Cover Story
Festival Preview Guide: Take your pick
The spring and summer always brings a little something for everyone. For almost 18 weeks, the Greater Rochester Area will host festival after festival. If you’re bored over the next few months, that’s on you. Rochesterians will have every reason to get out into the sun, from celebrating Highland Park in bloom (the Lilac Festival)…
WDKX DJ Tony Boler has died
Rochester radio has lost a signature voice with the untimely passing of WDKX disc jockey Tony Boler. According to long-time friend and musician Jimmie Highsmith Jr., Boler died Monday morning in his sleep. He was 63. You can read WDKX’s statement on Boler here. Boler was wildly popular on the air with his weekend “Memory…
The week ahead: A hate-crime symposium, a rally for Child Protectives
MCC, human rights, Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester, Rochester City School District, SUNY Geneseo, Child Protective Services, child and family advocates
Film review: ‘A Quiet Passion’
Cynthia Nixon’s stellar performance provides the beating heart behind the occasionally staid exterior of “A Quiet Passion,” British writer-director Terence Davies’ lovingly intimate reflection on the life of poet Emily Dickinson. Beginning with the poet as a teenager (played by Emma Bell) during her brief time attending Mount Holyoke Female Seminary — where her skepticism…
Film review: ‘The Dinner’
Tense conversation and high-end cuisine propel the plot of “The Dinner.” Stanley (Richard Gere), a congressman in the midst of a gubernatorial campaign, and his history-scholar brother, Paul (Steve Coogan), along with their wives Claire (Laura Linney) and Kate (Rebecca Hall), meet for dinner at a chic restaurant. As course after ostentatious course is served,…
Trillium Health pharmacy offering key HIV protection
When Tim Brumfield walked into Trillium Health not long ago, he was more than a little scared: had he contracted HIV, the virus that causes AIDS? Brumfield, a tall, good-looking young man with a winning smile, says he had had a recent sexual encounter that concerned him. So he went to Trillium to get tested.…
Warren wins Dems’ committee votes
Mayor Lovely Warren will go into the Democratic Party’s convention on May 18 with enough support to become the party’s mayoral nominee after the first round of balloting. As expected, most members of the Democrats’ 27th Legislative District committee voted for Warren last night. The 27th, which is based in the city’s southwest neighborhoods, was…
Museum of Play inducts four games into Video Game Hall of Fame
Whether or not they intentionally chose May 4 — arguably geek culture’s most favorite day of the year — is up for debate, but The Strong National Museum of Play today presented the 2017 inductees into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Based on a committee formed of international journalists, game developers, and educators,…
INDIE POP | Cannon the Brave
There aren’t capes, tights, or superpowers, but Cannon the Brave vocalist Allyson Smith channels her inner superhero alter ego through indie pop. Allyson and her twin sister, Whitney, the band’s keyboardist, want to use Cannon the Brave to project a positive message and smash the cynicism around them. The Albany band’s rendition of “Ring of…
Album review: ‘River’s Risin”
Gordon Munding “River’s Risin'” Self-released facebook.com/gordonmundingmusic I know; I know it’s the blues, with all its requisite death wish lamentations barreling toward an inevitable dead end. But here’s a certain sinister irony that can result in laughter … or more tears. On “River’s Risin’,” Gordon Munding plays the blues — folk blues, some may call…
ART | “Art for Action!”
