Cover Story
‘This isn’t working’
Mayor Lovely Warren on the Rochester school district
Warren wants community schools in district budget
There’s long been tension between the city administration and the Rochester City School District over the city’s $119 million contribution to the district’s annual operating budget. The city is required to give the money to the school district because the Rochester school district can’t levy taxes on its own, so it’s dependent on the city…
Jazz festival announces its lineup
This year’s Rochester International Jazz Festival, now sponsored by CGI, will offer performances by more than 1,500 musicians. The lineup, announced this morning, is certainly not lacking in quality or variety. Among the jazz acts returning to the festival, which runs from June 21 to 29: vocalist Catherine Russell, organist Joey DeFrancesco, and guitarist Bill…
ART | ‘Legacy’
Artists influence artists. This is a subject mostly discussed in regards to Renaissance students working in the studios of master artists, or the aesthetic movements that seemed to have diminished in number in contemporary times. But as long as there are teachers, there will be students carrying the torch of influence forward in their own…
RECREATION | Ladies’ Skate Night 2nd Anniversary
This week marks the second anniversary of Ladies Skate Night, which is hosted on the third Monday of each month at Breaking Free Skatepark. Founded in March of 2017, the night is a way to claim space and provide a judgement-free zone for women of all ages who want to learn to skateboard (or ride…
ART | ‘Princess’
Concept video albums (Beyoncé’s “Lemonade; Janelle Monáe’s “Dirty Computer”) have become powerful tools to communicate complex social and political concepts by combining musical and cinematic storytelling. Art pop duo Princess (performance artists Alexis Gideon and Michael O’Neill) uses music as the foundation for its multi-disciplinary practice that explores issues of queerness and the concept of…
LECTURE | Utopian & Dystopian Lit
Some of the smartest social and political commentary — and cultural forecasts — have come out of science fiction, and specifically utopian and dystopian literature. The genre tends to take depthy, fascinating dives into human nature(s) through thought experiments: How would we go about creating the perfect society? How would we respond to the dissolution…
HIP-HOP | Skribe Da God
Ras Tehuti Tafari — former full-time percussionist and vocalist of local reggae-jam band Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad — had a spiritual epiphany in 2003 that awakened the musical entity Skribe Da God. Under that moniker, Tehuti Tafari delivers hip-hop fueled by Rastafari teachings, social awareness, and cosmic interconnectivity. Often accompanied by DJ 2-Way, Skribe…
FOLK | Amy LaVere with Will Sexton
Singer-songwriter and bassist Amy LaVere has been produced by The Replacements’ producer Jim Dickinson, has worked at Sun Studios in Memphis, and has broken my heart at least three times. Though at home rockin’ little sawdust-floor, beer-and-a-shot joints, LaVere’s talent has catapulted her into bigger venues like the Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits festivals. You’ve…
JAZZ | Philippe Lemm Trio
One moment pianist Angelo Di Loreto is playing dazzling classical runs, the next Jeff Koch is funking out with his slap-bass riffs. It’s all anchored by Dutch drummer Philippe Lemm, the leader of this virtuosic trio. With its eclectic repertoire and unpredictable turns, if I had to compare the band to a better-known group, it…
ROOTS ROCK | Watkins and the Rapiers
Led by the unyielding, dreadnought-wielding Scott Regan, the band Watkins and the Rapiers is a bunch of wisenheimers who, with understated elegance, don’t let the shenanigans and monkeyshines crowd the talent within. Rootsy to the max, it’s like John Prine on giggle juice. Watkins and the Rapiers play Monday, March 18, 7 p.m. at The…
Feedback 3/13
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Urban Action 3/13
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) A focus on suffrage leaders In recognition of Women’s History Month, Rochester NOW will present “Frenemies for Suffrage: Stanton, Gage, Anthony” on Friday, March 18. Mary Corey, SUNY emeritus professor of history, will…
UR weighs proposal to arm more officers
By March 27, an ad hoc University of Rochester committee is expected to make its recommendations on the UR Department of Public Safety’s proposal to arm more of its campus peace officers. The committee includes student, staff, and faculty representatives. The department first submitted the proposal to UR’s Public Safety Review Board last May, but…
