MUSIC BLOG: Ray Massa’s EuroRhythms, Henry Prego, Joe Scalissi, and Mitty & the Followers
I dug into my roots (half of them anyway) and spent the weekend at Festa Italia at EdmundLyonPark in East Rochester. Besides the copious amounts of food I consumed, I was there for the music. Ray Massa’s EuroRhythms got things going Friday night as the accordion-driven band from Columbus, Ohio, ping-ponged between traditional Italian and…
NEWS BLOG: Planning Commission backs fracking moratorium
Last night, Rochester’s Planning Commission recommended that City Council pass a proposed one-year moratorium on natural gas exploration and extraction. That moratorium includes the use of high-volume hydraulic fracturing. Nobody spoke against the proposal, though several speakers did urge Council to consider a full ban. They also said they’d like to see any moratorium or…
City Newspaper News Arts & Ent. Music Events Movies Restaurants Classifieds Rochester’s Alternative Newsweekly NEWS BLOG: Economy’s good old days of the 1990’s
Although the Occupy Movement helped focus attention on income inequality in the US, the reality of just how wide the gap has grown sometimes got lost in tax-policy arguments about Warren Buffett’s secretary. But the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances released yesterday showed that the recent financial crisis left median American families in 2010…
NEWS BLOG: Just how would a Romney school-voucher system work?
Everybody’s saying that the outcome of this year’s presidential election will be determined by the state of the economy over the next few months, and I’m sure they’re right. But a president affects a lot more than the nation’s economic policy, so we ought to be paying attention to the candidates’ stands on things like,…
EDUCATION: Mandatory kindergarten for Rochester?
Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas says he expects the State Legislature to pass a bill that would let the Rochester school board make kindergarten mandatory. The school board would have to follow up with its own legislation. Kindergarten attendance is mandatory for 5 year olds in 11 states, but not New York. New York State…
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[UPDATED] Vargas says no excuses for grad rate drop
UPDATE: (Monday, June 11) At a press conference earlier today, Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas did not make excuses for the district’s anemic 2011 graduation rate. The State Education Department has released data showing that the rate was 45.5 percent for those students who entered ninth grade in September 2007 and graduated in June 2011.…
NEWS BLOG: Not much good news on climate lately
The past couple of weeks have brought troubling climate news. An article published in the journal Nature said that climate change is reaching a tipping point, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. If that point is reached, it’ll mean rapid and irreversible damage to the global environment. The report joins scores of others highlighting the effect…
NEWS BLOG: Ray Bradbury went to heaven in a rocket ship
I hope there’s a heaven. I so want to picture Ray Bradbury there. Actually, I believe Bradbury’s death yesterday at age 91 was just a physical relocation. Spiritually, creatively, humanistically he’s always been on a higher plane than the rest of us. Other writers, myself included, could only hope to occasionally tap into that stream.…
NEWS BLOG: Walker’s road map to silencing the Democratic Party
Some Democrats are reacting to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s victory Tuesday by playing down any connection to President Obama’s re-election chances. Conservatives couldn’t be happier. They say Walker’s win proves that the majority of Wisconsin’s voters agree with conservatives’ message about smaller government. But something else happened in Wisconsin that Americans should be discussing: the…
NEWS BLOG: Bike projects, overdue water bills, library news
City Council has started combing through Mayor Tom Richards’ 2012-2013 proposed budget. Council members spent all day Wednesday grilling department heads in an open hearing. Some highlights: Bikes: the city is working on seven different projects to connect neighborhoods to bike trails. Inner Loop cleaning may be reduced to twice a year. And the city…
NEWS BLOG: Interpreting the Walker win
