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The Pied Piper of Psaegz
It’s been a long, winding, musical road for Seth Faergolzia
![[UPDATED] Keystone XL bill fails in Senate](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/gaspump.webp?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] Keystone XL bill fails in Senate
UPDATED November 19 — The bill that would have approved the Keystone XL pipeline, S2280, didn’t reach the 60-vote threshold it needed to pass. The bill failed with 59 yes votes and 41 no votes. Original post: The US Senate is about to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that climate change activists have…
Diana Krall returns to open 2015 Jazz Fest
Grammy award-winner Diana Krall will open the 2015 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, organizers of the festival announced this morning. The 2015 event takes place June 19 through June 27, with Krall performing at the Eastman Theatre on the 19th as the first headliner. Tickets for that concert go on sale — online only –…
City schools’ suspensions challenged
A new report examining student conduct and discipline shows that suspensions continue to be alarmingly high in the Rochester school district. More than 54,600 days of instruction were lost due to suspensions during the 2012-2013 school year, the report says. And most of the suspensions were for minor offenses. A second finding is equally disturbing:…
Film Review: “Rosewater”
A great many television viewers, especially young people, apparently learn about the news from Jon Stewart’s long-running comedy program, “The Daily Show.” Stewart interviews prominent people, some hustling their latest book or movie. He shows clips of events that the mainstream media ignore or censor, and with the help of a series of comic “correspondents,”…
WEEK AHEAD: County budget review; immigration talk; transit center open houses
Legislators will review County Executive Maggie Brooks’ 2015 budget proposal in committee meetings this week. Brooks presented the plan last week. She told legislators that the $1.2 billion spending plan keeps the county property tax rate frozen at $8.99 per $1,000 assessed value. But the proposal also cuts funding the county for child day care…
Final Question Bridge discussion: “Black males and the legal system”
The final discussion surrounding “Question Bridge: Black Males” at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center focused on black men and the legal system. The panelists were John Klofas, director of the Center for Public Safety Initiatives at RIT; former Rochester Mayor Bill Johnson; Van White, Rochester school board president; Mary Ann Wolfe, of the Rochester Area…
Grand jury re-indicts Robert Wiesner
A grand jury has again handed up a criminal charge against Robert Wiesner, the husband of Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks. Today, Wiesner was arraigned on a single felony count of combination in restraint of trade and competition, which is legalese for bid-rigging; he pleaded not guilty. The indictment, which will be prosecuted by the…
Concert Review: RPO featuring Vadym Kholodenko and José Luis Gomez
Two prizewinners joined forces Thursday night as guest artists with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor José Luis Gomez won the Georg Solti competition in 2010; pianist Vadym Kholodenko won the gold medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2013. They made an impressive team in a front-loaded program that put the heaviest, or…
Utility regulators direct RG&E to negotiate power contract with Ginna
Rochester Gas and Electric customers will probably have to temporarily prop up the struggling R.E. Ginna nuclear power plant. This morning, the state Public Service Commission directed RG&E to negotiate a temporary electricity purchase contract with Ginna. Earlier this year, Ginna’s owner, Exelon subsidiary Constellation Nuclear Energy Group, filed a petition with the PSC requesting…
Republican wins aren’t a mandate for more wars
Despite the anguish that many Democrats are feeling over the midterms, the Republican takeover of the US Senate may not turn out to be an unmitigated disaster. There could even be some benefits. The GOP will finally have to do something besides criticize President Obama and question his citizenship. Should we be concerned about Supreme…
State’s Comcast-Time Warner review extended
The state Public Service Commission has postponed its decision on the proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger. The decision had been expected today. In a filing yesterday, Comcast and Time Warner Cable agreed to a request from commission staff to delay the decision, as long as the matter concludes by the end of 2014. The commission…
Film Review: “Laggies”