Marijuana legalization supporters to hold town hall
New York lawmakers are the closest they’ve ever been to legalizing recreational cannabis. Right now they’re considering two different proposals that would allow adults to possess and use cannabis in various forms. One comes from Governor Andrew Cuomo, who included it in his executive budget proposal for the first time ever this year. The other,…
SPACE POP | Ryan Flynn
A synthetic dark horse roams the shadows of Rochester’s grey skies, and its name is Ryan Flynn. The brainchild of local composer Ryan Cullinane, Ryan Flynn has delivered ambient, electronic soundscapes influenced by funk, pop, and dark wave over the course of eight releases since 2013, including its recent single, “The Wound.” The music is…
Highland’s growth worries neighbors
If City Council approves a rezoning request next week, Highland Hospital will be able to move forward with its estimated $70 million plan to add four stories to the existing three-story building. The City Planning Commission approved Highland’s application last month to rezone the hospital’s 9.27-acre site from an Institutional Planned Development District to a…
TANGO | ‘Eternal Tango’
Beethoven and Brahms are great, but I love it when classical stations shift to works by great Argentine composers like Astor Piazzolla. With quirky rhythms and bandoneon flourishes, Piazzolla’s tangos really turn the radio on. One of today’s greatest Piazzolla interpreters is Héctor del Curto, who won a major bandoneon contest at the age of…
SPECIAL EVENT | ‘Scent of Spring’
Instead of trying to revel in the mid-winter gloom and watching a glitzy globe descend, wouldn’t it make so much more sense to celebrate the New Year in the springtime? You know, when new life is awakening? Nowruz, or Persian New Year, is an ancient and still thriving cultural tradition celebrated in Iran, as well…
FILM | ‘Dirty Looks’
Founded in 2011 by Bradford Nordeen, Dirty Looks Inc serves as a platform for queer film, video, and performance. It seeks to illuminate queer histories and trace contemporary queer aesthetics by presenting important LGBTQ film and video art alongside emerging artists and filmmakers. The loose collective of artists and curators also presents an annual month-long,…
Album review: ‘Absense’
Absense ‘Absense’ Self-released absenserock.bandcamp.com Absense’s eponymous debut EP brings to mind the perils of youth, confronting the listener with the uncertainty of a young person’s place in the world. The lyrics deal with heavy issues that give the songs moments of occasional discomfort. Lead vocalist and guitarist Tristan Harvey and drummer Kyle Hunter co-wrote the…
Album review: ‘Brindamor’
Brindamor ‘Brindamor’ Self-released brindamor.bandcamp.com In the age of the EP and the MP3, it’s nice to hear a band offer a heaping helping of tracks like the Rochester neo-traditionalist group Brindamor does on its eponymous,10-track album. The first thing you stumble upon, amid the string-band strain, is that this ain’t a string-band record. But I…
Rochester’s school district and the push for change
It’s good that so many groups want to help improve the district. But changing the ‘governance’ would be just a small step.
Film preview: ‘The Wedding Guest’
A thriller that’s surprisingly low on thrills. Even strong performances from its two leads can’t turn “The Wedding Guest” into an event worth the trouble of attending.
Paella Thursdays at The Cub Room
This isn’t just meat and rice. This is a trip to the Iberian Peninsula in flavor. Paella paired with a signature cocktail and a delectable selection of small plates helps wrap up the week right.
Theater review: ‘You Can’t Take It with You’
As a hobby and an amateur art form, community theater is vital. It’s where many famous performers first get a taste of the stage, after all. But when the mistakes in a show detract from enjoyment and overall content of the show, it’s time to rethink strategy.
Geva announces 2019-20 season
The new season includes Tony Award-winning musical, “Once;” post-Vietnam hip-hop musical, “Vietgone;” and the world premiere of “Looks Like Pretty,” which is set in a Kodak lab. More than half of the productions are written by and will be directed by women, three plays are written by playwrights of color, and five will be led…
Interview: SIRSY
The rock duo SIRSY has unparalleled tenacity and resolve, even when living life on the road, or staring down cancer and all the uncertainty that it brings. And when cancer reared its ugly head a second time, again SIRSY emerged victorious.
