Cover Story
Aaron Winters takes a walk on the wild side
The Rochester photographer shoots the wildlife in nature and on stage
Foster the People feels the spirit
There’s a certain kind of magic that connects a band with its music, and in the case of Foster the People, the inspiration behind the tunes is indefinable. “When writing, what we call ‘the spirit’ enters the room,” says Isom Innis, the band’s keyboardist. “It’s something that’s elusive, but when it comes, it’s a rush…
Film review: ‘Faces Places’
The endlessly delightful documentary “Faces Places” follows the friendship and artistic collaboration between octogenarian filmmaker and French New Wave pioneer Agnès Varda and the 33-year-old muralist and photographer known as JR. The pint-sized Varda and the spindly, hipster-ish JR make for a striking pair, and their sweet chemistry and clear affection for one another lends…
I Scene It: Dangerbyrd at the Record Archive
Lemme tell you, it’s hard to be loose without sounding sloppy. It’s kind of like when the doctor tells you to relax while slapping on the rubber gloves. Well, last night Dangerbyrd slapped on the guitars and proceeded to rock steady and loose at the Record Archive’s weekly happy hour. Two guitars together requires a…
Rochester Fringe announces 2018 dates, expansion
The KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival keeps on growing. Organizers on Thursday announced that the 2017 Fringe was its largest event so far. Attendance at the approximately 500 performances and events is estimated at more than 78,000, which is a 15 percent increase over 2016. This has prompted organizers to add an 11th day to its…
Nazareth’s Bethlehem exhibit depicts every day (occupied) life
When Bshara Nassar moved from Bethlehem to the US in 2011, he didn’t expect to end up starting a museum. He was working on a graduate degree in Conflict Transformation at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and by the end of 2014, he had plans in motion to create the Museum of the Palestinian People,…
JAZZ | The Corea/Gadd Band
Since working with Miles Davis in the late-1960’s, Chick Corea has been one of the top pianists in jazz. After emerging from Rochester with Chuck Mangione in the early 1970’s, Steve Gadd (known among drummers as Steve God) has become the most recorded drummer in jazz and pop history. Both are legends in their own…
Another big race: Baxter versus O’Flynn for Monroe County Sheriff
For local voters, this year’s high-profile political race is probably for Rochester mayor. But the November 7 general election ballot includes one of the other most important offices in the county: that of Monroe County sheriff. The job isn’t for lightweights. Whoever is elected sheriff this year will oversee an organization that has about 1,100…
ZYDECO | Dikki Du And The Zydeco Krewe
You could say it was unavoidable that Troy “Dikki Du” Carrier would have a great Zydeco band. The man is the son of Roy Carrier, an accordion legend in the genre, and the brother of Chubby Carrier, a Grammy-winning Zydeco bandleader. So like with a lot of musical families, Troy Carrier’s education started early: After…
A long time coming, Bitter Honey opens on Railroad Street
Zack Mikida’s enthusiasm is contagious. On the day we sat down to talk, everyone who walked into Bitter Honey (127 Railroad Street), Mikida’s new venture with SCN Hospitality (The Revelry, Branca), whether it was an employee or a customer, was greeted with a high five or a hug. Bitter Honey has been a long time…
Album review: ‘The Whistleblower’
Joel Levine “The Whistleblower” IUE Records joellevinejazz.com Four decades ago, the Philadelphia jazz scene had one highly unusual player. Joel Levine would bring his axe to gigs and proceed to blow everyone away. His axe is a recorder, but Levine is not just any recorder player. He can not only charm the pants off any…
Black Violin’s Wil Baptiste on hip-hop, classical music, and race
It’s not hard to understand the appeal of the Florida duo Black Violin. Violist Wil Baptiste and violinist Kev Marcus have created a hip-hop, classical hybrid that you can feel immediately, with infectious hooks and indelible beats that resonate from your ear drums all the way to the bottoms of your feet. Listen to any…
Album review: ‘Far From Over’
Vijay Iyer Sextet “Far From Over” ECM vijay-iyer.com Jazz thrives on the energy of the moment, but the more players there are in a band, the more organization it demands, leaving that vital spontaneity in jeopardy. Despite the complexity of the music on Vijay Iyer Sextet’s “Far From Over,” the in-the-moment, wild spirit comes through…
COMEDY | Mike Epps
Mike Epps is like that one friend who irks you because he can do so many things well. The stand-up comedian is a writer, producer, does a little bit of hip-hop — his first comedy album, “Funny Bidness: Da Album,” featured Snoop Dogg, Kid Rock, and Slim Thug — and he has enough acting credits…
SPECIAL EVENT | Rochester Bloody Mary Fest
Sundays have become synonymous with brunch, and in turn synonymous with Bloody Marys. Each restaurant has its own mix and its own spin on how to garnish the drink. (Cornish game hen, anyone?) Ten different Rochester restaurants will duke it out to be crowned “Rochester’s Best Bloody Mary,” “Best Garnished Bloody Mary,” and “Most Creative…
THEATER | ‘Sweeney Todd’
To celebrate 51 seasons, Pittsford Musicals is going big. Beginning October 14, the organization will present Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” An all-female artistic team — artistic director Pam Marsocci, music and vocal director Julie Covach, and choreographer Shelly Thompson — will lead a cast of 33 actors from around…
