Cover Story
Grisly work
The relatively new field of forensic cleanup spares families a grim task.
The City Seen: July 9-10
The Corn Hill Festival took place this past weekend and City Seen was out to search for the new and unique arts vendors this year. During our casual stroll through the thousands of fest-goers, City ran into two women carefully protecting their fresh henna tattoo while they dried. This year Firefly Henna had a tent…
STORIFY: Black Lives Matter rally, Dallas police shootings
A collection of news about the Dallas police shootings and the local Black Lives Matter rally.
Violence against black men, against police, rocks country
In Rochester: A moment of silence will be held today for the police killed in Dallas. On Friday, Black Lives Matter will rally in response to police shootings of black people.
Film review: “Unlocking the Cage”
The latest film from esteemed, Oscar-nominated documentarians D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus (“The War Room”), “Unlocking the Cage” follows the efforts of animal rights lawyer and founder of The Nonhuman Rights Project Steven Wise in his legal quest to have the rights of personhood bestowed on chimpanzees. The idea is to use this somewhat vague…
ALBUM REVIEW: “The Flood”
The Flood “The Flood” Self-released facebook.com/roctheflood Not too long ago, singer-songwriter Eric Carlin had a bunch of songs banging and clattering around in his head, begging for some permanence. So he assembled The Flood with a team of killer musicians who are the Rochester music scene’s equivalent to Murder, Inc., and marched into the studio.…
ALBUM REVIEW: “King Chro & The Talismen”
King Chro & The Talismen “King Chro & The Talismen” Self-released facebook.com/kingchro You can catch these cats on stage at this year’s Corn Hill Arts Festival, unless you read this, drop everything you’re doing, and decide to right away pick up King Chro & The Talismen’s self-titled helping of bombastic polyrhythmic boogie and bop right.…
Feedback 7/6
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. The Whole…
SPECIAL EVENT | Corn Hill Arts Festival
The Corn Hill Arts Festival is back for its 48th edition in Rochester’s oldest residential neighborhood. More than 350 artists from across the US and Canada will display their artwork throughout the weekend on Frederick Douglass Street and the surrounding area. Four stages will be set up for performances including Rochester Rhapsody Chorus, a women’s…
Swiftwater is serving more than standard brewery fare
Rochester’s craft brewing scene has been expanding rapidly over the last few years, especially after the New York State Farm Brewing Bill passed. Through this law, New York has spurred development of new breweries in our area, and now you can find one a short drive away from just about wherever you live in Monroe…
THEATER | “The Presstitutes”
When he’s not penning columns or chasing down stories for the Democrat and Chronicle, it’s safe to assume reporter David Andreatta is whittling away at a theater project of some sort. Andreatta has spent a fair share of time on local stages, but he’s also a prolific playwright — good enough to make Geva Theatre…
District waits for word on troubled schools
Suspensions have dropped dramatically at School 9, an elementary school on North Clinton Avenue: from 56 in the 2013-2014 school year to nine in 2015-2016. Improved safety and security is one of several goals that the school must meet to avoid dramatic changes for students, parents, and staff. July and August are important months for…
SPECIAL EVENT | Rochester Pride 2016
Rochester’s annual Pride festivities are a time when the LGBTQ and allied communities can come together to have fun, celebrate our diversity, and maybe have a few cocktails while we’re at it. The recent events of this year have showed exactly why pride events are still necessary today, and they’ve also proved why it’s more…
Education at center of party tussle
It’s almost a regular occurrence: some Rochester Democrats accuse other Dems of trying to take over some of the city’s political committees. This time, an influential group of black politicians, the Black Political Caucus, is pointing the finger at the Rochester Teachers Association and the New York State United Teachers labor unions. Caucus spokesperson Willie…
THEATER | “The Wedding Singer”
When Danny Hoskins became Blackfriars Theatre’s artistic director last summer, one of his goals was to develop educational programming at the theater to train the next generation of artists. Hoskins and his team have recently launched Blackfriars Theatre’s Summer Intensive, a program for rising high school juniors through newly graduated college seniors. Over the past…
