CITY October 2024

AR TS. MUSIC. CULTURE .

OCTOBER 2024

FREE | SINCE 1971

LORE

THEATER

“THE SUMMER LAND,” A NEW PLAY, EXAMINES ROCHESTER AS THE HUB OF THE SPIRITUALIST MOVEMENT OF THE 1840S.

BRIDGMAN|PACKER DANCE UNEARTHS A NEIGHBORHOOD’S PAST. BY SYDNEY BURROWS

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Rochester Area Media Partners LLC, Norm Silverstein, chairman

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EDITORIAL

Editor: Leah Stacy

Arts writers: Patrick Hosken, Daniel J. Kushner

Contributors: Kellen Beck, Sydney Burrows, Alex Crichton, Katie Epner, Gino Fanelli, Johanna Lester, June “CM” McCambridge, Joe Morrell, Jeremy Moule, Abby Quatro, Narada J. Riley, Rafael Rodriguez, Michala Schram, Racquel Stephen, Max Schulte, J.R. Taylor, Pete Wayner

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Art director: Jacob Walsh

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CITY (ISSN 1551-3262) is published monthly 12 times per year by Rochester Area Media Partners, a subsidiary of WXXI Public Broadcasting. Periodical postage paid at Rochester, NY (USPS 022-138). Address changes: CITY, 280 State Street, Rochester, NY 14614. Member of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia and the New York Press Association. Copyright by Rochester Area Media Partners LLC, 2023 - all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording or by any information storage retrieval system without permission of the copyright owner.

Photo Illustration by Jacob Walsh

Forgetting

Remembering" by Adriana Ippel Slutzky

Lore of yore

EDITOR'S LETTER

BY LEAH STACY LEAH@ROCHESTER-CITYNEWS.COM

Like many Rochesterians, I hail from a melting pot family. Family lore is one of my favorite things to research; I’ve spent hours combing records on Ancestry.com and one of my cousins recently discovered our family surname is O’Connor (or, in Ireland, simply Connor). My paternal great-grandfather was Irish, my great-grandmother Polish. A teenage pregnancy resulted in my grandfather Casimer, who was raised by his Polish grandparents and given their surname Staszewski, which he later changed to “Stacy” to simplify things for his career (and all of us).

My grandparents met while working at Bausch & Lomb — my French Canadian grandmother was acting in a company drama production that my redheaded grandfather was directing. Just around the corner, my great-grandmother worked as a wedding seamstress at Sibley’s.

After a brief stint down the Thruway in Clarence, my paternal grandfather moved his young family back to the Maplewood neighborhood to anchor Rochester’s first Prudential Insurance headquarters. He often took the subway down to his Prudential office in the Times Square Building (which, interesting fact, laid its first cornerstone the day the Great Stock Market crashed in 1929). My aunts and uncles would grow up to work at Edwards and Kodak.

Typical family lore. Some of it might even be accurate.

When I began interning at the “Democrat and Chronicle” in the Gannett Building downtown, I often looked across the way at the Times Square Building, thinking of my grandfather’s early days in Rochester. I never met him, since he died when my dad was a child. But somehow, our family lore was a way I connected to someone I never knew.

In this issue, we chronicle the region’s lore, from ghosts and plates to rumors and lost lands. It’s a departure from our usual style, but one we think you’ll enjoy.

PHOTO BY MAX SCHULTE

FRINGE

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Scenes from TriviaCITY at Rochester Fringe Festival on September 18, 2024.

PHOTOS BY NARADA J. RILEY

R.E.P.O.R.T.S.

(R)EADING, (E)ATING, (P)LAYING, (O)BSESSING OVER, (R)ECOMMENDING, (T)REATING, (S)HOUTING OUT.

BY JOHANNA LESTER

REPORTER: Geoffrey Zeiner, age: 38. Stay-at-home-dad, freelance illustrator, amateur historian

SOCIAL: I have a Rochester history blog at gonechester.wordpress.com and an art Instagram @fmrlights

HOMETOWN: I am a sixth-generation Rochesterian on my father’s side; my third great-grandfather, Jacob Zeiner, is listed as a “ragpicker” in the 1873 directory.

READING: Most of my reading is fuel for my blog, “Gonechester”: newspaper archives; books in the Central Library local history stacks; and, of course, other history blogs. The “Rochester Subway” blog and the “Local History ROCS!” blog published by the Public Library are my favorites. I also love following the progress Downtown ROCs is making! Aside from that, I’m perennially reading trashy sci-fi novels with illustrations of starships on the covers.

EATING: I love sitting with a coffee at Cafe Sasso on Park Avenue, looking at art by dozens of local artists—myself included! If I’m in a beer mood, I’m at Three Heads Brewing on Atlantic, possibly with an Old Pueblo Grill flamin’-hot burrito in my off hand. I’m an experienced cook with a family, though, so usually I’m making dinner at home.

PLAYING: If I’m playing something, it’s either with my kids or on the piano; I’m a self-taught guitarist and pianist, although I could always stand to improve. (I’m idly looking to start a band, hit me up if you want to jam.) I love to drop by the open mic night on Wednesdays at Boulder Coffee Co. when I’ve got the chance.

OBSESSING OVER: Not to be macabre, but: graves! From the well-known and rambling Mount Hope Cemetery to the smaller and more obscure Brighton Cemetery, there’s a load of beautiful historic graveyards with markers from many eras, including some zinc ones. I like to search out the most grown-over grave marker I can find, clear it off and research the name I find on it. I’ve found some amazing stories that way, ones that were nearly swallowed by the groundcover forever.

RECOMMENDING: Avail yourself of your local library! I regularly find inspiration at the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County through books, reference materials, and online resources. The librarians there are always willing to help me find newspaper articles! What I do wouldn’t be possible without the library’s services. Similarly, the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation at the University of Rochester is worth a visit. And, the Genesee Country Village & Museum is a must-see, of course.

TREATING MYSELF TO: A bike ride is all I need to unwind; there are so many fun little bike trails and interesting historical sights to see in and around Rochester. The Genesee Riverway Trail goes without saying, or a leisurely ride along the Erie Canal towpath. Stop by Pittsford Farms Dairy for a delicious ice cream cone!

SHOUTING OUT: My wife, Tracy Pakusch, is an arts educator at School No. 5; I’m constantly inspired by how much of herself she puts into her classroom and her students with little support and a shoestring budget. But that’s the story of so many local educators! So, I want to give kudos to the teachers who work so hard to build our community.

Interested in being a CITY R.E.P.O.R.T.S. interviewee? Send an email to leah@rochester-citynews.com.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Rochester rumor mill

We asked readers for favorite local lore:

“There’s a series of hidden tunnels underneath the city that come out in key locations such as the Warner Castle’s sunken gardens. Rumor has it that these tunnels were used by the Illuminati to get to and fro throughout the city. This is 100% a rumor and these tunnels are in no way connected but it’s kind of a local legend.”

— SHANE TAVOLINO

“My mom's next-door neighbor and bully was Wanda Walkowicz who was one of the victims of The Alphabet Killer.” — JASON BARBER

“Umm the Fox sisters! They fooled everyone. You can learn all about it with our spiritualism collection in Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation (RBSCP) at the University of Rochester.”

— ERIN FISHER

“Reynolds Beast, Francis Tumblety, the Noisy Ghost, Littles Curse, The Fandango, and the General's Skull are all good ones!” — MATT ROGERS OF @THELOSTBOROUGH

“Went to Rooney’s for dinner and our waiter told us the history about the South Wedge/Swillburg area and that it was primarily pig farms back in the day, and that's where its name comes from. Had no idea!”

— MACKENZIE REED

“That the George Eastman Museum is (quite literally) sitting on top of the country's largest collection of porno film prints. Also there's bodies buried in the Bay Bridge (from the mafia days)!”

— KATIE EPNER

Metallica’s first album, “Kill ‘Em All,” was recorded in Rochester at Music America Studios in 1983. — @GOATRODEO

“The hoodie was invented in Rochester around 1930 by Champion and was originally called the ‘sideline sweatshirt.’ Also, the Lightsaber was modeled after a camera's flash unit made in Rochester by Graflex.”

— LOUIS RESSEL

“Obviously Kodak’s nuclear reactor.” — ALEX FITZPATRICK

“The Ghost City of Valentown (Hall in Victor).”

— SCOTT WISCHMEYER

“This one’s well known, but my fave is that scammer Francis Tumblety, who is buried in Holy Sepulchre, is a Jack the Ripper suspect. “A December 1888 ‘Democrat and Chronicle’ article quoted an acquaintance of his, who said, ‘Knowing him as I do, I should not be the least bit surprised if he turned out to be Jack the Ripper.’”

— PATRICK HOSKEN

“Partial to the Jackson Sanitarium's role in developing granola, later Grape Nuts. Marketed as health cure food at the time and possibly, maybe, debatably for diversion from masturbation. The great quasi-cult cereal arms race of the late 1800s.”

“In more recent history, the curse of the Fast Ferry. That damn boat has been around the world in failed attempts to make it a permanent ferry vessel. Its longest stint was between Spain and Morocco, and after that it lasted less than a month in Denmark. It then made its way to Venezuela by purchase of Transport Minister Hebert Garcia Plaza, who is wanted by Interpol now for embezzling $54 million to buy it and two other ferries. It's now stuck in Venezuela. As in, unused and sitting awaiting repair that it will probably never get.”

— GINO FANELLI

“Rochester has waaaay too many serial killer connections. The Hillside Strangler was also born here.”

JEREMY MOULE

—

Over and out

The fall of first American daredevil Sam Patch

BY MICHALA SCHRAM

On November 13, 1829, thousands of people stood by the falls that flow into the Genesee River. Excitement rushed through the crowd as they awaited America’s first daredevil, Sam Patch, who would attempt to jump High Falls for the second time. And it wasn’t any day in November — it was Friday the 13th.

For the superstitious, the day is already considered unlucky, but it was even unluckier for Sam Patch, who died at age 22 after that ‘final jump’ here in Rochester. After multiple times jumping falls from Hoboken to Niagara, Patch tempted his fate in the Genesee River at our very own High Falls not just once, but twice in less than a week's time.

“All the reports I’ve seen is that he wobbled on his way down,” said Rochester Historical Society Librarian Bill Keeler. Patch’s wobble was theorized to be from overdrinking the night before.

According to volume two of “The Gem,” a Rochester journal from 1830, “he had perfect command of himself while in the air, and had he not been given to habits of intoxication, he might have astonished the world, perhaps for years, with the greatest feats ever performed by man.”

During a time when there was no social media, football games or even calling a friend on the phone, many resorted to entertainment such as watching daredevil acts. On November 13, 1829, just one week after his first jump in Rochester, Patch planned to jump one final time, increasing the height of the jump to 125 feet by building a 25-foot platform. (The first jump on November 6 hadn’t raised enough money; even after he pushed his pet bear into the falls before he jumped himself.) But this time was more than just an exit from his career.

“Sam apparently lost his balance — struck the water in a sideling manner — and disappeared to rise no more! Such a shocking result had a strong effect on the immense crowd. After waiting in breathless anxiety for sometime, the multitude dispersed with feelings, which can be better imagined than described. The corpse is not yet found,” reported the Rochester Daily the following day.

Because Patch took his final jump without returning to the top, some wondered whether he was still alive or not. The following spring, Patch’s frozen body was found, the black handkerchief he wore when he jumped High Falls still intact. He was buried in Charlotte Cemetery, with a long-gone plaque that read, "Here lies Sam Patch – Such is Fame."

Today, Sam Patch’s legacy lives on through namesake boat tours on the Erie Canal through Corn Hill Navigation (no falls are attempted on these tours). One of the original founders, Ted Curtis, wanted to tie in Rochester history in the boat name.

“[Curtis] worked with a bunch of local philanthropists to raise the money to build the original Sam Patch in 1990 and he was set on calling it Sam Patch,” said Corn Hill Waterfront and Navigation Foundation Executive Director Patrick Russell-Walsh. “I think it was a particular quirk of Rochester’s history that he loved and wanted to see it live on in a boat.”

A mother’s revenge

Chasing the ‘White Lady’ of Durand Eastman Park

BY JUNE “CM” MCCAMBRIDGE

Locally beloved for its summer activities and fall foliage, Durand Eastman Park is home to far more than just a beach, golf course and arboretum. According to some, the brisk fog rolling in from Lake Ontario might be hiding one of the city’s most famous ghosts.

While Rochester boasts all sorts of local legends, perhaps none are quite as well-known as the “White Lady” of Durand Eastman Park. Recorded sightings may be scarce, but stories surrounding her are plentiful. And as the subject of a patchwork lore over the years, there have managed to be a few common threads.

“It’s a very interesting tale, though there's some speculation as to how it originated,” said Jack Butler, co-author of “Mendon Ponds Park: Fairchild's Dream” and author of the upcoming book, “Durand Eastman Park,” which will hit shelves this month. “The park people laugh it off, some people swear by it, claiming they’ve seen or heard things.”

Although there are a few competing origins for the White Lady’s story, Butler seems to have a firm idea of where it comes from – the old refectory, or communal kitchen. Built for guests who made the arduous journey from New York City, it stood for decades as a source of food and shelter.

“The refectory itself ended up burning in 1963, I’m guessing it was after that that this folklore began about the White Lady,” Butler said. “A woman who apparently roams around with these wolf-like dogs looking for her missing daughter. It’s been said that she lived there while it burned. People might confuse the refectory with Durand’s former home that was down there, and as such, it’s still not understood where this really stems from.”

While there are alleged sightings of similar ghosts all over North America, Mason Winfield, local folklorist and author of “Haunted Rochester,” said the one in Durand Eastman Park seems to be unique.

“Folklorists don’t know where this story came from,” said Winfield. “It’s one of these legends that spring into form like Athena from the head of Jove. It’s an archetype right out of Greco-Roman mythology –the avenging hunting woman accompanied by predatory animals.” The lore of the White Lady looking for her missing daughter is another one of the few common elements shared across various stories.

“The backstory is she was a mother whose daughter was raped, drowned and lost. It’s an old theory that (the daughter) committed suicide in the lake,” said Winfield. “That’s one reputed origin for the White Lady and her dogs — she’s on the hunt for her child and possibly the murderer, she’s an avenger against abuse.”