The arts and activism go hand-in-hand. This week, the artists of the Hungerford Building (1115 East Main Street) will continue the tradition of creating change with a building-wide FUNgerford event, “Art for Action! Hungerford United.” On Friday, May 5, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., more than 20 participating studios throughout the complex will showcase…
Festival City
It’s that splendid time of year when the Flower City transforms into Festival City. The 2017 festival lineup is as diverse as ever and expands beyond Rochester to Livingston, Ontario, and Wayne Counties. The fests offer celebrations of flowers, glorious food, booze, cuddly animals, music, art, pirates, and more. Below is a quick guide to…
FOLK/BLUES | David Bromberg Quintet
You may not think you know David Bromberg’s music, but chances are you’ve heard him play. For example, that is Bromberg’s wonderful acoustic guitar dancing around the lyrics of Jerry Jeff Walker’s hit song “Mr. Bojangles.” Over the decades, he has also worked with Bob Dylan, Tom Rush, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, and John Prine,…
Rust never sleeps
Rusted Root has played Rochester almost annually since the early 90’s, and is about to play the Lilac Festival for the fifth time in a row. Why do Rochesterians like this band so much? Ah yes, spring is in the air, and here comes another Lilac Festival to kick off the Rochester festival season, pumping…
THEATER | An Evening of One Acts
Everyone’s Theater Company will give one of its signature presentations this weekend at MuCCC: an evening of original, one-act plays, from serious to highly amusing, written, directed, and acted by local artists. For many years now, ETC has presented a chance to cheer on local theater creators, and it’s an opportunity to see a lot…
Cut and print
How the first year of the One Take Film Festival, a new Rochester festival celebrating the art of the documentary, came together Documentary films are hot right now. While nonfiction filmmaking has been around as long as cinema itself, it’s typically taken a backseat to narrative storytelling when it comes to audience popularity. For many,…
CLASSICAL | “Paris Salon”
Paris in the pre-guillotine 18th century was a European center of arts, ideas, and fashion, which were often discussed and created in salons. The fashions included music, and chamber music in the French style — tuneful, light-textured, and highly agreeable — accompanied many of these high-toned get-togethers. For its concerts this weekend, Publick Musick will…
Feedback 5/3
Send comments to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. We do edit selections for publication in print. Create a new public square With the city administration’s selection of the performing arts center for Parcel 5, attention must be paid to creation of a public square…
DANCE | “Carmina Burana” and “Carmen”
If you like a little scandal in your entertainment, New York State Ballet and Rochester Lyric Opera have a double feature to whet your appetite for intrigue. This Friday and Saturday at The Lyric Theatre, NYS Ballet and RLO will perform excerpts from two veritable classics: Georges Bizet’s beloved opera, “Carmen,” and the culturally ubiquitous…
Urban Action 5/3
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Leave the car at home ColorBrightonGreen.org will hold “Curb Your Car Week” from Sunday, May 14, through Saturday, May 20. Organizers ask participants to leave their car parked at home for at least…
CLASSICAL | “Celebration of the Piano VI”
Hochstein’s “Celebration of the Piano” is like a recital on steroids. Featuring eight pianists — all Hochstein faculty — the setlist includes diverse works by J.S. Bach, Dave Brubeck, Claude Debussy, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, and Schubert. What makes the concert this Thursday especially tantalizing is the promise of an ever-changing musical complexion as the program progresses…
Support’s growing for reform of police oversight
Concerns over police conduct aren’t new, in Rochester or many other cities. Nor is the public push for reform. But in Rochester this year, support for reform has been gaining strength. On the heels of 18-year-old Ricky Bryant’s lawsuit charging police with using excessive force and a citizens-group report calling for an independent review board,…
THEATER | “Death of a Salesman”
Blackfriars Theatre’s is closing its 2016-17 season with the classic “Death of a Salesman,” a “relevant, relatable, and timeless” story, as Director Brian Coughlin says, about old Willy Loman, a shoe-shining salesman with too many shortcomings to count. The drama by Arthur Miller, first performed in 1949, follows the tragic hero with an “American Dream”…
ROOTS | Sarah Borges
Patsy Cline arm wrestling Joan Jett is what comes to mind when listening to Sarah Borges shake, rattle, and wail. Word is Borges has called it quits with her band, The Broken Singles, and now flies solo with her most excellent blend of country and barroom rock. It might be wise to bring a dance…
