Cover Story
Sharing rarities
Eastman Museum gears up for the 5th Nitrate Picture Show.
Donna the Buffalo, tribute acts dominate 2019 Bands on the Bricks series
Bands on the Bricks, a mainstay of Rochester’s summer concert scene, is back with a five-concert season that is heavy on cover bands and tribute acts, and includes a performance by Donna the Buffalo.
The F Word: Twitterpated immensely
CITY music writer Frank De Blase dishes on Maybird’s recent album release show and guitarist McKInley James’ turn toward original soul and R&B tunes.
Police Accountability Board vote set
City Council plans to vote this month on legislation creating a Police Accountability Board, but activists oppose a provision that would permit former law enforcement officers to serve on the board.
‘Freeing the Voice’ at music workshop
Ithaca-based soul singer and teacher Elisa S. Keeler, of the a cappella group Honey Child Soul Quintet, is hosting a workshop she calls “Freeing the Voice” at The Clover Center on Wednesday, May 15.
Judge dismisses Cobbs Hill Village suits
[Updated and revised on May 6, 2019 at 3:15 p.m.] The coalition of tenants and residents in neighborhoods near Cobbs Hill have apparently lost their legal battle to stop Rochester Management from demolishing the Cobbs Hill Village apartment complex and redeveloping the site with new apartments. On Thursday, Supreme Court Justice William Taylor dismissed two…
Weekend events feature RCSD superintendent finalists
The Rochester school board will hold public forums on Saturday and Sunday featuring the four finalists for the school district’s superintendent.
Divisions linger over Whole Foods Center
Whole Foods Center’s future depends heavily on the outcome of nine lawsuits filed against Brighton’s town government after officials approved the project last year.
Report links air quality, climate, and fossil fuels
As human-influenced climate change makes the world warmer, hot days are impairing the air quality in urban areas across the United States – including in Monroe County. That’s the thrust of the American Lung Association’s recently released 2019 State of the Air report. The annual report, marking its 20th year, grades the nation’s metro areas…
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.) Stories of the trolley Reconnect Rochester will show “The Trolley” on Wednesday, May 8, as the next movie in its Rochester Street Films Series. The film looks at the trolley, the revered electric-powered…
INDIE ROCK | Calicoco
Singer-songwriter Giana Caliolo went from drummer in Pony Hand to the leader of the shoegaze trio, Calicoco. Backed by bassist Matthew DeWaters and drummer Andy Baker, Caliolo uses her guitar to create melancholic, introspective self-portraits. Having celebrated five releases since 2015, including the debut full-length album “Float,” Calicoco is currently embarking on an East Coast…
HARDCORE | Birds in Row
Don’t blink or you’ll miss an unexpected twist from French hardcore punk trio Birds in Row. The band chose its name by observing how people seek personal freedom but eventually conform out of comfort. Galvanizing audiences worldwide, Birds in Row is celebrating its second full-length album, “We Already Lost the World.” Prepare to bang your…
BLUES | Steve Grills and the Roadmasters
Rochester blues guitarist Steve Grills is one of the finest players anywhere. The man gets around town playing tunes from the endless library in his head, and he is the master of that stinging tone — from Albert to Freddy. Grills’s penchant for a reverential and referential approach makes him a true ambassador of the…
OPERA | ‘Acis and Galatea’
For a couple of centuries, George Frideric Handel’s operas were virtually unknown, gathering dust in libraries — with one exception. The short but sweet “pastoral entertainment” called “Acis and Galatea” remained popular throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Pegasus Early Music winds up its season this Sunday afternoon with a semi-staged performance of this…
FOLK | ‘In the Spirit of Pete’
On Friday, acclaimed folksters Joe Jencks and Maria Dunn will present “In the Spirit of Pete,” a show dedicated to American folk hero and activist Pete Seeger, on what would have been his 100th birthday. Seeger met Woody Guthrie at a benefit for migrant workers, and soon after the two helped form The Almanac Singers,…
ELECTRONIC ROCK | Lespecial
The Boston trio Lespecial shares a lifetime of experiences based on retro video games, horror films, and the indictment of current cultural affairs. Founded in 2005, the band consists of bassist Luke Bemand, guitarist Jonathan Grusauskas, and drummer Rory Dolan. Celebrating its second studio album, “Cheen,” Lespecial is a refreshing cocktail of reinvented genres —…
THEATER | ‘The Bodyguard: The Musical’
