Rochester news

• Yellow Alert: Heat and Potential Storms

  22-06-2022 23:11
  
  Fair weather on Wednesday will allow the sun to heat things up quickly today into the low 90s. We will also see an increase in the humidity as the dewpoint temperatures rise into the lower 70s.
  
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• REVIEW | ‘Fear of Death/Death of Fear’ by Overhand Sam & Bad Weapon

  12-11-2026 18:58 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  Singer, songwriter and guitarist Sam Snyder, also known as Overhand Sam because of his unorthodox way of fretting the guitar, has created an eclectic collection of songs with his band Bad Weapon. If you’re looking for the gritty rhythms of bristling garage rock and the Day-Glo palette of Brit-psych with a contemporary twist, their new album is for you.The 37-minute palindrome titled “Fear of Death/Death of Fear” eschews the sometimes-sterile pop aesthetic and jam-band posturing of what pa
  
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• REVIEW | ‘Candy’ by Candy

  10-11-2026 19:27 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  Crisp air, crunchy leaves and a savory fall breeze have invaded Rochester. The time for hayrides and barn dances is here, and the debut album from country band Candy arrives just in time. These 12 tracks are packed with autumn whimsy and good ol’ classic Americana, peppered with modernity for a new generation.Hannah Maier, who is the music director for WXXI’s The Route, takes the lead on this self-titled project, which was released on October 16. Her candid storytelling and compelling voice
  
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• MUSIC REVIEW | ‘Candy’ by Candy

  10-11-2026 19:27 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  Crisp air, crunchy leaves and a savory fall breeze have invaded Rochester. The time for hayrides and barn dances is here, and the debut album from country band Candy arrives just in time. These 12 tracks are packed with autumn whimsy and good ol’ classic Americana, peppered with modernity for a new generation.Hannah Maier, who is the music director for WXXI’s The Route, takes the lead on this self-titled project, which was released on October 16. Her candid storytelling and compelling voice
  
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• Victor native Jack Mancuso sears his name to fame as Chef Cuso

  09-11-2026 05:48 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  At the intersection of grill recipes, food experiments and sports on just about any social media platform, one is likely to find Chef Cuso. It’s a moniker for Victor native Jack Mancuso, the face behind (and in front of) the Chef Cuso handle who makes it very clear that he is “not a chef,” even popping the phrase on a tee that is (at press time) now sold out.“I’m definitely not a chef, never worked in a restaurant in my life,” he said. “I learned from YouTube videos. I (am) just s
  
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• REVIEW | ‘Dumb Enough’ by Milo

  07-11-2026 18:12 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  Twenty-five years ago, Elizabeth Elmore (Sarge, The Reputation) played her heart out to 15 people at The Bug Jar, then proceeded to drink me under the table. I remember little else — my first and, to date, last Garbage Plate was consumed — but do recall the unsung indie-rock great being bummed about the meager turnout.It’s 2026. We’ve got streaming platforms, social media and countless ways to discover music. Yet Rochester’s Milo — with a six-song EP, “Dumb Enough,” that deserve
  
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• MUSIC REVIEW | ‘Dumb Enough’ by Milo

  07-11-2026 18:12 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  Twenty-five years ago, Elizabeth Elmore (Sarge, The Reputation) played her heart out to 15 people at The Bug Jar, then proceeded to drink me under the table. I remember little else — my first and, to date, last Garbage Plate was consumed — but do recall the unsung indie-rock great being bummed about the meager turnout.It’s 2026. We’ve got streaming platforms, social media and countless ways to discover music. Yet Rochester’s Milo — with a six-song EP, “Dumb Enough,” that deserve
  
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• Mark Cuddy returning as interim artistic director at Geva

  06-11-2026 23:20 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  The post Mark Cuddy returning as interim artistic director at Geva appeared first on CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture..
  
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• REVIEW | ‘La Bola Negra’

  06-11-2026 20:03 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  The film that won ‘Best Director’ at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (for co-directors Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo) is a generation-spanning tale of war, queer love and the connecting power of art. Since its debut in May, “La Bola Negra” has been tapped as one of the year’s top Oscar contenders.It’s a challenging task for a movie to sustain such overwhelming buzz from debut through an entire awards cycle, but the praise has been constant for “La Bola Negra,” which some p
  
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• Local father-daughter duo continues family legacy of cheese

  05-11-2026 06:43 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  Vincenzo Giordano never expected to get into the cheese business. It was basically second nature to love dairy growing up around farmers and cheesemakers in Rionero in Vulture, a historic hilltop town in the Italian region of Basilicata. Yet what started as a fun passion project grew into a beloved community staple. “I’ve always been interested in the variety of cheeses that Europe has, and when I started 27  years ago, I noticed there was a lack of that kind of cheese in this country,”
  
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• REVIEW | ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ at RBTL

