Cover Story
Rochester’s apartment boom
For more on this topic: See Mary Anna Towler’s “City should turn down University Ave. project” in this week’s Urban Journal. This is a corrected version of this story. If you’ve been trying to track down Rochester Mayor Tom Richards, odds are good you can catch him at a ribbon cutting. Voters Block, Bridge Square,…
Daily Choices: What to do on Wednesday, May 8
Special Event: Solera and Cheshire (647 South Ave., lower and upper levels, respectively focusing on wine and cocktails) will hold a Roaring 20s party on tonight, 5-11 p.m.
Comptroller: Medley created zero jobs in 2011
It’s time to beat on Medley Centre again. The state Comptroller’s Office just released a report on statewide industrial development activity in 2011. The report devotes a fair amount of space to exemptions for retail projects, which it says have increased each year since 2007. Prior to 2008, a provision of state law prohibited IDA’s…
Reading program helps stave off the ‘summer slide’
When children leave school for the summer, research shows that many lose a significant percentage of the knowledge and skills they developed during the school year. It varies from child to child, but some studies show that children can lose as much as half of the academic gains they’ve made. Some educators refer to it…
Wages only part of ‘frackonomics’ picture
The conservative Empire Center for New York State Policy has released a report that says, predictably, that fracking could boost incomes in 28 New York counties. The report’s authors based their conclusions on data from Pennsylvania counties where Marcellus Shale drilling is occurring. They say that had New York allowed its counties to “fully exploit…
Richards gives sober State of the City address, with an appearance by Spider-Man
Rochester is a city in need of fundamental transformation, said Mayor Tom Richards in his State of the City address tonight. Refusal to acknowledge that fact or to insist that nips and tucks will do the trick is to condemn the city to failure, he said. Richards’ sober address, given at School of the Arts,…
Daily Choices: What to do on Tuesday, May 7
Theater: Check out a staging of “Les Miserables” tonight, 7:30 p.m. at the Rochester Auditorium Theatre (885 E. Main St.). Tickets start at $37.50 and the show continues through May 12. For more information, call 222-5000 or visit rbtl.org.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 5 Reunion: The winner revealed!
After two weeks of (mostly) filler we finally got to what we’ve been waiting for. The 90-minute reunion finale was filled with all the S5 queens lazily performing some basic glee-club choreography, some brief one-on-one interviews with Ru, a few clip packages, the blatant promotion of not one but two new RuPaul songs, a LaToya…
Concert Review: Hate Machine Farewell Show
It takes a lot of guts to leave the party while it’s still hoppin’, but that’s exactly what Hate Machine did Friday night at Montage Music Hall to a rabid — albeit bummed — crowd. Early in the set singer Jed Seaver stopped between songs to explain. “We’ve hit the plateau and have nowhere else…
“Game of Thrones” Season 3, Episode 6: Pinky swear
This week’s episode closed the second act and prepared us for the third, and in doing so made some fairly significant departures from the book. First, the stuff that stayed largely consistent with the books: *SamwellTarly and Gilly continued their run back to the Wall after the implosion of the Night’s Watch at Craster’s Keep.…
Daily Choices: What to do on Monday, May 6
Workshop: The Smart and Sassy Springtime Cooking series is back tonight, 6-8 p.m., with a course on “Simply Risotto.” Head over to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County (249 Highland Ave., in Highland Park) to learn new tricks. The class is $30 and registration is required: 461-1000, mycce.org/monroe. Music: Do you want to help support…
Daily Choices: What to do on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5
Special Event: Love Hate Tattoo will present the 5th Annual Roc City Tattoo Expo this weekend at Rochester Riverside Radisson Hotel (120 E. Main St.). The event takes place Saturday, 12-11 p.m.; and Sunday, 12-6 p.m. Admission is $10 per day, or $25 for a weekend pass. For more information, call 546-6400 or visitroccitytattooexpo.com.
