Cover Story
Project Censored, 2016-17
In America, we commonly think of press freedom and censorship in terms of the First Amendment, which focuses attention on the press itself, and limits on the power of government to restrict it. But the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, drafted in the aftermath of World War II, presents a broader framework. Article 19 reads,…
SPECIAL EVENT | DMC In-Store
It’d be hard to overstate the impact Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Rev Run, and Jam Master Jay had on music as Run-DMC. The first rappers on MTV, the first on “Saturday Night Live,” and the first on the cover of Rolling Stone, Run-DMC built on the foundations of musicians like Afrika Bambaataaa and Grandmaster Flash and…
The Crooked North digs the dark dichotomy in bluegrass
The Crooked North blends bluegrass and old-time folk with a diesel kick that is both sharp and clean. It’s yesterday played today, and it comes on like a veritable freight train. But The Crooked North is playing with you. It candy coats its lyrical darkness in the light of its exuberant bluegrass. Bluegrass by its…
Album review: ‘Jazz Flute Traditions’
Néstor Torres “Jazz Flute Traditions” Alfi Records nestortorres.com Maybe it’s a macho thing. Saxophones are bigger and bolder and trumpets are downright brash, but there have been relatively few great jazz flautists. Perhaps that’s why one of today’s reigning flute champs, Néstor Torres, has recorded a tribute to his predecessors, “Jazz Flute Traditions.” The album…
Album review: ‘Silent Dreamer’
Tobias Meinhart “Silent Dreamer” ENJA Records tobiasmeinhart.com One of the best things about reviewing music is putting on a disc by an artist I’ve never heard of and being blown away by it. “Silent Dreamer,” by German saxophonist Tobias Meinhart, is one of the best CD’s I’ve heard this year. Meinhart had racked up a…
Feedback 11/22
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com or post them with articles on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com. Those of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published; we edit selections for publication in print, and we don’t publish comments sent to other media. Shelter’s not the only problem facing the poor On…
Urban Action 11/22
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Events focus on education A pair of events sponsored by a coalition of education advocates and teachers will focus on two current education issues: privatization of urban schools and using research to provide…
Another spin on Orbs
When we first took a look at Orbs Restaurant & Bar (758 South Avenue) back in 2014, the menu was heavy on the meatballs and not much else. A lot can happen in three years. The menu has evolved from small spheres of meat to an ode to fresh ingredients and farm-to-table fare, with the…
Group wants the city to lower speed limits
The faster a vehicle is going, the more potential it has to injure or kill someone. And that, in a nutshell, is why the Healthi Kids Coalition, a children’s advocacy group, is asking City of Rochester officials to lower the speed limit on neighborhood streets from 30 mph to 25 mph. Prior to the push,…
DANCE/MUSIC | ‘The Nutcracker’
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s and Rochester City Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” carries a significant weight in Rochester holiday traditions. The annual production has been a lot of people’s introduction to the orchestra, to ballet, or to Tchaikovsky’s Christmas tale about a young girl, her toy turned prince, and the Sugar Plum Fairy. RCB is now marking…
Researchers warn of a major Parkinson’s increase
A pandemic is typically seen as an infectious disease that spreads easily across geographic boundaries, often having a worldwide impact. Influenza and HIV are prime examples. But Dr. Ray Dorsey, a neurologist with the University of Rochester Medical Center, and Dr. Bastiaan Bloem, with Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands, are warning public health…
THEATER | ‘Annie’
The Broadway musical “Annie” has been a pop culture mainstay for nearly four decades: The show has been continually produced around the world; you’ve probably seen one of the three (yeah, 1982, 1999, and 2014) movie adaptations; and the songs “Tomorrow” and “It’s a Hard Knock Life” (thanks, Jay-Z) have been hits in their own…
FOLK | Magpie
Multi-instrumentalists Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner have been performing together as Magpie for more than 40 years, a testament to the staying power of their 1960’s-era folk revival sound. Grounded in Artzner’s dependable acoustic guitar work, the music really takes wing with the duo’s impassioned vocal harmonies — Artzner’s voice in particular has a buoyancy…
