Cover Story
Can Cuomo put all the budget pieces together?
$15 minimum wage, paid family leave, ethics reform. Can Governor Cuomo put it all together?
Gray wolves have a lesson to teach
Gray wolves represent the beauty and brutality of nature in a way that few animals can. With their thick coats, pricked ears, and sharp eyes, they’re visually striking. And the cooperative precision they use to stalk and take down prey — often the weak or the young — is both captivating and horrific. (This clip…
Week ahead: Events for the week of Monday, March 7
The Monroe County Legislature will hold a public hearing on County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo’s proposal to create a county Office of Public Integrity when it meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 8. Legislators will likely vote on the matter at the same meeting. Under Dinolfo’s proposal, the public integrity office would examine county operations, including…
The City Seen: March 4-6
This weekend City went to Gallery R for the opening of “Food: A Celebration of Diversity” on Friday, and then checked out the Greater Rochester Car Show at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center on Sunday. The Gallery R exhibit showcased the connection that food and the growing process have in a diverse community. RIT photojournalism…
Water Street Music Hall denied license renewal
Rochester Police Chief Michael Ciminelli has notified the Water Street Music that it must stop hosting events immediately. The popular live music venue, located at 204 North Water Street, was denied renewal of its entertainment license, because “there are justifiable concerns” regarding its ability to operate in compliance with all State and Local laws,” Ciminelli…
First Friday preview: March 4
Cure your cabin fever with a dose of culture. Here are just a sampling of the art openings and receptions taking place tonight; for more art related events, check out our calendar or visit firstfridayrochester.org. If you’ve always wanted to participate in Rochester Contemporary’s annual 6×6 show and sale, but never seem to dedicate the…
City dog park tryout could happen this spring
Your dog’s dream of a legal off-leash romp within the Rochester city limits could soon be realized. City officials are looking at a couple of sites to pilot a dog park program beginning in late spring or early summer. The possible sites are the Washington Grove area of Cobbs Hill Park, and a large chunk…
True-crime author takes on brutal 1966 Chili double homicide
Before the Alphabet Killer, before Shawcross, and before America’s weird obsession with serial killers and forensic science, there was Kathy Bernhard and George-Ann Formicola. The girls, friends who grew up poor in a rural part of the Town of Chili in western Monroe County, were abducted and horrifically murdered in June 1966. Bernard was 16.…
Judge orders Exxon Mobil to clean up Vacuum Oil site
The developer who owns the former Vacuum Oil refinery on Flint Street is getting closer to cleaning up the site. DHD Ventures, the firm headed by Tom Masachi, owns 5 and 15 Flint Street, and is working with the state to develop a plan to address contaminated soil and ground water. The plan is nearing…
Skatepark could be homeless again
The City of Rochester is soliciting ideas to convert Genesee Crossroads-Charles Carroll Plaza on Andrews Street along the river from a little-used, little-noticed park into a reinvigorated year-round destination. Early ideas include swinging seats, a perennial garden, outdoor exercise equipment, lighting features, and performance space. The plans mostly likely do not, however, include a skatepark.…
Craft Service ending 80-year run
Stepping inside Craft Service is like revisiting a time when family owned businesses, including hardware, stationary, and drug stores, dotted main thoroughfares throughout much of America, before the invasion of big box retailers. With its handwritten signs, basic shelving, and simple displays, Craft Service, which is at 337 University Avenue in Rochester’s Neighborhood of the…
Swarms of bees at Hartnett Gallery
Classical associations with bees have included abundance and order, but these days any mention of the miniscule marvels tends to spark anxiety about environmental doom, colony collapse, and the shadowy bearing that this could have on human life. And along with a sense of fascination, these were the associations that sprung to mind when viewing…
ART | “Eclectic”
This month, The College at Brockport will feature an art exhibition with works not connected by maker or theme, but by virtue of being part of faculty members’ collections. Through March 25, you can check out “Eclectic: From the Private Collections of Department of Art Faculty” at the Tower Fine Arts Center Gallery at The…
METAL | Testament
Testament’s debut album, “The Legacy,” released in 1987, played fast and heavy, drawing a comparison to Metallica. The band followed it up with “Practice What You Preach” in 1989, and other critically acclaimed records soon followed. While Testament has not reached the dizzy heights of mainstream music, the band remains a backbone of underground…
THEATER | “Little Red’s Most Unusual Day”
Rochester Lyric Opera presents the classic children’s story “Little Red Riding Hood” in a new light. “Little Red’s Most Unusual Day” is both a more lighthearted version of the fairytale and a short opera tailored to children. During the 30-40 minute performance, tiny audience members will meet Little Red and her mom, Mrs. Hood; Forest…
BLUES | Cool Blues for the Homeless
It’s going to be an all-day, red-hot, tres cool blues extravaganza for the 2016 Cool Blues for the Homeless benefit. The show will help Catholic Family Centers of Rochester and The Open Door Mission. Besides the non-stop blast of the blues, there will be workshops on guitar, bass, and harp. Shake a tail feather and…
COMEDY | Earl David Reed
Earl David Reed is a comedian everyman: he’s relatable; he’s flexible; and he wants to be friends with his audience. In fact, one of the aspects that sticks out most from a Reed set is his ability to work the audience into his routine. Reed cites Don Rickles as an influence, and in interviews, he’s…
METAL | Asking Alexandria