DANCE | NYS Ballet’s ‘Dracula’
The New York State Ballet — established in 2015 by Spencerport native and Royal Winnipeg Ballet School graduate Katherine Johnson — will perform an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” the weekend of October 13 through October 15. The ballet features paid, professional dancers and guest choreography by Robert Royce, whose work has been performed at…
LITERATURE | VSW Pub Fair
The description of Visual Studies Workshop’s Pub Fair fits my approximation of heaven: perusing tables of artists’ books and zines, beer in hand, and chatting with indie publishers, DIYers, and other buyers. Now in its fifth year, the event will be held on Saturday, October 14, and will present more than three dozen vendors offering…
Third Flower City Pottery Invitational shows 21 regional, national artists
A chunk of the joy to collecting art is getting to know the artist behind the object, whenever possible. This extends beyond picking a painter’s brain for insight into their work; the very vessels you serve food from can be part of your collection. Handmade bowls and mugs have stories, and are as much a…
KIDS | Scary Tales in the Bark Longhouse
Don’tcha just love it when we get a Friday the 13th in October? For those who love the season o’spirits, it’s the perfect opportunity to gather together for some spooky stories. On this special evening, Ganondagan will host “Scary Tales in the Bark Longhouse,” from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Continuing a rich history of…
Feedback 10/11
We welcome your comments; send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com. Submissions of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published. For Feedback, we choose from e-mail submissions and from posts on our website, and we edit those selections. We don’t publish comments sent to other media. Readers respond to the Las Vegas shootings The…
JAZZ | Michael Sarian & The Chabones
Trumpeter Michael Sarian is a steady study in dichotomy. With a wordless elegance, the New York City-based musician is flexibly firm, loosely tight, and brightly dark. The innovations within his compositions are deceptively dramatic with varying degrees of a melodic sensibility suitable for all: the casual observer right down to the aficionado and the maniac.…
Urban Action 10/11
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Lectures explore ethics and virtue Nazareth College will present two lectures by Lisa Fullam: “Practicing Doubt in the Pursuit of Truth” on Thursday, October 12, at 7 p.m. in the Otto Shults Community…
JAZZ NOIR | Dmitri Matheny
Flugelhorn blower Dmitri Matheny plays as part of a cast of dark characters that inhabit the shadows of his brass-conjured, noir-centric music. A disciple at the feet of flugelhornist Art Farmer — Matheny plays the late legend’s horn — he musically and poetically paints a world full of raconteurs, reprobates, and roustabouts. Dig as Matheny…
Religious liberty talk set
President Trump has talked repeatedly about building a wall on the US border with Mexico, but he’s been mum on the institutional wall he’s been tearing down: the separation of church and state. That’s part of the message that Barry Lynn, the retiring executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, will…
CLASSICAL | ‘Strings At The Strath’
The Society for Chamber Music in Rochester will offer classical music fans a superbly balanced mix of compositional legends and 20th and 21st century composers this Sunday as part of its “Strings at the Strath” concert. Members of the RPO will join the Eastman-Hanson Chamber Players and others in a program that provides the familiar…
Dinolfo plans to boost staffing at Child Protective Services
Child-protective workers move from one crisis to the next; it’s the nature of their jobs. They often have to set aside follow-up work on existing cases when new, potentially urgent or severe, cases come in. Often, when improvements are made in the public agencies that investigate child abuse and neglect reports, they happen the same…
FOLK | Lucy Kaplansky
When I caught Lucy Kaplansky’s concert at Café Veritas a few years ago, she had great chemistry with the crowd. Kaplansky mixed deeply personal originals with covers from artists like Townes Van Zandt, and ultimately owned the night with songs like Eliza Gilkyson’s piano tune “Sanctuary.” Kaplansky is a person of many talents and is…
I Scene It: Mastodon, Eagles of Death Metal, and Russian Circles at the Armory
Part of the utter joy of getting turned on to new music is being able to pass it on. And I’ve been banging the drum for The Eagles of Death Metal since rediscovering the band at a party this summer. (I saw them in Long Beach, California, back in 2010, but kinda forgot.) The band…
Trump, Roy Moore, and the tribes we cling to
The Civil War almost ended our democratic experiment. “And here we are,” writes Andrew Sullivan, “in an equally tribal era.”
Film review: ‘Blade Runner 2049’
Like its predecessor, the somber and stylish “Blade Runner 2049” emphasizes mood and atmosphere over story, and it even manages to pack some legitimate emotion into its narrative.
Theater review: ‘Smart People’ at Geva
There are a few topics people don’t bring up in casual conversation, as a rule — politics, sexual orientation, money, and race, to name a few. For heaven’s sake, just stick to asking about the weather, weekend plans, and the welfare of children or pets. Those topics, for most, are easy and non-offensive. But playwright…
