Cover Story
Removal of airport artwork causes turbulence
When the Greater Rochester International Airport was renovated in the 1980’s, there was a push to have major works by local artists installed there. The new design, in fact, was created with art in mind, and spaces were reserved for site-specific work. This was following a national trend; airports were becoming the sites of important…
Week ahead: Events for the week of May 31
ColorBrightonGreen.org will hold the Brighton Eco-Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 5. The fair consists of a wide range of green vendors, nonprofits, and activities for children, as well as information on topics such as recycling, water conservation, and availability of green products. The event will be held at Brighton High…
Diverse schools? Survey shows the public may be ready
Great Schools for All continues to push for the creation of a network of theme-based magnet schools that are socially and economically diverse — enrolling students from the city as well as the suburbs. The group released a survey today that seems to confront one of the most deeply entrenched issues in a region widely…
Barnhart leaving WROC, political run likely
If you go by the rumors, WROC anchor Rachel Barnhart plans to challenge Democratic Assembly member Harry Bronson for his seat. And that fact that tomorrow is her last day at the station makes the scenario more likely. Barnhart announced her departure this afternoon in Twitter and Facebook posts; her contract with WROC was set…
Kent State survivor remembers shootings
Ohio’s Kent State University was a tinderbox during the last week of April in 1970. Thomas Grace, author of “Kent State — Death and Dissent in the Long Sixties,” was a sophomore at KSU at the time. A series of events heightened student opposition to the Vietnam War, which escalated with President Richard Nixon’s decision…
DANCE | Raising the Barre
During the Draper Center’s sixth annual Raising the Barre benefit, students ages 6 to 18 will perform a variety of pieces — from contemporary and jazz to ballet — practiced throughout this year’s competition season, with choreography arranged by Artistic Director Jamey Leverett, Competition Director Stephanie Cheshire, and other faculty members. Each performance is about…
Region’s newest cidery is a family affair
It all began with an old stump in the backyard. That’s where Elise Smith Barnard and Eric Smith’s father and late uncle used to hide their homemade hard cider from their wives. The phrase “let’s go blow up some stumps” became code for backyard swilling, because the cider was so strong. Decades later, Barnard and…
THEATER | “The Language Archive”
In the spirit of spring, MuCCC Theater will present Julia Cho’s magic-realism-style romantic comedy “The Language Archive,” directed by Jeff Siuda. The play tells the story of George, a man too wrapped up in being a prominent linguist and the head of the prestigious Language Archive to pay any mind to his unraveling personal life.…
Prints present pattern, process, and perception
The current exhibit at Deborah Ronnen Fine Art, “Thought Patterns,” presents the work of nine contemporary artists, each with dramatically different techniques, styles, and subject matter.
FESTIVAL | ROC City Rib Fest
The ROC City Rib Fest returns to Genesee Valley Park for its ninth year of Memorial Day Weekend barbeque competitions. “When you think Memorial Day Weekend, you think backyard barbeque” says co-founder Todd Krupa. “With the Rib Fest, you get world-class barbeque.” This year’s festival will feature live music, a food truck “throwdown,” and some…
CLASSICAL | “A Night at the Cotton Club”
During Prohibition and beyond, Harlem’s Cotton Club was the hippest and most glittering hangout for (white) society, and it even attracted, and influenced, some of the hippest composers of the 20’s and 30’s: George Gershwin, Maurice Ravel, Darius Milhaud. The Cotton Club’s musical legacy is peerless. And it is the music of Cotton Club house…
Photos of time-eaten spaces at MAG
If you maintain a home or property, you know that taking care of the space is an uphill battle. Left alone, order returns to chaos. Photographer Robert Polidori is known for capturing entropy’s progress on man-made structures when, for various reasons, maintenance on those environments has ceased. The Memorial Art Gallery’s current show, “Chronophagia” —…
CLASSICAL | “Orchestra in the Pines”
Last fall, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra played “The Pines of Rome” in Kodak Hall. This weekend, you can hear the Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra play under the red pines at RMSC’s Cumming Nature Center. The performance is part of a family-centered afternoon during which you can bring a picnic lunch (or buy treats on sale),…
ROCK | Screaming Females
This Brunswick, New Jersey, band positively seethes. The burn starts at the front where Marissa Paternoster (who art in heaven) sings with one hell of a powerful voice all the while punching in her searing guitar breaks. Spin Magazine voted her the 77th greatest guitarist of all time in 2012 — she beat out Vernon…
ROOTS POP | The Ragbirds