Though nothing is certain, the story does center around a visceral femininity, one that Winfield believes permeates all of Rochester.

“The ghosts of the lower Genesee, they’re all chicks,” he said. “You wonder if it had something to do with the suffrage movement, and if there’s a sort of feminine energy that comes from there.”

Small but mighty

BY PETE WAYNER

Beneath the feet of passengers darting to and fro in the RTS Transit Center on North Clinton and Mortimer rests a tomb. There, under the hub where Rochesterians bustle on their way around the city, thousands of their forebears once sat awash in the magic of silver nitrate, crafted into film just a few miles away.

It was the site of the RKO Palace, the crown jewel in a diadem of sparkling cinemas that dazzled Rochester’s moviegoers with crystal chandeliers, towering mirrors and fireplaces in two separate lounges — all before they saw a frame of film splash across the giant screen. The palace’s marquee illuminated the nighttime cityscape in the company of The Lyric and The Lincoln, The Thurston, The Hub, the Hippodrome, The Revy and The Rialto to name a very few. All, like The Palace, are now history; casualties of the television and suburban multiplex.

There is, however, an exception. The Little Theatre on East Avenue opened its doors a week before the stock market crash of 1929. In keeping with its devotion to silent films, The Little Theatre chose to be known as “The House of Silent Shadows” and its first presentation was “Cyrano de Bergerac.” It had almost 300 seats (compared to the Palace’s 3,000), served coffee and cigarettes and styled itself — according to a pamphlet from 1949 commemorating the theater’s 20th anniversary — as one of a string “of ‘Intimate’ theaters in cities across the country for showing unusual films.”

The Little Theatre weathers nearly a century

of storms by pivoting and forging community.

ARTS

That string was known as the ‘Little Theatre Movement,’ created by the Motion Picture Guild in the 1920s to give cities smaller, more intimate, higher-brow film experiences. Originally, The Little was a residential home with a front porch and cupola. (The theater itself was constructed in the Art Deco style by Edgar Phillips of Rochester and Frederick Pike of Buffalo, and its distinctive style has earned it a place on the National Register of Historic Places.) Throughout the decades, it would transform into a cinema and lounge, a franchise of the Rochester Jo-Mor theater chain and, allegedly, a XXX theater (which wouldn’t have been atypical for the time; as moviegoers gravitated to screens outside the city, a number of downtown theaters sought ‘niche’ revenue streams).

In the 1980s, a coterie of historically minded cinephiles, William Coppard and John and Pam Blanpied, restored the theater’s original vision and much of the building, while adding additional screens to the layout. Eventually, the theater became a non-profit before merging with WXXI.

This October, The Little celebrates its 95th anniversary, and, despite such a fraught and winding path, still shows unusual films. If it didn’t, it probably would have felt the wrecking ball, too.

“We show the movies you can’t see anywhere else,” said Scott Pukos, The Little’s director of communication. “The film community is so amazing … passionate, smart people who just love movies and have great taste in movies and love supporting The Little and art house films.”

The community supported The Little through a major renovation that took place in stages over a number of years. When the original theater at 240 East Avenue was finally restored in architectural homage to the original structure (plus seat cupholders), Pukos stood on the stage before a sold-out celebratory screening of “When Harry Met Sally,” on Valentine’s Day 2020.

“I did the introduction for the movie that night, and as I’m looking out at the crowd, I was like, ‘Can I

take your photo? I want to capture this, it feels like an historic moment for The Little,’” said Pukos. “It’s one of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken here. I wanted something to capture history, and unfortunately, it captured kind of the wrong history.”

Weeks later, the theater’s screens went dark for more than a year. Pukos made the comparison of a global depression at the theater’s birth to a global pandemic clouding its renaissance 90 years later.

“And yet,” he said, “The Little is still here and still thrived.”

Whether worldwide catastrophe or the slow encroachment of technology, the scythe felling Rochester’s moviehouses has been relentless since the 1950s. The final screening of the Palace was a Frank Sinatra war flick called “Von Ryan’s Express,” flickering in front of a meager handful of final patrons. That was 1965, when TV and suburban competitors sapped the lifeblood from the grand cinemas of yesteryear.

Today, algorithms and streaming services arguably protect us from seeing something we may not enjoy (gasp) in a crowd of people we don’t know, all so far from our sofas. But

makes The Little so special, said Pukos.

It’s a community that can never be recreated at home (nor, it’s worth noting, can The Little’s popcorn). Ayette Jordan, The Little’s executive director, believes that is the secret to the theater’s longevity — and its future.

“The theater has survived because people in the community cared,” she said. “When you look at the opportunities that are before us right now, we have a chance to really become more stable, stronger and make sure this place and everything that goes on here exists for the benefit of the generations that follow us.”

Generations that include Julie, who told Pukos her love of cinema was born at The Little when she saw the 1948 film “The Red Shoes;” the 4-year-old girl who giggled through the entirety of Cat Video Fest; and the young local filmmakers in the Rochester Teen Film Festival.

“Seeing their faces when they see their names up on the marquee,” said Pukos. “All that stuff makes me so happy.”

An early exterior of The Little Theatre. PHOTO PROVIDED

“What does hell look like to you?”” Oh hell is...”

By J.R. Taylor

“the garbage plate leftovers stink up the fridge” as the first line followed by “tired drops of sweat salt the ground”

“it is nearly summer”

“Empty bags of coffee at the 4 am start”

“Unlined trash bins”

“East Ave wegman’s parking lot”

“flat bike tires fifteen minutes late to work”

“the smile plastered on lips 100% of the time”

“the 18 minute ride back home at 2am”

“How hard it is to hold the little drops of water”

“river running dry mouth”

“babbling just gibberish”

“the quiet look of hazel sadness” “tears permeating”

“the hole in wall in the old apartment pantry”

“the robins having stopped their chirping”

“it is snowing again”

“November -“

“the flowers have all died”

“The Summer Land,” a new play, examines Rochester as the hub of the Spiritualist movement of the 1840s.

Rapping with the dead

ARTS

BY PATRICK HOSKEN PATRICK@ROCHESTER-CITYNEWS.COM

The Rochester of 1848 contained multitudes.

Frederick Douglass published “The North Star” across the street from the stately Corinthian Hall downtown. Activists rallied for women’s suffrage in nearby Seneca Falls. And a rural house 30 miles east of the Flower City became the site of two young girls communicating with spirits.

Against this backdrop opens the action of “The Summer Land,” a new play written by Tappan, New York native Kate Royal, which The Company Theatre will present from Nov. 8-17. Royal, a SUNY Geneseo graduate and a former artist-inresidence at MuCCC, pulls these threads together to present a historical era with contemporary undertones.

“In this time, Rochester is the epicenter of progress and the American imagination of what this society can be,” Royal said. “This is the moment where so much of American identity was not even formed.”

The sisters, Maggie and Kate Fox, demonstrated their mediumship through various cracking sounds, which came to be called “rappings.” The elder Fox sister, Leah, brought Maggie and Kate to Rochester (and beyond) to show off their supernatural prowess.

Their demonstrations lit the fire for the widespread movement called Spiritualism that came to define the era. It may have even influenced Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation of the preternaturally gifted detective Sherlock Holmes.

“The blacksmith’s daughters became celebrities,” journalist Arch Merrill wrote in his 1946 “Rochester Sketchbook.”

“They traveled to many cities. They led rather spectacular lives.”

Royal’s play does not revolve around any one of the Foxes, instead centering on Amy Post, a local Quaker and early booster of the sisters who was deeply involved in the abolitionist and women’s rights movements.

“She was the nexus of all of that,” Royal said, calling her a “tortured protagonist” emblematic

of Spiritualism’s far-reaching implications — as was Leah Fox.

“Both of those women represent facets of the American identity: progress and capitalism,” Royal said. “It really is these two warring ideologies and how they both are trying to use these girls as a means of forwarding those agendas.”

Much dramatic tension can be found in the actual practices of Spiritualism, too. Carl Del Buono, the show’s director, said the crew paid particular attention to the physicality of the Fox sisters’ readings as they aimed to translate that to the stage.

“What does it do to Maggie’s voice when she’s being stretched, when her neck is exposed and she’s sort of open?” Del Buono said. “What does it do for Kate Fox when she’s channeling all of this stuff and letting it pass through her?”

A stage show that examines

American identity through lenses of seances, spirit guides and 19th-century progressive causes is a bold feat. It’s so intrepid that Royal had to look to the greats for inspiration.

“I mean this not in an egotistical way, but I want to write my ‘Angels in America,’” Royal said, also evoking Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” as another theatrical touch point.

How can “The Summer Land” follow in the footsteps of those heavyweights? Del Buono said they’ve tapped into a method from Transcendentalism, a philosophical movement that immediately predated the Spiritualists.

“We talked a lot about allowing yourself to be the transparent eyeball, taking everything in and then letting it flow through you,” he said.

Sounds just spiritual enough to work.

The story of the Fox sisters, who could apparently commune with the dead, centers Kate Royal’s new play “The Summer Land.” PHOTO BY JACOB WALSH

The Fox Sisters: Maggie, Kate and Leah.

What’s now The Alexander has myriad histories.

The ghosts of 282 Alexander Street

BY KELLEN BECK

At 282 Alexander Street in Rochester’s East End, an iconic brick Victorian building has witnessed over 140 years of history. Originally a family home later refitted into one of the city’s most famous restaurants — Rio Bamba — the space has been a whirling dervish of food, drinks, gossip, music, dancing, mafia activity and possibly even a ghost.

Now it’s home to The Alexander, a new venture from the Swan Family of Restaurants that welcomes larger events while still offering a more typical sit-down dinner service. While new coats of paint and furnishings have given the space a fresh, breezy-yet-classy feel, echoes of the past resonate from the brick archways and detailed woodwork still preserved from its original construction.

Restaurateur Robin Banister, one of the owners of both The Alexander and its predecessor, Ox and Stone, loves the building. When Ox and Stone had a hard time finding footing again after COVID, she and her son Jonathan Swan considered closing up and leaving the space entirely. But they didn’t want to abandon that building.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JACOB WALSH

A 2024 view of the former Rio Bamba dining room pictured above. PHOTO BY ABBY QUATRO

“Our worry was, what will happen to it?” Banister said. “Who’s going to come in here? Is it going to be condos? What’s going to happen to this whole area and who would take this space?”

Now, with The Alexander, that concern can wait.

ELABORATE BEGINNINGS

Up two flights of the dramatic 19th-century staircase that was hidden under carpet when Ox and Stone started to take shape in 2014, the cordoned-off third floor of the building hints at some of its earliest occupants. Strips of old, dry wallpaper still cling to the walls and small, childish, hand-painted murals of women and flowers nod back to the pre-restaurant origins and some likely childhood bedrooms. A second, narrower set of stairs toward the back of the building suggests that the family housed servants. An ad looking for a cook and “second girl” to work at the address was published in the “Democrat and Chronicle” in 1885. In the iconic turret, some original stained glass remains.

The home was occupied by a few different families, including the Warrens and Stacys, the latter’s patriarch Orrin T. Stacy heading up a local candy manufacturer, O. T. Stacy Co. In 1917, the lot was put up for sale for $14,500. With inflation, that equals a bit over $350,000 today. Ads for rooms to lease in the building popped up in the D&C shortly after, boasting “beautifully furnished apartments” with steam heating and electricity. (Banister noted the wiring in the building to be one of the biggest challenges with operating in modern times.)

CELEB SIGHTINGS

The first foray into food at 282 Alexander was the southern, casual chain restaurant Toddle House in 1939 – a precursor to Waffle House. A standalone eatery was built in front of the house, as evidenced by a photograph with the D&C’s announcement, while the main house was split into as many as 10 rooms (with two bathrooms to share) to rent. The grill joint operated there until 1948, when the space’s new identity began to form.

In 1949, Alfred Greene opened Rio Bamba in the space. Greene took

inspiration from a nightclub named Riobamba in Midtown Manhattan, which was owned by a mafia boss and shuttered after two years in ‘44. Rochester’s version was an instant hit, earning glowing reviews with its elevated menu, luxurious design and swanky entertainment.

Rio Bamba’s reputation grew and it was regarded for a long time as Rochester’s best and most expensive spot for dinner. Politicians and business bigwigs were known to dine at the bold, elegant restaurant.

D&C columnists Henry Clune and Bill Beeney wrote abundantly about rubbing elbows with powerful locals, artists, and celebrities throughout the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, peppering their gossip with name drops like actors Louise Brooks (“Pandora’s Box”) and Cleo Moore (“OverExposed”); writer and humorist Art Buchwald; artist Colleen Browning, whose murals adorned Rio Bamba; politician Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr.; and various Hollywood producers, directors, movers and shakers. Special guests and friends of the owners were gifted solid gold keys and given access to a plush, exclusive room built in 1953.

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES

It wasn’t always celebrities and warm welcomes, though. In October 1980, Rochester mafia underboss Richard Marino was leaving another restaurant down the street when a man bumped into him, sparking an argument. The man flashed a gun, halting the altercation until a short while later when Marino and some friends followed him into Rio Bamba and attacked him with a tire iron, taking a chunk out of the bar in the process.

Marino was indicted for various crimes over several years including multiple assaults, a weapons charge and murder — only some of them actually sticking. He eventually landed a 40-year sentence in 1984 for racketeering and conspiracy along with a handful of other Cosa Nostra mafia members.

Former Ox and Stone bartender Kevin Wade said guests and old employees of Rio Bamba would recount stories of poker games upstairs featuring both mafia affiliates and police, and other altercations, including a man getting his face beat

with an ashtray. There are also stories of a ghost named Charlotte who might cause lights to flicker, things to fall over, doors to close or even an original brick from an archway near the kitchen to disappear and reappear.

“We always said, ‘Good night, Charlotte!’ as we were leaving the building,” Wade said. “Just to be on the safe side.”

RESTAURANT ROW

Rio Bamba helped bolster that area of Alexander Street into what became known as “Restaurant Row” in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Other muchfrequented spots like the Supper Club, Chez Jean-Pierre and Lloyd’s popped up over the years, creating a hotbed of activity between Monroe and University Avenues.

