Thursday, October 31, 2002

JayceLand's Weekly Rochester Events #199: Found: One City

Prior to the ceremonies (or should I say reception ...) I got a chance to see Lift which was a really cool movie about a woman who gains her respect for family as she leaves her life of crime as a professional shoplifter. Not as good as the similar growth protrayed in Acts of Worship last year about heroin addiction, but nonetheless very good.

Also, I had a chance to work through my picks for the weekend, and here they are:

• Thursday
  • Sister Helen about a woman who turns from her sisterhood to a halfway house for drug users and others to cover for her failures raising her own children. 6:00 in The Little (240 East Ave.) Theater 2.
  • Possible Loves about a guy who goes through the growing pains of figuring out how to find what he is attracted to at 8:30 also in The Little (240 East Ave.) Theater 2.
  • Happiness of the Katakuris about how a family comes to terms with agreeing on how to build a guest house for a nation at 9:30 in The Little (240 East Ave.) Theater 3
• Friday
  • Blue Vinyl about the dangers of vinyl siding at 6:30 in The Little (240 East Ave.) Theater 1
  • American Standoff about union negotations at 7 in the Dryden Theater of George Eastman House (900 East Ave.)
  • His Secret Life about a woman and mistress of a deceased man coming to terms with the person he was at 9 in The Little (240 East Ave.) Theater 3
  • Morvern Callar about a young woman thrust into a unique situation on Christmas at 9:45 at the Dryden Theater of George Eastman House (900 East Ave.)
• Saturday
  • Lost in La Mancha at 11 a.m. documenting the disaster Terry Gilliam went through when trying to create the Don Quixote story in the Dryden Theater of George Eastman House (900 East Ave.)
  • Execution of Wanda Jean about, well, the execution of retarded inmate Wanda Jean at 12:30 in The Little (240 East Ave.) Theater 1.
  • Nancy Cartright: My Life as a Ten Year Old Boy which is a live discussion (not a film) with Nancy Cartright, voice of Bart Simpson at the Dryden Theater of George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) at 1.
  • In the Mirror of Maya Deren explores the dark side of Maya Deren's experimental work at 3 in the Curtis Theater of George Eastman House (900 East Ave.)
  • Blue Car about a girl forced to grow up quick when her dad leaves her with her mom and a sister who can't cope at 5 in The Little (240 East Ave.) Theater 1.
  • Photos to Send about Dorotgthea Lange's journey to Ireland to photograph the poor there at 5:15 at Dryden Theater of George Eastman House (900 East Ave.)
  • Shorts Program #2 which looks to be better than the first in The Little (240 East Ave.) Theater 3 at 5:15.
  • Bloody Sunday about, well, bloody sunday at 7:45 in The Little (240 East Ave.) Theater 1.
• Sunday
  • Everyone's a Critic Seminar at 11:00 in The Little (240 East Ave.) Theater 1
  • Shorts Progarm #3 which looks to be better than the first two in The Little (240 East Ave.) Theater 2 at 1

Anyway, I'll continue with my pseudo-exciting lifestyle description technique for writing editorials. Last Thursday I got to see Badenovs who were really quite funny. The thing that got me to buy their album was their song K-Tel Rock Star. Also, there was a line in their song Old Deviled Spam which was pretty funny but it's apparently an ad-lib and not on the album ... I'll be darned if I can remember.

On Saturday my brother Adam came up so we did a run-around night. We got wings at MacGregor's (381 Gregory St.) first. I can't believe there's no good wings anymore in Rochester. These weren't bad, but just barely okay. Anyway, after that we headed over to the Monty's Korner (363 East Ave.) for a couple drinks. Next up was Johnny's Irish Pub (1382 Culver Rd., still smoke-free) for a couple more. We stayed there for a while and left just before The Earthtones started. We headed over to the The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) and I got to see Need New Body who play this odd percussion driven funk-like music with a rock-like beat and Party of Helicopters who do a decent but not particularly special variety of rock-and-roll. We wrapped things up around 1 at Mark's Texas Hots (487 Monroe Ave.) so Ad could get his requisite plate.

