Cover Story
ImageOut 2015
A detailed look at 10 important films from this year’s Rochester LGBT Film & Video Festival
Duffy gets photonics institute appointment
Rochester Business Alliance CEO Bob Duffy will lead one of the major committees overseeing AIM Photonics, the federal integrated photonics manufacturing institute that’s based in Rochester. SUNY Polytechnic Institute, one of the partners in the Department of Defense-backed institute, announced Duffy’s appointment as chair of the AIM Photonics Leadership Council today. The Council sets “the strategic…
Week Ahead: Events for the week of Monday, October 12
Living in Harmony, an interfaith environmental group, will show “Cowspiracy” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13. The documentary film examines the science surrounding animal agriculture and its impact on climate change. The film will be shown at the Henrietta United Church of Christ, 1400 Lehigh Station Road. Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas will hold…
MC Lars can’t quit
For more than 10 years, Andrew Nielsen — a.k.a. MC Lars — the self-proclaimed originator of "post-punk laptop rap,” has been an underground hip-hop mainstay with satirical, funny songs. The California-born rapper has also tossed aside the negativity associated with certain subgenres of hip-hop and replaced it with good karma — he’s climbing the ladder…
Legislature Dems ask for LDC abolition study
Legislature Democrats want the county to hire an outside legal firm to examine the implications of dissolving county-affiliated local development corporations, or even whether they can be dissolved in the first place. The county formed several LDC’s over the past decade-plus to handle certain functions; one owns and runs the Civic Center Parking Garage, for…
Eastman Museum acquires William Kentridge works
The George Eastman Museum announced today that William Kentridge, an internationally renowned South African artist, has donated the complete set of his films, videos, and digital-born works to the museum. This gift includes both original negatives and positive prints representing Kentridge’s entire career as a filmmaker, as well as all of the master elements of…
Solar plant coming to Genesee County
A Massachusetts-based solar tech company will be the first tenant of the Western New York Science, Technology, and Advanced Manufacturing Park in rural Genesee County. The company could invest as much as $700 million in the facility, and has promised to create at least 600 jobs in exchange for a generous package of tax incentives…
Mikaela Davis gets out of her own head
Rochester native and local favorite Mikaela Davis has been one busy musician: living in Brooklyn, touring nationwide, even playing with Watkins Family Hour and laying down harp tracks for two songs on Sara Watkins’s next solo album. On Saturday, October 10, the singer-songwriter returns home for a show at Anthology with Joywave, plus Grace Mitchell…
Theater Review: RBTL presents “Newsies”
Every once in a while, a musical comes along with subjects so innately human — an underdog, young love, a band of brothers, a villain — that it easily becomes a classic. For those who were children in the 90’s, that musical is Disney’s “Newsies,” a 1992 film starring an adolescent, heroic Christian Bale. The…
Feedback 10/7
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. Christians should…
JAZZ | Ikebe Shakedown
This Brooklyn-based band’s music at times sounds like the theme to a 1970’s cop show that never was. I dunno, maybe it would’ve been called “Ikebe Shakedown.” It’s funky in a throwback disco kinda way, but doesn’t trade in substance for flash. It’s classic and new at the same time. I mean, these cats have…
Urban Action 10/7
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Climate change talk RIT will host a lecture by Andrew Hoffman, author of “How Culture Shapes the Climate Change Debate,” at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 9. Hoffman, professor of sustainable enterprise at…
JAZZ | TMT Trio
Canadian jazz pianist Cat Toren has won a Juno award for her work with the group Pugs and Crows; tenor saxophonist Angela Morris has also made a name for herself with Canadian bands; and drummer Anthony Taddeo has performed with Frank Wess, Hey Mavis, and many others. All three are now part of the thriving…
Urbanski: school receivership is flawed
The state education law that gives superintendents of the lowest-performing public schools the power to make significant policy and staff changes, sometimes without the approval of their school boards, is flawed, says Adam Urbanski, longtime president of the Rochester Teachers Association. Receivership won’t help superintendents, including Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas, confront the challenges they…
JAZZ | Tony Caramia