Film preview: The Rochester International Jewish Film Festival 2016
The JCC Ames Amzalak Rochester International Jewish Film Festival turns sweet 16 this year, and will celebrate the Jewish culture with a fantastic lineup of 26 contemporary films from around the world. Things get started on a high note this Sunday with the Opening Night selection “Rock in the Red Zone” — followed by a…
Eastman Museum to update public on restoration efforts tonight
The George Eastman Museum will host a community forum at 6 p.m. today, Monday, July 11, to share information about its historic mansion restoration program and to update community members about the next phase. The forum will be held in the Curtis Theatre at the museum, 900 East Avenue. (Use the cafe and store entrance…
ROCK | Bob Dylan
It goes without saying that Bob Dylan’s influence on modern music is enormous. Dylan didn’t invent folk (“Mr. Tambourine Man”), or protest songs (“A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”), or maybe bizarrely, even hip-hop (“Subterranean Homesick Blues”), but he certainly laid down a blueprint for others to follow. Volumes exist that chronicle the contributions of this…
ART | Irondequoit Art Trail 2016
Irondequoit’s popular pop-up and explorative art gallery, the Irondequoit Art Trail, returns for its fifth year to showcase the town’s artistic talent. The Art Trail allows local artists and makers to display and sell work in their own homes and studios, and the public can follow a provided map to hit any of the locations.…
JAZZ | Rich Thompson
Drummer Rich Thompson has been recording albums for 25 years. They include his own projects, group efforts like Trio East, and those he recorded as a sideman with others. He’ll use the occasion of his upcoming Hatch Hall concert to take a look back at those recordings by playing one tune from each. Joining Thompson…
ROCK | Lost Cousins
On its soulful debut EP, “Not Now What We Were,” Kingston, Ontario’s Lost Cousins prove itself to be seasoned indie rock scholars. Crooning Local Natives-inspired vocals coast over sidewinding guitar leads and organ bursts that would feel right at home on a Foals record. While Lost Cousins wear its influences on its sleeve, the music…
METAL | Solstice
Florida has produced no shortage of seminal death metal bands since the genre’s early-90’s inception: Obituary, Morbid Angel, and Death, to name a few. While it never quite achieved the legendary status it deserved, one would be amiss to leave Solstice off of any list concerning Florida’s best metal outfits. Western New York connection aside…
BLUES | Vanessa Collier
Coming out of the Berklee School of Music, you know Vanessa Collier’s got the chops. She can play saxophone like no one’s business, and spent time honing her skills with Grammy-winner Joe Louis Walker. And she can also sing and write some great songs. Her debut album, “Heart Soul & Saxophone,” is made up of…
SPECIAL EVENT | Summerfest
Pop icons TLC will headline this year’s Rochester Summerfest, a two-day all ages festival that will also feature several prominent blues artists and a 90’s throwback night. Friday night’s theme is “Blues and Barbeque,” and local cooks and restaurants will be on site slinging BBQ during performances by Millie Jackson, Denise LaSalle, and bluesman Theodis…
ROCK | Tedeschi Trucks Band
Cruisin’ on family fuel, rock ‘n’ roll power couple Susan Tedeschi and her hubby Derek Trucks are the saviors of big rock. Tedeschi is at the heart of the matter with her sultry pipes as they’re underscored by the stock still slide guitar master and Allman Brothers alum, Derek Trucks. Legendary Los Angeles Latino rockers…
Ward Stare reflects on RPO’s 2015-16 season
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2015-2016 season was Ward Stare’s first year to program as the orchestra’s music director — he officially took over the position in September 2014, and led several concerts during that season, but its programming had already been set. And this season was, by artistic and financial standards, a success. Stare’s musicality…
Art, ads, and the image we show to the world
Rochester wants to attract tech firms that will hire bright, creative people. The impression we give them is important.
The City Seen: July 8-11
After a short hiatus, the City Seen is once again hitting the streets. This weekend, we rolled through several First Friday venues, and caught the Independence Day celebration downtown. Our first stop on Friday was Visual Studies Workshop where Ray Ray Mitrano tried to make sense of the presidential primary caucus process. Mitrano had drawings…
