Cover Story
The freedom of perspective
At the Seneca Art & Culture Center, people tell their own stories A dream 30 years in the making has finally been realized with the opening of the Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan State Historic Site. The center officially opened on October 24, and will provide a year-round venue for exhibits and programming…
Three to see
Three currently running art shows, featuring the work of four Rochester artists, deal with concepts of the human condition.
Week Ahead: For the week of Monday, Nov. 9
Rochester City Council kicks-off a series of public meetings tomorrow on the pending police body-camera program. Meetings will be held throughout November and one on December 3. The first meeting, on Thursday, November 12, will be held at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall, 30 Church Street. The purpose of the meetings…
Opera Review: Eastman Opera Theatre’s “Hydrogen Jukebox”
Eastman Opera Theatre on Friday presented the second of four performances in Kilbourn Hall of Philip Glass’s music theater work “Hydrogen Jukebox,” featuring the words of Beat poet Allen Ginsberg. What transpired was more like a stream of surreal and illusory fragments than anything approaching traditional opera: An imposing hall, like some forbidden church sanctuary.…
Eastman Museum saves collection of Indian cinema
The George Eastman Museum acquires world’s largest collection of contemporary Indian cinema, including promotional posters
Advocates again push for boost in indigent burial assistance
Wanda Peterkin died October 4 in a house fire. Not even a month later, her mother, Vera Hooks, died, too. Their grieving family was left to figure out how it was going to cover the $10,000 in funeral and burial expenses. Monroe County provides $1,250 toward burials for poor people, but the assistance only makes…
Film Review: “The Tribe”
On paper, “The Tribe” sounds almost like someone’s idea for a parody of arthouse cinema: a story set at a corrupt Ukrainian boarding school for deaf teenagers, acted out with no translation, no subtitles, no music, and no voiceover. It sounds unbelievably artsy and affected, and while it makes for an undeniably challenging watch, the…
Election results: Dinolfo prevails
Republicans keep their hold on the county executive seat, with Cheryl Dinolfo pulling in 56 percent of the vote against Democrat Sandy Frankel and Green Party candidate Rajesh Barnabas.
Tricky path ahead for new, ‘aggressive’ school board
The ball is in the Rochester school board’s court now. And whatever follows is squarely on the shoulders of board members. Board President Van White says that the board will immediately begin the search for a permanent superintendent now that current superintendent Bolgen Vargas is on his way out. He wants to have someone in…
Climate change: How to frame the discussion
Climate change is fundamentally a matter of science. Decades of sophisticated research confirm that climate change is happening, that carbon emissions from human activity are the cause, and that cuts to global carbon emissions are necessary to limit future climate-related disruptions and disasters. But the science is often disconnected from public opinion. Facts are distorted…
THEATER | “Henry V”
The Rochester Shakespeare Players conclude the “Henriad Cycle” this weekend with “Henry V.” The company began the cycle in the spring with “Richard II” and performed “Henry IV” during the summer. In this play, young King Henry V must quickly learn how to lead and survive in war, politics, and love. The Rochester Community Players…
Pub 235 has some shoes to fill
Having grown up in Webster, I felt a pang of sadness and nostalgia when I heard the news in 2014 that Hank’s Ice Cream and Grill had closed — some places you just expect to always be there. Needless to say, when Pub 235 opened its doors in the old Hank’s location at 235 North…
KIDS | Rochester Children’s Book Festival
UPDATE: Elmo will be present at the Festival from 10 a.m. to noon, and WXXI’s Beth Adams will be this year’s celebrity reader. The 19th Annual Rochester Children’s Book Festival will take place on Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Monroe Community College (1000 East Henrietta Road). Young readers will have…
LATIN | Victor Manuelle
Victor Manuelle’s tour is dubbed “Que suenen los tambores” after one of his latest singles, and “sounding the drums” he is. This Bronx-born Puerto Rican salsa singer-songwriter brings the fuego and energia. Manuelle has sold more than 6 million records worldwide and has had 42 charting singles on the Billboard Hot Latin songs chart. One…
COMEDY | Mike Epps
Nationally recognized comedian Mike Epps comes to Rochester on his new “Real Deal” tour, and he brings New York comedian Earthquake with him. Epps has a starring role in the Starz series “Survivor’s Remorse,” currently in production for the second season, which is produced by LeBron James and Mike O’Malley. He was also recently on…
CLASSICAL | Pegasus Early Music