  05-11-2026 00:54 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  Jukebox musicals tend to fall into two categories: a fabricated story manufactured to cram in as many hit songs as possible, or a biographical sketch of a major artist told using their songs. The 2023 Broadway musical from Alicia Keys falls somewhere in between. “Hell’s Kitchen, ” which runs through playing through November 8 at West Herr Performing Arts Center, brings a ‘90s New York City R&B family love story to the Rochester Broadway Theatre League season.The musical, penned by A
  
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• REVIEW | ‘Sundown by Venus’ by Jet Black Berries

  04-11-2026 18:19 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  In 1985, Rochester band The Jet Black Berries landed a song on the soundtrack for “The Return of the Living Dead” alongside bands like The Cramps, The Damned and 45 Grave. Occupying a middle ground between goth/psych-rock and post-punk, the song “Love Under Will” was immortalized in a cherished campy horror classic.Forty years later, the band is celebrating the re-release of their debut album “Sundown on Venus (Definitive Edition)” along with a newly recorded single, “Rocketfire S
  
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• EDITOR’S LETTER | Consider the lobster thermidor

  04-11-2026 06:51 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  I spent this past summer with Anthony Bourdain. He was with me as I drove 140 miles roundtrip twice a week to Syracuse to teach a news reporting class. As I flew to Palm Springs and New Orleans for work trips. He was with me as I unpacked boxes from a move, built patio furniture and replaced the floor in my kitchen. As I walked the four blocks to meet my sister, brother-in-law and tiny niece for sunset ice cream jaunts on Park Avenue.Hear me out. There may be no better person to have in your e
  
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• REVIEW | ‘Garage Country’ by Uncle Ben’s Remedy

  30-10-2026 07:02 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  Western New York-based Americana roots-rock act Uncle Ben’s Remedy writes that its seventh album, “Garage Country,” contains “songs about the people we grew up with, grew together with and grew apart from.” The album taps deep into the current cultural zeitgeist with an authentic honesty through its working-class storytelling.A live Uncle Ben’s Remedy show is a visceral experience akin to a tent revival, sans any religious overtones. Led by indomitable front man Ben Westlund, the gr
  
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• Unexpected Finger Lakes (and beyond) spots worth a midday detour

  30-10-2026 06:22 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  Some tamales are so good, you’ll follow directions that start with “use the basement door” to satisfy a craving — the tastiest bites are often tucked just out of sight. Even better when there’s an option to pair that lunch or dinner adventure with a hike at Letchworth, a ski run down Bristol Mountain or a photo stop at the dramatic Chimney Bluffs. Just don’t ruin your appetite with too much trail mix along the way.PHOTO BY THIRD EYE CATCHERCooperativa Las Cazuelas | Pickup only, Gen
  
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• THE RANDOM ROUTE | From Cafe Sasso to Lucky Folk Tattoo

  28-10-2026 05:57 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  I love random acts, and I love making connections, so I thought: what would happen if I combine the two?To find out, I craft a plan. In a public place, a stranger chooses a cardinal direction, rolls a die three times (each roll is a distance in miles) and draws two slips of paper — marked “left,” “right,” or “straight” — from a baggie. I map out a route with the results and chat with someone on the other end about life. Oh, and each person offers a message to the other to bring
  
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• The Random Route | A new series about searching for connection by way of chance

  28-10-2026 05:57 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  I love random acts, and I love making connections, so I thought: what would happen if I combine the two?To find out, I craft a plan. In a public place, a stranger chooses a cardinal direction, rolls a dice three times (each roll is a distance in miles) and draws two slips of paper — marked “left,” “right,” or “straight” — from a baggie. I map out a route with the results and chat with someone on the other end about life. Oh, and each person offers a message to the other to brin
  
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• Moving pictures: meet four Rochester natives who dance onstage and onscreen

  27-10-2026 19:53 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  Jasmine Harper has danced with the stars. From Jennifer Lopez and Ciara to Usher and Ne-Yo, Harper has shared the stage with prominent artists, but her “I made it” moment came when she was asked to tour with Beyoncé.“She’s amazing — the ultimate professional,” said Harper, a Henrietta native. “Seeing her give 125% every night drove us, not only when we were onstage, but in every other area of our lives.”Harper’s touring experience was complemented by music videos, including B
  
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• REVIEW | ‘A Long Forgotten Past’ by Alex Nazaretski

  27-10-2026 06:52 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  As I listened my way through composer/guitarist/pianist Alex Nazaretski’s debut album, I was reminded of the old “Choose Your Own Adventure” books. There are several musical paths, and each can lead you in a very different direction. The nice part with this album: there’s really no wrong way to go.At the start, we enter a grove of bright chamber music for strings, piano and percussion in the opening track, “Azure.” Linger here. It’s luminous and refreshing.Follow one path to skitt
  
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• REVIEW | ‘Possible Love’

  23-10-2026 07:04 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  The newest film from South Korean master Lee Chang-dong is just waiting to detonate. Instead, the plot of “Possible Love” simmers as a documentary project brings two families on different ends of a violent workers’ strike suppression together. Director Lee’s films always have a slow burn (his most recent feature from 2018 was named “Burning,” after all), building up to a moment of devastation or actualization for his protagonists. With his newest cinematic work, which premiered at
  