The restaurant changed hands several times, pivoting its name to other spin-offs like Bamba Bistro, The Rio and a brief return to Rio Bamba in the 2000s. Layers of paint came and went, and an addition was built which now houses the bulk of the dining space. Although the name is gone, the legacy of Rio

Bamba lives on. One chef helming Rio Bamba’s kitchen in the 1970s was Jerry Vorrasi. After making a name for himself there, he went on to head up Brasserie and then the more recent 2 Vine. Many local restaurants have ties to 2 Vine, which closed in 2018, making way for Richard Reddington’s REDD.

Banister dined at Rio Bamba just once in 1983. She was 21, and it was a work-related celebration dinner replete with a limo. She remembers the space being elegant. When she pitched the building owner Don Calabrese their idea to take over the space with Ox and Stone, Banister and Swan hearkened back to the old days. The Alexander, while done differently and with less flair, captures a piece of what came before.

“There are a lot of people over (the age of) 70 that come in here that are just so happy to see it like this versus Ox and Stone,” Banister said. “They feel more comfortable coming in here. The menu is more of what they desire and they feel like it’s been brought back more to its glory days.”

The exterior of the building in 2022. PHOTO PROVIDED

Bridgman|Packer Dance unearths a neighborhood’s past.

The hidden stories of Joseph Avenue

ARTS

BY SYDNEY BURROWS

In 2018, Myrna Packer stood in what was once her grandmother’s kitchen on Joseph Avenue for the first time in almost 50 years.

“It was surreal, to be in that place in Rochester with my own hidden story written in its walls,” she said. Almost a century earlier, Packer’s grandparents Jacob and Fanny Diner, Jewish immigrants from Austria, moved to Rochester from New York City.

As part of an upcoming performance and visual installation at the University of Rochester, Guggenheim Fellows in Choreography and 2017 Bessie Awardees Myrna Packer and Art Bridgman of Bridgman|Packer Dance began researching and interviewing current inhabitants of Joseph Avenue.

Though it is no longer the center of Rochester’s Jewish immigrant community, Packer found that those who live on Joseph Avenue now, like Local Motion store owner Jaime Rivera, have stories that mirror her family’s.

Rivera also came to Rochester by way of New York City. He found opportunities in Rochester that were not available in NYC, like real estate investments and a job at the Castle Sybron factory.

Local Motion owner Jaime Rivera in the Joseph Avenue neighborhood.

PHOTO BY RAFAEL RODRIGUEZ

Rivera purchased several buildings on Joseph Avenue in 1986, which had already lived many lives, including acting as a welcoming home for Packer’s grandparents. He’s grateful for his neighborhood for giving his family the chance to open a store that brings meaning and connection to the community.

“You’re going to have pockets of violence no matter where you live, but people here help each other,” Rivera said. “If they see you’re in need, they help you. It’s a family. If you’re Black, Puerto Rican, from Venezuela and Ecuador, or other countries, you’re welcomed here.”

Packer and Bridgman will include Rivera’s and other community members’ stories in their visual installation “Places With Hidden Stories” alongside a multidisciplinary performance of “Ghost Factory” in October.

Since 1978, the couple has collaborated on dance projects; 20 years ago, they began integrating videography into their work as technology changed and advanced. Packer and Bridgman have expanded their artistic projects to include recorded video projected onstage as well

as live camera work.

“We’re choreographers first, so we use technology as an added element of our choreographic artistic palette,” Bridgman explained. “We choose the technological ideas that best support our choreographic themes and concepts, that can help us say what we want to say onstage.”

“Ghost Factory” uses both dance and videography to portray a piece inspired by the people of Johnson City, in the Southern Tier, and the abandoned factories of the Endicott Johnson Shoe Company that are still standing.

The live camera work captures the performance and mixes it with pre-recorded content, helping project imagery of factory manufacturing assembly lines and conveyor belts. Although Bridgman and Packer are the only performers, the video technology replicates their images.

“We call it ‘video partnering’ because the video plays a very active role in the performance dynamic,” said Packer. “It’s not that the video is a set piece. The video becomes a metaphor for these ghostlike entities.”

The layering of images and sounds contributes to a dream-like feel.

“Onstage we try to create a world where reality and imagination mix,” Packer continued.

The setting of the recorded film adds to the spooky, ghostlike ambiance. They filmed in the massive abandoned factories with puddles of water, stalactites and broken windows as their set.

In a space that was created by people for people, nature and time have taken over the storytelling of the space.

In conjunction with the Joseph Ave Arts and Culture Alliance (JAACA), Packer and Bridgman will present “Ghost Factory” and a Rochesterbased iteration of “Places With Hidden Stories” on October 25 at Sloan Performing Arts Center.

“It’s a view into specific people’s stories,” said Packer. “But there’s so much that’s universal, about our relationship to family, work, community, culture, immigration and migration.” events.rochester.edu/event/bridgmanpacker-dance

Scenes from past productions of “Ghost Factory.”

PHOTO PROVIDED BY BRIDGMAN|PACKER DANCE

Lost resort

CULTURE

BY KATIE EPNER

Ghosts of Rochester’s trolley Golden Age lurk in overgrown places below power lines and bike paths, crooning sad songs of summer flings and what-ifs. They’re shy, but if you know where to look, they’ll indulge your curiosities.

However, there is one ghost that evades all recognition. The white whale. The magnificent tree in the forest crashing to earth with no one around to hear. This is the story of Dreamland, the amusement park and festival ground on the southern shore of Irondequoit Bay, enjoyed by thousands and remembered by none, buried in an unmarked grave.

Residents today are familiar with this area as the quiet home of Irondequoit Bay Fish and Game Club, Sutter’s Marina or mountain biking mecca Bay Park West. But entering the 1900s, this area was a powder keg, charged with the economic potential of recreation and society’s new position to indulge therein.

Late Irondequoit town historian Maude I. West recounts the period when summer resorts flourished along the bay in her book, “Irondequoit Story.” Glen Haven stood out among the rest as a first-class resort, prompting the lifeline that would spur its explosive growth.

By 1905, the Rochester Railway Company, owner of the Glen Haven trolley line,

Exploring Rochester’s forgotten amusement park.

needed to give people a reason to purchase their fares. With competition from nearby Seabreeze and Ontario Beach Park each boasting their own docket of thrills, the Victorian charm of the existing Glen Haven Hotel no longer enticed patrons.

As shorter work weeks, growing wealth and flourishing public transit systems around the country forged a new economy in the business of pleasure, Rochester found itself at the apex of this tide. A local newspaper dubbed Rochester “a paradise for poor people,” possessing “a greater number of inviting, convenient, and accessible ‘outing spots’ than any city in the country.”

Massive investments were made to transform the mere six-acre Glen Haven Park into a premier destination for visitors to indulge their desires and empty their pocketbooks. A revolving door of amusements filled Dreamland, as third-party operators were happy to oblige patrons’ appetites for the latest and greatest thrills.

A rollercoaster, ferris wheel, merry-go-round, shooting gallery, midway and theater sparkling with 3,000 incandescent bulbs drew daily crowds by the tens of thousands; as did attractions whose names still entice the modern thrillseeker — Katzenjammer Castle, House of Trouble, Cleopatra, Temple of Mirth, Cave of Winds, Helter Skelter and Mystic Chute. Efforts paid off. The 1907 summer season entertained

An aerial view of Dreamland. PHOTO PROVIDED

Dreamland was an amusement park and festival ground on the southern shore of Irondequoit Bay. PHOTO PROVIDED

157 trolleys left the Glen Haven Depot on East Main Street daily. PHOTO PROVIDED

THANKS FOR READING

a purported 500,000 visitors. According to timetables meticulously measured in Charles R. Lowe’s book “Trolleys to Glen Haven,” 157 trolleys left the Glen Haven Depot on East Main Street (now home to RTS headquarters) daily and, at peak times, homes along the tracks could hear the rumble of a passing train every six-and-a-half minutes. (Trolleys heading for Sodus Point also used this track, which adds to its substantial frequency.)

For a decade, newspapers reported banner year after banner year for the operators at Glen Haven Park. But soon, a new tide would pull people away just as swiftly as it had first brought them in. Since 1889, Rochester’s trolleys had expanded horizons for residents to visit other places previously too far, too costly or simply yet undiscovered. This golden age lasted into the 1930s, until the horizons offered from behind one’s own steering wheel were too seductive to compete with those from a fixed rail.

“I like to compare it to smartphones,” said Lowe, standing on the former railbed that carried trains from Rochester to Sodus in roughly two hours. “Back when they were coming out, we all couldn’t wait to have a computer in our pocket.”

By 1923, Glen Haven Park was under the same ownership as Seabreeze and Ontario Beach Park, and operators likely saw the writing on the wall. Rides were quietly removed, trolley service cut back and nature was free to reclaim its territory for the first time in nearly half a century — eventually consuming it whole and erasing it from memory.

The last Glen Haven trolley left the station on July 19, 1933.

LEARN MORE

“Trolleys to Glen Haven” by Charles R. Lowe (Purple Mountain Press, 2000)

“Irondequoit Story” by Maude I. West

(The Town Of Irondequoit, 1967)

Rochester Public Library Local History & Genealogy, roccitylibrary.org

New York Museum of Transportation, nymtmuseum.org

PHOTO PROVIDED

A map of Dreamland. PHOTO PROVIDED

Paranormal activities

CULTURE

BY PATRICK HOSKEN PATRICK@ROCHESTER-CITYNEWS.COM

Jason Milton didn’t put much stock in the supernatural until he visited an old asylum in Genesee County.

“I’ve worked in TV for most of my adult life, so I know how fake [paranormal] reality TV is. I thought, nothing’s going to happen,” Milton, a senior content producer at WXXI, said. “And I experienced a whole bunch of stuff there.”

Rolling Hills Asylum, a fixture of shows like “Ghost Hunters,” set Milton on his own journey of paranormal investigating. He’s since ventured to Irondequoit’s Union Tavern, the Nightmare Manor haunted house in Henrietta and Hose 22 Firehouse Grill in Charlotte — and had incidents at all of them. Some of these spooky outings can be seen in his own series, “Ghost Show,” which he launched with pal Jeremiah O’Reilly in 2020.

As such, he’s got a whole dossier of occurrences that have made him, for now, a believer. He shared some of those with CITY.

CITY: What happened when you first went to Rolling Hills that made you more open to the paranormal?

Milton: I heard voices that weren’t there. It was the intelligence of it all that really intrigued me. You would ask a question, and an EMF detector would go off, seemingly in response to your question. It was just enough for

“I’ve heard my name called in a building where I’m the only person in it.”

me to question, “what is actually happening here?” I always say I leave places with more questions than answers. I’m not ready to say that it’s ghosts in a traditional “dead people” sense. But I am willing to say I have experienced things that I cannot explain.

CITY: Do the kinds of experiences at Union Tavern contrast with some of the other places you’ve been?

Milton: That place just has a vibe. When you walk in there, you feel the history of that building in its walls, radiating around you. I didn’t like being alone in that building. It made me feel uneasy. I’ve walked around Rolling Hills at four o’clock in the morning, the only person in that building, and it’s not always like that. But I definitely think there’s something going on at Union Tavern that’s paranormal, but I wouldn’t say it was the most intense experience of my life. Something happened at Rolling Hills in the episode that we haven’t released yet. I saw a ghost, with my eyes, walking across a hallway.

CITY: Set the scene. You’re in a hallway, and you’re not alone, right, because you’re there with a production crew?

Milton: There’s five of us, the only people in the building. It’s probably 10 o’clock at night. We’re sitting in this cold, shadowy hallway, because people have always reported seeing shadows dart across the hall. We’re hearing noises, and it sounds like people are around us. We’re all a little bit on edge. I am asking (somebody) a question. I turn toward the

hallway, and I see a figure walk across the hall and block out the light from the exit sign at the end of it. Two other people who were looking in that direction saw the same thing. Still to this day, my brain wants to be like, “You didn’t actually see anything,” but I know, watching the footage back, I can put myself in those shoes and feel that feeling again.

CITY: It must be tough because none of this is scientific. You can’t recreate the conditions in a lab for repeat testing.

Milton: Here’s the thing: I’m so skeptical and open minded at the same time. We might get to a point someday where people explain all this stuff. I’m not steadfast in any of my beliefs enough with the paranormal to be like, it definitely is this. I sound like a crazy person going into a dark basement to talk to somebody who’s not there. I’ve heard my name called in a building where I’m the only person in it, and I have it on a recording. I’ve experienced so much. I don’t know what it is. ghostshow.tv

Jason Milton, right, launched his paranormal-centered "Ghost Show" with Jeremiah O'Reilly, left, in 2020. PHOTO PROVIDED

"As a documentarian, I became obsessed with capturing it to prove that something is happening," Milton said. PHOTO PROVIDED

todo DAILY

Full calendar of events online at roccitymag.com

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6

CRUISE

Fall Foliage Cruises to Downtown Rochester

Schoen Place Pittsford, colonialbelle.com

Here’s a great combo: A day on the water, great food, live music and a (sea) bird’s eye view of the fall foliage. It’s the Fall Foliage Cruises to Downtown Rochester aboard the Colonial Belle. The four-hour cruise on the Erie Canal and Genesee River will feature passage through two locks, a seasonal meal (featuring applestuffed chicken and cornbread) and live music from Da Vines. The cruise starts and ends at Schoen Place in Pittsford, and there is an additional fall foliage cruise on October 13. Tickets are $121 per person. ALEX CRICHTON

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7

FILM

“Poison for the Fairies”

The Little Theatre, thelittle.org

From Salem’s horrors to the Fox sisters two centuries later, witchy and supernatural panic tends to begin with one ringleader who influences those around her. This is the bedrock of the action in Mexican director Carlos

Enrique Taboada’s 1986 film “Veneno para las Hadas” (“Posion for the Fairies”). Ana Patricia Rojo’s Veronica sets in motion a series of increasingly terrifying events that fittingly end exactly where a witch would want to be. Jump-start spooky season at The Little; the screening begins at 7:30 p.m. on a Monday (trick), but tickets are discounted to $9 (treat).

