Cover Story
Where are the women?
The number of American women serving in political office is nowhere near where it should be – and that number may actually be declining in some legislatures and executive offices. “The United States is falling behind on women’s representation in government,” Sarah Kliff and Soo Oh write in Vox. “We have not experienced the influx…
Art/WORK Episode 4: Nydia Padilla-Rodriguez
A video series on Rochester’s rich community of artists: sculptors, actors, dancers, glass artists… Come with us as we talk with them in their studios.
Feedback 9/27
We welcome your comments. Email them to themail@rochester-citynews.com. Those 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. The silence of our white leadership How many of us are uncomfortable about the recent, damning report…
Urban Action 9/27
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Building a life after prison Friends and Foundation of the Rochester Public Library will present a book review and discussion concerning “Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for…
County plans to buy city office building
Monroe County has for many years used the City Place building at 50 West Main Street as an extension of its government offices. Several of its departments, from environmental services to probation, are located in the complex. The county clerk’s downtown DMV services operate out of its lobby, too. But the county doesn’t own City…
ROC Game Devs want to change the city
The hum of computer fans echoes in the open, white-concrete structure of RIT’s MAGIC Center. People sit in small groups at long white tables scattered around the room, hunched over glowing laptop screens, sketchbooks, and greasy paper plates. There are maybe 30 of them – some in their late teens, a few possibly late 40’s…
Creating schools of the future
During the last few years there has been a national discussion about the schools of the future: how they might look, what roles will technology play, and how teachers will teach. High school students in the Rochester City School District will soon enter this discussion. About 425 Rochester high school students will gather at School…
The Spirit Room revels in Rochester lore
Rochester has an intriguing spooky side. You’ve probably heard the stories about the Lady in White, the haunted stacks of the Rundel Memorial Library, or the Fox Sisters. The partners behind The Spirit Room (139 State Street) are interested in the spiritual side of Rochester lore and have created a space downtown that celebrates it.…
The New Rochester Biennial hits three venues
The Memorial Art Gallery on six occasions presented the Rochester Biennial, an invitational exhibit that boasted the work of some of the best regional artists. The Biennial brand was passed to Rochester Contemporary a couple of years ago, and after some consideration and restructuring of the show, RoCo is sharing the stage. The New Rochester…
These Yuppies care
How can a band be introspective and yet so un-self-aware? How can that band come out on top in the “Is it punk?” argument? How does the band eliminate the line between fan and band? Easily, if that band is full of Total Yuppies. Total Yuppies is more or less a punk outfit that came…
Fringe 2017: What we want to see again
The KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival, which wrapped its sixth year on Saturday, was a 10-day rush of arts overload. With around 500 performances, tens of thousands of people came through downtown Rochester for dance, theater, music, visual arts, and multi-disciplinary performances — and some shows that just can’t be easily classified. But the Fringe isn’t…
POWER POP | Pouty
With a deliberately lo-fi sound reminiscent of greats like Guided by Voices and PJ Harvey, Philly-based upstarts Pouty wear its influences proudly. The project’s mastermind, Rachel Gagliardi, cut her teeth in the fantastic band Slutever before distilling her inspirations down to a fine point for Pouty. The band’s latest release, “Saint Mary of the Moods,”…
Album review: ‘New City Slang’
New City Slang “New City Slang” Self-released newcityslang.com This is what you get when you put a great band and even greater material in the same room together and hit “record.” Relatively young (established in 2013) Rochester band New City Slang’s eponymous album is a sloppy — the good kind of sloppy — sleazy, 12-song…
BLUES | Charlie Parr
With his long hair, flannel shirt, and wire-rim glasses, you might mistake Charlie Parr for a throwback to the 1960’s. But when he starts fingerpicking his 12-string acoustic or sliding up and down the fret board of his steel guitar, you realize he’s a throwback to the 20’s. Excavating treasures and singing originals, he’s a…
Album review: ‘Diablo en Brooklyn’
Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet “Diablo en Brooklyn” Saponegro Records afroperuviansextet.com It may be titled “Diablo en Brooklyn,” but the sixth album by Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet is the group’s first CD recorded entirely in Peru. The title alludes to Alegria bringing the “Son de Los Diablos” tradition from his native country to his current home…
STONER METAL | Torche
This Miami-based band satisfies that need for hard and heavy in all of us. With a sludgy undertone and a mid-tempo groove that adds to the skull crush, Torche is an unrelenting sonic menace. Their videos are disturbing to say the least. What stands out is the lower register harmony that adds a touch of…
KIDS/THEATER | Sensory Friendly ‘A Year with Frog and Toad’
For those with special needs — and their families — enjoying the arts can be a challenge. Sensory disabilities, especially, make it difficult to sit still and quietly for several hours during a play, and loud noises or music can be upsetting. To make theater more accessible for those with special needs, RAPA is collaborating…
SINGER-SONGWRITER | Bobby Long
Bobby Long is a British-born singer-songwriter who wraps his voice around the truth without judgment, melancholy without tears. His gentle guitar style allows for his plaintive and honest lyrics to crash like thunder. It’s the blues with a solution. There are many comparisons to be made, but toss those aside for a moment won’t you…
THEATER | ‘School of Rock’
It’s hard to imagine a project where Broadway legend Andrew Lloyd Webber and comedian Jack Black coexist. But there was something about Black’s 2003 film, “School of Rock” — about failed rock musician-turned-prep school substitute teacher Dewey Finn and his rock band of fifth graders — that caught Webber’s attention. In 2013, Webber rewrote the…
PUNK | Majority Rule
Majority Rule hadn’t been a band for about 13 years when it announced a reunion tour earlier this year. And Rochester — not Buffalo or Syracuse — is one of the lucky cities where the DC hardcore group is making a stop. The three-piece had a pretty good following in Rochester, and it played here…
DANCE | ‘All That Jazz’
Rochester City Ballet opens its 2017-18 season with an interesting program that’s a little non-traditional for a ballet company. “All That Jazz” will (as the name suggests) feature three works set to jazz pieces. The bill will feature two works by RCB Artistic Director David Palmer: “Bound for Brubeck” interprets music by the great pianist…
CLASSICAL | Jupiter Quartet
The Jupiter Quartet — an intimate yet powerful award-winning group — will open the Eastman School’s Eastman Ranlet Series with a program based on the number 15, chosen in celebration of the ensemble’s 15th season. The quartet will open with Mozart’s String Quartet No. 15 (one of six works the composer dedicated to Haydn) and…
ART | ‘The State of Undress’
When artist Renée Schuls-Jacobson decided to taper off her anti-anxiety medication — a commonly prescribed benzo — she experienced terrifying withdrawal symptoms that impacted her physically, psychologically, and socially. Determined to find a way to push through this new hell, she began painting simple, colorful hearts and words as a way to distract herself. She…
LIT | ROC City Writers’ Festival
Though the early autumn feels more like midsummer so far, the holiday season looms ahead. It’s time for cheerful gatherings and, for some people, to begin thinking about finding the perfect gifts for people on their lists. The ROC City Writers’ Festival, a monthly gathering of musicians playing while visual artists vend, will take place…
The UR and harassment: learning from the protests
Sexual harassment is an intimidating, often humiliating violation, of our privacy, of our right to determine who we will be intimate with.
Film review: ‘Battle of the Sexes’
Dramatizing an infamous historical matchup that pitted a capable woman against a buffoonish, showboating man (why does that sounds so familiar?), “Battle of the Sexes” is a winning crowd-pleaser