Get ready for a flashback to the early 1990s with OFC Creations and the Lyric Theatre’s presentation of “The Bodyguard: The Musical.” In this week’s Rochester premiere of the show, New York City-based actress Devin Kessler takes on the iconic role of Rachel Marron (played by Whitney Houston in the 1992 film), singing some of…
COMEDY | Nick Cannon and Friends
Nick Cannon is known for more than being superstar Mariah Carey’s ex-husband. The comedian (MTV’s “Wild ‘N Out Live”), TV host (“America’s Got Talent,” “The Masked Singer”), and actor will bring his “Nick Cannon & Friends” tour to the Rochester stage this weekend. The show includes improv and comedy with the spirit of a hip-hop…
ART | ‘Art for Action’
Creativity meets community this week at The Hungerford building. “Art for Action — Hungerford United” brings together more than 15 art studios that will each host event-specific art, raffles, and more, to promote positive change in Rochester. Some of the groups that will be supported through the event include Causewave Community Partners, Comic Book Legal…
SPECIAL EVENT | World Video Game Hall of Fame Weekend
Get your geek on this weekend as The Strong Museum memorializes the newest inductees of the World Video Game Hall of Fame (12 arcade, computer, and console game finalists include Solitaire, Mortal Kombat, Myst, and Candy Crush; the inductees will be announced on Thursday, May 2, at 10:30 a.m.). The World Video Game Hall of…
DANCE | Sankofa West African Concerts
This week The College at Brockport’s Department of Dance will host the Rochester-based Sankofa African Drum and Dance Ensemble, and welcomes special guest artist Mohamed Diaby from Guinea, West Africa. Diaby is an acclaimed djembe player and choreographer, and will perform and choreograph works. Other international guest artists include Trinidadian musicians Ian Anthony and Trinidadian…
ART | ‘Landscapes and Cityscapes’
Local photographic artist Andrew E. Jurman’s interest is split between nature and built environments, and he creates dreamy and fantastical-seeming vistas whether shooting fields in soft-focus or crisply capturing mannequins in window displays. Jurman’s solo exhibit, “Landscapes and Cityscapes,” opens this week at the Giesel Gallery. The show features a combination of his landscape photography,…
Feedback 5/1
We welcome your comments. Send them to feedback@rochester-citynews.com with your name, your daytime telephone number for verification, and your city, town or village. Comments of fewer than 500 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication. We don’t publish comments sent to other media. Need is growing for…
Album review: ‘Taller Hearts Will Prevail’
Trevor Courneen ‘Taller Hearts Will Prevail’ Self-released trevorcourneen.bandcamp.com Out on May 7, former Rochesterian Trevor Courneen’s new full-length album “Taller Hearts Will Prevail” is steeped in lo-fi, 90’s-tinged indie rock. Mixed and mastered by Courneen’s long-time recording collaborator Ben Morey, the music has real polish. And while the album’s nine tracks provide a comfy soundscape…
Film preview: ‘Wild Nights with Emily’
With a tone that feels like “Masterpiece Theatre” by way of “Drunk History,” Madeleine Olnek’s “Wild Nights with Emily” is a thrilling effort to rescue Dickinson from the narrative that’s defined her. Olnek’s vision is a far cry from the image of a miserable, sickly recluse that’s been popularized over the years.
Album review: ‘Things I Remember from Earth’
Maybird ‘Things I Remember from Earth’ 30th Century Records maybird.bandcamp.com Here’s another dose of that psychedelic pop from Maybird, with nods to emo and indie. The self-production on the new, 10-song disc “Things I Remember from Earth” has the band draped in a layered sonic tapestry throughout, though it doesn’t repeat itself. Each tune seems…
Orange Glory’s new, expanded space on Main
After years as a neighbor of The Little Theatre, Orange Glory Café has relocated to a larger, sunnier spot on East Main. The café still offers a robust, vegetarian-forward menu of sandwiches, salads, sides, and cookies.
Interview: The Mount Nerdcore Tour
Nerdcore hip-hop is a niche genre. While mainstream hip-hop channels my inner alpha dog, nerdcore makes me want to collect action figures at the library.
The Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus celebrates centennial
The Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus is as much about preservation of heritage as it is about entertainment.
Theater review: ‘Hamilton’
One of the most exciting things about “Hamilton” is how it fits into the history of American musicals while drawing it forward. Lin-Manuel Miranda skillfully combines hip-hop and Broadway in this show, which seems to exist simultaneously in Colonial America and right now.