PATRICK HOSKEN

MUSIC

Avant Garde a Clue

75 Stutson Street, facebook.com/ EclecticOD

Rochester Experimental Week is back with a clever new name and a killer lineup of pioneering minds in the realm of exploratory music — Roger Clark Miller of seminal post-punkers Mission of Burma, Rushadicus the so-called Cello Goblin, delicately jazzy noisemaker Wendy Eisenberg, and supergroup Doom Dogs, featuring members of The Cure and Swans. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. The shows happen at 75 Stutson Street nightly from Oct. 7-14 and will also be streamed on Twitch. Free. PH

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8

MUSIC

The Psychedelic Furs & The Jesus and Mary Chain

Kodak Center, kodakcenter.com

Oasis isn’t the only UK rock band formed by brothers that’s rolling back the years of its career for a retro revolution. London’s The Psychedelic Furs and the Scottish band The Jesus and Mary Chain are outfits that have been making records since the early ’80s, taking breaks in ’90s before reuniting in the 2000s. Both acts are paragons of the post-punk movement and offer fans nostalgic throwbacks with hits like “Love My Way” and

“Blues From a Gun,” respectively. Frankie Rose plays in support. The show starts at 7 p.m., but early access to the lounge beginning at 5:30 p.m. is available for $35. Concert tickets start at $73.85. DANIEL J. KUSHNER

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9

MUSIC

Salar Nader & Homayoun Sakhi

Kilbourn Hall, esm.rochester.edu/theatre

The sound of the Afghan rubab is earthy. In the capable hands of Homayoun Sakhi, who has studied the instrument since age 10, it’s captivating. Pair its tones with the expert tabla playing of Salar Nader and the result is spellbinding technical mastery that can knock the wind out of you. The musicians perform together as part of Eastman School of Music’s World Music Series. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. $26. PH

THEATER

Playwright Showcase

MuCCC, muccc.org

In August, the Rochester Community Players accepted submissions from local playwrights to showcase both new and developing works. It harkened back to an earlier tradition the nearly 100-year-old company held in certain periods from the 1930s into the 1950s. This year, RCP set up auditions for actors to perform the plays at script-in-hand readings. Those readings run Oct. 9-13 at MuCCC, where the spotlight stays fixed on the local. There will also be space for Q&As, talk-backs and workshops, allowing the playwrights to continue to hone their craft. $10 per reading. $30 for all the readings. PH

FILM

“Sleepy Hollow” Outdoor Screening

Genesee Country Village & Museum, gcv.org

Tim Burton’s 1999 horror flick “Sleepy Hollow” is a modern Halloween classic; combine that with an outdoor screening at Genesee Country Village & Museum and you’ve got the perfect setting for a cinematic scare. Presented by The Little Theatre and starring Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci and Christopher Walken, the film is loosely based on Washington Irving’s enduring 1820 short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Tickets for the movie at 7 p.m. also give visitors access to the Foster-Tufts House, decorated in the style of a Victorian funeral. Get in the spooky spirit. $16 for museum members, $18 for nonmembers. DK

THEATER

“West Side Story”

OFC Creations, ofccreations.com

Believe it or not, my first experience with “West Side Story” was via Steven Spielberg’s excellent 2021 film adaptation. Since then, I’ve longed to see it onstage; luckily, OFC Creations has my back. Its production of the Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim musical stars Trevor James and Joy Del Valle, who portrayed Tony and Maria in the musical’s international tour, and finds Eric Vaughn Johnson directing. The show runs Oct. 10-27 as part of OFC Creations’ Broadways in Brighton Series. Tickets $39-$52. PH

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10

a Chocolatier What do an Athletic Trainer have in common? a Veterinarian a Kombucha Brewer &

They are all jobs featured in “I Can Be What?!, a children’s series produced by WXXI that gives kids a sneak peek into the world of STEAM careers –Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math.

Where to Watch:

On WXXI-TV: Saturdays at 9 a.m. + Sundays at 7 a.m.

On WXXI-KIDS 24/7: Saturdays at 6:30 p.m.

On YouTube: @ICanBeWhat

Host Jennifer Indovina, a clean-tech entrepreneur, inventor, Rochester Institute of Technology adjunct professor, and TED Fellow, meets professionals in diverse lines of work who have chosen unique, compelling, and unpredictable careers. In every episode, Jen jumps headfirst into a typical day with each professional, learning not only what makes their job fun and rewarding, but the skills and education needed to get there.

FOUR PROGRAMS THAT HAVE OUR VOTE AHEAD OF THE ELECTION

PBS

News Special: CBS News Vice Presidential Debate Simulcast

Tuesday, October 1 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Ohio Senator JD Vance will go head-to-head in their first vice presidential debate. The debate will be moderated by CBS News.

Citizen Nation

Tuesdays, October 8-29 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV

Follow teenagers from across the U.S. with diverse personal and political backgrounds as they come together to compete in the nation’s premier civics competition, “We the People”. The series shadows high school students over ten months across eight states as they grapple with critical questions about democracy.

Beyond the Debate: A Revolution in Education

Monday, October 14 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV

In high schools across the country, there is a growing belief that debate-based pedagogies improve civility and academic success by encouraging students to think critically, engage in high-level academic discourse, and construct compelling arguments. We follow students in Boston and Chicago public schools to witness the methodology’s impact.

The First Lady

Thursday, October 24 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV

Ok, this is a drama series, but fun to add into the mix. Starring Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt, this 10-part series delves deep into the ladies’ personal and political lives.

Photo provided by PBS News

Photo provided by PBS

Photo credit: Moriah Ratner/Retro Report

Photo provided by APT

WXXI TV • THIS MONTH

POV “In the Rearview”

Monday, October 7 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV

In a volunteer aid van occupied by multiple generations of civilians, an authentic, intimate observation of the war in Ukraine unfolds. Each passenger is unique in age, origin, and circumstance, but alike in where they find themselves — fleeing their homes while huddled together in a cramped back seat. Bound for Poland, the vehicle operates as their shelter, waiting room, hospital, and confessional.

Photo credit: Marcin Sierakowski

Sky Blossom: Diaries of the Next Greatest Generation

Sunday, October 20 at 2:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV

This is a raw, inspiring window into 5.4 million students stepping forward as frontline heroes. Caring for family with tough medical conditions, they stay at home doing things often seen only in hospitals. They are cheerleaders, work part-time, and go to college — but also live double lives — quietly growing up as America’s next greatest generation.

This film is presented as part of Move to IncludeTM, a partnership between WXXI and the Golisano Foundation that promotes disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media. (movetoinclude.org)

Photo credit: Vino Wong/Sky Blossom Films. Courtesy of American Public Television

The Marlow Murder Club on Masterpiece

Sunday, October 27 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV

Samantha Bond, Jo Martin, Cara Horgan, and Natalie Dew star in an adaptation of Robert Thorogood’s novel “The Marlow Murder Club”. An amateur trio of female sleuths and a determined policewoman are at the heart of this brand-new British TV crime show and the cast is led by a familiar face from Masterpiece’s Downton Abbey and Home Fires

Photo provided by PBS

Secrets of the Dead “Field of Vampires”

Wednesday, October 30 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV

On the eve of Halloween enjoy this terrifying discovery: A skeleton dating from 1650 buried with a sickle across her neck and giant padlock on her toe — double protection to keep her from rising from the dead. Whoever buried her was petrified of her returning from the grave. So, who was she? What did all of the burial rituals mean?

TURN

CLASSICAL

MUSIC PERFECTLY TUNED TO YOUR DAY

Celebrating the Jewish New Year

WXXI Classical is proud to present three broadcasts for the High Holy Days. They include:

10/2 at 7:30 p.m. Live from Temple B’rith Kodesh: A Rosh Hashanah Service

Senior Rabbi Peter Stein, Assistant Rabbi Rochelle Tulik, Cantor Keri Berger, Choir Director Jason Berger, and the TBK Choir will lead the services, using the Reform movement’s High Holy Days prayer book, Mishkan HaNefesh

10/9 at 12 p.m. Music for the Days of Awe:

An Observance of the Jewish High Holidays

This musical observance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur includes music by Ernest Bloch, Samuel Adler, and performances by Chicago a cappella, Essential Voices USA, the Mizrahi/ Sephardic ensemble Divahn, Moscow Choral Synagogue Male Choir and others.

10/11 at 7:30 p.m. Live from Temple B’rith Kodesh: A Yom Kippur Service

Hosted by WXXI’s Jeanne Fisher, the Yom Kippur is led by Senior Rabbi Peter Stein, Assistant Rabbi Rochelle Tulik, Cantor Keri Berger, Choir Director Jason Berger, and the TBK Choir.

Four Rochester Concerts Recorded for the National Series, Pipedreams, Premiere on WXXI Classical in October

Pipedreams with Michael Barone, the national radio program that explores the art of the pipe organ, came to Rochester last November to record four shows with students from the Eastman School of Music. This month WXXI Classical is proud to air all four of the concerts, every Sunday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Sunday, October 13 episode features the 1929 Skinner organ at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Rochester.

Sunday, October 20 episode features the 2015 Parsons organ at the United Church in Canandaigua.

Sunday, October 27 episode features the 2008 GOArt/Yokota and 1893 Hook & Hastings organs at Christ Episcopal Church in Rochester.

Sunday, November 3 episode features the CraigheadSaunders organ at Christ Episcopal Church.

Live from Hochstein

Wednesdays at 12:10 p.m. beginning October 16

A whole new season kicks off with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra with Jherrard Hardeman as conductor on October 16th. Hosted by WXXI Classical’s Mona Seghatoleslami, Live from Hochstein is the longest running live broadcast concert series in Western New York. Broadcast live from the Hochstein Performance Hall (50 North Plymouth Ave. in Rochester), the series presents performances by some of the finest artists from the Rochester area’s musical community. Concerts are free and open to the public and can also be heard on WXXI Classical. An encore of the live broadcast airs the same day at 10 p.m. on WXXI Classical.

Photo: Conductor Jherrard Hardeman

Credit: Elliot Mandel

Photo courtesy of the Eastman School of Music

HANNAH MAIER

THE ROUTE’S NEW MUSIC DIRECTOR!

Hannah, host of Candyland, heard Mondays from 6-8 p.m. on WRUR-FM (Rochester) and WITH-FM (Ithaca), has been named the new music director of The Route. We sat down with Hannah to ask her about her background, her musical tastes, and what she sees for the future of the Route.

Q. What are your top three responsibilities as music director?

A. (1) Curating and hosting our daily afternoon shift from 2-6pm. (2) Consistently searching for new music and up-and-coming artists both locally and nationally. I want to make sure our station is staying ahead of the curve in emerging music trends and constantly discovering new artists. (3) Collaborate with local artists/musicians to ensure our station highlights homegrown talent and fosters a deeper connection with our community. I’m really excited to work more with local musicians because we have a ton of amazing music in Rochester, Ithaca, and the WNY/CNY region.

Q. How would you describe your relationship with music and specifically radio?

A. Music is pretty much my whole life, and radio surrounds that because when I am not playing or working, I have the radio on in the background.

Q. How would you describe your DJ style or the sound and styles you gravitate towards?

A. I definitely gravitate towards most things that fall under the “Rock” category, but I also love bluegrass, country, metal, pop, and all kinds of different stuff. I want to bring variety to my show. You’ll probably hear things like Roger Miller, George Harrison, Neutral Milk Hotel, Weezer, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Tame Impala, Sierra Ferrell, Radiohead, The Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, and so much more I can’t even begin to list.

Q. What are your top three favorite artists and why?

A. I hate this question (haha!). It’s so complicated. Ok, I will pick three that give some range to what I like. Dolly Parton, because I love old country music with female singers with attitude; DEVO, because they are weird and nerdy and have a good overall message as a band; and The Beatles because they created pop music and could arguably be called the greatest band of all time.

Q. As the music director, how will you engage with the local music scene and integrate it into the programming?

A. I am so excited to start engaging with the local musicians in a few different ways. First being, playing local music consistently on my show. Second, I’d love to have more local and touring musicians come in and play/talk in the studio with me. That is such a great way for them to get the word out about their music and about shows they might have coming up. I’d also like to get out in the community more and do more collaborative things as a representative of The Route. Maybe that’s a DJ night at a local venue! Maybe that’s me introducing local musicians at their shows! Whatever it may be, this is what I am truly looking forward to because throughout my time in Rochester, my primary focus has been on local music and highlighting the incredible talent our artists bring to the scene, and I am very excited to continue to do that on the air for WRUR/WITH.

Q. What are some of your passions outside of being a radio host?

A. I’m a singer and guitar player in a local country band, Candy. I love writing songs and performing on stage. I also curate and book shows, I love doing that. I am a visual artist; I love to paint. I play drums as well. And I love spending time with my family, gardening, and of course my dog Beasley, he’s the best boy.

Public radio music stations help listeners discover and explore music they’ve never heard before. From new and emerging artists to the classics, noncommercial music is only found on public radio. Join us in celebrating Public Radio Music Day on October 23. Visit WXXI.org/PRMD to learn more.

SPOOKY SEASON

From ghosts to Ghostface, ghouls to ghastly gargoyles, crypts to cryptids, The Little’s Spooky Season is here to fill your October with harrowing, haunting films and events! Visit thelittle.org/spooky for the full lineup + ticket info.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Saturday, October 5 at 8pm | 35mm grindhouse print showing (additional, non-35mm screenings to be added) 50th anniversary screening of a classic cult horror picture!

Princess Mononoke

Sunday, October 6 at 3:00pm (dubbed) & 7:00pm (subbed)

In Hayao Miyazaki’s 1997 iconic film, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between forest gods and a mining colony, while on a journey to find the cure for a curse. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.

L’Inferno (with Montopolis live score)

Tuesday, October 15 at 7pm

Young Frankenstein

Monday, October 21 at 7:30pm

The Mel Brooks comedy classic starring Gene Wilder and Madeline Kahn screens as part of The Little’s Staff Picks series.

The first feature length horror film ever released, 1911’s L’Inferno adapts Dante’s classic journey through hell with elaborate costumes, special effects, and set design to create an awe-inspiring and ethereal world. An original score by Montopolis brings new life to this silent film classic with a mix of psych rock, dark wave and terrifying sound effects performed live.

Slumber Party Massacre: Double Feature

Saturday, October 19 | First movie starts at 7pm; second at 9pm

Two 80’s cult classics, together in one night! A slumber party turns into a bloodbath when a psychotic serial killer wielding a power drill prowls the neighborhood. AND THEN a condo weekend getaway is rocked when a supernatural rockabilly driller killer comes for blood (and to sing).

