Cover Story
Primary warfare
Monroe County Democrats are a soft target for the media and local political junkies, mainly because they just make it so easy. The discord — essentially a power struggle between warring factions of the party — appears to be manifesting in some of this year’s primary election contests, particularly in the Monroe County Legislature races.…
Sheriff’s office investigating civilian employee’s alleged Facebook post
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is reviewing an inflammatory Facebook post allegedly made by one of its employees. The person in question is a civilian employee of the sheriff’s office, not a deputy. The post says “Yea.. And black lives matter.. Fuck that shit.. Bring back public hanging, lashings and stockades.. All done in the…
Week Ahead: Events for the week of Tuesday, September 8
The primary elections are Thursday, September 10. Polls are open from noon to 9 p.m. Locally, we are watching races for Rochester school board, City Council, and Monroe County Legislature. There’s also an interesting primary for Henrietta supervisor. We’ll post election results at rochestercitynewspaper.com after 9 p.m. on Thursday. Nazareth College will present two lectures…
A new rebellion
It’s a bit odd that in America’s thoroughly corporatized culture we have no national day of honor for the Captains of Industry, and yet we do have one for working stiffs: Labor Day. Where did it come from? Who gave this day off to laboring people? History books that bother mentioning Labor Day at all…
Monroe County’s solar power play
Monroe County is preparing to put some big-time support behind a multi-site solar power project, of which it’ll be the sole customer. County Executive Maggie Brooks has asked the County Legislature to support a set of agreements with Buffalo-based Solar Liberty, which will enable the company to build solar arrays at sites in Penfield and…
Report: City school district needs anti-racism training
This article has been corrected. Mandatory and ongoing anti-racism training for all school personnel tops a list of recommendations from the Rochester Community Task Force. The training should begin with district leaders, the report says, and the task force should help pick who does the training. The task force, which is made up of about…
Albany County may sue over oil trains
Albany County is preparing to take legal action against the operator of an oil train terminal in the City of Albany. The terminal, which is owned and operated by Global Companies and provides access to the Hudson River, has become a major East Coast oil train hub. Hardly any oil passed through the terminal three…
I Scene It: Mickey James Duo at Harro East Ballroom
The death of Mickey Smay. Now don’t flip out, the kid’s not dead, but you gotta die in order to get reborn. And from my perch on the shores of a sea of about 600 people, I watched first hand this 15-year-old musician got reborn in rock ‘n’ roll, sanctified in the blues and soul.…
Eastman School launches new film music institute
Emmy-winning composer Jeff Beal and vocalist Joan Beal will commit $2 million to the Eastman School of Music, the couple’s alma mater, in order to launch the Beal Institute for Film Music and Contemporary Media, the school announced on Tuesday. Building on the film legacy of ESM’s founder, George Eastman, the gift will create a…
Geva executive director Tom Parrish to leave position
Geva Theatre Center’s executive director, Tom Parrish, will leave his position this fall to become the new executive director of Trinity Repertory Company, Geva’s Board of Trustees announced today. Trinity is the Tony Award-winning State Theater of Rhode Island. Parrish joined Artistic Director Mark Cuddy in the leadership of Geva in 2011, and during that…
Urban Action 9/2
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Candidate forum The Northeast Neighborhood Community Council will hold a candidates night for the Northeast City Council seat and the Monroe County Legislature’s 29th District at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 2. The…
ART | “Beaded Birds and Beasts”
SUNY Geneseo’s Lederer Gallery will feature two concurrent exhibitions of Native American works through October 7. Focusing on pieces created between 1880 and 1930, “Beaded Birds and Beasts” will showcase Iroquois beadwork, and will display decorated objects like pincushions, purses, urns, whisk broom holders, and needle cases. The second exhibition features three contemporary Native American…
Convenience in the city
There is something appealing about getting a meal in the same place you do your shopping. The convenience of grabbing ready-to-go food while buying groceries is hard to beat. Hart’s Local Grocers came onto the scene with a flurry of social media activity and a ton of hype. For me, one of the more anticipated…
ART | “Carl Chiarenza: Large Scale Prints”
Carl Chiarenza’s luminous, dreamscape photographs are the result of meticulously pieced collages, which the artist lights and shoots in his studio. He works in all scales, but for some of his most engaging art he has enlarged the image so that viewers lose themselves in the numinous inner realms he is so adept at creating.…
ROCK | The CRY!