On Sunday, Pegasus Early Music will present “Harmony of the Spheres,” a concert celebrating the connection between music and astronomy that features the music of Jean-Baptiste Lully and Henry Purcell. Among the most interesting works on an already intriguing program are lute compositions written by Vincenzo and Michelagnolo Galilei, prominent musicians of their day who…
THEATER | “Motown”
“Motown: the Musical” tells the story of the rise of the Motown label, the start of the iconic careers of some its artists — including Diana, Smokey, and Stevie —and how the label’s music shaped a generation. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, the musical follows the story of Motown’s founder, Berry Gordy, and his journey into…
ALT-BLUEGRASS | Vine Brothers
Fayetteville, Arkansas’ Vine Brothers use bluegrass as a root to loftier things. The instrumentation — mandolin, guitar, upright bass — is certainly a rootsy strain of wood and wire along with an old tyme approach to the music. But there is also the pervading lilt of Gypsy jazz along with soulful lyrics that skirt the…
METALCORE | We Came As Romans
Detroit-based rockers We Came As Romans piques my interest, but honestly I don’t always understand metalcore bands. I’m more of a metal purist kind of guy. That said, the energy of We Came As Romans feels as real as a punch to the face. The sextet is grounded in vocalists David Stephens and Kyle Pavone, along with a solid,…
FOLK | Steve Katz
If you remember “Steve’s Song” from The Blues Project’s “Projections,” or “Sometimes In Winter” from the self-titled “Blood, Sweat & Tears” album, you know how beautiful Steve Katz’s songs can be. Katz was at the center of the American music scene of the 1960’s, performing at Woodstock, jamming with Jimi Hendrix and hanging out with…
CLASSICAL | Tre Voci
Violist Kim Kashkashian, flautist Mariana Piccinini, and harpist Sivan Magen have each racked up awards and acclaim for their unique touches in the classical music world. But after the three played together for the first time at the 2010 Marlboro Music Festival, they found that they had an undeniable chemistry. The trio plays regularly and…
CAJUN | Pine Leaf Boys
The Pine Leaf Boys — out of the heart of Cajun country in southwest Louisiana — take the traditional and turn it up to 11. The group doesn’t stress out too much about trying to put some clever spin on Cajun music, but instead focuses on playing tight, playing fast, and playing for a good…
The Sun Ra Arkestra carries on the musician’s legacy
Back in the early 1970’s, the school I attended, Philadelphia College of Art, was in the throes of hippie days. But there was a tradition to honor, a Spring Formal at the august Philadelphia Museum of Art. A dance has to have a band, so PCA made the obvious choice: Philly’s premier avant-garde ensemble, the…
The City Seen: November 6-8
We apologize for our Halloween hiatus by bringing you an update from a jam-packed weekend of art, sugar, and holiday shopping. Following the First Friday trail, City made four stops: Visual Studies Workshop, Gallery R, Image City Photography, and The Hungerford building. The sweet scents of Christmas lead us through the George Eastman Museum on…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Spaghetti Queen”
Intrinsic “Spaghetti Queen” XTM Records intrinsicmusic.bandcamp.com For those who like it loud, fast, and gritty this stuff never gets old. “Spaghetti Queen” is album number four for Rochester rockers Intrinsic. It’s a little bit o’ grunge a little bit o’ punk, along with some Supersucker-style rock ‘n’ roll defiance. “Spaghetti Queen” is an all-around good ‘un. This 13…
Pole position
This week marks the start of the 18th Rochester Polish Film Festival, sponsored by the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies at the University of Rochester. The festival holds its Grand Opening on Wednesday, November 4, at 7:00 p.m., with a screening of the groundbreaking 1971 film “Illumination” at the Dryden Theatre (900…
ALBUM REVIEW:
Anonymous Willpower “One More Medicine Show” Self-released anonymouswillpower.net Anonymous Willpower knows how to put on a show. And that’s just what the band did in the studio recording this, its shiny new disc, “One More Medicine Show.” The band brought the horny heat and simply pressed “record.” That’s not to take away from Don Anonymous’ expert production…
Feedback 11/4
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. Can no…
Urban Action 11/4
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. A talk about the Peron years The Rochester Committee on Latin America will present “Argentina in the Time of Peron,” and the film “La Hora del Los Hornos” (The Hour of the Furnaces)…
“Hydrogen Jukebox” bends the opera genre
In 1966, Allen Ginsberg penned ecstatic yet defiant words in his poem “Wichita Vortex Sutra”: “I claim my birthright! … Joy reborn after the vast sadness of War Gods! A lone man talking to myself, no house in the brown vastness to hear, imagining the throng of Selves that make this nation one body of…
Coming soon: HIV shots?