Concert Announcement: RPO Summer Season, including “Glee”‘s Matthew Morrison
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra announced its summer 2013 season this afternoon. The schedule includes a 1920’s themed 90th anniversary concert, regional concerts in Inlet and Geneseo, and will be headlined by a Pops performance featuring Broadway star Matthew Morrison, best known for his leading role on the TV musical drama “Glee.” The full press release…
Court says communities can ban drilling
Yesterday, a state appeals court upheld two towns’ bans on oil and gas drilling in separate but similar cases. The decisions were cheered by environmental and anti-fracking groups, as well by some elected officials. One case challenged a ban in the Town of Dryden, (decision here) and the other, in the Town of Middlefield (decision…
Concert Review: City Newspaper’s 2013 Best Busker Contest
What a splendiferous day it was for City Newspaper’s annual Best Busker Contest in Rochester’s East End. Competition for those precious little guitar picks was heated, as artists of varying degrees of talent and style whipped it out like there was no doubt. The streets were teaming with the curious, the converted, and the convinced.…
Daily Choices: What to do on Friday, May 3
Comedy: The Rochester Comedy Festival, featuring Sheryl Underwood, Arnez J, Tony Rock, Don D.C. Curry, and Tommy Davidson will take place tonight, 7 p.m., at Blue Cross Arena (One War Memorial Square). Tickets are $55-$70, call 800-745-3000 or visit ticketmaster.com. More info: bluecrossarena.com.
“American Idol” 2013: Results (Top 4 to Top 3)
The opening group number was to Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love.” I love that song, but it was a terrible choice for this scenario, and none of the Final 4 girls came off particularly well in it. Angie and Kree sounded the worst, I think. It had a 1920’s flapper edge since it’s being used in…
The D&C by the numbers
The Democrat and Chronicle is moving fewer copies of its print paper, but more people are accessing its content digitally. That’s what the numbers from the latest Alliance for Audited Media (formerly the Audit Bureau of Circulations) show. On a general, national basis, newspaper circulation is down, but digital products account for an increasingly greater…
Owners of Craft Company No. 6 speak out against University Ave. project
UPDATE, May 7, 2013: As a commenter pointed out, the letter below is actually a form letter created by the Eastman House and sent to City by Craft Company No. 6 owners Lynn Allinger and Gary Stam. City regrets the oversight. For City Publisher Mary Anna Towler’s opinion on the project, go here. We respectfully…
Henrietta board approves Brick-N-Motor permit
Brick-N-Motor could be back up and running at a Henrietta office park as soon as Friday, May 3. Last night, the Henrietta Town Board approved, by a 4 to 1 vote, a special permit for the food truck to operate at the Eagle’s Landing Business Park. First, though, the truck owners have to meet with…
Daily Choices: What to do on Thursday, May 2
Special Event: City Newspaper’s Best Busker Contest will take place tonight, 5-9 p.m., on the sidewalks of the East End between Chestnut and Alexander Streets. Hand-picked musicians will compete for votes (guitar picks) from you, and the chance to win gift certificate prizes. Neighborhood merchants will offer ridiculous deals on food, drink, goods, and services.…
“American Idol” 2013: Top 4 Performances (AGAIN: 2013/Standards Week)
We’re back to Final 4, Part Deux. Amber, Angie, Candice, and Kree — a very talented group of contestants, regardless of the alleged producer manipulation. (Ahem, LAZARO.) There were two themes for the night: songs from 2013, and standards. Harry Connick Jr. was the guest judge. Harry has been a mentor on the show in…
Urban Action 5/1
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Park the car ColorBrightonGreen.org will hold its annual Curb Your Car Week from Sunday, May 12, to Saturday, May 18. Bike, walk, bus, carpool, and telecommute to cut global warming and air pollution.…
POP/ROCK | Twenty One Pilots
All you have to say is piano-driven schizoid pop and you’ve got my attention. Twenty One Pilots is actually two Columbus, Ohio, musicians, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun. The sound is poppy and thoughtful with lyrics delivered with an astute poetry-slam kind of feel over a synthetic backdrop that is surprisingly and thankfully free of…
“The Company You Keep”
