Cover Story
Hillary Clinton for president
What we do on November 8 will speak volumes, to us, and to the world, about who we are as Americans and the principles we believe in.
Our national nightmare
Donald Trump: game-show host, birther king, shady businessman, and proud pu@sy-grabber is the next US president. But local Dems won closely watched contests: Louise Slaughter keeps her House seat and Adam Bello stays county clerk.
The election is giving everyone anxiety
STORIFY: The tweets proving America is having a slow, night-long heart attack
Fear and anxiety at Cobbs Hill
Clarise Coleman, like many African-American parents, said she hoped she would never need to have “the talk” with her son, Chase. Many black parents say they have to tell their children, especially their sons, to be careful about how they’re perceived by white people – some of whom may automatically view their children as threats.…
Opera review: “The Turn of the Screw”
Entering Kilbourn Hall, you see a largely barren stage and behind it, a wall seemingly deteriorating from age and poor maintenance. Only wisps and spatterings of white paint adorn the wall, and an ominous staircase ascends to nowhere. The odd, vaguely disturbing architecture of a makeshift fort, consisting of blankets, a table, and a stray…
Classical review: The RPO’s American Music Festival
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s Festival of American Music this month looked good and paper, and in its two Kodak Hall concerts it sounded even better. This weekend’s final concert, in which Ward Stare leads a very entertaining recent concerto by Jennifer Higdon along with two terrific, not-quite-standard-repertoire scores by Barber and Copland, was a powerful…
Film review: “Hacksaw Ridge”
Although the film’s marketing seems to have bent over backwards to hide it, “Hacksaw Ridge” is every inch a Mel Gibson movie. In telling the true story of WWII Army medic Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield), a war hero whose deeply held religious views led him to enlist in the army despite an adamant refusal…
Album Review: ‘Miss Leading, Phil and the Danish Wedge’
The Chinchillas “Miss Leading, Phil and the Danish Wedge” Jargon Records facebook.com/thechinchillasrochester It feels like I grew up on The Chinchillas, Rochester rock ‘n’ roll’s answer to the Swiss Army Knife. The boys have shown up again with a brand new one, “Miss Leading, Phil and the Danish Wedge.” I swear they just had a…
ROCK | Gov’t Mule
I’m convinced that if Warren Haynes ever ran for public office, he would go from one government job to the next. The vocalist and guitarist is a man of the people — his musical outreach includes projects like the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration, a tribute show that played to a packed house at CMAC last…
INDEPENDENT | Upstate Unsigned Artist Showcase
Ask just about anyone in an up-and-coming band what they hope to achieve through their music, and you’re likely to hear the same answer over and over: “I just want to get signed.” For those toiling in the indie trenches, getting picked up by a record label offers not just a sense of validation, but…
CLASSICAL | “Great Cello Quintets”
The Society for Chamber Music in Rochester continues its season this weekend with an exploration of “Great Cello Quintets.” Yes, a cello quintet is a thing — not five cellos, but generally an ensemble consisting of two violins, a viola, and two cellos. (In this case they’ll be violinists Robin Scott and Thomas Rodgers, violist…
JAZZ | Stephane Wrembel
When Woody Allen wanted to conjure up the early 20th century “movable feast” in “Midnight in Paris,” he turned to guitarist Stephane Wrembel. Wrembel is simply the best at evoking the Gypsy jazz of the period, recalling Django Reinhardt. But that’s only part of his repertoire. Last year, when Wrembel and his band recorded a…
VARIOUS | Miche Fambro
The Rochester music scene is crammed full with artists with all sorts of class, attitude, moxy, chutzpah, homicidal tendencies, and so on. But who among them has elegance? One: Miche Fambro. Fambro has been a fixture on this scene for the majority if his 60 years. But it’s hard to pin down exactly what he…
VARIOUS | ROC Metal, Hardcore, and Punk Fest
A hardcore scene is only as strong as its local community is. Without a sense of companionship and a desire to strive toward a common good, punk and metal bands are left to rage at, well, nothing in particular. This is where local charities like Rochester’s Local Hero Bravery Gear come into play. The organization…
SPECIAL EVENT | The Business of Music
Talent is just part of the equation, Sluggo. You’ve gotta be sharp, too. You’ve gotta be savvy. With that in mind, Rochester chanteuse and Maxfield School of Music founder, Kristen Maxfield, has lined up a summit of sorts where attendees can network and attend panel discussions with some heavy hitters in the industry, like three-time…
New Parcel 5 pitch may be dead on arrival
Despite a previous report, City Council may not conduct independent interviews with Parcel 5 developers.