If you’re looking for meaning in last night’s Wisconsin recall election, you should read Nate Silver’s take. The New York Times blogger says that Republican Governor Scott Walker’s victory isn’t necessarily bad news for President Barack Obama. Walker stripped away union rights for most public employees and the subsequent backlash led to the recall election.…
Boom Chick
Boom Chick plays a special Sunday night show at Abilene to remind us of two universal truths: summer is hot and rock music should be loud. With songs like “When I Don’t Love my Rock and Roll” or “Ghost of Bo Diddley,” it’s no secret that the group pays homage to the golden age of…
A Tribute 2 Prince
For its tribute to Prince, The Lobby has thrown together a plethora of Rochester bands to put their twist on the mysterious one’s music. The visual-arts showcase “The Artist: Formerly Shown As Prints” will offer up Prince-related imagery for your eyeballs, while the stage will feature music for your earballs. The line-up includes George Grady…
Scott H. Biram
Scott H. Biram is eloquent and to the point. He’s lyrically profane and socially vulgar. He opened his last show here in Rochester with the words, “Who wants to fuck?” And his music is equally salacious; a hybrid of Delta blues and violence. Biram is a one-man band of sheer insanity and wit, with the…
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash’s legacy goes way beyond David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash. This legendary trio’s members have also been associated with The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and The Hollies. First performing as a three piece at Woodstock, CSN’s magical harmonies have been the baseline for folk-rock vocals for more than 40 years. Crosby,…
98PXY Summer Jam
The 98PXY Summer Jam has become an annual rite of the warmer months, with past performers ranging in scope from Destiny’s Child to Aaron Carter. This year’s iteration of the Jam doesn’t feature any bona fide superstars, but if you should recognize at least one of each of the artists’ songs. From the maddeningly addictive…
XVSK
There is a familiar ring to XVSK’s sound. Maybe it’s lead singer-cellist Trevor Exter’s vocals that suggest artists like Jack Johnson. Imagine “Brushfire Fairytales” driven by a cello instead of an acoustic guitar and this may partially paint the XVSK picture. Formed in 2009, the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-based duo’s musical roots are diverse. Drummer John Morgan…
Rochester Women’s Community Chorus
There’s something easy about warm weather and days with long light. It turns me around from the depths of Russian classical masterworks into folk, blues, guitars, and campfires. Here’s a concert that sounds just right for this time of year, put on by the Rochester Women’s Community Chorus. The evening will feature songs about friendship,…
Molly Hatchet
Molly Hatchet crawled from the swamps of Florida three decades ago to round out the first wave of Southern rock, joining industry icons like Lynyrd Skynyrd and .38 Special. After flirting with obscurity for years, the1979 hit “Flirtin’ with Disaster” solidified Molly Hatchet’s place as one of the definitive groups of the decade. While the…
Boom Chick
Boom Chick plays a special Sunday night show at Abilene to remind us of two universal truths: summer is hot and rock music should be loud. With songs like “When I Don’t Love my Rock and Roll” or “Ghost of Bo Diddley,” it’s no secret that the group pays homage to the golden age of…
The scoop on new, local ice cream
There’s nothing quite like an ice-cold treat on a hot summer day, and this town will soon be serving up plenty of both. Chances are that you have your favorite neighborhood ice-cream haunt, as well as a couple places worth a leisurely evening drive. But maybe you’re in the market for a new spot? Or…
“The Innkeepers” / “First Position”
Less is more, they say, and this holds especially true when it comes to horror flicks. Of course, there will always be those directors who rely upon crimson spatter and miles of intestines, trafficking heavily in the shock value brought about by Grand Guignol gore. Then there are those filmmakers who appreciate the similar-sounding but…
The witch, the mirror, the dwarfs back again
Told and retold for centuries in many different cultures, even the most familiar fairy tales undergo a wide variety of permutations. The latest cinematic retelling of the Snow White story, the second to appear this season, demonstrates some of that potential for variation. Most viewers familiar with the basic content of the story — and…
SUMMER GUIDE ’12: Audiobook guide