In Lynn Shelton’s amiable new comedy, “Laggies,” Keira Knightley plays Megan, a 28-year-old woman still stubbornly clinging to adolescence. Aimless in both her personal and professional life, Megan may technically be grown up, but she’s not truly an adult. Despite possessing an advanced degree in counseling, she earns a paycheck twirling a sign for her…
Question Bridge discussion: “The Role of Youth: Sketching a New Blueprint”
This week’s discussion surrounding “Question Bridge: Black Males,” held at Rochester Contemporary Art Museum, was hosted by Youth Organizers (YO) from Teen Empowerment and focused on their role as empowered young people in the community and how to create their own “blue print” with help from previous generation. The discussion opened with a spoken word…
Brooks budget reduces funding for day care subsidies
Monroe County Maggie Brooks says she expects to take heat for decreasing county funding for day care subsidies in her 2015 budget proposal. Brooks presented the proposal tonight. As part of Brooks’s $1 billion-plus plan, the county would spend approximately $42 million on child care programs. But most of the money would come from state…
Slaughter tops Assini
Democrat Louise Slaughter has won her House of Representative re-election bid, but by a very narrow margin. This afternoon, the Monroe County Board of Elections counted approximately 2,800 remaining absentee and affidavit ballots cast in the 25th Congressional District race. After the tallies, Slaughter held an 869 vote lead over her Republican opponent, Gates Supervisor…
ROCK | Nasty Habit Duo
As a full-on band, Rochester rockers Nasty Habit really know how to kick-back without being a throwback. Want proof? Just take a bite out of the quartet’s latest, “Desperate Times, Desperate Measures.” Though ensconced in glamourous, almost over the top flashy metal, singer Tommy Ende and bassist Frankie Wheeler know how to pull a punch as…
ART | “The Box”
In his collection of writings, “The Things They Carried,” Vietnam veteran and author Tim O’Brien dismisses the notion that going to war is heroic. “If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste,” he writes, “then…
ROCK | Supersuckers
His last time though town found Eddie Spaghetti unplugged and strapped to a dreadnaught, wailing like a wounded country troubadour. Spaghetti is back baby, with his band The Supersuckers. This Seattle-based outfit truly embodies the outlaw spirit of a righteous bar band while reverently serving it up as arena rock. Amidst the sonic speed and…
LECTURE | Unlocking the Chastity Belt
America still has a pretty puritanical approach to dealing with doin’ it. We’re inundated with deeply-ingrained homophobia, with transphobia, with body shaming, with “slut” shaming, with rape culture, and with ever-more-specific definitions of identity and categories of sexual behavior. Stop trying to put my box in a box, damn it. The fact that some people…
POP PUNK | The Ataris
The early 2000’s pop-punk movement has gone by the wayside but the music still holds up. The Ataris were in the forefront of that movement with the album “So Long Astoria,” and started touring last year to recognize the 10th anniversary of its certified gold claim-to-fame. Lyrics from one of the band’s hits, “In This…
DANCE | “Danscore”
The Department of Dance at The College at Brockport will present three performances of “Danscore,” the annual faculty-choreographed concert, on Thursday, November 13, through Saturday, November 15, at 7:30 p.m. Each night of the event will feature Bill Evans’ “Rhythms of the Earth,” James Hansen’s “Clash,” Vanessa Van Wormer’s “Shade Unfolding,” Maura Keefe’s “Unraveling,” Mariah…
ELECTRONIC | Rochester Chip Fest
The days of playing the old gaming systems like Atari and Gameboy are behind us — for most of us anyway — but there is still plenty of use to get out of vintage systems. Just ask makers of chiptune music. The systems get used as instruments and 8-bit musical goodness pours out. It’s kind…
THEATRE | “Cirque Peking”
On Sunday, November 16, the Nazareth College Arts Center will present the National Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China performance of “Cirque Peking.” Hailing from Beijing, the company performs worldwide and is one of the most acclaimed acrobatic troupes in China. Founded in 1951, the troupe has spent decades developing a unique act that…
JAZZ | IFCM Collective
The Institute For Creative Music gives workshops on improvisational jazz around the country. And sometimes the members like to practice what they preach. At Lovin’ Cup, New York City pianist Gordon Webster will join the core group: Mike Kaupa (trumpet, flugelhorn), Mike Frederick (guitar), Danny Ziemann (bass), and Chris Teal (drums). Always looking forward, Kaupa…
THEATER | “‘Til Death Do Us Part”