NEW MOVIES

Oct. 3: Joker: Folie à Deux

Scream (1996)

Friday, October 25 at 7:30pm

In 1996, an iconic horror franchise was born—a meta slasher whodunnit for a new generation of kids who love scary movies. Ghostface. A top-tier “final girl” in Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell). The rules of surviving a horror film (shout-out, Randy!). And of course, so, so much blood. Director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson crafted an influential horror picture at a time when the genre needed a jolt. Who knew the sound of a ringing phone could be so terrifying?!

Something Wicked This Way Comes, projected on 35mm film

Wednesday, October 30 at 7pm

A rare screening of the 1983 dark fantasy film starring a villainous carnival owner, Mr. Dark.

Poltergeist (1982)

Thursday, October 31 at 8:00pm | FREE FOR LITTLE MEMBERS

A family’s home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts, in Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg’s fantastical phantom-filled 1982 horror.

Oscar contenders, comedy, tearjerkers, and more highlight The Little’s October slate. Visit thelittle.org for showtimes and trailers.

Oct. 11: We Live in Time

Joaquin Phoenix, reprises his Oscar-winning titular role. Lady Gaga co-stars as Harley Quinn.

Oct. 4: A Different Man

An aspiring actor undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. Sebastian Stan stars.

Oct. 11: Saturday Night

A fictionalized take on the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live in 1975.

Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) are brought together by a surprise encounter that changes their lives. As they embark on a path challenged by the limits of time, they learn to cherish each moment of their unconventional love story.

Oct. 18: Anora

Anora (Mikey Madison), a sex worker from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and marries the son of an oligarch. Director Sean Baker’s latest is getting plenty of early Oscar buzz.

Oct. 25: Nickel Boys

Two young African American men navigate the harrowing trials of reform school in Florida. Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Colson Whitehead.

Celebrate The Little’s 95th anniversary with special screenings all year long, a new film series, plus a free screening for members on The Little’s birthday, Oct. 17.

MUSIC

Kal Marks

Bug Jar, bugjar.com

The Boston quartet Kal Marks — its name likely a play on the South Boston pronunciation of Karl Marx — is a mercurial indie band with songs that vary from boisterous noise rock and atmospheric shoegaze to sludge metal and emo, sometimes within the same song. Frontman Carl Shane’s idiosyncratic vocal delivery, which at times bears a resemblance to that of Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock in attitude if not in tone, is the tie that binds Kal Marks’ unpredictable music together. Playing to promote its new album “Wasteland Baby,” Kal Marks will be supported by Dave Mackinder and local bands Big Nobody (led by CITY art director Jake Walsh) and Bad Bloom. Doors open at 8 p.m., and the music starts at 9 p.m. $10$12.30 for concertgoers 21-and over. $17.70 (advance tickets only) for those 18-20. DK

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11

ART

Flower City Pottery Invitational

Flower City Arts Center, flowercityarts.org

The eighth annual Flower City Pottery Invitational features the work of 19 different ceramic artists from all over the continent, including Brian Chen, Juan Barroso, Casey Beck, Ruth Easterbrook, Celia Feldberg, Tina Gebhardt, Kyle Lascelle, Brooks Oliver and Tim See. The opening reception runs from 6-9 p.m., but the invitational runs through the weekend, with free demos, artist talks and pottery exhibitions. The $35 ticket includes a handcrafted clay cup. DK

SPORTS Rochester

Americans Home Opener

Blue Cross Arena, amerks.com/games

Fresh off three years of exciting playoff runs, the Amerks kick off their 202425 season by squaring off against the Syracuse Crunch on Oct. 6. The team returns to the 585 for its home opener five days later versus the Belleville Senators. It’s easy to say this every October, but with “Juke Box Hero” Lou Gramm heading to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a new coach on the bench, man, I really think this could be our year. 7:05 p.m. $15.40$41.05 PH

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12

ART

Autumn Artisan Market

Tinker Nature Park, facebook.com/ TinkerNatureParkHenrietta

Local artists will have their work on display from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. in the picturesque setting of Tinker Nature Park, making this a great fall outing. After you’ve checked out the art that’s available for sale, enjoy a walk through the park and take in a view of the autumn leaves. Free. DK

FESTIVAL

Bristol Mountain Fall Festival

Bristol Mountain, bristolmountain.com

What better way to enjoy autumn’s many colors than on one of Bristol Mountain’s Fall Sky Rides, overlooking the Bristol Hills? But that’s not the only thing to do at the Bristol Mountain Fall Festival, which runs through Sunday, Oct. 13. Numerous vendors will be on hand, plus a full slate of live music performances throughout the day on multiple stages. The John Payton Project plays the Main Stage on Saturday, and Miller and the Other Sinners take the stage on Sunday. The festival takes place 11 a.m.-5 p.m. both days. General admission tickets for ages 12 and up are $12; admission is free for kids under 12. Admission for Fall Sky Rides is $15 when bought three or more days in advance, $20 after. Kids under 2 ride for free. DK

MUSIC

Graham Nash with Judy Collins

State Theatre of Ithaca, stateofithaca.org

Ithaca’s grand State Theatre welcomes Judy Collins and Graham Nash, two legends who changed the trajectory of pop music from the ’60s onward and continue to ply their trade singing songs that transcend time. Nash made his name as one-third of the Hall-of-Fame folk rock trio Crosby, Stills & Nash, but continues to release music as a solo artist, including the 2023 album “Now.” Collins emerged from the Greenwich Village folk revival and established a reputation as an expert interpreter of such songs as Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides, Now” and Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns,” as well as the music of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Her most recent studio album, “Spellbound” from 2022, consists entirely of originals. Fans can expect career-spanning sets from both first-rate singers and storytellers. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the music starts at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $55. DK

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13

ART

Artist Talk: Clara Riedlinger

Eastman Museum Multipurpose Hall, eastman.org

Did you know the Erie Canal has artistsin-residence? One of them is Rochester’s own Clara Riedlinger, a “filmmaker, photographer and ballad singer,” as her bio states. She shares the distinction as artist-in-residence with Catskill’s Alon Koppel and Kingston’s Judit GermanHeins. As part of her work this year, Riedlinger examines American identity through the prism of spirituality, especially as it relates to New York State’s 19th-century movements. She’ll speak about that work at 2 p.m.; members get in for free and non-members pay $22.

PH

PETS

Wiener Dog Races

Batavia Downs, bataviadownsgaming. com

Dog racing never got a foothold in New York the way it did in other states, so seeing canines running on a track is rather novel here. But this event, part of Batavia Downs’s Family Fun Day (12 p.m. start), is even more unique because it’s not greyhounds running, but a different long dog: dachshunds. Don’t expect a lot of speed from those stubby legs, but do expect flapping ears and independently minded hounds sprinting across the infield instead of toward the finish line. It’s a blast. The races start at 2 p.m., but if you get to the racino earlier there will be other activities including pumpkin carving, pony rides and carriage rides. Free.

JEREMY MOULE

MONDAY, OCTOBER 14

CULTURE

Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Rochester Museum & Science Center, rmsc.org

The spelling of Haudenosaunee, perhaps unsurprisingly, stems from an Anglicized version of the Six Nations people indigenous to what we now call the northeastern part of North America. Because of that, RMSC has opted to use the spelling Hodinöšyö:nih, a change the institution made in conjunction with ongoing outreach work with Seneca communities. This is just one bit of knowledge on display at the museum’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration, which includes stories from Indigenous authors, a sensory room, cultural history of the Hodinöšyö:nih and more. The events run from 11 a.m.-3p.m. Tickets are $20-$22. PH

CULTURE

Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration

Genesee Valley Park, indigenouspeoplesdayrocny.org

In June 2022, Rochester City Council passed an ordinance establishing the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the city. For the third year, a daylong celebration is planned at the Genesee Valley Park Roundhouse Shelter, at 872 East River Road.

Organizers hope Indigenous Peoples’ Day gives the community an opportunity to reflect on the contributions made by indigenous people to the area and the country as well as remind everyone what has been stolen. AC

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15

THEATER

“How I Learned What I Learned”

Geva Theatre, gevatheatre.org

Playwright August Wilson is best known for the 10 works that make up his Pittsburgh Cycle, also known as the Century Cycle, including “Fences” and “The Piano Lesson.” The first of these plays, “Jitney,” premiered in 1982; he took a bow with “Radio Golf” in 2005, which premiered months before his death. Wilson reflected on all the works, as well as his own upbringing in the Steel City, in a one-man show titled “How I Learned What I Learned.” Geva stages the show from Oct. 1 until Dec. 1. Tickets start at $43.50. PH

THEATER

“Les Misérables”

West Herr Auditorium Theatre, rbtl.org

Quick question: Do you hear the people sing? When the touring production of “Les Mis” comes to town, you absolutely will. Don’t wait one day more for the master of the house to give you permission to see this beloved musical that intersects the personal (poverty, class and privilege) and the political (the backdrop of post-revolution France). The twoand-a-half-hour show runs from Oct. 15-20. I dreamed a dream that tickets start at $49. PH

MUSIC

Mark Sultan (BBQ) and Beef Gordon

Skylark Lounge, theskylarklounge.com

Mark Sultan, also known as BBQ and often found performing in a pink turban, can really stomp a kickdrum. He has to. As a musical duo with fellow Canadian doo-wop garage-fuzzer King Khan, Sultan played rhythm guitar and drums simultaneously. His solo music maintains that same spooky edge (and plenty of auxiliary tambourine and percussion), making him a perfect fit at Skylark. Local raconteur Beef Gordon will open for Sultan’s oneman-band showcase at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at door. PH

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16

FAMILY

Disney Jr. Live on Tour: Let’s Play!

Kodak Center, kodakcenter.com

If your kids enjoy watching Disney Jr. on TV, they’ll love seeing their favorite characters onstage and in person. Mickey and friends enjoy a fun playdate, complete with special visits from the pugs Bingo and Rolly of “Puppy Dog Pals,” the feline heroes Ginny and Bitsy from “SuperKitties,” Ariel from Disney Jr’s new show of the same name plus Spidey, Ghost Spider and Spin from “Spidey and His Amazing Friends.” A great way to introduce your young ones to live arts performances. 6 p.m. Tickets start at $42.80. DK

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17

HALLOWEEN

Spooky Speakeasy Trivia Night

ARTISANworks, artisanworks.net

This 21-and-over event takes place at ARTISANworks’s secret speakeasy (password required), and of course, a cash bar is part of the equation. Tarot readings will be available before trivia starts. The Halloween-themed night includes a costume contest (the winner gets artwork from the gallery). Food from Madeline’s Catering is also there for purchase. The doors open at 5 p.m., and the event proper begins at 6:30-8:30 p.m. $25. DK

ART

“Queering Democracy”

Rochester Contemporary Art Center, rochestercontemporary.org

“Queer expression, including drag, is the ultimate proof that a person can decide for themselves how to dress, dance, act and live,” the drag artist Sasha Velour told The New Yorker in 2023. Thus the wide spectrum of queer art in general: it can shape thought and opinions and convey experiences, but it often represents joy and beauty in the same measure. This is the backdrop of “Queering Democracy,” an exhibition from RoCo and ImageOut that spotlights LGBTQIA+ expression in all its facets. 12-5 p.m. Through Nov. 16. Free for members and $2 for members. PH

HALLOWEEN

Afterhours Spooktacular

Seneca Park Zoo, senecaparkzoo.org

As Count Floyd would say, `Very scary!” The Seneca Park Zoo presents its Afterhours Spooktacular, designed to scare the daylights out of you three nights in a row. (Well, it’ll be getting dark that time of day anyway.) The evenings feature pumpkin carving demonstrations, trick-or-treating, Halloween crafts, fun activities and “spooky surprises.” There’s even a reading by the Big Bad Wolf offering his side of the story. The Spooktacular runs from 5:30 - 8 p.m. October 17 through 19. Tickets are $12 for zoo members; $15 for non-members. Kids 2 and under are free. AC

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18

ART

“What We Hold”

RIT City Art Space, rit.edu/cityartspace

Interdisciplinary artist Sarah C. Rutherford spent two years working with Willow Domestic Violence Center to inform and build her work for “What We Hold,” an exhibition subtitled “A practice of remembrance and release.” The showcase is called multi-sensory because it incorporates audio recordings of survivors, drawings of their hands and an “immersive installation.” Rutherford is known for her murals and co-founded the Yards Collective. This exhibition, running Oct. 4-26, was created in part thanks to an employment grant from Creatives Rebuild New York. 1-9 p.m. Free. PH

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19

SCIENCE International Archaeology Day

Rochester Museum & Science Center, rmsc.org Dig in with the RMSC on International Archaeology Day. You can check out the “Myth or Mastodon?” exhibit, take part in sensory digs and tool-making demonstrations and meet local members of the Archaeological Institute for America. 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Free for kids under 3, $3 with Museums for All discount, $16 with military ID, $17 for kids 3-18, $18 for students and seniors, and $19 general admission. DK

SPORTS

RIT Tigers Men’s Hockey Team vs. Bowling Green

Blue Cross Arena, rittickets.com

If you’re familiar with local collegiate sports, you know the Rochester Institute of Technology takes its ice hockey seriously. The Tigers men’s team has reached the NCAA’s Division I four times since 2010. Head coach Wayne Wilson, in his 26th season at the helm, leads the team in its annual Brick City Homecoming game at Blue Cross Arena. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the puck drops at 7:05 p.m. $15$25. DK

FILM

“Slumber Party Massacre” Double Feature

The Little Theatre, thelittle.org It’s so easy to look at slasher flicks and conclude they have no substance. That’s not always the case. While “The Slumber Party Massacre” certainly has all the slasher tropes, it’s also widely considered by critics to be a feminist horror movie — it was written by feminist author Rita Mae Brown. It’s a satire or parody of the genre — which one depends on who you ask — that tackles subjects like the male gaze, violence and gender norms with plenty of wit and tension. “Slumber Party Massacre II” follows suit, but to be honest, the original is the better film. The original plays at 7 p.m. and the sequel at 9 p.m., tickets are $10 to see both. JM

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20

MUSIC

“Clash of the Titans”

Wadsworth Auditorium, events.geneseo.edu

The Geneseo Symphony Orchestra is not, in fact, taking on composer Laurence Rosenthal’s score for the 1981 fantasy film “Clash of the Titans.” Instead, they’ll present two pieces by mammoth talents from their respective eras. First up is Mozart’s “Overture to ‘Don Giovanni,’” the show-stopping piece that begins his 1788 opera. After, the GSO will delve into Romantic composer César Franck’s 16-minute “Symphony in D Minor,” which the composer penned in three cyclic movements. Music starts at 3 p.m. Free. PH

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21

MUSIC

Lucian Ban & Mat

Maneri

Bop Shop Records, bopshop.com

The record store Bop Shop is a great place to consistently hear esoteric live music worth mulling over, and it continues to deliver with this concert featuring pianist Lucian Ban and violist Mat Maneri. The duo will perform its versions of Transylvanian folk songs initially documented in field recordings by the composer Béla Bartók. While Ban and Maneri’s arrangements are heady, they never lose the quaint, rustic vibes of the source material. 8 p.m. $25. DK

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22

FILM

George Eastman Award Ceremony & Gala with Goldie Hawn

Dryden Theatre, eastman.org

In 1969, Goldie Hawn appeared in her third-ever film, “Cactus Flower.”

