Cover Story
The creative dissent of Stephanie Mercedes
The visiting artist explores the intersection of art and law and Argentina’s Dirty War in new project at Flower City Arts Center
Get ready for the storm
With the Rochester region under a winter storm warning (8 o’clock tonight through early Wednesday night), government officials are urging residents to be prepared. The storm could dump as much as a foot of snow in the areas closest to the lake, and it’s expected to make driving conditions difficult, especially during tomorrow morning’s commute…
Alexander to be new deputy mayor
Cedric Alexander, who served as Rochester’s police chief during the Johnson administration, is coming back to Rochester and to city government – this time as a top administration official. Mayor Lovely Warren announced this morning that Alexander will be her new deputy mayor. He is currently deputy chief operating officer and director of public safety…
![[UPDATED] WEEK AHEAD: Events for the week of March 13](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/schooldistrict_thumb.webp?fit=180%2C180&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] WEEK AHEAD: Events for the week of March 13
Rochester school district officials will present their proposed budget for the 2017-2018 school year in several meetings that are open to the public. Everton Sewell, the district’s chief financial officer, will make the first presentation to the school board on Tuesday, March 14. The board will then hold three review sessions: Thursday, March 30; Tuesday,…
![[Updated ]JCC threatened again; rally against anti-Semitism today](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/kmf_2762.webp?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
[Updated ]JCC threatened again; rally against anti-Semitism today
For the second time in a week, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester has received a bomb threat and evacuated its building on Edgewood Avenue in Brighton. The center closed temporarily, but will reopen at 3 p.m. Brighton police are investigating the threat — just as they are the one received by the JCC…
Drummer and BBQ slinger ‘Uncle Ralph’ Bushey has died
Rochester blues drummer extraordinaire Ralph “Uncle Ralph” Bushey passed away Wednesday, March 8, from complications following a stroke. Bushey, who was 58, was a beloved member of the music scene in Rochester as the drummer for the Nightstalkers, where he was a solid, in the pocket player. Friends and fellow musicians, like guitarist Dave Riccioni,…
Film review: ‘XX’
The latest entry in the recent resurgence of horror anthology, “XX” benefits from an inspired hook: each of its four stories were written and directed by and star women in the lead roles (hence the female chromosome-referencing title). Made in direct response to the lack of opportunities for women filmmakers, particularly in the frequently male-dominated…
Film review: ‘Kedi’
Turkish filmmaker Ceyda Torun turns her cameras on the infamous street cats of Istanbul in “Kedi,” a charming, warm-hearted documentary tailor-made for cat people (or animal lovers of any stripe). For thousands of years, these mysterious creatures have ruled the streets of Torun’s hometown, and in that time they’ve grown to be an integral part…
Seminary campus to become destination hotel
The new owner of the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School campus plans to develop it into a destination hotel and conference center and build a new building for the seminary at the corner of Highland Avenue and South Goodman Street. The school’s board of trustees made the decision to sell the property years ago, and…
Group asks city to lead clean-energy ‘buyers club’
Hydropower, wind, solar, and other renewables are providing more and more of New York’s energy, a trend that government officials and environmental advocates want to continue. But for that to happen, the companies building new wind and solar farms need New York residents, businesses, and governments to buy their carbon-free power. Governments and business can…
Feedback 3/8
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. King Andrew’s…
Urban Action 3/8
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Meeting set on student success The New York State Education Department is holding regional meetings on school districts’ plans to boost student achievement. The meeting for the Rochester district will be from 10…
Tucker’s celebrates New York State
Kurt Oechsle is celebrating everything New York State at his establishment, Tucker’s Diner/Bakery (303 Macedon Center Road, Fairport), which opened in January. Everything from the eggs to the vegetables and meats are coming from farms in New York, provided by Headwater Food Hub. “I’ve been trained to use local and seasonal — the best ingredients,”…
AMERICANA | Amigo The Devil
Amigo The Devil is a breath of fresh air for both the social misfits and the straight-laced. Whoever is in the crowd, you can guarantee lots of whiskey, debauchery, and drunken singalongs. The tattooed burly man behind the project, Danny Kiranos, writes songs for the doomed. With morbid slapstick lyrics of love and death, a…
CLASSICAL | Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
There has been no shortage of recent discussion about Russian political influence in America, but it might just be time to take a break and listen to Russian music performed by an American orchestra instead. This Thursday and Saturday, guest conductor James Feddeck will lead the RPO in a sweeping program highlighting two greats of…
FOLK | Si Kahn, Joe Jencks, and Maria Dunn