Despite the passage of time and age, the fading of memory, no matter how many horrors blight the last several decades, the Vietnam War still haunts the American soul. It remains one of those exclusively American tragedies, a wound that may never heal, still a source of anger, guilt, and blame. Robert Redford’s new movie,…
SINGER/SONGWRITER | Melanie
Though she’s flown a bit under the big time’s radar for the past few decades, singer-songwriter Melanie has racked up the accolades and an impressive resume. She has taken the stage at Woodstock, Carnegie Hall, and Royal Albert Hall. She’s had her material covered by artists like Cher, Dolly Parton, and Macy Gray. She’s sold…
THEATER PREVIEW: “Les Miserables”
The old adage says that misery loves company. The musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables” has certainly had plenty of visitors over its nearly three-decade life span. The trials and tribulations of Jean Valjean, Fantine, Marius, and the other Revolution-era Frenchmen have pulled in audiences again and again. People are drawn in by Hugo’s…
CLASSICAL/FOLK | War Music
This weekend it’s a double-header for war music, at home and abroad, in a pair of performances ranging from large-scale classical to period recreation. On Friday, May 3, William Weinert will conduct Benjamin Britten’s massive “War Requiem,” written to celebrate the opening of an English church destroyed during a World War II. A 90-minute work…
DINING REVIEW: Opa Authentic Greek Koozina
“The secrets of the Greek cuisine,” Toula Votsis told me recently, “are simplicity, good olive oil, the freshest ingredients, spices, and love.” Votsis, who is the manager of the six-month-old Opa Authentic Greek Koozina on Jefferson Road, knows of whence she speaks: she, and most of the other members of the Votsis family who are…
JAZZ | Colossus
When Dave Chisholm came up with the name Colossus he was waiting for the right group. Like its descriptive name suggests, Colossus is a rather large ensemble. It’s a big band that’s heavy on brass and dwarfs others in comparison. The 17-member orchestra is co-led by composer-performers Dave Chisholm (trumpet), Mike Conrad (trombone), and Levi…
JCC CenterStage releases 2013-14 season
The JCC CenterStage released its 2013-14 season today, which includes several recent Broadway successes, a big musical comedy from Mel Brooks, and a showcase of the music of Burt Bacharach. The schedule follows. Also note that this summer the JCC’s SummerStage program, featuring area high-school and college students, will be performing “Legally Blonde: The Musical.”…
JAZZ/BLUEGRASS | Still Hand String Band
Brooklyn, Pennsylvania is not that far from the (in)famous New York borough in the grand scheme of things, but the Still Hand String Band sound has put a significant distance between this Pennsylvania four-piece and the skinny-jean wearing, hipster-indie-rockers that have been pouring over the Williamsburg Bridge. Jimmy Dee (guitar), Dee Maple (bass), Dee Kid…
MUSIC FEATURE: Greg “Stackhouse” Prevost
Anticipation ran high amongst the glitterati and the black-clad hoi polloi as Rochester rocker Greg Prevost mounted the Skylark Lounge stage in his high-heeled shoes. A few in the joint had laid ears on his new bluesy solo disc, “Mississippi Murderer,” but most were in the dark, not knowing what to expect on this chilly…
HOUSE | Codes
Codes wants to know if you can get down. Can you get down, Rochester? He’s been hanging out in Brooklyn, and clearly the atmosphere is electric. He’s got a steady mix of house, and knows when to give you the bass. By most my estimates, it’s pretty bouncy all over so it should be good…
Feedback 5/1
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. Refusing the…
SINGER-SONGRWITER | Lindsay Mazza
Singer-songwriter Lindsay Mazza describes herself as being “a devoted advocate for self-expression”, and rightfully so — her music is an exploration of her inner-most feelings and thoughts. This is not at all surprising, as she cites Fiona Apple, Sarah McLachlan, and Alanis Morissette as some of her many influences. Mazza’s voice is strong and smooth,…
“Mud”
After spending years slumming it in one dimwitted romantic comedy (more often than not co-starring Kate Hudson) after another, Matthew McConaughey appears to have grown tired of coasting and decided to remind audiences that he’s still capable of, you know, acting. Starting with 2011’s “The Lincoln Lawyer,” he has made a number of good choices,…
WORLD MUSIC | Chinese Choral Society of Rochester