She won an Oscar for it. Eleven years (and nine movie roles) later, she landed a nomination for her work in “Private Benjamin.” Both between those two films and afterward, Hawn’s screen presence as a comedic gem calcified. These accolades, and others, contribute to her latest honor: a George Eastman Award for “distinguished contribution to the art of cinema.” Hawn will accept the award at the Eastman Museum’s gala from 8-11 p.m. Tickets run $150-$400. PH

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23

COMEDY

“Whose Live Anyway?”

Kodak Center, kodakcenter.com

The TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” brought improv comedy to mainstream American audiences and has been a fixture in American popular culture since it first aired on ABC in 1998. Through a few different iterations, the show continues to be aired but you can also experience the spontaneous humor live and in person. Cast members Jeff B. Davis and Joel Murray join show veterans Ryan Stiles and Greg Proops, and of course, music will feature prominently. 7:30 p.m. Available tickets start at $89.35. VIP lounge passes are also available for $35. DK

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS

PUZZLE ON PAGE 54. NO PEEKING!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24

THEATER

“POTUS”

Blackfriars Theatre, blackfriars.org

The presidential abbreviation “POTUS” will always make me think of “Veep,” which is why the alternate title for this play might be more evocative of its true nature: “Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.” Intriguing for sure, and in an election year, it seems to arrive right on time. Our country has perhaps never been more divided since the 1860s, but one bipartisan evergreen remains: The guy in charge is probably at least a little bit of a moron, right? “POTUS” runs through Nov. 3 (two days before election day, if you’re keeping track).

Tickets are $20-$39.50. PH

FILM

“The Man Who Knew Too Much”

Dryden Theatre, eastman.org/ dryden-theatre

As part of its celebration of the 125th anniversary of filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock’s birth, the Dryden Theatre presents his 1956 movie “The Man Who Knew Too Much” on 35-millimeter film. This thriller follows James Stewart and Doris Day as an American doctor and his wife in the aftermath of witnessing the strange death of someone while on their vacation. Even if you’ve seen this classic before, it’s worth watching again on the big screen. 7:30 p.m.$5$12. DK

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25

ART

“Scene at Eastman”

Eastman Museum, eastman.org

Apart from the play on words of its title, the new exhibition “Scene at Eastman” deals with the liminal. The description notes its focus on “apprehension,” “address” and “attendance to the presence of others.” But what does that look like in a gallery space? Photographs, of course, are central, but so are sculptures comprised of varying materials. Above all else, the exhibit points to surveillance, both what we observe when we look at the work and how we ourselves are seen as the observers. Through April 20. Museum tickets $9-$22. PH

“Scream”

The Little Theatre 1, thelittle.org In the ’90s, you couldn’t just make a slasher movie. It had to be hip, edgy and ironic enough to pass muster. Enter Wes Craven’s “Scream,” the meta horror landmark that re-lit the slasher spark for an entirely new generation. Though its contemporary legacy sequels are spotty at best, the film’s wholly original, self-referential take on masked killers (and our appetites for them) remains culturally relevant — and a whole lot of fun. What’s your favorite scary movie? It might just be “Scream.” The projector fires up at 7:30 p.m. $7-$12. PH

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26

MUSIC

Eric Carlin’s HalfDead Halloween Bash with special guest Kurt Johnson

Avon Park Theater, avonparktheater.com

For the second year, Avon Park Theater hosts a Halloween party celebrating the music of Grateful Dead with musician Eric Carlin and his band Half-Dead. The local group has been delivering faithful renditions of tunes by the legendary jam band for several years now, but this special twoset performance has the added bonus of including guitarist Kurt Johnson of Mikaela Davis & Southern Star and The Moho Collective. Be sure to dress up for the costume contest. The doors open at 7 p.m., and the music starts at 7:30 p.m. $25. DK

Dryden Theatre, eastman.org

October, and few have better titles than Spike Lee’s 2014 vampire flick “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus.” Lee partially funded the film through Kickstarter, a feat in and of itself for an acclaimed director, and in the decade since its release, it’s become notable for featuring a young Rami Malek in its main cast. The movie is a remake 1973’s equally incredibly named “Ganja & Hess,” which The Little screens this month as well on Oct. 28. Make it a double feature, two days apart. “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus” plays at the Dryden at 7:30 p.m. $5 for students, $9 for members and $12 for nonmembers. PH

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27

MUSIC Undeath

Photo City Music Hall, photocitymusichall.com

Fresh off a global tour, the Rochester death metal superstars in Undeath come home to mark the release of the quintet’s third full-length album, the aptly titled “More Insane.” Undeath’s first two releases, 2020’s “Lesions of a Different Kind” and 2022’s “It’s Time...to Rise From the Grave,” cemented the band’s members as stalwarts of a new era of death metal, combining infectious grooves and crushing vocals with hook-laden catchiness. The band’s live shows match the tongue-in-chase chaos of its music with raucous abandon, earning them the unofficial moniker Fundeath. Kruelty and Gates to Hell play in support of this 18-and-over show. 6:30 p.m. doors, 7:30 music. $27.83. GINO FANELLI

MONDAY, OCTOBER 28

MUSIC Anna Tivel

with Sam Weber

Essex, essexroc.com

Portland’s Anna Tivel makes folk

music that crackles with possibility. Her “Disposable Camera” echoes like a twangy Kathleen Edwards tune, and 2022’s “Heroes” is perhaps the inverse of David Bowie’s grand statement of the same name (delicate and interior, but still fixed on the horizon). Paired with fellow singer-songwriter Sam Weber — who has a song called “Oregon,” go figure — Tivel’s music will radiate across the Essex stage. Doors open at 7 p.m. and music for the seated show starts at 8 p.m. $30. PH

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29

FILM

“Twister”

with Special Guest Helen Hunt

Kodak Center, kodakcenter.com

With the recent release of the sequel film “Twisters,” now is as good a time as any to revisit the original 1996 movie “Twister.” You can take in the beloved film on the big screen at Kodak Center, paired with an inperson appearance from lead actor Helen Hunt, who will participate in a post-film interview and audience Q&A. 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $42.80. DK

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30

MUSIC

2024 Classical Mandolin Society of America Convention

Hyatt Regency Rochester, classicalmandolinsociety.org

The sound of a mandolin orchestra is remarkable: bright and rich, springing forth to life. Rochester is one of a few cities with an active mandolin orchestra, which is partly why the Classical Mandolin Society of America is holding its annual convention here from Oct. 30-Nov. 2. Three very different performers headline, including Italy’s Carlo Aonzo, Germany’s Charlotte Kaiser and Cuban guitarist Rene Izquierdo. To conclude, 100 mandolin players take on an orchestral performance. All concerts, from Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., are free. PH

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31

MUSIC

Halloween Party with Well Worn Boot, Folkfaces and Turkey Blaster Omega

Flour City Station, facebook.com/ flourcitystation

The members of Well Worn Boot already wear outlandish masks for the Buffalo rock band’s shows, so they’re already prepared for this Halloween event at Flour City Station. Unapologetic and entertaining, the group has a classic rock aesthetic and just enough flute to inspire comparisons to Jethro Tull. Rochester ska band Turkey Blaster Omega and Buffalo Americana band Folkfaces are also on the bill. And since it’s Halloween, be ready for a costume contest. Doors for the 21-and-over show open at 7 p.m. and music starts at 8 p.m. $19.97 in advance, $20 at the door. DK

FILM

“Evil Dead II”

Dryden Theatre, eastman.org

Happy Halloween to all who celebrate. The folks at the Dryden picked a fun one for your spooky viewing pleasure. “Evil Dead II” is basically a remake of the original “Evil Dead” — only this time playing up the slapstick attacks wrought upon Ash by the spirits he unleashed when he read aloud from the Necronomicon. It’s among many people’s favorite movies for good reason. “Evil Dead II” is simple, compelling, a little scary and very entertaining. The screening starts at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $5 for students, $9 for members and $12 for nonmembers. JM

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1

ART

“Doomslayers” Opening Reception

RIT City Art Space, rit.edu/cityartspace How do you slay the dragon of your own worst impulses? Most people have by now concluded that doomscrolling makes us feel bad, yet we can’t help ourselves. “Doomslayers” seeks to confront that tension head on. With original work from nine artists, the exhibition recasts the doomscrolling conundrum with a positive touch. The act itself is still bad, but these artists present ways of staring down the demons. Opening reception from 6-9 p.m. Free. PH

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2

LITERATURE

Rochester Children’s Book Festival

Monroe Community College, rcbfestival.com

The 27th annual festival celebrating kids’ literature not only features innumerable opportunities to interact one-on-one with children’s authors and illustrators . It also showcases presentations from highlighted artists each half-hour. All of these presentations will have American Sign Language interpreters. There’s also a craft room. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Free. DK

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3

MUSIC

Yunchan Lim

Eastman Theatre, esm.rochester.edu/ theatre/events

South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim’s reputation precedes him. An awardwinning piano prodigy who has performed at the Hollywood Bowl and the Kennedy Center, Lim was also the youngest recipient winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition at age 18. In Rochester, he’ll perform two Bach pieces, “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, Chorale Prelude BWV 659” and “Goldberg Variations, BWV 9883.” 3 p.m. $30$89. PH

A void in the local music scene

BY PATRICK HOSKEN AND DANIEL J. KUSHNER

Afew years ago, Hannah Maier drove to Buffalo for a concert. The Atlanta-based psychedelic garagerock band The Black Lips played Town Ballroom, a 1,000-capacity venue in the city’s downtown Theatre District. She recognized plenty of faces.

“Almost everyone in the crowd was from Rochester,” Maier said. “I wish they would have just played in Rochester because the venue was basically empty.”

Maier knows about the calculus at play when it comes to setting up live shows. She runs the agency Mom’s Home Booking and has worked with local acts like Dangerbyrd, Beef Gordon and Overhand Sam & Bad Weapon. (She’s also the new music director of The Route, which WXXI broadcasts in partnership with two local colleges.)

“If they would have played in Rochester, way more people would have come out, even if it was a smaller venue,” Maier said. “I almost feel like those types of bands, they do better if they’re playing at the Bug Jar.”

Her take on The Black Lips show points to a broader question about the state of concerts in Rochester, namely those for a certain tier of

Rochester concert promoters weigh in on the solution.

MUSIC

nationally touring artists: Is Rochester getting left behind? And why do bands like The Black Lips opt for Buffalo instead?

The group fits into an archetype: a festival-friendly act based in a much larger city that regularly plays markets like New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. The Black Lips recently performed at a roller-skating rink in Brooklyn with a capacity of 1,000.

The Bug Jar, by comparison, only holds about 200 people. This speaks to the first reason why Rochester might not be able to compete.

Doug Kelley has booked shows at the Bug Jar since 2012. He said he sees the touring routes of national musicians following a few well-trod paths. “A band will play Cleveland and then they’ll go to Toronto and go through Canada that way, and then come back out and hit the New England states,” he said.

Or, the artist might stop in Buffalo and continue straight ahead to Albany on its way to New York City and other bigger markets in the Northeast. Both routes leave Rochester woefully passed over.

At its most basic level, touring is an economic enterprise with notoriously slim margins, made even more perilous due to the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic. “The working class can’t afford it,” read an April 2024 headline of an article spotlighting struggling touring musicians in “The Guardian.”

What can help offset large upfront costs is playing in bigger rooms. Here in Rochester, Maier said, we might not have enough options: “Rochester doesn’t really seem to be able to keep one of those venues open.”

Water Street Music Hall, a 1,000-capacity room with an additional smaller club that maxes out at 350, is an exception. But as of this writing, it might be the only one.

Another was Anthology, the former East End venue that

once showcased headliners like Father John Misty and Japanese Breakfast in shows presented by the concert promotion company After Dark Presents. Chris Ring has been the president and owner since After Dark opened for business in 2001. Headquartered in Buffalo, it also presents shows in Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and Waterloo.

Among the different concert markets in upstate New York cities, it’s difficult for Rochester, a C-level market, to compete with Buffalo’s more robust, B-level market. Ring cited Town Ballroom, Buffalo Iron Works, The Rec Room, The Showplace Theater, Mohawk Place, Electric City, Nietszche’s and Sportsmens Tavern all as viable Buffalo venues consistently booking shows for between 400 and 1,000 concertgoers.

By comparison, Ring said he could count Rochester venues that fit the bill on one hand. After Dark still books shows at The Montage Music Hall, Water Street Music Hall, Photo City Music Hall and Bug Jar. “I still think Rochester is one venue, two venues away from really having a foothold in the market to be considered when these artists are going out,” Ring said.

Dan Smalls started DSP Shows in 2008, and now presents concerts predominantly in

Ithaca, Albany and Kingston as well as Northampton, Massachusetts and at Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in Lafayette. His company occasionally books shows at Kodak Center.

