Thursday, February 6, 2003

JayceLand's Weekly Rochester Events #213: One-sided Strip Club

Anyway, Steel drew the same sort of crowd as other town bars ... Fat Moe's (4419 Dewey Ave.) Spenders (1600 Lyell Ave.) ... you know. No big deal there. They've got a club side (Pulse) that caters to people who would really really like to see a "Lesbian Kissing Contest" without being either homosexual nor female. At least that's what they're advertising in the future. On the music hall side, they had a DJ between bands who is mostly there to announce drink specials and to say perverted things about the girls there. Drink specials included things like 25 cent drinks and free "upside-down shots" where they dump cheap liquor in your mouth. I think the theme of the place is to get people shit-fucking drunk then send them out at 2:10 into their unplowed parking lot in freezing rain to drive home.

Ever since I went I wanted to do this little chart comparing drink prices at Steel Music Hall at Pulse (1509 Scottsville Rd., formerly Tremors) to what it could have been at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) So I'm a total geek ...

Yeah, so that was on Friday. But earlier ...

I went out to California Rollin' at Village Gate Square (274 N. Goodman St.) for dinner then stopped at Montage Grille (50 Chestnut St.) to confirm that Link Wray would be there on the 23rd of February. Then I called WBER on the off chance that they still had Henry Rollins tickets left to give away but they didn't, so I went over to Harro East Theatre and Ballroom (155 North Chestnut St.) but there was a huge line so I skipped that. I tried going to Nextstage at Geva (75 Woodbury Blvd.) to see Neo-Futurists but there was a ton of old suburban people going so I thought the show wouldn't be much fun.

So, despite those attempts ... I ended up at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.)

I decided to chill out there for a while and had a beer and talked with this cool woman Joan for a bit. She and her friend Amy left around 9 and I hung out for a bit before heading out to Steel.

So anyway, I start my 6-drink week on Fridays and like to shoot for 5 between Friday and Saturday then save one more for a mid-week show (i.e. the Thursday shows.) I had one so far, and the J.D. at Steel, but didn't want to waste my drinking time on such a crappy place which is why I didn't take advantage of the drink specials.

Ok, so in short order, I also got out to Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) on Saturday. I intended to pop in at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) but was having so much fun that I decided to stay (and have a merlot, shot of J. D. and a beer over the night.) I got to see Purrs again who keep getting better and better. I didn't get to see much of The Priests though because I chatted with this woman Kristy. It was nice to talk with someone young who was smart and a political activist. (Yeah yeah, and cute ... too bad she smokes ... isn't this how every one of my "I met this girl" stories go?) Anyway, I got to impart my one bit of advice I wanted to impart to someone 10 years younger who's smart and a political activist: if you want to make a difference in the world, you have to think beyond your own lifespan.

Well, enough about all the "look at me look at me look at me" stuff ... what's up with the mlife Gilligan's Island commercial? First, the way they change the song ... something about Gilligan having the Coast Guard on speed dial on his phone and so they're saved ... and some awful line about "so get yourself an mlife--it changes everything." What the hell is that? Heck, you could at least keep the cadence the same.

But I figured out what it was all about: they left the line in the song about them landing on an "uncharted desert island." Dude: uncharted--if there were cell towers, it would be charted. Duh! But--get this--that's why the song is so bad: it's supposed to distract you from the fact that the phone wouldn't have worked at all.

T H U R S D A Y

Tonight's Thursday Thinkers Program over at The Rochester Public Library (115 South Ave.) is Conservation of the Book the library writeup says: Bookbinding history reflects the changes in literacy and the book trade in general. Since the Middle Ages, increases in literacy and book production brought an increased demand for bookbinders' skills. Faced with the need to speed up production and cut costs, binders sought ways to cut corners while preserving appearance. The alteration of the original hand bound bookcontinues today asmodern mass market books attempt to incorporate decorative details from the past. Presented by Andrea Relthmayr, Conservator Rush Rhees Library, University of Rochester. Starting early around 8 is Original Skin at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) Tonight it's Karaoke with the original Sugar Bear at Drinks by Mary Dawn (535 S. Clinton) starting around 10:30. Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) is hosting an Acoustic Open Jam from 8 to 10. For this one, there's no microphones and it's designed to be more of a true jam.

