Jeff Spevak
Senior arts writerJeff Spevak has been a Rochester arts reporter for nearly three decades, with seven first-place finishes in the Associated Press New York State Features Writing Awards while working for the Democrat and Chronicle.
He has also been published in Musician and High Times magazines, contributed to WXXI, CITY newspaper and Post magazine, and occasionally performs spoken-word pieces around town. Some of his haikus written during the Rochester jazz festival were self-published in a book of sketches done by Scott Regan, the host of WRUR’s Open Tunings show.
Spevak founded an award-winning barbecue team, The Smokin’ Dopes, and believes Bigfoot is real. His book on the life of a Lake Ontario sailor who survived the sinking of his ship during World War II was published in April 2019 by Lyons Press.
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After a life of ups and downs, the songwriter from Lima takes their act to where it all began.
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The Eastman Opera Theatre’s ambitious production of “Lear on the 2nd Floor,” opens Thursday and runs through Sunday.
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Right now, Danielle Ponder seemingly can do no wrong. Each stop on her current tour is followed by fans raving on social media. You can see and hear for yourself Friday when she returns home to play Water Street Music Hall.
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Where does Rochester fit in on the Kurtz scale? She’s been here a couple of times, so we must be OK enough — and she returns at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at The Little.
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WXXI Public Media has filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission to acquire the now-dormant WJZR, creating a pathway to a larger audience for its news content.
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Rochester’s ImageOut film festival opens this week, and as we have grown accustomed to over the last couple of years, these films will be screened at a hybrid of live and virtual events. And the films are the point here — 10 days of LGBTQ+ movies.
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As he retires after 43 years of renovating houses, Norm Abrams is celebrated in his own biographical documentary, complete with highlights from his years with “This Old House” and “The New Yankee Workshop.” The hour-long “The House That Norm Built” premieres 9 p.m. Monday on WXXI-TV, with an encore at 5 p.m. on Oct. 8.
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Bandaloop was a part of the first two Rochester Fringe Festivals. It returns for the event’s 11th year, with two shows each on Friday and Saturday on the side of Five Star Plaza. The shows are free, and easily visible from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
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“Spamalot” runs Sept. 9 through Sept. 25 at Blackfriars Theatre, with Tom Deckman directing.
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Tav Falco’s Panther Burns is finally touring again, with a Sept. 13 date at Photo City Music Hall, 543 Atlantic Ave.