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• Western New York takes the spotlight in locally produced TV show ‘Abilene’

  21-10-2026 17:26 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  Twenty years ago, Nick DiBella walked into Schutt’s Apple Mill in Webster and immediately had an epiphany. He compared the feeling to being struck by lightning. “Suddenly, I could see a television show in that place,” said DiBella, local filmmaker and co-founder of Faith Street Films. “I could see young people working on the farm, in the store and in the press room. I could see relationships and conflicts and generations of a family whose lives were all connected to this one place. I s
  
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• REVIEW | ‘A Good Farmer’

  20-10-2026 07:57 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  The Rochester Community Players are following the news. They’re aware that ICE’s escalated detainment campaign has separated local families. They have their eyes on federal attempts to override procedure and impose a detention facility on State Street. They know the Batavia detention center is expanding. Their response is a staging of the deeply emotional play “A Good Farmer” by Sharyn Rothstein, which runs at MuCCC through October 24.This production succeeds as mor
  
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• The VHS resurgence that’s part nostalgia rewind, part anti-digital consumerist revolution

  19-10-2026 07:29 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  Donnie Del Plato has an entire wall of VHS tapes in her apartment, sorted and stacked from floor-to-ceiling in a kaleidoscope of cardboard sleeves. She’s lost count of exactly how many she’s amassed, but the number has crested 1,000, plus a few bulky CRT TVs.Del Plato’s collection started three years ago with two curios: “Jurassic Park” and “A Clockwork Orange.” When the illustrator moved to Rochester from New York City, she found herself with an empty
  
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• REVIEW | ‘You Can See Everything’

  16-10-2026 18:52 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  When the upper echelon of the filmgoing community convenes in the dog days of summer at the Telluride Film Festival, two questions are usually on everyone’s mind: Will the eventual Best Picture winner premiere here? And what is this year’s secret screening? Telluride likes to keep the lineup under wraps until people start arriving in Colorado, but it’s often easy to determine what will be playing over the long weekend in the mountains. The secret screening, however, usual
  
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• REVIEW | ‘Sense and Sensibility’

  15-10-2026 21:46 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  Early on in Georgia Oakley’s “Sense and Sensibility,” the most recent adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved 1811 novel, Marianne Dashwood (played by Esmé Creed-Miles) finishes off a list of non-negotiables she’s looking for in a husband with the potent summation: “I require so much.” It’s played as a bit of joke — rightly, for even though we’ve just met her, we can tell that Marianne wears her emotions quite visibly compared to he
  
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• Meet the band that opens for Jeff Tweedy of Wilco at RIT on 10/23

  14-10-2026 22:43 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  As the saying goes, you can’t go home again. Even if your childhood home is still physically intact, there comes a time when the place you once knew becomes irretrievable. For writer-turned-singer-songwriter Casey Gomez Walker, home is actually a place she returns to often in her prose and her music. The St. Louis exurb of Gomez Walker’s youth casts quite the shadow over “Last Missouri Exit,” her 2025 debut album as the focal point of the band Case Oats. A modernist
  
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• Morphin’ time: local filmmaker racks up a half million views on Power Rangers fan flick

  13-10-2026 08:28 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  Even the cab driver snapped a photo.When Jesse Ferrara and his wife were on a babymoon in Japan, Ferrara, a lifelong fan of Power Rangers — yes, the Mighty Morphin’ kind — saw it as a great opportunity. On a break from exploring the local culture, the couple ventured to a remote quarry.But not just any quarry. This very craggy spot was where scenes from many Japanese action series, including the original 1990s Power Rangers show, had been filmed.They arrived in Tochigi after a
  
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• Morphin’ time: how a local filmmaker racked up a half million views on his Power Rangers fan flick

  13-10-2026 08:28 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  Even the cab driver snapped a photo.When Jesse Ferrara and his wife were on a babymoon in Japan, Ferrara, a lifelong fan of Power Rangers — yes, the Mighty Morphin’ kind — saw it as a great opportunity. On a break from exploring the local culture, the couple ventured to a remote quarry.But not just any quarry. This very craggy spot was where scenes from many Japanese action series, including the original 1990s Power Rangers show, had been filmed.They arrived in Tochigi after a
  
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• Jake Taniguchi makes RPO debut as assistant conductor and RPYO music director

  09-10-2026 08:26 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  
  As a child in Hawaii, Jake Taniguchi would go to classical concerts with his grandfather. The first orchestra he saw in concert was the Honolulu Symphony, led by then-principal conductor Andreas Delfs, who is currently music director of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Taniguchi is now a conductor himself, and having a bit of a full circle moment: beginning September 1, he’ll join the RPO as assistant conductor (working with Delfs) and as music director of the Rochester Philharm
  
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• Elizabeth Williamson to depart Geva Theatre in December

  09-10-2026 08:16 via CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture.
  The post Elizabeth Williamson to depart Geva Theatre in December appeared first on CITY Magazine. Arts. Music. Culture..
  
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