So you’re taking a trip involving hours in a car, bus, train, or plane. The songs on your iPod are getting old and radio just isn’t what it used to be. So why not do something useful with all that time? Read a book. With your ears. Just plug in your iPod and have the…
Living to tell
The world is full of singer-songwriters who are cosmically put in place to make sense of life with their keen observations, glib humor, and unwavering honesty. Their work serves as our narrative. It can be revealing, humorous, beautiful, painful, and painfully honest. Texas troubadour Hayes Carll is one of these beacons. He shines with honesty…
SUMMER GUIDE ’12: Calendar
BY PALOMA CAPANNA, WILLIE CLARK, KATHY LALUK, REBECCA RAFFERTY, ERIC REZSNYAK, TODD REZSNYAK, ANNE RITZ, AND ALEX STEINGRABER There’s so much to do in Rochester in the summer. So much, in fact, that just looking at pages and pages of endless listings can leave you, dear reader, nearly paralyzed by the sheer number of events…
Mucho gusto
For all its allure and promise, the music business tells a lot of lies through sharp teeth. It is duplicitous, fickle, and cruel. It’s worse than cheerleader tryouts. So any young artist that truly takes a stab at it has my support, and my sympathy. Rochester-by-way-of Ft. Myers, Florida, tween-pop newbie Ryleigh made her debut…
SUMMER GUIDE ’12: Summer Movies
So here’s how it works: I peruse the list of summer releases, then spotlight the ones that pique my curiosity. Sure, it’s completely arbitrary, but since I’m never the only person in the theater, I have to assume others are interested in these flicks as well. You’ll notice, though, that with the exception of our…
Textual tension
The ways in which we realize that we are powerful beings through sexual expression are manifold and complex, but can probably be filtered down into two groups. The most basic, of course, is yielding to the undeniable animal drive to eject our genetic material (more immediately for men, then later for ladies, via birth). The…
Another opening, another show
Even if some of his neighbors don’t know what the word means, Ed Sayles has a lot of chutzpah. Now in his 31st season as producing director of Auburn’s Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Sayles and the staff have re-invented the Playhouse’s four-musical summer season as the first annual Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival. It will mount 29…
SUMMER GUIDE ’12: Monroe County Parks
BY ALEX STEINGRABER The Monroe County Parks Department has a stellar line-up of parks that offer guests plenty of amenities, fresh air, and natural fun. Oh, and it’s all free. Think of our parks as mini-vacations that you can treat yourself to any day of the week, and of course you can bring your friends…
Molly Hatchet
Molly Hatchet crawled from the swamps of Florida three decades ago to round out the first wave of Southern rock, joining industry icons like Lynyrd Skynyrd and .38 Special. After flirting with obscurity for years, the1979 hit “Flirtin’ with Disaster” solidified Molly Hatchet’s place as one of the definitive groups of the decade. While the…
Urban schools’ challenge:a community dialogue
We won’t be able to provide a quality education unless we take a hard look at the complexity of the problem. Over several weeks in May, my column focused on the crisis in Rochester’s schools – what I believe has caused it and what I think we ought to do about it. A number of…
SUMMER GUIDE ’12: Thrills
BY MICHELLE INCLEMA The lazy, hazy days of summer are back. You have three months ahead of warm sunshine, light breezes, and reveling in the great outdoors. But, maybe laying around all day isn’t your thing. Maybe you’re itching to experience the ultimate rush in summer activities by sea, air, and land. Have you always…
E3 2012 Blog, Day 2: Nintendo Conference (“Pikmin 3,” “Nintendo Land,” “Epic Mickey 2″
All Nintendo had to do was get up and wow us. Given that it is launching a new console this year, the Big N has me worried. Compare this E3 presentation to Nintendo’s pre-launch conference for the 3DS and the difference is night and day. The 3DS had a slew of titles from first- and…
FALL GUIDE ’11: Dance Preview
It’s not easy to select only a handful of dance performances to recommend among the many offered in Rochester over the coming year. Dance is an art form with great variation, and people’s preferences for one form over another — say, contemporary rather than ballet, or African over tap — are as personal as the…