Smalls said Rochester suffers from a lack of larger music clubs. “When you get beyond that level of those small rooms, I don’t know what there is anymore,” he said. Smalls said that creating a scene where artists want to play is partly about venues establishing themselves as places where bands can regularly play. Ultimately however, selling tickets is key. “People have to come to those shows and support them in a way that the person who takes the chance on opening that club makes a living,” he said. “Because it’s really hard to make a living in a 500 to 700-cap club. It just is. The economics are not easy.”

With a lack of traditional, mid-sized music clubs in Rochester, smaller-capacity venues like the bars Lux Lounge and The Daily Refresher, Three Heads Brewing and the restaurant-bowling alley Radio Social have taken on much of the concert-hosting burden. They can present live music while maintaining non-music revenue streams. With their food,

Kodak Center's 1,978 seats make it a larger theater venue. But Rochester lacks music halls with capacities closer to 1,000.

PHOTO BY THOMAS FLINT

The coziness of Abilene Bar & Lounge makes it a mainstay for live concerts at an intimate scale. PHOTO PROVIDED

beverage and gaming appeal, these spots have brought enough people in to make money, Maier said, and therefore, they tend to pay local artists well.

“Maybe the show itself doesn’t pull 1,000 people, but there’s a ton of people in there bowling and eating. They kind of have a cushion,” she said of Radio Social. “It’s nice to book places like that because you can make sure that the bands get paid.”

What these venues don’t often have, though, are nationally touring acts. Those bands tend to prefer bigger rooms to make the travel worth their while. But part of it is purely logistical.

Jeff Marsha is the general manager at ASM Global, the parent company of Kodak Center. Even for a venue with 10 times the capacity of the Bug Jar, Marsha said he’s often at the scattershot whim of travel logistics.

“Sometimes we don’t have a lot of choices,” he said. “We might rely on someone driving by our front door, and they need a date because they’re on the way from New York to Cleveland or from Toronto to Pittsburgh.”

Even the spacious Kodak Center, with its theater seating and balcony, can only book within its limitations. The venue doesn’t own its own sound or lighting equipment, meaning the show has to be financially worth the rentals. The venue ultimately lost out on a bid because its freight elevator couldn’t fit a massive video wall for a touring act.

Acts on a smaller scale belong in smaller rooms, obviously. Marsha said Rochester has plenty of great

ones to help foster and cultivate up-and-comers. “But once an act’s been around for x amount of years and they’re growing, that’s where Rochester might miss out,” he said

Danny Deutsch, owner of Abilene Bar & Lounge, agreed that there is no shortage of clubs that accommodate between 50 and 300 concertgoers. He mentioned Flour City Station, Photo City Music Hall and his own club among those

that provide frequent opportunities for artists to play and audiences to hear them. Mid-sized venues that can fit closer to 1,000 patrons are less prevalent, he said. Anthology never recovered from the pandemic and closed soon after, and the comparatively smaller and newly opened Essex is still finding its footing, yet to book shows on a consistent basis.

“Being infrequent makes it tough for people to respond or for people to be aware,” Deutsch said. “There’s still more people that don’t know about the place than do. Whereas Anthology, they were doing things with such volume and big acts — 1,000-seat room — that people knew of it or went there for some show, or you drove down East Avenue and saw a line.”

Andrew Nittoli and Riley Fressie are the co-owners of the Upstate Music Group agency and talent

buyers for Essex, the 800-capacity room on University Avenue that opened in fall 2023. They said improving Rochester’s standing within the routing market is one place to start.

“How do you take a city like Rochester that is a C-market, when you think about it musically, and turn it into a B?” Fressie said. “It’s never going to be an A, because A-markets are New York and Chicago and Philly, but how do we get it to a B? And the answer is more venues.”

Nittoli said Rochester boasts a geographic advantage being midway between Buffalo and Syracuse on the New York State Thruway. Fans from both cities would come to Rochester for bigger shows, if Rochester is able to book them.

“[Rochester] just kind of fell off because of the lack of venues,” he said.

There’s also the delicate art of contract negotiations, which the concert-going public rarely if ever considers. To overpay is to damn the venue and all but guarantee the bookers end up in the red. But, Fressie said, “If you give them too little, they’re gonna go to Buffalo. It’s this Goldilocks situation.”

Perhaps the most realistic approach is incremental change.

Local bookers and talent buyers agree that additional 1,000-cap venues would theoretically bring in more national acts. It remains to be seen which venues, if any, are able to step up, and whether or not traditional music clubs can thrive again in a post-pandemic landscape.

Local bookers and talent buyers agree that more mid-sized venues are needed in Rochester.

PHOTO BY THOMAS FLINT

A WAY FORWARD

Promoter Sheldon “Reem” English rebuilds after a community tragedy.

BY RACQUEL STEPHEN

Sheldon “Reem” English recalls the premature gratification he felt on March 5, 2023. That night’s GloRilla show at Main Street Armory was his most attended concert as an event promoter.

“I was so proud of everything about it — until the end,” he said.

At the end of GloRilla’s performance, English was on the outskirts of the 4,000-person crowd surge that killed three young women and injured others. He remembered the crowd pushing him toward The Armory’s doubledoor entrance; but he’s still unclear about the surge’s exact cause.

“There were a lot of stories,” said English. “I don’t really know 100% of all the details, but I know we did our job.”

In one widely circulated account, the crowd mistook

confetti going off for gunshots, a claim police haven’t verified.

English said the crowd responded the only way it knew how.

“Everybody in our city has PTSD,” he said. “Once you hear something that sounds like a gun — that triggers people to start running.”

As a promoter, English said he and his team did everything they were supposed to do to ensure a safe event, including hiring up to 50 security guards.

“All we can do is just make sure we’re on top of the people we hired to do everything,” he said. “We can’t control how people react to stuff.”

At least seven lawsuits have been filed by or on behalf of those caught in the crowd rush, and none name English as a defendant. Those lawsuits remain in the early stages.

English is approaching his seventh year as a promoter. His first

big concert as RMG Promotion was at the Armory in 2018, and it gave English the momentum he needed to continue in the promotional world. To date, RMG Promotion has thrown over 50 concerts and shows locally and in other cities.

“We don’t just try to throw events,” he said, “It helps feed my family.”

Most of the local shows are held at Water Street Music Hall. Owner Sho Mitchell said one of the venue’s missions is to provide a “professional and supportive environment for promoters to thrive in.”

He considers the relationship between promoter and venue a partnership where, ideally, everyone wins in the end.

“The audience leaves happy with a great experience,” said Mitchell. “The promoter leaves happy because they packed the room and made money, and the venue is

happy because we had a room full of people.”

Mitchell said he’s very particular about which promoters he works with.

“With us being an arts and entertainment hub for Rochester, a lot of people trust and have a certain expectation to our events,” he said. “When you work with solid promoters who know what they’re doing, know the market, know the community, they’re able to help curate the experience.”

That’s why his relationship with English was a natural fit.

“When he says something, he does it,” said Mitchell. “He impressed me early on, and as I grew, our relationship grew.”

After many successful shows, English said a tragedy of this magnitude is the last thing any promoter wants on their resume. He prayed his good standing prior to that concert would help him regain the public’s trust and redeem his business.

“I just felt like the city knows my heart,” he said.

The test came two months later, on Mother’s Day weekend 2023. RMG Promotions coproduced an R&B concert starring Anthony Hamilton at the Rochester Auditorium Theater. It sold out.

“It just let me know that the support is all the way there,” English said. “Like, man, thank you, Rochester.”

RMG Promotion has since put together bigger shows. On May 5, 2024, the team collaborated with other promoters to bring rap artist Sexyy Red and friends to the Blue Cross Arena. Their ventures also include the RMG Elites youth football and cheerleading team, a sneaker store in The Marketplace Mall and other philanthropic initiatives.

But English said what took place on March 5, 2023 will forever haunt him.

“I don’t think that it’s ever going to leave my conscience,” English said. “This is going to be a burden I just got to carry.”

PHOTO BY MAX SCHULTE

Rochester’s biggest metal band checks in from the road ahead of their Oct. 27 homecoming.

More insane

BY GINO FANELLI

It’s 9 a.m. Pacific Time and Kyle Beam, lead guitarist and songwriter for Undeath, is groggily walking through the streets of Burbank, California. He’s sacrificing much-needed sleep for a chat about the death metal quintet’s ongoing tour, and the Oct. 4 release of its third full-length album, the aptly titled “More Insane.”

“I fell asleep at 7 p.m., woke up at 3 a.m., went back to bed around 5 a.m., and totally forgot I had to be up in four more hours,” Beam said. “So, sorry about that.”

His exhaustion is well-earned: fresh off a tour that brought the band on its first Asia trip—playing in clubs in Tokyo, Osaka, Beijing, and Bangkok, to name a few— followed by a stint in Australia, Undeath hit some immediate hangups stateside.

Drummer Matt Browning got sick, prompting the rare cancelation of shows in Los Angeles and Mesa, Arizona. Their supporting act from Tokyo, Kruelty, got delayed at the Japanese consulate over passport issues.

Those obstacles aside, Undeath is having a moment. Or, rather, a continued moment. Their first album, 2020’s “Lesions of a Different Kind” catapulted the band as a new preeminent voice in their self-described “skull-crushing death metal.” 2022’s “It’s Time...to Rise from the Grave” cemented their sound as something unique: catchy, anthemic death metal. “More Insane” is exactly what one would expect, and more.

It’s a beautiful cataclysm, a veritable potpourri of metal influences, from homages to old-school death metal a la Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse to tinges of thrash thrown into the mix.

Beam and rhythm guitarist Jared Welch lean into riffs in a way few bands can, fluctuating seamlessly from brutal, crushing grooves to harmony and melodies at breakneck speed. The opening track, “Dead from Beyond,” sets pace with a marching drum beat punctuated by understated guttural grunts opening into truly infectious guitar melodies.

The ninth track, immaculately titled “Disattachment of a Prophylactic in the Brain,” is a standout in metal guitarwork, its fluid transitions from grooves to solos a reminder of extremes the genre is capable of.

“It’s more independent guitar playing, stuff like that, more solos, I wanted to take what we did and make it fresh again,” Beam said.

That approach extends to vocalist Alex Jones’s offerings. On Undeath’s first two releases, Jones’s vocals largely stayed in a general, guttural growl area expected of death metal. But on “More Insane,” he extends to new heights, literally, breaking out higher-register shrieks on tracks like “Brandish the Blade” and “Wailing Cadavers.”

“I didn’t just want to just do the same shit three times in a row,” Jones said. “I didn’t want to just come out and

do fucking clean singing and ruin the album, but I knew everybody else was bringing their A-game and being very ambitious in what they were doing. I didn’t want to just sit back and coast.”

Undeath will have their homecoming at Photo City Music Hall on Sunday, Oct. 27. The number of active Rochester bands that have ascended to their heights could be counted on one hand.

That fact isn’t lost on them. Beam and Jones will be first to tell you how “weird” it is to come from working just to play the Bug Jar to booking gigs in Hanoi and Sydney. A credit to what makes Undeath Undeath, they said, is Rochester’s spirit.

“I think it’s important to put on for your city, put on for the people that had your back when you weren’t shit,” Jones said. “That’s what we all try to do, we’re a Rochester-based band, and we’re proud of that.” undeathmetal.com

Undeath will release “More Insane” on October 4. PHOTO PROVIDED

“AMERICAN PARANOID”

BY BEEF GORDON

Drawn from the imagination of Phil Pierce of Jazz Goons and Buffalo Sex Change, Beef Gordon is one of Rochester’s more quirky musical personas; an outsider artist and suspicious loner who moonlights as a lounge singer.

The songwriter crooned about seedy romantic liaisons and a tenuous relationship with the law over canned electronic accompaniment on the 2019 album “Queen Shade & Etc.” He’s also released numerous singles in the interim, including the quirky COVID-era “Shelter Skelter” and last year’s oddly catchy “Unabomber.”

On his new, self-produced album “American Paranoid,” released on Sept. 11, Gordon says that thematically, he “looks back at America in the 21st century.” Musically, he continues to operate in a synthstrewn landscape, but the overall sound is less claustrophobic, in part due to the prominence of saxophone by Nick Hotto.

The vocals also sound less contrived than on previous songs where Gordon affects a poutier, more melodramatic tone. He’s at his best when he allows the inherent instability of the character to shine more subtly. Singing with his natural tone, he lets the simple catchiness of straightforward hooks drive songs like “Don’t Vote” and “Pop Star,” both of which employ nonchalant spoken-word to brilliant effect.

In this latest collection, Gordon’s place on the post-punk spectrum is clear. His stylistic lineage stems from the idiosyncratic pop of Talking Heads and vocal delivery that straddles the line between apathetic attitude and purposeful melody, à la Joey Ramone. The result is undeniably weird, but endearingly so.

At the end of the day, “American Paranoid” is decidedly a concept album, as track titles like “Crisis Actress” and “Tower 7” would suggest. And while the conceit of song-as-conspiracy theory lands, the individual cuts stand on their own as tightly constructed compositions with B-movie aesthetics.

— DANIEL J. KUSHNER

“SELF SOOTHE” BY CROIX

The quick bio for Rochester band Croix sums up its sound as “punk sprinkles on an indie-rock sundae.” That ratio suggests a historically successful formula: melodic, yet riotous when called for.

On “Self Soothe,” the band’s debut fulllength album released in late September, the math checks out. “Self Soothe” revels in a retro sound that captures both the charm of ‘60s vocal groups and the cold concrete of that era’s garage rock.

Depending on the listener’s state of mind, the result just might provide the balm the album’s title suggests.

Carmen Lewis’s voice sounds just as gripping bathed in reverb, like on the verses of standout “Death of Dreams,” as when it’s peaking with distortion, like on that song’s intense chorus. When she sings, I draw pretty pictures / I sing pretty songs / I dream in bloody nightmares / And refuse to see what’s in front of me on “Evan,” she presents a compelling portrait of her own insecurities when it comes to love.

The rest of the album bounds from Dum Dum Girls-style vintage cool (“Cabiria”) to full-on punk à la Mannequin Pussy (“Platinum”) and even boasts an understated acoustic anthem written for Lewis’s sister (“The Only J Name”).

Of course, Lewis can’t do this alone.

Though Croix began as a solo endeavor in 2021, she has since rounded out the band to include Alyssa Zaso on bass, Anna Liebel on drums and Jennifer Wameling on guitar. Wameling’s lead guitar lines resist an urge to shred, opting for the sweet serenity Lewis’s songs need.