Since I'm taking the latter half of the week off for the film festival, I stayed out late last night (Tuesday, that is, not Wednesday as I implied in the first paragraph.) I got down to The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) to see three really good bands. The Flashing Astonishers do a pretty standard punk rock but they're really good at it. Next was Manplanet who do this 1980's style synth-pop with a nerd slant ... they're all dressed in color-coordinated vinyl unitards (coordinated with their equipment) and throw in some pyrotechnics for a really fun show. Finally was Groovie Ghoulies who do a great job at classic-style punk-rock.

T H U R S D A Y

Halloween Tonight at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 11 is The Shams, Cousin Al and the New Generation and The Cells. It's a night of virtually novelty rock and metal with Powered by Satan, Free Sex Gum and GAD over at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) tonight starting around 10:30. Over at Richmond's (21 Richmond St.) is the new-to-me Ibex starting around 10:30 (unless they're doing something odd for Halloween.) Nuts and Bolts will again be at Johnny's Smoke Free Bar (1382 Culver Rd.) If worse comes to worse you can always see, hear, and/or otherwise participate in Karaoke with Sugar Bear at Drinks by Mary Dawn (535 S. Clinton) starting around 10:30.

F R I D A Y

Over at Water Street Music Hall (204 N. Water St.) tonight is the ever popular Uncle Plum starting around 9. Montage Grille (50 Chestnut St.) will have something called Eggmark II featuring film shorts with music by Nora Green, Oceanside and DJ Kevin Atoms starting around 9:30. Ska and punk featuring Mustard Plug with The Blackouts, The Sluts and Isotopes will be at The Club at Water Street (204 N. Water St.) starting early around 7:30 or so. In case you're shut in tonight (or tomorrow), check out I'm going to make a drug with my mind on cable public access (channel 15 on Time Warner) at 11:30 p.m. featuring Pisspot the Bunny interviewing local and out-of-town bands. In case you're curious, it's Alla Turca at Lola Bistro and Bar (630 Monroe Ave.) tonight and every Friday from 10:30 to 2.

S A T U R D A Y

O'Bagelo's, 165 State Street, noon. Tonight, Pengo will be at Le Club Shock at Analog Shock (674 South Ave.) with The French Flys, Newton and Radio Shock starting around 7:30. Tonight at Acme Bar & Pizza (495 Monroe Ave.) is experimental acoustic with Ashley Cox, Todd Krasz of Bee Eater, D.J. Cameron and Bee Eater themselves starting around 9. Pop-rock with Trembling Blue Stars and Aberdeen will be over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) tonight starting around 11. The Kind Brothers will be over at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:30. In case you're wondering why you can't get into Monty's Korner (363 East Ave.) tonight around 8, it's because Croonin' Kurt and the Hi-Geared Combo and The Slippin' Slacks will be playing there ... even though they're also at Johnny's Irish Pub (1382 Culver Rd., still smoke-free) and I really don't know which place is first ... If you're into them, the disco-and-more cover band United Booty Foundation will be up at Mardi Gras Restaurant and Nightclub (4775 Lake Ave.) starting around 9, I'd guess.

S U N D A Y

Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) tonight starting around 9 is the okay rock-and-roll of Matt Pond PAwith Helio Sequence and Reputation. Over at Water Street Music Hall (204 N. Water St.) tonight is funk with Average White Band with Astronomical Unit starting around 7:30. Open Jar Jam at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) tonight and every Sunday. Just like on Thursdays, you can see/do/avoid Karaoke with Sugar Bear at Drinks by Mary Dawn (535 S. Clinton) starting around 9. Karaoke with Sugar Bear is back at The Blue Room (293 Alexander St.)

T U E S D A Y

Election Day Updated to Correct Day: Over at The Club at Water Street (204 N. Water St.) is the new-to-me Bif Naked starting around 8. Tonight at 11 at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is rock-and-roll with Minus the Bear and Crimson Sweet. As of a few months ago, Java's (16 Gibb Street) still has open mic poetry downstairs starting around 9:30. Tonight from 8 to 10 is an Open-Mic Comedy Night at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) While once it was a workshop type of environment, the comics now have to force that behavior ... by default it's a place to try out new stuff. Wine tasting at Tapas One Seventy Seven (177 Saint Paul St.) from 6 to 8.

W E D N E S D A Y

Weekly karaoke contest with Sugar Bear, at Comix Cafe (3450 Winton Pl.) Tonight at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) is Open Mic Night (for music) from 7 to 10.