Media art giants on display at MAG
Since taking the reins as director of the Memorial Art Gallery, Jonathan Binstock has made it his mission to flesh out the institution’s contemporary collection with heavy hitters. This trend continues as MAG, last month, announced a new collaboration with independent consulting curator of film and media arts, John G. Hanhardt. Throughout his career, Hanhardt…
Urban Action 11/2
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Midtown’s future discussed The Urban Land Institute of Western New York will present “The Midtown Story: Rochester’s Case for a Mixed-Use Core,” a panel discussion on Wednesday, November 9. The panel will discuss…
ART | “Hunter/Gatherer”
The richness of our region’s art community will be showcased in “Hunter/Gatherer,” an exhibition of work drawn from the Gerald Mead Collection, on view Friday, November 4, through Friday, November 25, at Gallery r and Gallery Q (100 College Avenue). Since 1987, the artist, writer, educator, and curator has collected more than 1,000 works by…
Feedback 11/2
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. Protest is…
THEATER | “Mother (and me)”
“Mother (and me),” written and performed by Melinda Buckley, explores the relationship between a mother with dementia and her middle-aged, constantly-working daughter. Using humor to tell her heartwarming story of becoming her mother’s caretaker, the comedian and former Broadway performer delivers an autobiographical, solo performance that produces both laughter and empathy as “Mama Rose” slips…
Webster preps solar laws
New York has experienced tremendous growth in solar power over the last several years. Between 2011 and the end of 2015, the number of solar installations — from small residential systems to larger projects — grew from 249 to 1,284 in the Finger Lakes region, according to data from the New York State Energy Research…
THEATER | “Creditors”
August Strindberg’s 1889 Swedish drama “Creditors” is recognized for its focus on emotions and the psychology of relationships as the play explores the love triangle of Tekla, Ada, and Gustavo, who has his eye for the sculptor Ada despite her marriage to Tekla. The work takes a look at how humans interact, including through several…
Cedar Mediterranean opens on Monroe Ave
There’s something glorious about freshly baked bread. Biting into a still-warm slice; feeling the steam as you bring it to your mouth. The smell … it’s good stuff. All of the bread is baked to order at Elia and Ghada Ghanatios’ newest venture, Cedar Mediterranean Restaurant (746 Monroe Avenue). The couple has been in the…
LITERATURE | Jewish Book Festival
The JCC Lane Dworkin Rochester Jewish Book Festival continues to expand in its 24th year, reaching beyond the realm of literature to also include art, music and film in the festival’s offerings. The festival reflects the diversity of the Jewish literary community, acting as a source of education and awareness on the history and traditions…
Gary Stern, owner of Village Gate, dies
Gary Stern, a key figure in the redevelopment of Rochester’s Neighborhood of the Arts, died last night. NOTA, once a decaying landmark to Rochester’s industrial past, has transformed since the 1990’s into the city’s artistic and cultural heart, characterized by the adaptive reuse of old spaces. Stern played a big part in that as the…
DANCE | A Palo Seco
New York City-based Flamenco company A Palo Seco combines traditional styles with modern techniques to create a fiery presence on stage. “A Palo Seco” translates to “a capella,” referring to the raw Flamenco style that features little to no artificial musical accompaniment; the performance is left solely to the dancers with the occasional emergence of…
Shonen Knife still cuts deep
Here’s three unassuming Japanese women who stick the knife into the crimson and twist. Shonen Knife plays rock ‘n’ roll, plain and simple. It’s simplified and beautiful, stripped down to its bones. It’s a loose and raucous pile up of pop, punk, and metal with a big salute to The Ramones; the band even goes…
OPERA/THEATER | “The Turn of the Screw”
Benjamin Britten’s music is at once engaging yet challenging and inscrutable. These qualities are well-suited to the subject matter for the 20th century English composer’s opera “The Turn of the Screw,” based on a novella by American writer Henry James. With a running time of 150 minutes, the story — directed here by Stephen Carr…
Album Review: ‘… It Came From Lake Ontario’
RoarShark “… It Came From Lake Ontario” Self-released roarshark.com If you don’t include the three-eyed-fish-inhabited, film-developing waters of Lake Ontario, then let’s face it, Rochester is hopelessly land-locked. But for some reason, this town has an inordinately high number of surf bands. At the top of the pile is RoarShark and its new album “……
Week ahead: Events for the week of Monday, November 7
In case you forgot, Tuesday is Election Day. First things first, if you don’t know whether you’re registered to vote, or where to go to vote, check out this site: http://www.monroecounty.gov/etc/voter/. The presidential race is obviously at the top of the ticket, but the Rochester area has quite a few other contests, too. Democratic House…
Preview: Rochester Polish Film Festival 2016
The Rochester Polish Film Festival will launch the second half of its festival on Wednesday
Somebody save us from 2016
In Donald Trump, we have a presidential candidate who’s gone off the rails, between casual dismissal of his own remarks about sexual assault and offensive characterizations of Mexicans, Muslims, women, and plenty of other people and groups. Locally, a white supremacist group is tossing fliers saying that we need to make Rochester greater by making…