Wameling also co-wrote the blazing opener “Howl,” which ends with a repeated lyric that doubles as a raised fist against transphobia: My existence is resistance.

The album ends on quite a different note, with a charming and cheeky cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.” The evidence is clear. “Self Soothe” shows Croix has a heart of gold.

— PATRICK HOSKEN

“BEE STING” BY THE DIRTY PENNIES

In 2012, writer Dave Weigel examined the bygone 1970s “prog” genre — best embodied by sprawling music made by bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Yes — with a question. “Wasn’t this where music was supposed to go?” he asked in “Slate.”

More than a decade later (and a halfcentury removed from the genre’s heyday), a new ambitious song from local group The Dirty Pennies checks more than a few prog boxes. To be clear, this is a great thing.

“Bee Sting,” in its nearly seven-minute runtime, crackles with electricity. It sounds urgent, mildly psychedelic and innately understands the power of instrumental dynamics. It also conveniently rocks.

Ryan Klem opens with some pretty guitar picking, leading into a high-energy drum beat from Lucas Howe locked into rhythm with Sean Doohan on bass. But the real star of the show is Doug Kelley’s keyboard and synthesizer setup, which has an iridescent moment at the 3:18 mark that feels like a musical espresso shot.

“Bee Sting” hews closer to accessible pop music than the group’s previous experiments, like 2023’s “Head Open,” and its past catalog of stoner garage rock. This makes it brighter, more immediate and commanding of attention.

Somewhere around the time of punk’s arrival, “prog” became a dirty word, or maybe just a signifier of the tryhard, and therefore, uncool. But prog is cool as hell. Trying hard to sound good, and doing so, is cool. “Bee Sting,” released in late August, would really go off with a laser light show accompaniment. That, too, is cool.

There is no shortage of psychedelictinged music made by regional acts around Rochester. But very little of it sounds as energized as “Bee Sting,” a tour de force powered by prog ideals and a yearning to be anchored in a world spinning out.

— PATRICK HOSKEN

“III” BY FUZZROD

Fuzzrod is arguably the preeminent garage rock band in Rochester. But on its new album, “III” — released Aug. 30 by Records of Choice — the sound is bigger and more brash than that simple label would suggest.

The opening track, “Map of Outside,” is a sonic suckerpunch of throwback guitar riffs and punk chord progressions that lands like a revelation, with lyrics like: You are more than the sum of your meds / So sort the chaos in your stupid fucking head. As the blunt poetry suggests, Fuzzrod has no problem spittin’ vinegar in the service of an irreverent rock tune. On the arguably too short “Ugly,” guitarist Karrah Teague coolly snarls with an attitude best described as Joan Jett-esque.

The band also kicks back with songs like the mid-tempo summertime ode “Irondequoit Dads,” which succeeds in being completely earnest and satirical to its core at the same time: Trying to get a tan / Sun shines when it can.

Despite wearing ennui on its collective sleeve like a badge of honor, Fuzzrod never fails to inject humor. Guitarist Phil Shaw sings through a midlife crisis with a conspicuous purchase on the sludgy “Home Depot Skeleton.”

Now when I stand beneath him smoking cigarettes in my yard / I don’t feel so worthlessly alone / When I scream at god. The album closes with the bare-knuckle, existentialist ride “Human Condition,” the grind-and-wail guitar work held up by the rhythmic heft of bassist Brandon Henahan and drummer Stephen Roessner.

Unabashed and barely adorned rock ‘n’ roll is hard to come by these days, which makes the presence of Fuzzrod on the local music scene all the more remarkable. Underrated.

— DANIEL J. KUSHNER

The lore of Rochester’s “signature dish.”

A full plate

CULTURE

BY JOE MORRELL

Nothing says Rochester food lore quite like the mighty Garbage Plate. Whether you are a longtime resident, new to the city or just a visitor, it’s hard to come through the 585 without encountering a plate or two. The origin story of the local legend goes something like this: A couple of college kids came into what was then West Main Texas Hots and ordered “a plate with all that garbage on it.” Alexander Tahou — who, in 1918, founded what would become Nick Tahou Hots — gave them exactly that.

The traditional plate is constructed from a hot dog and/or burger, mac salad or beans, home fries, topped with meat sauce and condiment fixings of choice. This writer prefers a burger base, mac salad, a healthy pile of onions, a generous drizzle of mustard and a couple of dashes of hot sauce—Frank’s, if they have it. And this is the “proper” plate order according to Joe Cupia, owner of Fairport Hots.

When the CITY team rolled into Fairport Hots, Cupia yelled to the back, “Danny! I need the best plate of your life: burger, mac, loaded, no funny business.” What came out was heavy, intimidating in presence and delicious in theory. The Fairport Hots Varsity Plate, which runs for the bargain price of $16.49, came out steaming hot, drizzled with French’s (another Rochester original) and large enough to feed a small family.

The plate has made national headlines as Rochester’s signature dish, with stories in “Eater,” its own Wikipedia page and the topic of one of the city’s most heated Reddit

threads. When it comes to passionate online discourse, nothing matches the fandom divide on Reddit, debating who serves the best plate in town.

Down the rabbit hole of Rochester plates, a few things are universal. Everyone has a certain way they like a plate — and some people love them; others, not so much — but most importantly, everyone has some sort of nostalgic anecdote regarding the classic Rochester plate.

For a city with such a thriving food and beverage scene, it’s fascinating how

plates have not only stood the test of time, but become known nationally as the dish of the city. Newcomers will often wonder why — until they don’t. While shooting at Fairport Hots, we reminisced about eating plates late at night and the ensuing stories that came with those memories; it’s a running theme every time the Rochester delicacy is brought up with people of all generations.

With friends, strangers and lovers of all things plate-related, the conversation often starts with preferences on construction and local spots that serve

their favorites, then quickly evolves into stories that parallel the enjoyment of a plate. Whether that was biking to the local hots place late at night in high school, enjoying them after a 21st birthday or ending a wedding with plates for everyone — this is a common Rochester experience.

Although the OG (and trademarked) plate is still available at Nick Tahou’s, many places have put their own spin on the Rochester classic, continuing to grow its legacy. These “new-age” interpretations of the classic plate can

be found throughout Rochester menus with breakfast, vegan and even burrito renditions.

It’s a dish of regional pride, a part of our coming-of-age stories and something we associate with the adventures of living in Rochester. Regardless of one’s stance on the plate, it will always exist to remind us what it means to ‘grow up’ in this city.

From left to right, plate variations at Highland Park Diner, Fairport Hots and Thirsty's.

PHOTOS BY ABBY QUATRO

The Dish

FOOD AND BEV NEWS, GOSSIP, AND GATHERINGS CURATED BY

LEAH STACY

BITE-SIZED NEWS

Neno’s on Park has closed so the family can focus on their new shop in Brooklyn; the Monroe Ave. location remains open. Fifth Frame Brewing Co. has opened a new tasting room at 5370 St. Paul Blvd., former home of the Summerville Grill. Montgomery Court, a new coffee shop with Denver roots, has opened on the corner of Park and Colby in the ABC neighborhood. Nine Spot Brewing has relocated from its Monroe Ave. taproom to Geva Theatre Center, where it is operating the in-house cafe. Food truck Taqueria Monterrey has opened a brick-and-mortar location in the former Sticky Lips BBQ location. Soul food spot Elevated Sol has opened in the former Christopher’s location, 30 W. Broad St. (entrance on Irving Place).

FOR THE LOCAVORES

A new drop-off catering service, Swan Family Caters, features a

menu from the team behind Vern’s, Roux, Pearson’s and other Rochester favorites — perfect for work events, Friendsgiving or any holiday celebration. For more information and to view the menu, visit swanfamilyofrestaurants.com/catering.

FOOD FÊTES

A local chef competition, “Food Fight,” takes place at Good Luck’s event space, Jackrabbit Club, and features head-to-head chef showdowns once a month on Sundays at 8 p.m., along with guest bartenders, tunes from DJ Chreath and snacks from food trucks. The next round takes place Sunday, Oct. 20 with Nate Stahl (Strangebird) and Blaise Russotti (Carnegie Cellars). Free to attend. Proceeds benefit Foodlink. Check instagram.com/ jackrabbit_club for updates.

On Tuesday, Oct. 22, New York Kitchen will bring three-time James

Beard Award winner Dan Pashman, creator and host of “The Sporkful” podcast and inventor of the viral cascatelli pasta shape to Finger Lakes Community College for “Anything’s Pastable – An Evening with Dan Pashman.” The event will include a welcome reception featuring a taste of Dan’s recipes created by FLCC’s Culinary Arts students; a talk and moderated Q&A; and a book signing meet-and-greet. Tickets are $65 per adult; $30 for children ages 5-17. nykitchen.com

Rochester Cocktail Revival’s annual “Masquerade in the Mansion” returns on Friday, Nov. 1 at a new venue, with an immersive theater performance and a rare VIP photo experience. Wander the mystical Rochester Academy of Medicine in attire noir, sipping themed cocktails concocted by Rumble & Stir. Throughout the Academy’s first floor, immersive theater company CAT + THE COYOTE will recreate macabre

scenes inspired by The Brothers Grimm as DJ Jolene spins the party from ghastly tales to a pulsing dance floor. The event includes two drink tickets and light hors d’oeuvres; a cash bar will be available beyond that. Limited VIP tickets are available and include early entry, sparkling wine and a vintage tintype portrait taken by renowned photographer and RIT professor Clay Patrick McBride of the Silver and Salt Studio. rochestercocktailrevival.com

Ghost Writers

PUZZLE

BY S.J. AUSTIN & J. REYNOLDS

1. Units of thyme

7. Stops abruptly

12. Alma mater for Shaq and Hubert Humphrey

15. Death notice in the NYT or D&C

19. Like many a patch on a denim jacket

20. Venue for a boxing match or political rally

21. Poetic dusk

22. Forget me-_____ (flowers)

23. Plants that haunt panda diets?

25. Media watchdog agcy.

26. Make fun of

27. Knight’s noble companion

28. Denial from MeMaw or PePaw

29. Despise

31. Traditional stories or legends

32. Shouts of accomplishment

34. Nickname for a skinny fella

36. What might be wiped from the chin of a teething baby

38. Tries a teensy bit of wine, say

41. Snail’s trail

42. Have a healthy diet

45. Bear: Sp.

46. Restarting after a scary crash?

49. Word with sharp or forked

50. Form, as clay

53. “Gross!”

54. App customer

56. Idiot, to a Brit

57. Polite refusal

58. Many Chicago trains

59. Final inning in regulation

62. Safecracker, in old slang

63. “Hey mambo, mambo _____” (song lyric)

65. Typesetting measurement

66. Actress Dawson

69. Ghostly assassin at the theater?

72. “One of Us” singer Joan

75. Club fees

76.Independent sort

80.Complain loudly

81.Building blocks of life

83._____ Lock (PC key)

84.Danger

85.“Stately” tree

86.Silent affirmations

88.Longtime game show host Sajak

89.“Ain’t that _____!”

90.Guitar manufacturer founded in 1894

92.A hauntingly narrated tale?

97.Golfer’s accessory

98.Took in a shelter animal, say

100. Harvests

101. Most considerate

104. Suffix meaning “the study of”

105. Casino conveniences

106. Narrow boat

107. Quantity for eggs

109. Longest river in the world

111. Foxlike

112. Informal beckoning

116. Vogue competitor

117. Treasure hunter’s aid

118. Former NBA star with a haunting name?

122. Biblical garden

123. Texter’s “If you ask me”

124. Destiny’s Child and the Powerpuff Girls, for two

125. MLB club at the center of a 2017 cheating scandal

126. Some wines

127. Trig function

128. Extent

129. “Relax, soldier”

1. Bros and sisses

2. Idiot, to a Brit

3. European city on the Tiber Riveror American city on the Mohawk River

4. Like pre-release software

5. As _____ gold

6. Prefix for -Caps or -Cat

7. Laughs

8. What you want to get your ducks in

9. “Killers of the Flower Moon” costar, familiarly

10. “Explosive” AC/DC rock song

11. Japanese dish that, unlike sushi, is always served raw and without rice

12. Took off

13. Withdraw (from) politically

14. Alma mater for MJ and James Polk

15. 1986 #1 hit for Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald

16. Spirits smuggler?

17. Hankering

18. Judgmental sounds

24. Hogwarts potion master

30. “You said it!”

31. Engine

33. Inside info

34. Reduce one’s speed

35. Set on fire

37. Fixed price

38. Egypt’s Mubarak

39. Accessory worn by Fred in “Scooby-Doo”

40. Composer known as “The March King”

41. Plants

43. Mario’s taller brother

44. Release

47. Not on deck

48. Belly

51. Rapper who revised his hit “Turn Down For What” at the Democratic National Convention

52. Like some knowledge and commitments

55. Hallucinogenic fungus, colloquially

58. Group of nine

59. Air Jordans, e.g.

60. Freezes (over)

61. “Illmatic” rapper

62. Hebrew name of God

64. Actor Philip of “Kung Fu”

65. Easy job

67. Suffix with ball- or pont-

68. Parts of a process

70. Wedding promise

71. Popeye’s nemesis

72. Final letter in the Greek alphabet

73. Like food for a baby after weaning

74. Left feeling tricked by a ghost?

77. Give a speech

78. Margarita garnishes

79. Group of sailing ships

82. Airport screening grp.

83. Snatches

86. Off

87. Universal donor’s blood type, for short

88. Bursts, as a bubble

89. Similar (to)

91. Lymphocyte-producing organs

93. Russia’s _____ Mountains

94. Discerns

95. One meaning of 62-Down

96. Approves

99. Energetic go-getter

102. Gratis

103. Send down a level

106. Nearby

107. Antlered grazer

108. Descriptor for a shoppe

110. Wall St. launches

111. Pig’s food

113. Columnist and podcaster Klein

114. Classic cars

115. Gaelic language

117. Emcee’s instrument

119. Rainbow shape

120. 2016 Summer Olympics host, informally

121. Lamb’s lament

ARTS, MUSIC & CULTURE EVENTS FOR THE SOCIALLY RESTLESS.