SPECIAL EVENT | Cinco de Rhino
A sip of craft beer or cider tastes better when you know it’s going toward saving rhinos from poaching in Africa. That’s what Seneca Park Zoo’s Cinco de Rhino is all about: the 21-and-over fundraising event, filled with wildlife and live music, supports the International Rhino Foundation, which works to protect five species of rhino…
COUNTRY ROCK | The Cadillac Three
It’s hard to get the balance between the rock bang-and-kerrang and the Southern twang. Hank III can do it. Dave Alvin can do it. And Nashville’s The Cadillac Three do it every night. A three-piece, rockin’ country tornado — guitar, drums, and lap-steel — TC3 has just enough grit and grease to be authentic, and…
FILM | The Nitrate Picture Show
Over the years, an air of mystery and danger has been cultivated around nitrate film, and not just because of its notorious reputation for catching fire and burning movie theaters to the ground. The dominant medium for motion pictures from 1895 to 1948, nitrate film has a picture quality that remains unparalleled for its vibrancy…
EXPERIMENTAL | Anna Mikhailova
There isn’t really a good place to begin when describing the works of Anna Mikhailova. The Russian composer (now based in Rotterdam, Netherlands) is deeply saturated in experimental composition and avant-garde performance as well as being an innovative multimedia artist and curator. Even beyond her installation work, there’s a certain three-dimensional quality to Mihailova’s creations…
Junkyard Fieldtrip shows beautiful restraint on debut album
Junkyard Fieldtrip started out in 2014 as a purge. It was a focused endeavor to write songs whose fragmented existence was floating in the heads of founding members Mike Gladstone and Rob Smith. It wasn’t long, though, until the purge became an urge; the two wanted to develop things into a band and play around…
Monthly pop-up restaurant series starts in Midtown
EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to inclement weather, the first Midtown EATS event has been postponed until Thursday, June 1. A new dining event is joining the summer lineup. The Midtown EATS series, a pop-up restaurant showcase, will feature local restaurants serving lunch and dinner in downtown’s Midtown area. Set for the first Thursday of every month…
Album review: ‘Born To Rock’
American Acid “Born To Rock” Self-released reverbnation.com/americanacid At one point in the life of most hard rock bands, the important aspects of a music career shift from chasing that big record deal and copious amounts of cocaine to playing rock ‘n’ roll and not giving a damn. American Acid doesn’t give a good god damn.…
Graphic novel ‘Instrumental’ tackles creative ambition
Rochester-based musician, artist, and writer Dave Chisholm’s new graphic novel, “Instrumental,” uses music as a means to consider existentialism, higher dimensions, and down-to-earth concerns with success. Through thoroughly engaging storytelling and enthralling illustrations, the book blends a fantastical adventure into ordinary creative lives and offers philosophy about the balance of talent, ambition, and power. “Instrumental”…
Warren, 30,000 jobs, and the state of politics
Development, crime, and poverty are complicated. But voters don’t want anything to be complicated. So political candidates keep things simple.
Theater review: ‘Other Than Honorable’ at Geva
Every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. In addition to that statistic, the Department of Justice estimates that there are more than 320,000 victims of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States. In 2015, only 32 percent of sexual assault cases were reported, which means the already staggering numbers are actually…
Film review: ‘The Circle’
We live in an increasingly interconnected world, and at this point it’s pretty clear there’s no going back (at least until the impending apocalypse occurs, then we’re all on our own). As society grows more Orwellian, it stands to reason that artists will continue to create stories that sift through exactly what the changing face…
Film preview: ‘Unbroken Glass’
The Reel Mind series, which seeks to do away with the stigma surrounding mental illness and provide a message of hope through art and film, starts off Tuesday with the powerful “Unbroken Glass,” from director Dinesh Das Sabu. Orphaned at only 6, Sabu was left with little memory of his parents while they were alive.…
City Council president wants more independent police review process
City Council may push for stronger civilian involvement in the review of actions by Rochester police. City Council President Loretta Scott said this afternoon that she favors some form of an independent civilian review process, something community activists have urged for years. Under current city law, a civilian group – the Center for Dispute Settlement…