Eastman School of Music professor Tony Caramia is a specialist in piano styles, so it’s no surprise that his upcoming show is titled “Celebrating the Artistry of Cy Walter, the Poet of the Piano.” Although he died in 1968, Walter’s arrangements of classic tunes are still revered. Called “The Park Avenue Art Tatum,” Walter wrote…
Italian restaurant Fiorella finds fresh home in Public Market
If you’re opening a restaurant that focuses on fresh and local ingredients, is there a better location than the epicenter for fresh and local in town, the Rochester Public Market? Gino and Allison Ruggiero didn’t think so when they opened Fiorella (5 Rochester Public Market), a new, casual, Italian eatery. Gino worked through the kitchen…
REGGAE | SOJA
My first SOJA show was in 2008 in Falls Church, Virginia — a stone’s throw from where this, at the time 5-piece band grew up. At that point, SOJA had already been together 10 years and had rocked out two full-length albums. With Washington, D.C., as its Babylon backdrop, the band’s earlier sound was more…
Inner Loop fill progress is evident
One of an occasional series It looks like someone has set up camp on the former Inner Loop. But the small white tents are actually containment units for asbestos abatement. Workers inside the tents cut the asbestos out of the pipe, and then remove the pipe in sections and haul it away. The tents keep…
VOCAL | Kristin Chenoweth
Known as a Broadway sensation, and recognized for her work in television and film, the multitalented Kristin Chenoweth will perform in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre this Friday. Earning standing ovations from sold-out crowds in Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, and other venues, it’s safe to assume Chenoweth will be getting a…
FOLK | Mouths of Babes
Mouths of Babes is Ty Greenstein (of indie-pop group Girlyman) and Ingrid Elizabeth (of roots trio Coyote Grace). As multi-instrumentalists, the duo moves between upright bass, ukulele, guitar, and cajon while floating clean harmonies. Their contrasting personalities — the unabashed fiery redhead (Ingrid) and the tender tomboy (Ty) — add an intrigue and chemistry to…
Spotlighting the mundane
A fascinating new show, recently opened at Gallery r, considers the world’s volume of discarded objects and sidelined creatures. In “New Sense,” artist Cecily Culver explores how the non-human world almost imperceptibly brushes against our own, and imagines the strange sentience of non-human experience. Much of the work is drawn from Culver’s thesis project, “Other…
Joywave headlines its way home
If new wave were made of something more substantial, less-plastic, then perhaps you could call Joywave a new wave band. But with its layered pulse and drive as well as its lofty vocals over a lush electronic bed, this Rochester-gone-big-time band transcends the quick answer and the lazy pigeonhole. In its relatively short history (est.…
ART | “Suburban Woman’s Urban Experience II”
Celebrating its second anniversary in its own space, Create Art 4 Good will host a new exhibit, “Suburban Woman’s Urban Experience II” for the month of October. A collection of women made from different materials, the exhibit will feature work by the founder of the gallery, Susan Carmen-Duffy. Originally from the suburbs, Carmen-Duffy uses this…
ALBUM REVIEW: “With Fervor”
Cavalcade “With Fervor” Self-released cavalcademusic.com Cavalade’s new offering, “With Fervor,” isn’t ensconced in anger but an intensity that hints at a similar fire inside. By vacillating between major and minor keys — and even eluding both in spots — no two interpretations of this album can possibly be the same. It all opens with huge…
DANCE | “Past, Present and Future”
Missy Pfohl Smith’s BIODANCE, Eran Hanlon’s Eran Hanlon Dance & Company, and Kerfala Fana Bangoura’s Mounafanyi will be among those dance companies performing at the University of Rochester’s “Past, Present and Future” presentation at the university this Saturday. The concert will feature work by these professional companies as well as that of dance alumni and…
ALBUM REVIEW: “KDNY: A Compilation”
Various artists “KDNY: A Compilation” Self-released kdny.bandcamp.com “KDNY: A Compilation” — self-released on September 10 — is the brainchild of Buffalo Sex Change’s Phil Pierce, who produced the album as a fundraiser to offset the cost of his sister’s recent kidney transplant. “KDNY” is a wide-ranging, 16-track smorgasbord of mostly heretofore unreleased material featuring mainly…
DANCE | A Kaleidoscope of Ukrainian Dance
An internationally acclaimed group, Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company visits Rochester this month to perform “A Kaleidoscope of Ukrainian Dance,” and will share the stage with some Rochester talent. Hailing from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Cheremosh combines dance and acrobatics for its energy filled interpretations of traditional Ukrainian dances. Cheremosh attempts to tighten the many Ukrainian communities…
POETRY | Roc Bottom Stand Up!
