Cover Story
‘They get torn to shreds’
In Monroe County and across the country, people are held in jail for days, weeks, and months because they can’t pay a few hundred dollars’ bail.
New RCSD superintendent breaks her silence
[UPDATED AND REVISED 12/2/16] Superintendent Barbara Deane-Williams acknowledged that the Rochester school district’s special education program is a mess at a meeting yesterday with about 300 members of the Rochester Teachers Association. The city school district’s new superintendent laid out what she’s learned after speaking to more than 1,000 district employees and community leaders –…
WEEK AHEAD: Events for the week of Monday, November 28
Fight for 15 is leading a national Day of Action in over 300 cities across the United States on Tuesday, November 29, in what will be the largest series of protests against the Trump agenda to date. In Rochester, there will be a full Day of Action by low-wage workers on Tuesday, starting at 6…
Film review: “Loving”
A film of quiet humanity, “Loving” dramatizes the true story of the couple whose relationship paved the way toward the Supreme Court decision striking down the laws against interracial marriage
Rochester plans local action on climate
This year has been one long string of bad news for the climate. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels passed an undesirable threshold, arctic sea ice melted at record levels, average global temperature records were repeatedly beaten, and a quarter of the Great Barrier Reef’s coral died during a massive bleaching event. This is what manmade climate…
Police poll
The Rochester Police Department wants your feedback on the police reorganization. You can fill out a short survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/RPDreorg until November 30. The RPD reorganized from essentially two divisions — one on each side of the river and a smaller downtown section — to five in the spring of 2015. The main purpose of…
West Edge falls short of its potential
Corn Hill Landing has plenty to offer along the Genesee, including several great views and waterside seating for its restaurants, but the area has continuously been in flux. The Corn Hill neighborhood has changed a lot as well due to gentrification, but that’s a story for another time. Since the stalwart Tony D’s closed in…
METAL | Battlecross
Detroit’s more recent musical exports have largely carried a dark and nihilistic aura. Hip-hop’s resident goth kid, Danny Brown, has spent the better part of a decade begging to fall into a “kush coma.” And the glassy-eyed Protomartyr have won no shortage of fans with its monotone doomsaying. In a regional scene dominated by such…
ROCK | Revolver
Revolver Revolver was a popular band in Rochester starting back in the mid-1970’s. The band covers songs from the 60’s and 70’s, in particular The Beatles. Now I’ll be honest: I’m not too much for endorsing cover bands, but Revolver has Don Mancuso (Black Sheep, D-Drive) on guitar, and I love watching him grin as…
HARDCORE | Burn
Burn Every genre of music has those few, beloved records that are considered must-listens for newcomers. For hardcore punk, Burn’s self-titled 1990 EP is unquestionably one of those records. Expertly blending socio-political and environmental commentary with Agnostic Front inspired riffs, the record completely flipped the still-youthful genre on its head. Tracks like the barn-burning “…Shall…
ROCKABILLY/BLUES | McKinley James
McKinley James Watching Mckinley James play guitar is like watching a time-lapse film loop; every goddamn time I see him, I swear he gets better and better. Although a mere 15 years old, James digs deep into rock ‘n’ roll’s blackness and blueness. He plays downright nasty and mean. This kid is the second coming…
Album Review: ‘City Lights’
Driftwood “City Lights” Self-released driftwoodtheband.com Americana quartet Driftwood is a long-time regional favorite among folk music lovers. Yet with the release of its fourth studio recording, “City Lights,” the Binghamton-based band delivers a full-fledged pop record chock-full of radio-friendly melodic hooks and head-bobbing rhythms — while still delivering substantive songs brimming with outdoorsy energy, barn-burning…
Album Review: ‘Stackhouse’
Greg “Stackhouse” Prevost “Universal Vagrant” Mean Disposition Records gregstackhouseprevost.com If you take into consideration the raw trajectory set forth by his first solo record, “Mississippi Murderer,” then Greg “Stackhouse” Prevost’s new record, “Universal Vagrant,” sounds more like his third rather than his second. The precision is more direct on this album, but it ain’t overly…
JAZZ | Nancy Kelly
