Cover Story
Hetsko’s heart
Scott Hetsko had to nearly die twice before he could really live again. One of those times — what he calls the lowest point of his whole, nearly 10-year ordeal — his heart was in arrest for over two minutes until medical staff in the cardiac unit at the University of Rochester Medical Center could…
THE WEEK AHEAD: Events for the Week of March 20
Rochester schools Superintendent Barbara Deane-Williams will present her proposed budget for the district’s 2017-2018 school year on Tuesday, March 28. The introductory presentation to the school board kicks off a lengthy review process and is expected to focus on closing an $80 million budget gap. The meeting will be held in the district’s central office,…
JCC CenterStage announces 2017-18 season
In what has now become an annual tradition, JCC CenterStage Artistic Director Ralph Meranto held a “virtual press conference” via YouTube yesterday to announce the organization’s 2017-18 season. From his seat in front of the camera in the pristine Lipson Lounge — part of the $17 million, 26,000-square-foot renovations the JCC unveiled last fall –…
School board weighing another college partnership
[UPDATED] SUNY Geneseo’s education school inched closer last night to a partnership with the Rochester school board and School 19. It’s a sign that the Rochester board is continuing to seek help from outside organizations to help turn around some of its most troubled schools. In a presentation to the board, a team of district…
Film review: ‘The Belko Experiment’
American white collar office workers become the subjects of a sadistic, bloody, social exercise in “The Belko Experiment,” a horror movie that has aspirations of satire, but isn’t sharp or smart enough to decide what point it’s ultimately trying to make. The day begins much like any other at a remote outpost of the Belko…
Snowed in
You can read us online now, but our print edition will be late this week.
Advocates push again for ‘Raise the Age’
Jerry Ingram’s life could have unfolded differently than it has. When he was 17, he and his cousin were arrested in front of their Broward County, Florida, apartment and were hit with drug possession and distribution charges, Ingram says. And since there was a school nearby, the charges carried extra weight. Ingram ultimately received a…
Construction nears for School 16 update
School 16 will transform from a small, wood-frame building to one of the most impressive in the Rochester City School District if all goes according to plans. The architectural planning phase for the school’s remodel is mostly complete, says district Chief of Operations Michael Schmidt. Parents, teachers, and neighbors can now better imagine what the…
HIP-HOP | OG Maco
Maco Mattox, known by his braggadocio rap persona OG Maco, might just be 2017’s diamond in the rough. Before making it in hip-hop, he was a singer in a screamo metal band. Growing up listening to all kinds of music, Maco found his biggest influences to be Kid Cudi and Black Sabbath, and you can…
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL | Lady Pills
The Beantown-based women in Lady Pills play an infectious, mid-tempo pop-bop-chop and twang. It’s pleasant and pretty, even when it chomps at the bit with the trio’s restless enthusiasm and guts. Lady Pills will get under your skin and stay. This is pop music with a healthy splash of rock ‘n’ roll that kicks ass…
FOLK | Rosie Newton and The Green Mountain Playboys
I just want to get this out there: people ask me, they say, “Frank, what’s the difference between a violin and a fiddle?” And I tell them, “A violin sings; a fiddle cries.” Practically any style of music that is born of or champions the fiddle is in Rosie Newton’s wheelhouse. Folk, bluegrass, country, Irish,…
VOCAL | “A Narrow Bridge”
Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus Artistic Director Robert Strauss describes the group’s concert this weekend, “A Narrow Bridge,” as “about being a light in the darkness — a call to be a beacon of hope for those who feel hopeless.” RGMC will do that, and inspire others, through its performances of songs like “Bridge over Troubled…
Back to business at Tony D’s
In the restaurant scene, closings aren’t anything new. It’s the nature of the industry: new places sprout up all the time and other locations lose their leaves. Back in September, though, the popular Italian bistro Tony D’s closed its doors following the unfortunate deaths of co-owners Chris DeGrazia and Tony DiCesare, and it loudly reverberated…
CLASSICAL | “Symphonic Tales from Around the World”