F R I D A Y

Over at the improbable Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) is a bunch of local commedians including Mark Weidmann, Benjamin Wachs, Kevin Berry, and Rich Gagnier starting around 7. Today and tomorrow is more of that silly ColdRush thing going on. This time it's a ski slope called Downtown Downhill (Main St. between State St. and South Ave.) The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing the best films from the 2002 Movies on a Shoestring starting at 8. My affiliation with the festival was attendance, and judging by the number of people who show up for the things I recommend on the pages, I'm the absolute authority on quality, so the winners must be the same as my picks: Adjustments by Amber Moore, Valley Village, CA (10:00, Color, 35mm). Multiple levels of reality and fiction surround this portrayal of a couple giving up their only child for adoption. Komojade by Benita Perry, Savannah, GA (5:00, Color, 1/2" video). A documentary depicting Komojade, a Yoruba ritual to welcome a newborn child into the community. Dance Hall by Lori Wernig, Burbank, CA (15:00, B&W, 35mm). A dime-a-dance girl becomes caught in espionage during World War II in this stylish hommage to classic Hollywood dramas. Blue Haven by Julian Cautherley, Glendale, CA (17:00, Color, 35mm). Two friends search for the perfect swimming pool to skateboard in. But $40,000 and a sex change later, they find true love instead. Daughter by Eduardo Rodriguez, Tallahassee, FL (14:00, Color, 35mm). Supernatural consequences greet a motherÕs treatment of her daughter. Chasing Rabbits by Sion Michel, St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia (20:00, Color, 35mm). Following a car accident, Nick Walsh has been brought in for questioning by the police. The crash is revealed to be retribution for childhood abuse in this tour-de-force of acting. Silhouette by Ya-Nan Chou, Encino, CA (4:00, Color, 16mm). Hand-drawn artwork and swatches of fabric are the raw materials in this animated journey through the world of fashion. Blinders by Murphy Cross, West Hills, CA (10:00, Color, 1/2" video). The interaction between a lawyer and a homeless woman takes an unexpected twist in this adaptation of a short play. Take It From Me by Rachel Clift, Jamaica Plain, MA (29:00, Color, 1/2" video). The visions and experiences of three young women artists--a black painter, an Indian dancer, a white singer--are creatively interwoven in this elegantly produced documentary. If you're up for a bit of modern rock cover band, check out Better Days at Curley's Saloon (511 E. Ridge Rd.) starting around 9:30. If you're up for a bit of modern rock and covers a bit closer to the center of town, check it out at The Centers at High Falls (60 Brown's Race) with Perfect World also starting around 9:30. Over at Water Street Music Hall (204 N. Water St.) is Groovenutt and the awsome beat-driven groove-rock of The BuddhaHood starting around 9:30 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. Over at Verb Café at Writers and Books (740 University Ave.) is Wide Open Mike with Norm Davis starting around 7:30. Apparently, anything goes. Anything.

S A T U R D A Y

O'Bagelo's, 165 State Street, noon. The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Tribute starting at 8. Being a fan of local music, I can't resist putting up movies about music. This one's a quirky documentary about tribute bands and their fans. Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) tonight is Low Ton, Super Nasty Bukkake Band (featuring members of The Sluts) and Heatseeker starting around 10:30. Just for something different, Irthlings, the raging, eccentric rock of GAD, Kenny Tyrone, and possibly more bands will be at The Club at Water Street (204 N. Water St.) tonight starting around 9:30. Birth of Mud will be at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) tonight starting around 10:30. Way out at Spenders (1600 Lyell Ave.) is the original modern rock band (who also do covers) Uncle Plum starting around 9 or so. Starting around 9 at the new Rocket Coffee (171 Monroe Ave.) is a benefit for Food Not Bombs Rochester featuring Initial Embrace, members of The Blackouts, and The Grievants for a $6 donation ... sponsored by Anti-Racist Action of Rochester. Update: Wow cool ... I knew the geeky rock band Snmnmnm was back in town, but they're playing at Java's (16 Gibb St.) tonight starting around 8.

S U N D A Y

The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Long Day's Journey Into Night starting early at 3 p.m. One of Jack Garner's picks, but that's no reason not to go. It's based on a play about a family's "agony distilled into one day" (according to Mr. Garner.) Way way out at SUNY Brockport (350 New Campus Dr., Brockport) is The Donnas (but sadly not OK GO whom you may remember from their superb power-pop set on Late Night with Conan O'Brien on November 18, 2002 ... they'll be in Buffalo) starting around ... what ... let's say 8. Open Jar Jam at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) tonight and every Sunday.

T U E S D A Y

Over at The Rochester Public Library (115 South Ave.) is another of their Tuesday Topics series for those who can make it from 12:12 to 12:52. Today it's Graffiti: Art or Annoyance and from the library's writeup: Identifying what constitutes art is not always easy. General agreement on public art is even harder to find. And what happens when the line between art and annoyance is difficult to see? Rochester artist Carmelo Ortiz, a native of the South Bronx where hip hop and street art were born, will tell us what makes for street art through a slide show of the history of graffiti art. He will also tell us what to look for on the streets of Rochester. Presented by Carmelo Ortiz, Artist and Teacher. Over at Earthtones Coffee House (1217 Bay Rd.) is acoustic solo work of JoAnn Vaccaro starting around 7:30. Tonight's Tuesday show at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is Pittsburgh's rock band Serene and Seven Head Division starting around 11. Brought to you by the horrible ClearChannel monopoly is Graham Colton at The Club at Water Street (204 N. Water St.) starting around 8. Over at RIT (One Lomb Memorial Dr., campus map image) today in Webb Auditorium is Fairport-raised filmmaker Gordy Hoffman, the writer and director of Love Liza. Call 475-5064 (TTY 475-5414) for details. 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, it's now more-or-less a regular open mic ... by default it's still a place to try out new stuff.

W E D N E S D A Y

Abraham Lincoln's Birthday (1809) Weekly karaoke contest with someone from the Sugar Bear franchise at Comix Cafe (3450 Winton Pl.) Open Mic Night (for music) from 7 to 10 at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) The great acoustic cover soloist John Akers will be at Moonshine Barbeque (125 White Spruce Blvd., across from MCC) from 8 to midnight.