COMEDY | ‘Thanksgridiron Faceoff’
Thanksgiving is usually centered on three things: food, family, and football. Geva Comedy Improv is trying to add one more ‘f’ to the list: funny. The group’s second show of its 14th season, “Thanksgridiron Faceoff,” is a gravy-filled grudge match between two imaginary football teams of comedians: the Fightin’ Pilgrims and the Turkey Gobblers. The…
AMERICANA | King Cardinal
What started out as a solo recording project, King Cardinal founder Brennan Mackey has since fleshed out into a deluxe, five-piece band. The changes came once he pulled a Hail Mary and moved from Chicago and into Denver. King Cardinal calls to mind early Ryan Adams, and flirts with a profane sadness that’ll make you…
DANCE | Garth Fagan’s Home Season
After more than four decades of dance, Garth Fagan continues to create new works that dazzle. Audiences got a sneak peek at some of those pieces at the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival this summer, but for those who didn’t, they are worth seeing. Fagan effortlessly merges African and modern dance with classic ballet techniques, resulting…
METAL | Children of Bodom
Amidst the helicopter kick drum and the requisite heavy guitar chug and squeal, Finland extremists Children of Bodom manage to bring some melodic mania to its metal. And it’s been at it — along with confounding adjective-seeking journalists — for 20 years in its native land (where the band has sold 250,000 records) and around…
ART | Exhibit Round-up
The bleak season is upon us, so here’s a little round-up of shows that focus, in one way or another, on diminished light and bits of nature. Most of the shows end soon, so be mindful of the provided end dates. And check with each venue for holiday hours before visiting. Admission is free unless…
REGGAE | The Medicinals
This will be The Medicinals’ last show before the regional reggae favorites head into the studio to carve out a new record for 2018. This year proved to be a busy one for the band, with shared shows with The Wailers and The Majestics. The Medicinals is an all-star band really, featuring artists from Giant…
Author Ibram X. Kendi traces America’s history of racist ideas and policies
Author Ibram X. Kendi argues that racist ideas, used to justify racist policies that are created out of economic and political self-interest, produce ignorance and hate, not the other way around. He also identifies a group between segregationists and anti-racists: Assimilationists, as he calls them, are well-meaning people who don’t think they are racist and…
BASS | Shlump
Michael Petzel, aka Shlump, made his musical start on classical guitar, but in 2009 began an electric portion of his career. His production and composition style resonates a balance of electric-pop, glitch-hop, and even hardstyle — subtly reflecting a sound design like duo Dodge & Fuski. His Soundcloud profile proclaims the moniker “Alien bass music.” Also on the…
Kory Stamper goes behind the scenes of the lexicographer life
Early on in Kory Stamper’s new book, “Word By Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries,” the author and lexicographer describes her life’s work and that of her fellow editors at Merriam-Webster in a way that is somehow both mundane and fascinating. It reads like the beginning of some strange, bookish version of a “Law &…
JAZZ | Joe Policastro Trio
The Joe Policastro Trio has all of the ingredients of a typical jazz trio, with Policastro on bass, Dave Miller on guitar, and Mikel Patrick Avery, drums. But this Chicago-based outfit has a sound all its own. Each musician is a phenomenal player capable of reinventing his instrument and expanding its horizons. Even the repertoire is nicely…
A question for City Hall: who is downtown for?
Downtown developers have gotten a good bit of public help, in the form of tax incentives and loans. Is that still necessary?
Film review: ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’
A blisteringly dark comedy from writer-director Martin McDonagh, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is fueled by the righteous anger that burns within Frances McDormand’s incredible lead performance.
Film review: ‘Justice League’
Meant to be the culmination of DC’s film universe so far, “Justice League” has had a bumpy journey to the screen. A personal tragedy forced director Zack Snyder to step away from the film in its final stages, leading to Joss Whedon being brought in to usher the film across the finish line. Whedon ended…