One of the more daunting challenges of managing HIV is properly taking the daily regimen of one to five pills. But that could soon be in the past. The results of an experimental treatment, which appear in the journal Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine, could mean that patients get an infrequent injection to stop the…
ART | Fine Craft Show & Sale and Mayday! Underground Crafts
A fan of crafts? You will have two different shows to check out this weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, The Memorial Art Gallery will host the 15th annual Fine Craft Show, and across the street, Mayday! Underground Crafts will take place in Village Gate. The Fine Craft Show & Sale features work from more than…
Home values up in Highland, Swillburg
Rising property values can be a sign of a healthy neighborhood. Unfortunately, they can also mean a higher tax bill. Preliminary data from Rochester’s ongoing citywide reassessment shows that property values are rising in some neighborhoods, including Highland, Swillburg, Browncroft, Upper Mount Hope, Neighborhood of the Arts, and Beechwood. “You can almost tell: Where [are]…
LITERATURE | 23rd Jewish Book Festival
This year’s JCC Lane Dworkin Jewish Book Festival is set to take place from Sunday, November 8, through Sunday, November 22, with a theme of “What Are You Reading?” Authors who will attend the festival include Martin Fletcher, Jane Yolen, Nomi Eve, and Dani Klein Modisett. All events will take place at the Jewish Community…
The media, the candidates, and the future of politics
What will this presidential campaign teach our children? What do we want them to learn from it?
Social Reportage exhibit focuses on harvest workers
The approaching season of feasts kicked off the tastes of fall, with cheerful trips to famers’ markets for fresh apples and cider, pumpkins and squashes. But as we indulge in the fruits of the harvest, it’s important to think about whose labor brought those fruits to our tables. As the presidential election approaches, our national…
Film Review: “Digging For Fire”
Over the course of his prolific career, Joe Swanberg has become synonymous with a certain type of film: low-key, structureless dramedies that revolve mainly on the relationship anxieties of middle class, 20- and 30-somethings. Swanberg’s latest, “Digging For Fire,” focuses on Tim (Jake Johnson, who co-wrote the script with Swanberg) and Lee (Rosemarie Dewitt) a…
Film Review: “Labyrinth of Lies”
Fifteen years after World War II, young German lawyer Johann Radmann (Alexander Fehling) graduates from prosecuting traffic violations to putting his entire country on trial, in the post-WWII drama “Labyrinth of Lies.” When a journalist (André Szymanski) barges into the public prosecutor’s office claiming to have proof that a local schoolteacher was a former guard…
Film Review: “Victoria”
A young woman (Laia Costa) from Madrid meets up with a charming quartet of men on her way home from a Berlin club. One of the handsome lugs, Sonne (Frederick Lau), takes an obvious liking to her, convincing her to join him and his friends, who promise to introduce her to “the real Berlin.” Eventually…