“Flow, River, Flow” is the title of the upcoming 30th anniversary concert of the Chinese Choral Society of Rochester. Founded in 1983, the group focuses mostly on Chinese repertoire to enrich its members’ cultural heritage. The group will perform in Mandarin with English translation. Performers at the concert will also include Ai-Ze Wang, soprano; Caleb…
SPECIAL EVENT | Roc City Tattoo Expo
Body modification is the furthest thing from a new or passing trend, and it certainly isn’t going away anytime soon. Examples of modification and adornments such as piercings, lobe or lip stretching, and tattooing can be found in the histories of nearly every corner of the world, and this form of beautification is only gaining…
City should turn down University Ave. project
For more on this topic: See Christine Carrie Fien’s “Rochester’s apartment boom” in this week’s news section. The owners of Craft Company No. 6 have written a letter in opposition to the project. It’s not an attractive piece of property right now: a blacktopped parking lot and a mid-1920’s stucco house on University Avenue, to…
SPECIAL EVENT | City Newspaper’s Best Busker Contest
The Best Busker Contest on Thursday, May 2, marks its fourth year of fantastic street festival fun. Join City Newspaper and a horde of talented local musicians as they play on the sidewalks of the East End between Chestnut and Alexander streets, competing for votes (guitar picks) from passers-by, and the chance to win prizes…
FESTIVAL | Imagine RIT
The college and university settings have long been hotbeds for thriving creative collaboration among students and staff. Imagine RIT, the annual campus-wide innovation and creativity festival, will take place Saturday, May 4, at the Rochester Institute for Technology campus (Lomb Memorial Drive, Henrietta). RIT students and staff will showcase their innovations and creations during a…
ART/LIT: “An Early Work Late in Life: The Art and Life of Danny Allen”
It can be difficult, even impossible, for us to see clearly the vital people in our lives while we are living through turbulent, critical moments. We only gain a true sense of things with enough time, distance, and contemplation. Suicide denies us the opportunity of knowing a loved one after we have resolved our issues,…
SPECIAL EVENT | Browncroft Garage Sale
If you love the hunt for new-to-you treasures as much as acquiring them, check out the Browncroft Garage Sale. This biennial event boasts 200 garage sales in a square mile, at the rate of about one out of every three houses. Bike over to the Browncroft neighborhood or park your car and walk to dozens…
Directory dilemma
In San Francisco, if you want a copy of the yellow pages, you have to ask for it. City law prohibits delivery of the phone books to anyone who hasn’t specifically requested them. A similar opt-in system could cut down on the number of unwanted or unused phone books that sit in piles at Rochester-area…
FILM | Joel Hodgson “Riffing Myself”
My sense of snarky sarcasm developed in part from watching the creator of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” and his robot cronies rip B-movies to shreds. I would spend the afternoon watching the hilarious, oddball show at a friends’ house, and then we would try out our new skills, much to the chagrin of other moviegoers,…
East End S O S
The East End garage needs millions of dollars in repairs or it will have to be shut down within two to three years, said Laura Miller, the City of Rochester’s new parking director, at a City Council work session last week. The garage needs approximately $5 million in high-priority maintenance, Miller said, including repairs to…
KIDS | “Simple Gifts” Cashore Marionettes Show
Before previewing videos of the masterful Cashore Marionettes shows, my experience with marionettes began and ended with “Pinocchio,” who sought a string-less life. But the Cashore Marionettes move so realistically and expressively that audience members easily lose themselves in the believability of their presence. For example, Maestro Janos Zelinka is a marionette “who” performs a…
Suburbs: the next food truck frontier
May 1 could be a watershed moment for local food trucks. That’s when the Henrietta Town Board is scheduled to take up Brick-N-Motor’s request for permission to operate a truck at the Eagle’s Landing Business Park on Jefferson Road. The board postponed the request last month. “We took that as a small victory because it…
Cleaner air
Each year, the American Lung Association ranks the air quality of the country’s largest metro areas. And this year’s State of the Air Report has good news for Monroe County. | The county received an A grade for ground-level ozone, and a B for short-term particle pollution. The report, which is based on averages from…