If you missed the talented Roc Bottom Poetry Slam Team’s moving show during the Rochester Fringe Festival, you have another chance. Head over to St. John Fisher (3690 East Avenue) on Thursday, October 8, for a free performance of Roc Bottom Stand Up! Founded in January 2013, Roc Bottom Stand Up! is an adult Rochester-based…
THEATER | “Oy Vey, It’s the Calamari Sisters”
The Calamari Sisters bring their shows to life through their combination of comedy and cooking. Their newest show, “Oy, Vey, It’s the Calamari Sisters!” tells the story of what happens when the Italian, Roman Catholic sisters agree to cater to an event at a Jewish Funeral home and they struggle to keep Kosher. The Calamari…
ART | Flower City Pottery Invitational
Genesee Center for the Arts & Education will present 20 premier ceramic artists from across the country for a long weekend celebration of the best in contemporary clay. The Flower City Pottery Invitational, taking place Thursday, October 8, through Sunday, October 11, will include an artist reception, pottery exhibitions, demonstrations, workshops, and talks by visiting…
KIDS | “The Enchanted Forest” at Beaver Meadow
The forests at the Beaver Meadow Audubon Center will come alive this Halloween season with “The Enchanted Forest,” where families can walk through the woodlands and meet nocturnal animals, portrayed by costumed interpreters. In its 21st year, “The Enchanted Forest” will also include a raffle, crafts, games, live animals, donuts, and cider. The Beaver Meadow…
Devoured by dreams
On Friday, October 9, author Patrick Montanaro and artist Justyn Iannucci will release the collaborative book “Dreams We Can’t Come Back From” with an intimate reading at Dichotomy Rochester (14 Franklin Street). This collection of Montanaro’s short horror and poetry with illustrations by Iannucci is the perfect usher for this, the spookiest of seasons. Montanaro’s…
BLUES | Maria Muldaur
Maria Muldaur’s 1974 hit, “Midnight at the Oasis,” is fitting for her show at Abilene, seeing as how it’s our little roots-rock oasis on the edge of downtown. Throughout her 40 some odd years in the biz, Muldaur has shaken and moved through roots-rock’s myriad sub genres, including New Orleans jazz and blues on one…
RoCo to host Rochester Biennial
Rochester Contemporary Art Center and the Memorial Art Gallery have announced on Tuesday that The Rochester Biennial, which has been organized by and hosted at MAG for six years, will be organized by RoCo starting in 2017. In the immediate future, Biennials will be based at RoCo, but they won’t necessarily always be held at…
George Eastman House announces new name, logo, website
The George Eastman House has announced that it has changed its name to George Eastman Museum, and has launched a new website at eastman.org. Leadership at Eastman Museum say the name change reflects all that the institution encompasses: one of the world’s foremost museums of photography and cinema, and the historic mansion and gardens of…
Mass shootings and homicides: guns cause these deaths
While mass shootings are horrible, focusing on them can be a distraction. They represent a tiny fraction of our gun violence.
Film Review: “The Walk”
People (usually critics) like to opine about the proliferation of CGI and effects-driven films that saturate the multiplexes, and it’s true that a lot of these films (and by extension, their effects) are slapdash efforts that arise out of bloated blockbuster budgets. But that’s not always the case: used properly and with purpose, digital effects…
Film Review: “The Martian”
At a time when the general populace seems to be growing more and more distrustful of science and the term “intellectual” is thrown around as an insult, a film like “The Martian” may hold the potential to tip the scales back in science’s favor. Committed to making the science half of their science-fiction tale feel…
Film Review: “Sicario”
If “The Martian” offers audiences a glimpse of humanity at its best, “Sicario” resides firmly at the opposite end of the spectrum. Its story, about the drug war being waged at the US-Mexican border, offers a rather despairing reminder that wading into morally and ethically murky waters often leaves everyone covered in muck. We follow…
Film Review: “Al Helm”
The Witness Palestine film series draws attention to the human rights issues raised by the Middle East conflict between Israel and Palestine; the series explores stories of the people directly affected by the violence and turmoil. In “Al Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine” director Connie Field chronicles an American gospel group’s 2011 trip to…