Colleen Moore has picked back up the habit for another appearance as Sister for “‘Til Death Do Us Part,” a humorous lesson on the Catholic Church’s Sacraments of Marriage and the Last Rites, now on stage at Geva’s Fielding Nextstage. This will be Moore’s fourth appearance at Geva as Sister in the “Late Nite Catechism”…
JAZZ | Pat Metheny Unity Group
Over the last four decades, guitarist extraordinaire Pat Metheny has morphed through myriad incarnations. His relatively new Unity Group is capable of exploring every direction he’s pursued. The band features a jazz-world A-list, with Chris Potter on sax and bass clarinet, Antonio Sanchez on drums, and Ben Williams on bass. If that’s not enough, Metheny…
Lake Street Dive
It’s in some of the smaller moments that drummer Mike Calabrese knows his band, Lake Street Dive, is starting to leave a bigger impression. While 2013 and 2014 have been stand-out years for the band — with a major appearance during the “Inside Llewyn Davis” all-star concert in 2013; the release of the band’s critically…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Nostalgia”
Annie Lennox “Nostalgia” Blue Note annielennox.com On “Nostalgia,” her seventh solo endeavor, Annie Lennox opens lush and epic above the faint scent of a ghostly vaudeville strain. “Nostalgia” is a beautiful — and at times gutsy —selection of tunes near and dear to the singer’s heart. This is readily apparent in that Lennox doesn’t attempt…
Feedback 11/12
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. For our print edition, we select comments from all three sources; those of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in…
Urban Action 11/12
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) RTS preview and opening events Regional Transit Service will hold six open house events to preview the new transit center before it opens on Friday, November 28. The dates and times for the…
Contaminated houses coming down
Sometime in the next couple of months, a crew contracted by the Town of Irondequoit will knock down two adjoining houses on Timrod Drive. The lots will be cleared and seeded with grass, creating a small green space. The town took ownership of the houses approximately two years ago as part of a legal settlement.…
Researchers rattle the tin cup
For much of the last century, the US was unquestionably the world’s economic leader — and not by accident. The economic engine was powered by the resolve of government leaders, particularly after World War II, to invest in research and development. Most basic scientific research, roughly 55 percent, is conducted at a core group of…
DINING REVIEW: Village Bakery and Cafe
A well-made sticky bun is a beautiful thing. It should be tempting but looks like trouble: tall and dark, with promises of something sweet. Shaped slightly like a cone with the point lopped off, it should be covered in deeply-colored caramel and topped with fat pecans that hold on tight. The dough should pull apart in…
Theater Review: RBTL presents “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”
The Rochester Broadway Theatre League opened its 2014-15 season Tuesday night with the first performance of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” The popular biblical musical, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice (their first major collaboration together), takes its inspiration from the Book of Genesis, telling the story of a…
Did Dems learn a lesson? And is it the right lesson?
Republicans have a lot to be happy about. So, I guess, does anybody else who’s upset with President Obama, Democrats, and the federal government.
FOLK | Bill Staines
Some say Bill Staines carries on the tradition of Woody Guthrie. And surely with his Americana characters, his well-worn harmonica, and 40-plus years on the road, Staines shares a few similarities with the legendary fellow sextenarian, Neil Young. Having crisscrossed the country repeatedly with more than 200 shows a year, you get the feeling Staines’…
CLASSICAL | Rochester Early Music Festival
Musica Spei’s annual Early Music Festival is always a copious sampler of the many treats on the “Bach and before” musical menu, from the intricate to the affecting and the exhilarating. This weekend’s festival, the 14th, is no exception: you’ll hear vocal ensemble music by Musica Spei itself; the Genesee Valley Children’s Chorus led by Amy Cochrane; a new group, Bedlam, performing 16th-century…
“The Birmingham Project” by Dawoud Bey
Currently on view at George Eastman House are 13 photographic diptychs that Chicago-based photographer Dawoud Bey created to commemorate 6 children killed in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963. Each of Bey’s diptych portraits — of which 16 were created — juxtapose boys and girls the same ages of the victims (11, 13, 14, and…