Some call it metalcore, or just metal, but the blast from the cannon that is the Brit extra-heavy, platinum-selling outfit Asking Alexandria is more of a controlled chaos, with rapid double kick drums, crushing guitars, and vocals that vacillates between plaintive wail and cookie monster roar. Next to impossible to hear what the lyrics are…
ART | “Simple Communication”
Buffalo-based artist and photographer Zach Frank works in a variety of paint and drawing media, with subject matter ranging from photo-real portraiture, to colorful geometric studies, to surreal, meandering doodles. Especially interesting are his “Recess Paintings,” in which he incorporates elements of playgrounds into vague environments, toying with perspective and spatial relationships. Catch a dozen…
JAZZ | Eastman Studio Orchestra
When the Eastman Studio Orchestra takes the stage under the baton of Director Bill Dobbins, the program will include three arrangements by three ESM jazz writing majors: Julian Tanaka’s treatment of Thad Jones’s “Quietude”; Jon Rarick’s of the standard, “A Portrait of Jenny”; and George Darrah’s of another standard, “Too Close for Comfort.” Also on…
THEATER | “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”
The bio-musical “Beautiful,” which has created buzz on Broadway, and more recently, the West End, comes to Rochester March 8-13 as part of the Rochester Broadway Theatre League’s 2015-16 season. It follows the 1960’s-era story of Carole King (then known as Carol Klein) as she began her journey to becoming the famed singer-songwriter she’s known…
ROOTS | Rochester Revival 2016
Pickin’ bluegrass, one-droppin’ reggae, and real rootsin’ Americana will take the Anthology stage for Rochester Revival 2016. The two-day festival celebrates Roots and Americana music from some of the area’s finest, including The Campbell Brothers, The Prickers, The Honey Smugglers, and Personal Blend. Tauk, Cabinet, and The Blind Owl Band will also perform. Food trucks…
Chamber Opera Festival goes for intimate performances
The word “opera” is often preceded by the adjective “grand,” but many operatic pleasures are as intimate as they are rewarding. Exploring the vast repertoire of small-scale and one-act operas has been a specialty of Rochester Lyric Opera for several years, and this weekend’s RLO Chamber Opera Fest will feature a variety of musical goodies.…
CLASSICAL | RPO with Vadym Kholodenko
In Vadym Kholodenko’s return to the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the young sensation will turn to Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3, the composition with which he won the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. The work is a striking masterpiece showcasing the evocative colors of both the piano and the orchestra as a whole. A…
Web series ‘Dark Justice’ finds satire in tension
There are any number of ways to bring attention to a hot-button issue, and among the trickiest methods to pull off gracefully is satire. When the subject you’re looking at is the current state of race relations in our country, the stumbling blocks are innumerable. But that didn’t dissuade filmmaker and Rochester native Mike Gerbino…
EXPERIMENTAL | Michael Johnsen
If you’re lucky enough to catch a performance at Visual Studies Workshop, you know you’re in for a weird and wonderful evening of forward-thinking sounds. The art venue has long been a haven for experimental musicians, and this concert with the Pittsburgh-based electronic sound sculptor Michael Johnsen is no different. In his live performances, Johnsen…
Feedback 3/2
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. Put propaganda…
Gigantosaurus Rex stomps into the world
Giganotosaurus Rex was a big f***ing creature that roamed the Earth millions of years ago. It’s also the name of a three-piece band that currently roams the Rochester Earth. Gigantosaurus Rex (the band; notice the missing “o”) is angular, obtuse, and dynamic. The diamond-cutter precision this band plays with is made more amazing when you…
Urban Action 3/2
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. ROCLA holding gala The Rochester Committee on Latin America will hold its annual Rice and Beans Gala Dinner and White Dove Awards on Friday, March 11. ROCLA will honor Cecilia Moran-Santos and the…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Do” b/w “Postcard”
Northern Spies “Do” b/w “Postcard” Self-released northernspiesroc.bandcamp.com Thrilled, confused, intrigued — that’s how I initially felt when finding The Northern Spies’ new CD single in my mailbox. I was thrilled because this is a top notch rock outfit. I was confused because most bands release singles to the pirates of the cyber world. And I…
Program is shaping chefs and raising restaurateurs
High school students working in restaurants typically bus tables, mop floors, or wash dishes. And with a little more experience, some may go on to become waiters or act as hosts, but few have the chance to go beyond entry-level positions. The Rochester Youth Culinary Experience aims to change that. RYCE (pronounced “rice”) is a…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Jumping Karma Trains”
My Plastic Sun “Jumping Karma Trains” Self-released myplasticsun.com I was just winding up to say, “It takes a lot of guts to open up a CD as mellow as My Plastic Sun does on its new EP, ‘Jumping Karma Trains,'” but the tunes that follow were equally mellow. The whole thing is a five-song dream.…
Refugees welcome
Pasted on the front door of Park Ave. Pets on Monroe Avenue is a small sticker with a simple line drawing of a family of four with luggage. Underneath them it says, “Refugees Welcome.” Lisa Jacques, the longtime owner of the store, says that a friend e-mailed her an article about the storefront sticker campaign,…
The City Seen: February 28
City on Sunday caught the tail-end of the Penfield Art Association Winter Show at the Monroe Avenue Barnes and Noble. The variety of mediums and inspirations made for a well rounded show complete with juried awards. Check the slideshow below for a selection of work from a few participating artists.
FBI vs. Apple case isn’t just about one iPhone
You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to believe that there are many things that government – whether liberal or conservative, federal or local – has no business knowing about you.