Portland, Oregon’s ace-in-the-hole quintet, The CRY!, aims for world domination the old-fashioned way: touring as much as possible and getting the kids onboard. The CRY! is built along the lines of classic-era power pop groups with tunes that demand you crank the volume up and roll the windows down. In an interview with City…
FILM | Labor Film Series
Long after specific goals are met, it’s easy to forget how far we’ve come — and how much more work we have to do. Hosted at the Dryden Theatre (Eastman House, 900 East Avenue), the 26th Annual Labor Film Series will help remind us of struggles and successes regarding workplace conditions, organizing efforts, discrimination, globalization,…
HARD ROCK | Doctor Smoke
This is big rock that isn’t too small for a bar room blitz. Ohio’s Doctor Smoke is riff-heavy to the max — even the verses have the throaty chug of licks slithering throughout the vocal sneer and drive. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Sabbath, but this quartet leaves room for a bit…
INSTRUMENTAL | Tauk
If you love Roots Collider, then you’ll love these guys. Hailing from Oyster Bay, New York, Tauk is a fusion band that mixes exploratory jams within an atmosphere of its own doing. Its extrapolated take on groove and texture is mesmerizing and cool. Tauk plays with Mr. F on Wednesday, September 9, at Montage Music…
JAZZ | Eastman Jazz Faculty
Picture pianist Harold Danko, trumpeter Clay Jenkins, saxophonist Charles Pillow, guitarist Bob Sneider, bassist Jeff Campbell, and drummer Rich Thompson on stage together. That group could be called one of the finest sextets in jazz today. Or it could be just part of the line-up of excellent musicians teaching Jazz Studies at the Eastman School…
JAZZ | Peter and Will Anderson Trio
When multireedists Peter and Will Anderson play together, they enjoy the kind of simpatico that only twin brothers can have. Whether playing saxophone or clarinet, the Andersons weave in and out seamlessly, alternating lead and back-up. When they take the stage at the Bop Shop they’ll be joined by an equally formidable musician, guitarist Alex…
FOLK | Neil Van Dorn Band
Neil Van Dorn has some earworm choruses that I’m singing to myself as I write this. The band isn’t distinctly a pop, folk, or rock act, but it seems totally comfortable with that. Neil Van Dorn’s honest croons fill out with his supporting four-piece. Last July, the group released its 7-track debut EP, “Cellars and…
HIP-HOP | Dipset
Back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, East Coast rappers Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and Freekey Zekey each stood out on their own, with a bevy of mixtapes, studio albums, and featured appearances. But there was something happening in Harlem at the time that constantly brought the musicians back together to collaborate as…
Ambassadors to the rabbit hole
Sometimes a band gets caught up in its own secular spirituality and winds up crowding the vibe. It’s a delicate balance between message and music. Syracuse’s Sophistafunk puts forth a heavy groove that rivals pants-less fun, but there is also a seriousness in the minimalist attack, a sense of responsibility for the privilege of…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Pipe Dreams”
The Huckleberry Fins “Pipe Dreams” Dadstache Records thehuckleberryfins.com Can a Rochester surf rock band capture the California sound with authenticity and ingenuity? The answer is a resounding “Yes.” The Huckleberry Fins’ album “Pipe Dreams” — released on July 24 via the locally-based Dadstache Records — is as tight and cohesive as anything you’ll hear all…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Tomorrow is Never”
The Lovely Intangibles “Tomorrow is Never” Self-released thelovelyintangibles.bandcamp.com Turn up the reverb and you turn up the lonely. That’s what The Lovely Intangibles has done on its debut release, “Tomorrow is Never.” Even without the bed of reverb to wallow in, this album is an epic, quasi-gothic affair; a narcotic lullaby. This is a beautiful collection of…
Battlegrounds, once removed
Even if you’re long past your back-to-school days, get into the spirit with a couple of provocative art shows, offered by two local academic institutions. Both shows are free to attend and open this week. On Friday, September 4, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Gallery r will open Meredith Davenport’s “Theater of War,” a series…
Feedback 9/2
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. Son House…
ART | “Quiet Resonance”
At the end of 2015, Ock Hee Hale will close her Honeoye Falls gallery space at 2 Lehigh Street, choosing to instead focus on her gardening and landscaping business. But until then, she continues to host beautiful work by local artists. On Saturday, September 5, noon to 5 p.m., Ock Hee’s Gallery will host an…
Back to the books
Officials with Seymour Library in Brockport had a plan to simplify what they say has become a burdensome budgeting process. But with a few flicks of his wrist, Governor Andrew Cuomo put a halt to it. Library officials wanted to establish a special district, which would have allowed them to collect taxes from residents of…
SPECIAL EVENT | Festival of Balloons
The New York State Festival of Balloons turns 34 this year, and will pack another weekend with food, music, and of course, hot air balloons. The festival starts on Thursday, September 3, with the balloon glow at dusk — the burners are ignited, inflating the balloons, and the large group gives off a glow. The…
‘Not my problem’: reactions to the shootings
Yes, there’s a ‘morality problem.’ But why are so many people in a few neighborhoods involved in violence and other illegal activity?
Film Review: “Mistress America”
Fresh off his generational comedy, “While We’re Young,” Noah Baumbach reteams with Greta Gerwig for “Mistress America.”
Film Review: “We Are Your Friends”
An electronic tone poem of millennial angst set to a throbbing bassline, “We Are Your Friends” focuses on aspiring EDM artist Cole (Zac Efron) and his bros — Ollie (Shiloh Fernandez), Mason (Jonny Weston), and Squirrel (Alex Shaffer) — living it up in the San Fernando Valley, hoping to find their fortune. Though the story…
Film Review: “Listen to Me Marlon”
Using a treasure trove of private audio recordings (reportedly more than 300 hours’ worth) made by actor Marlon Brando throughout his life, “Listen to Me Marlon” offers a deeply personal tour of the late performer’s life. Though undeniably one of the greats, Brando’s legacy was diminished somewhat in his later years as he gained a…
Film Review: “Jauja”
In “Jauja,” Viggo Mortensen stars as a Danish engineer, Gunnar Dinesen, tasked with aiding the Argentine army in exploring a remote, wind-swept region of Patagonia in the late-19th century. When his 15-year-old daughter, Inge (Viilbjørk Malling Agger), runs off with a young soldier in the middle of the night, Dinesen sets off after her. From…
