Cover Story
The housing plague lurking in Monroe County’s neighborhoods
From her front driveway, Kelly Rush has a perfect view of a neighboring house’s buckling roof. The vacant house is surrounded by well-maintained properties on a quiet street in Irondequoit’s Sea Breeze neighborhood; it’s the rotten tooth in an otherwise perfect smile. The house has fallen so far into disrepair that Irondequoit officials plan to…
![[UPDATED] Feds say fee waivers violated the law](https://i0.wp.com/www.roccitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/dsc_5772.webp?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
[UPDATED] Feds say fee waivers violated the law
The County Clerk’s Office, under now-County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo, violated federal law by waiving passport fees, says a US Department of State official.
Week ahead: Irondequoit bus route, nature, Little Italy discussions
Regional Transit Service will hold listening sessions on its bus Route 37 from noon to 1 p.m., and again from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Tuesday, October 4, at the RTS Transit Center, 60 St. Paul Street. The route starts at the Transit Center and travels up North Clinton to Irondequoit, where it eventually…
Film review: “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”
Tim Burton, you could’ve done so much better.
FILM | Witness Palestine Film Festival
The Witness Palestine Film Series will round out its 2016 season on Monday, October 10, with a program of short films screened in Basil Hall at St. John Fisher College (3690 East Avenue). The evening will be headlined by “My Neighbourhood,” a 25-minute film from directors Julia Bacha and Rebekah Wingert-Jabi, documenting the story of…
You do the maths
The touring production of the Tony-winning Broadway hit opened at RBTL this week
Midtown proposal includes 14-story tower and a park
Gallina Development unveiled its plan for the Parcel 5 site at Midtown in downtown Rochester this morning. Gallina and partner Patrick Dutton propose a 14-story, mixed-use tower with condos, restaurants, retail, and street-level entertainment space. Office space would take up floors two to four of the tower, while 31 market-rate condos would be located on…
Film preview: “The Decalogue”
Each year, the Rochester Polish Film Festival kicks off with a series of screenings focusing on a few selected classics of Polish cinema. (A second part, featuring a lineup of contemporary films, traditionally begins in early November.) This year, Part I of the festival will be devoted entirely to “The Decalogue,” the masterful, epic, 10-part…
Stefan Murphy returns to Rochester as Count Vaseline
“It may have been the morning that David Bowie died, my flat mate was going off to make a record, and I said to myself that I need to start doing something new because someone’s going to have to take over and continue making weird music,” Stefan Murphy says over the phone from his home…
ROCK | Count Vaseline
Arising from the ashes of Dublin band The Mighy Stef is Count Vaseline, the next link in musician Stefan Murphy’s chain. It’s currently a solo act with Judas Von Basf, an analog tape machine, providing the backing tracks for Murphy’s guitar and classic baritone. Count Vaseline’s latest release, “Yo No Soy Marinero” — which drops…
ROCK | The Mowgli’s
What the world needs now is peace and love, or maybe just more bands like The Mowgli’s. Established in 2009, the California-based septet exudes a sunny disposition and brings to mind the Laurel Canyon scene. The Mowgli’s pulls you toward your inner place of happiness pretty much effortlessly with upbeat sing-a-longs, like “San Francisco,” a tune…
CELLO ROCK | Break of Reality
Alt-classical ensemble Break of Reality returns to the place of its birth on Thursday for a performance in Kodak Hall to open the 2016-17 Eastman Presents series. For 13 years, founding members, and Eastman School alums, Patrick Laird (cello) and Ivan Trevino (drums) — along with a rotating cadre of top-flight cellists — have delivered…
SPECIAL EVENT | Cider Week FLX
Fresh from across the Finger Lakes region, Cider Week FLX will bring 17 cider makers together in more than 50 locations. Several Rochester venues — including Mullers Cider House, ButaPub, and Cure — will offer tastings, festivals, and cider workshops for fans of the old craft beverage. You don’t need to be a cider aficionado…
OPERA | Tobias Greenhalgh
Not yet 30 years old, baritone Tobias Greenhalgh has already begun to make a name for himself in the international opera world, with extensive work in Vienna at Wiener Kammeroper and the Theater an der Wien performing the operas of diverse composers such Handel, Bizet, Tchaikovsky, Ravel, and Britten. The Greece native returns home on…
LECTURE | Nasim Pedrad and John Favreau
Former Saturday Night Live cast member Nasim Pedrad and former White House Director of Speechwriting Jon Favreau will give lectures to headline St. John Fisher College’s Alumni Weekend. Pedrad, an Iranian-American comic, has acted in SNL, Fox’s “Scream Queens,” and her own one-woman show. Pedrad will discuss these experiences and more about her career since…
