial Street, near West Broad, as an encampment site, and would turn over control of the property to a community organization. The…
Wilt pivots to Assembly run
Jamie Romeo, chair of the Monroe County Democratic Committee, and Jaclyn Richard, president of the Rochester chapter of the National Organization for Women, have already declared their intention to seek the Assembly seat held by Joe Morelle, who’s running for Congress. Robin Wilt, a member of the Brighton Town Board, now plans to join them. Wilt…
Medical examiner releases overdose stats
Last year was the worst yet for opioid overdose deaths in Monroe County, according to data released today by the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s office. The office says that 287 people died from opioid overdoses in Monroe, Allegany, Chemung, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties. That’s a substantial jump from the…
The inheritance of freedom
Reflecting on Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” speech
CLASSICAL | RPO Independence Day Concerts
The fireworks will not just be in the sky for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s outdoor concerts this week, which include two patriotic programs conducted by Ward Stare. On July 4, the RPO performs its annual free Independence Day salute on the Main Street Bridge, starting at 9 p.m.; and on Saturday, July 7, at 8…
CLASSICAL | Pegasus Rising: Lyracle
Long before there was a Tin Pan Alley or a Top 40, there were popular songs. In the Baroque era, they were usually sung with lute, but an alternative accompaniment was the mellow sound of the viola da gamba (the ancestor of the cello). This Sunday afternoon, Pegasus Rising, the young artists’ program of Pegasus…
METAL | Lesser Glow
While there’s undeniable sonic weight in Lesser Glow’s formidable brand of sludge metal, what truly sets the Boston band apart is its melodic undercurrent. Its most recent release, this year’s “Ruined” EP, calls to mind Midwest doom-titans Fister and Sea of Bones in its thundering, bass-heavy lurch. But it’s the moments of sung, Pallbearer-esque emotional…
VARIOUS | ROC The Park
The City of Rochester’s ROC The Park series is marking five years. The summer music series takes place the first Saturday of July, August, and September in Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, and kicks off its 2018 run on July 7 with a Latino Music Night. The concert will feature music from Banda Light,…
WORLD BEAT | Uma Galera
Hailing from Miami and mixing a ton of Latin funk into its horn-fed blast of spirits, Uma Galera is a relentless force. With reggae also fighting for dominance in this world beat jam band, Uma Galera creates a major league frenzy for its audience. Uma Galera plays with Warrior Sounds and World Power All-Star Jam…
SOUL | Devon Gilfillian
With a silvery aftertone reminiscent of The Reverend Al Green, Devon Gilfillian lets fly with some serious soul. This is the type of talent that ain’t taught. It’s in the blood; it’s terminal. The man doesn’t nip at tradition’s heels. He harnesses an old school feel with contemporary ambient contributions from the rest of his…
Album review: ‘Don’t Like Most Things’
Soft Opening “Don’t Like Most Things” Self-released softopeningroc.bandcamp.com On June 22, Rochester musician Justin Pallini — under the moniker Soft Opening — quietly released an endearing summer record that provides a great balance between garage-rock party vibes and introspective singer-songwriter opining. The six-song set, “Don’t Like Most Things,” has 90’s nostalgia all over it, from…
ART | ‘Nature as Muse’
Rochester-based fiber artist Victoria Connors has since August of 2016 been traveling the country visiting National Parks, documenting breathtaking landscapes through plein air needle felting — think open-air painting, but with colorful masses of wool poked and prodded into a picture. The resulting soft images contain a striking amount of depth and drama, and showcase…
Album review: ‘Between The Banners, Beneath the Floors’
Forevers “Between The Banners, Beneath the Floors” Dadstache Records dadstacherecords.com “Between the Banners, Beneath the Floors,” the debut full-length from Rochester band Forevers, opens in a fury of ponderous guitars before settling into a 90’s alt-rock groove that changes and contorts but nevertheless remains consistent through the album’s 11 songs. This album could be described…
ART | ‘Pearls Before Swine’
Rochester artist Melissa Huang has been curating some swell exhibits of local artists at Haus Capital Corporation and Norchar — two eclectic real estate and mortgage business spaces side-by-side on Park Avenue. The current show, titled “Pearls Before Swine,” features paintings and ceramics by a trio of artists who are cheekily critical of people and…
THEATER | ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona’
The popular annual summer Shakespeare in the Highland Bowl series continues this month with a staging of one of the Bard’s more obscure comedies, presented through a new cultural lens. Rochester Community Players and Wallbyrd Theatre Co. will present “The Two Gentlemen of Verona,” a story about two young men traveling abroad in search of…
Feedback 7/4
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Joe Morelle has a fight ahead of him
Joe Morelle, the State Assembly’s second-in-command and the former chair of the Monroe County Democratic Committee, scored a decisive Democractic primary victory against the other three candidates.
Catching up with At The Crossroads
Since October of 2017, nine events have blended collaborative art performances, installations, and conversations that forefront the voices of women of color and queer people of color. Rachel DeGuzman shares programming planned through the fall.
Saving the saints
Tucked away in the upper frame of some of the windows at the Episcopal Church of St. Luke & St. Simon Cyrene are old, worn blinds. They’re hard to see, because the balcony drops down slightly over the windows, but they’re what remain of coverings drawn during the blackouts of WWII. The church, with its…
JAZZ | Trio East & Friends
After 18 years together and four CDs, drummer Rich Thompson, trumpeter Clay Jenkins, and bassist Jeff Campbell have the kind of simpatico musicians envy. Maybe it’s because they also work together as professors at the Eastman School of Music. At Kilbourn Hall they’ll be playing original tunes and standards and some lesser known tunes by…
Conservatives’ takeover is complete. Who cares?
The Supreme Court’s attack on civil rights continues. And in elections this year, voters are giving politics a big yawn.
Naan-Tastic fuses classic Indian fare with fast-casual convenience
Thali of Indian owners, brothers Ajay and Aman Singh, have opened Naan-Tastic to cater to diners’ desire to eat quickly and be able to customize their meals.
Film preview: 2018 Rochester Jewish Film Festival
The 18th annual Rochester Jewish Film Festival shines a spotlight on Jewish culture and heritage with film screenings, live performances, visiting directors, and post-film discussions.
Rochester responds to Trump immigration moves
Hundreds of people found shade wherever they could in Washington Square Park for Saturday’s Families Belong Together rally. The protest, co-hosted by 20 local organizations, was a response to the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy — especially the practice of separating parents and children at the US border — and a call for solidarity with…
HOLIDAY | July 4 Celebrations
If you’re into celebrating this nation’s birth, there’s no shortage of things to do. Here’s just a few options taking place this week.
Dadstache cares
JT Fitzgerald was tired of seeing bands come and go in Rochester. A band would make the scene, make a little noise, and then vanish, never to be heard from again. “There were a lot of bands we were seeing that would pop up for a few shows and then kinda disappear,” Fitzgerald says. “And…