The RPO will travel around the world while staying home during its next family concert. Conductor Michael Butterman will lead the orchestra in “Symphonic Tales from Around the World,” a musical journey illustrating famous children’s stories from all over. The hour-long trip begins in the Middle East, via Denmark, with Carl Nielsen’s “Aladdin,” and includes…
‘Finding Home’ art program spotlights refugees
Amid news this last weekend of a second bomb threat to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester — and the third case of anti-Semitic hostility in Rochester in recent weeks — Deborah Haber is pushing onward to finalize plans for a series of arts events that will be held this month at the JCC…
JAZZ | Macktet with Ralph Lalama
When bassist Peter Mack takes the stage at Lovin’ Cup with his all-star Macktet, the stars will shine a little brighter. Over the years, Mack has lent his talents to Barry Harris, Lew Tabackin, Eric Alexander, and many more. Pianist Dino Losito, drummer Mike Melito, guitarist Steve Brown, and saxophonist Joe Carello are all among…
SPECIAL EVENT | “Two Kinds of Fear”
As part of the Rochester’s Rich History series at Central Library, Bill Pruitt intertwines the stories of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass and the legacies of the two human rights activists in “Two Kinds of Fear.” Based on published archives, Pruitt takes listeners from Anthony and Douglass’ youth through their times in Rochester when…
Album review: ‘Infinite Distances’
Noah Haidu “Infinite Distances” Cellar Live noahhaidu.com After studying with Kenny Barron at Rutgers University, pianist Noah Haidu honed his skills on the jazz scenes of Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Queens. It paid off when his reputation led to work with top players like Mike Stern, Benny Golson, and Eddie Henderson. His latest album, “Infinite Distances”…
ART | “Visio Stellae”
Self-taught painter and graphic designer John Bertolone defines his art “as a striving to visualize the unseen forces that are at play and how they influence our seen world.” His acrylic and digital paintings blend feminine portraiture, animal deities, geometry, and cosmic debris in the full and glorious color spectrum. In his artist statement he…
Album review: ‘Slightly Radio Active’
The Squires of the Subterrain “Slightly Radio Active” Rocket Racket Records squiresofthesubterrain.com I’ve been a fan of the Squire (Chris Earl) since the beginning. Same goes for Phil Marshall, who shows up with his guitar on The Squires of the Subterrain’s brand new 12-song collection of quirky pop nuggets, “Slightly Radio Active.” This has essentially…
THEATER | “Twisted Tales of Terror”
If you’re fond of scary stories, but you could do with some lightheartedness these days, check out Jeanine Harvey’s madcap play, “Twisted Tales of Terror,” which will be performed this week under the direction of Dianne Schaumberg at Stages (third floor at the Auditorium Center, 875 East Main Street). Set in a graveyard, the story…
THEATER | “Hands on a Hardbody”
People will go through a lot for the chance to win a new vehicle. In the musical “Hands on a Hardbody” — Blackfriars Theatre’s next show, and the audience pick at the company’s Season Soiree last year — the competition is simple: 10 Texans try to outlast each other with their hands on a brand-new…
Urban Action 3/15
URBAN ACTION This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.) Arm-wrestling for health care BRAWL – the Broads Rochester Arm Wrestling League – has been staging its competitions around Rochester for five years, entertaining onlookers and raising money for area…
Feedback 3/15
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. All the…
JCC’S, cemeteries, and a president’s angry rants
We don’t know who is committing this terrorism. But we certainly know who has made hate’s expression acceptable.
Film review: ‘Kong: Skull Island’
“Kong: Skull Island” director Jordan Vogt-Roberts clearly paid attention to the criticisms leveled at Gareth Edwards, whose 2014 “Godzilla” reboot used a less-is-more approach to the massive, atomic lizard. By contrast, Vogt-Roberts gets the human-smashing, monster action going early and often. He loads his movie up with as many man-eating beasts as he can fit…
RIT hosts Game Dev Challenge
College students and indie video game developers wanting to put their ideas to the test will have the chance in a new statewide competition. RIT’s Center for Media Arts, Games, Interaction and Creativity (MAGIC), in partnership with New York University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is hosting a Game Development Challenge, the first for New York…