Sometimes everything is too much; sometimes it ain’t enough. But Ann Arbor’s The Ragbirds has found the sweet spot with a succinct multi-genre, multi-instrumental display. The band effortlessly floats in the ether between genres, be it roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, and gypsy jazz, with a cohesive pop patina. It’s 100 percent honest and beautiful. The Ragbirds…
ROCK | Mandroid Echostar
Mandroid Echostar knows how to take the best elements of different genres and create something absolutely worth hearing. With an extremely catchy vocal style and epic scale — think bands like Coheed and Cambria — and the prog elements and instrumental theatrics that have worked so well for Protest the Hero and Meshuggah, Mandroid Echostar…
HARDCORE | Until We Are Ghosts
Until We Are Ghosts is one of those melodic hardcore groups that really mixes up its instrumentation with melodies that lock down your attention and keep the songs interesting. You have the classic hard and harsh vocals of normal hardcore, but with dreamy and meandering phrases that demand a second look — or listen, if…
FOLK | Golden Link Members Showcase
During its 45 years, the Golden Link Folk Singing Society has gone beyond merely putting on concerts for the community. The society has actively cultivated music-making and the continuation of the folk tradition through workshops and weekly “sing-arounds.” This Tuesday, Golden Link hosts a Members Showcase, an acoustic concert that highlights some of the musicians…
Jackson Cavalier has a lo-fi fever
If Jackson Cavalier & The Fevertones were to turn it up and increase the speed, the band would just end up killing its volume and speed. You follow? It’s kind of hard to explain, but ramping up the topical aspects of the band would make it lose its intensity. Fortunately this minimalist, acoustic-driven Rochester band…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Yellow Brick Road”
The Achievers “Yellow Brick Road” Self-released facebook.com/wearetheachievers The goal of those who pursue their dreams is to eventually reach that magical destination. Hip-hop trio The Achievers takes important steps on its journey with the debut EP, “Yellow Brick Road.” Produced by Joi “Stewdiopheen” Wynn, the five songs are a collaboration between local artists who each, like…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Nothing Needs to Happen”
Secret Pizza “Nothing Needs to Happen” Self-released secretpizza.bandcamp.com Within the first minute or so of the opening track on “Nothing Needs to Happen,” Secret Pizza’s debut full-length album, you get a hint that this record is going to be something different. From the snarly guitar riff to the male-female vocal interplay, this record — and…
Urban Action 5/25
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Activists to march for peace Anti-war activists will hold the Memorial Day Peace Parade on Monday, May 30. The theme of this year’s parade is “Mourn all Victims of US Militarism, Home and…
Feedback 5/25
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. Trump is…
ART | “Urban Alchemy”
Betsy Phillips, a Rochester native, is known for her use of angles and depth to turn three-dimensional subjects into two-dimensional images. Her art pushes the limits by eliminating the unnecessary and focusing on design, simplicity, and composition. Image City Photography Gallery will host Phillip’s “Urban Alchemy” exhibit throughout May and June, with abstract photographs from…
RIT students target dorm debris
It’s a common problem on college campuses: When live-in students leave at the end of the year, they ditch large amounts of stuff. They throw away piles of clothing, pounds of perfectly good food, and they abandon furniture in hallways, at the curb, or by the trash. Much of it ends up in a landfill,…
THEATER | “Godspell”
NTID’s performing arts program this weekend will produce Stephen Schwartz’s Broadway hit, “Godspell,” under the direction of Luane Davis-Haggerty, at Geva’s Nextstage. NTID’s unique presentation of this work includes both deaf and hearing actors, and will be presented in spoken English and American Sign Language. “Godspell” has long been a hit for its fantastical visual…
Brockport voters reject dissolution
Brockport voters have again said that they want to keep their village government, but with a slightly smaller margin than in 2010. The village clerk’s office reports that 817 voters opted against dissolving the village, compared to 632 in favor. In 2010, voters rejected the proposal 959 to 662, and state law protected the village from…
Film review: “The American Side”
Whether it’s Vienna in “The Third Man” or the Mexican border in “Touch of Evil,” some of the best noir films are inextricably linked to their settings. Filmed and set in Buffalo, “The American Side” can be added to that list for utilizing its Western New York locations in expert fashion. Sure, the ability to…
Politics and COMIDA
Reilich’s partisan meddling taints his party, COMIDA and its board, and every business that receives benefits from COMIDA.
Freddy D on tap
Would you drink a Frederick Douglass lager, knowing that Douglass condemned alcohol consumption?