At its heart, folk music has always been about everyday people: their lifeblood, their struggles, and their fight for justice in the face of inhumanity. On Thursday, Golden Link Folk Singing Society will present Si Kahn, Joe Jencks, and Maria Dunn, a trio of engaging singer-songwriters who have long dedicated their careers to such songs.…
HIP-HOP | Migos
Georgia hip-hop trio Migos — consisting of members Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset — has come a long way since its formation in 2009. The Southern rappers broke into the mainstream in 2013 with the debut single “Versace” off its “Y.R.N.” mixtape. That track reached the US Billboards Top 100 chart as well as year-end lists…
ROCK | Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
Joan Jett is pure rock ‘n’ roll and a righteous lady as well. Jett has been with us since she was a teenager in the all-female punk band The Runaways, and her Johnny Ramone fisted strumming approach won her spot #87 in Rolling Stone’s top 100 guitar players of all time. As she approaches 60,…
DOOM METAL | Pilgrim
Pilgrim definitely plays it dark, but the band avoids the utter doom with its theatrical leanings. The Rhode Island-based quartet plays it like you smoke good barbecue: low and slow. Disciples of Sabbath or anything with loud, thick guitar for that matter should be front and center at the altar for this one. All hail…
WORLD MUSIC | The Rita Collective with Herb Smith
Herb Smith’s classical chops are on display when he occupies the third trumpet chair with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. His jazz prowess is obvious when the Eastman School of Music professor plays with his own quartet or Wynton Marsalis, Natalie Cole, Chuck Mangione, Doc Severinsen, and other top acts. On Sunday, Smith will venture into…
Tart Vandelay takes its music just shy of infinity
Love precedes Tart Vandelay as it leaves a chaotically smooth pastel wash in its wake. With jazzy guitar and looped female vocals that stop just shy of infinity, Tart Vandelay is mesmerizing in its stunning, deceptive simplicity. At the heart of this Rochester band is guitarist Marty LoFaso and vocalist, ukulele player, and loop wrangler…
Album review: ‘What I Think the Sky Sounds Like’
SpaceKase “What I Think the Sky Sounds Like” Self-released spacekase.bandcamp.com Enjoying music sans melody or without a tangible, discernable progression is a stretch. But composing a piece in which the melody is simply implied is even tougher. It’s an art to be sure. Most instrumental music you hear sets forth a thought, a discussion within…
Album review: ‘The Truth of What I Am is Greater Than the Narcissist’
George Burton “The Truth of What I Am is Greater Than the Narcissist” Inner Circle Music georgeburtonmusic.com With a title based on a Charles Mingus quote, pianist George Burton’s debut album instantly puts him on the jazz map. His solos are wonderful, with a flair reminiscent of McCoy Tyner, but the album is also a…
SPECIAL EVENT | St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, now marking its 40th year, will roll through Rochester this Saturday, back along its traditional route. The last two parades have used a different route due to the East End construction filling in the Inner Loop, but this weekend’s parade will return to its original starting point at East…
ART | “Girls Rock! Rochester Gets Ugly”
Through the month of March, Ugly Duck Coffee (89 Charlotte Street) is celebrating Women’s History Month with a retrospective exhibition of more than five years of art made in support of Girls Rock! Rochester. The show also presents new work from artists that are collaborating with GR!R on an upcoming cookbook zine. GR!R is a…
ART | “Rapture”
Boston-based artist Christopher Lineberry’s work embodies the intersection of research, experience, ethics, and desire. Through April 2, Hartnett Gallery (Second floor, Wilson Commons, University of Rochester) will present “Rapture,” Lineberry’s latest body of digital collage, rooted in his negotiation of queer sexuality and an evangelical upbringing in North Carolina. The work references both the concept…
COMEDY | “Two Feminists Walk Into a Bar”
Rochester comedians Kelsey Claire Hagen and Madelein Smith this Thursday are hosting some of their favorite comedians from the regional stand-up scene, including Rochesterian-turned-Texan Andrew Youngblood, in the comedy show “Two Feminists Walk Into a Bar.” The show will also feature Brian Netzel, Sarah Benson, and Kevin Thomas Jr. Hagen and Smith previously appeared at…
Get ready for the storm
With the Rochester region under a winter storm warning (8 o’clock tonight through early Wednesday night), government officials are urging residents to be prepared. The storm could dump as much as a foot of snow in the areas closest to the lake, and it’s expected to make driving conditions difficult, especially during tomorrow morning’s commute…
THEATER | “That Poor Girl and How He Killed Her”
The title “That Poor Girl and How He Killed Her” already sets things up. In the darkly comedic play by emerging playwright Jen Silverman, the wealthy, young Alyssa Long attracts the attentions of a cryptic stranger, Felix Maia, and Alyssa disappears soon after. The play explores the social workings of the world around us, from…
THEATER | “Pippin”
RIT/NTID performance groups MDC and Dangerous Signs — troupes that have done a lot to bring together American Sign Language, spoken English, music, and dance for Rochester stages — will tackle the popular, Tony Award-winning musical “Pippin” this weekend. The show, with book by Roger O. Hirson and music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, follows…
A letter to our readers
This is a time of profound change in American media. And it comes at a time of major challenges for the people and institutions we serve and report on.