Mr. Loops reluctantly thrust into the spotlight
Jon Lewis is an astute singer-songwriter who wistfully bears witness to the quirks and foibles of this mortal coil. As a solo musician and bandleader, Lewis has been a fixture on the local music scene, playing marathon sets of music in coffee houses, gin joints, and night clubs. These protracted evenings of three or more…
THEATER | “La Ronde”
Arthur Schnitzler’s play “La Ronde” has had somewhat of a turbulent history in its 116 year history — not surprising for a work that so frankly discusses sexuality and class. Set in 1890’s Vienna, the play consists of 10 scenes between pairs of lovers, each from various social backgrounds and professions, shown just before or…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Broken Switches”
Pawner “Broken Switches” Self-released pawnerband.bandcamp.com Sure, everyone digs a dynamic album that builds as it unfolds. Then again, sometimes you just want your rock ‘n’ roll exploding out of the gate and in your grill. Well then, you need Pawner. Pawner’s new six-song salvo, “Broken Switches,” is an album that has a classic and dynamic…
THEATER | Ebisu Sign Language Theatre Laboratory
As part of Deaf Awareness Week, Ebisu Sign Language Theatre, which presents a combination of Israeli Sign Language, expressive gestures, and physical theater, will perform at NTID on Wednesday, September 28. Named for the Japanese god Ebisu — the only deaf god in world’s pantheon — the Haifa-based group emphasizes facial expressions and body language.…
ALBUM REVIEW: “Groovin’ Saloonatics”
Groovin’ Saloonatics “Groovin’ Saloonatics” Self-released facebook.com/groovinsaloonatics I wasn’t there when Groovin’ Saloonatics recorded this CD at Green Room Studios, but the band sounds stoned. The band’s new CD is a laid back outing for what looks to me like an all-star collaboration. Cats like Mick Sarubbi, Don “Anonymous” Blair, and Ricky Dodge, to name a…
Feedback 9/28
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. Parcel 5…
Urban Action 9/28
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. Activist to discuss Syria trip The Downtown United Presbyterian Church and the Peace Action & Education Task Force will host “Eyewitness Syria,” a talk by peace activist Judy Bello, at 6:30 p.m. on…
Russians send gay pastor packing
The Rev. James Mulcahy sat with a group of LGBTQ activists in the Russian city of Samara last July, having a cup of tea and talking about nothing in particular, he says. Mulcahy, who served as pastor for Rochester’s Metropolitan Community Church from 2000 to 2012, says that the group was barely 20 minutes into…
Finding Old San Juan on Joseph Avenue
Mi Viejo San Juan has stood at the corner of Joseph Avenue and Norton Street for the last three years, serving Puerto Rican fare to the surrounding neighborhood. Similar to other Puerto Rican restaurants in Rochester, Mi Viejo offers a choice of protein — pernil, baked and stewed chicken, stewed beef and steak, and stewed…
METAL | Cattle Decapitation
Although its name may suggest otherwise, San Diego, California’s Cattle Decapitation is pretty invested in the well-being of animals. Since forming in 1996, each member of the deathgrind powerhouse has stayed vegetarian, and frontman and resident doomsday prophet Travis Ryan’s lyrics tend to focus on the various failures of our species and the havoc we…
HIP-HOP | Dilla Day ROC
J Dilla’s untimely passing in 2006 came as a tremendous shock to hip-hop lovers everywhere. The 32-year-old producer had spent decades honing his craft, and his final album, “Donuts,” released just three days before his death, serves as a glowing testament to the man’s unparalleled skill and robbed potential. Since its release, “Donuts” has been…
ROCK | Rustic Radio
Buffalo band Rustic Radio comes out on 10 and stays put. The band plays hot and hard, managing to maintain a dynamic intricacy within the good natured violence. Power chords permeate the band’s melodic genius. Killer vocals and killer guitar will slay ya, sluggo. But you didn’t plan on sitting down, anyway … did you?…
INDIE ROCK | Tele Novella
Austin, Texas-based dreamscape painters Tele Novella don’t just bathe in a reverberating water color wash to achieve its psych-pop flight, but rather conjures up a tangible loveliness through a melodic pop base. This allows the music to co-exist with the studio frosting, and for you to experience a most excellent band. A smack-free Velvet Underground.…
Cuomo and corruption, Trump and the debate
There’s no question that there’s a stench about Cuomo’s entire Upstate economic development program now. And about Cuomo himself.
Film review: “Queen of Katwe”
Based on the true story of young Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi, “Queen of Katwe” is an irresistibly heartwarming fable from “Monsoon Wedding” and “Salaam Bombay!” director Mira Nair. The story — inspired by sportswriter Tim Crothers’s book, which was expanded from his article in ESPN Magazine and adapted for the screen by William Wheeler…