Her voice is sometimes transformed into a saxophone, sometimes a flute, and sometimes a trumpet, but Nancy Kelly is in complete control. She’s obviously studied great singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, and she knows how to get the most out of a standard while taking the lyrics and the melody for an evocative,…
Print Club of Roc takes Brockport
Our region has an impressive set of printmakers who consistently breathe new life into the medium, whether they employ traditional techniques or flout convention. Under the direction of its energetic president, Adam Werth, The Print Club of Rochester is celebrating its 86th anniversary with an exhibition currently on display at SUNY Brockport’s Tower Fine Arts…
THEATER | “Bearing Witness”
Written and performed by Vietnam War veteran Thomas Bird, “Bearing Witness” tells his story of visiting the concentration camp his father helped liberate during World War II. While recalling his own personal war experiences, Bird journeys to find peace through theater and performance as well as coming to terms with a secret his father kept…
Prime Time Funk pulverizes the pieces
This spring will mark 21 years since Prime Time Funk burst forth from Rochester to scintillate the scene with a big blast of brass. Although the band is steeped in R&B and soul, when PTF is playing, funk is king. It’s a big band — 10 cats in total, half of which are horns —…
Feedback 11/23
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. America chose…
SPECIAL EVENT | Holiday Festival of Crafts
The Folk Art Guild will host its annual Holiday Festival of Crafts for another weekend of live entertainment and one-of-a-kind, handmade products from Western New York. From artisanal pottery and hand-carved kitchen wares to clothing made for the cold, winter season, the festival will feature a wide array of vendors and demonstrations. The Holiday Festival…
Urban Action 11/23
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Anti-Trump march planned A nationally coordinated day of action against the Trump agenda is planned for Tuesday, November 29. In Rochester, protesters will gather for a march that will start at Baden Park…
SPECIAL EVENT | “The Nutcracker”
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rochester City Ballet, and the Bach Children’s Choir are coming together again to perform “The Nutcracker,” an annual ode to the winter season and an honor to Russian composer Tchaikovsky. The RPO will perform the much-beloved live score as RCB delivers a striking presentation of the classic Christmas story about…
Coalition says keep Cobbs Hill Village
A new coalition has formed to push back on a proposed housing project within Cobbs Hill Park. The Coalition for Cobbs Hill Park includes some residents of Cobbs Hill Village, as well as the Upper Monroe Neighborhood Association, Sierra Club, ABC Streets Neighborhood Association, and other groups. Rochester Management Inc. wants to tear down and…
SPECIAL EVENT | Thanksgiving Dance Weekend
This weekend, the Country Dancers of Rochester will present its 33rd annual Thanksgiving Dance Weekend, a two-day event featuring contra dances (folk dances made up of long lines of couples), Americana tunes, and experienced callers to lead participants in feet-stomping and hand-clapping routines. Pete’s Posse, Tempest, Mary Wesley, and more will provide the music. Workshops…
Verbal attack prompts letter to Trump
“Dee,” a fifth grader at School 4 in the Rochester City School District, has some advice for Donald Trump. The 10-year-old, whose real name is being withheld, wrote a letter to the president-elect about the inappropriate and disrespectful language he used during the campaign, she says. Dee says Trump can do better. “I know you…
EXHIBIT | “Internment: The Japanese-American Experience”
Earlier this month, America’s xenophobic rhetoric won the White House, leaving many people justifiably freaked out about how far our president-elect will be able to take his plans for targeted groups. For months, people have been drawing parallels between our current socio-political mess and the European climate that led up to the Second World War.…
Hope for young progressives
For a lot of young adults, the election of Donald Trump feels like the outright rejection of our ideals — like all the worst factions in American society won out over our better instincts. It’s hard not to think the immediate future is bleak. But there is hope. Progressivism isn’t dead. It certainly feels like…
Theater review: “Miracle on 34th Street”
RAPA’s production of “Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical” will put you in the holiday spirit, but just watch out for a dated script.
Film review: “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
Author J.K. Rowling expands her wizarding cinematic universe with a prequel spinoff
