Weekly Rochester Events #247: Just a Pile of Crushed Rock

Thursday, October 2, 2003

I've been watching "Sex and the City" that I borrowed from Shaw. I never ever watched any episodes before and I started getting into it, usually when I'm doing other things like writing the website essay. The thing is, I find it's easy to get hooked on. If I go out, the odds of meeting an attractive woman who's successful and well-spoken are essentially zero, but I can get to "know" four of them on the TV. Of course, they're fictional ... but consistent.

So if I go out, I can meet people ... real people. Some good, some bad. If I stay home, I can get a steady pace of mostly amusing, distant, fictional women at home.

It's basically exactly like pornography, except with clothing.

Every once in a while things go really good. For instance, I went to Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) last Saturday and saw Allen Power, Maria Gillard, and Tom Taylor. They did folk acoustic music round-robin style and it was great. I thought I'd stop by just to see what they were like. I wish I could say more about it ... it was just a night of great music.

I went with Ann to go see Northfork on Tuesday. I had been looking forward to it because the premise was so good: the town of Northfork was within the flood area of a new dam during the 1950's, and some of the townspeople refused to leave. So I figured the movie would explore the psychological implications of such an event. What do possessions mean? What is your world? How do you define yourself?

The filmmakers, unfortunately, decided to leave all that to the imagination of the viewers. We're introduced to some of the people living in the town who aren't leaving, who are apparently one-dimensional simpletons who have no personality, no past lives, no jobs, and no extended families. They're just crazy nutbags. The government sends out a group of men to convince the people to leave. The filmmakers manage to flesh out generic government goon characters as far as you can complete that simple concept.

There is also a large amount of time spent with the preacher who tries to nurse a sick boy back to health. He's one of the only characters who imply any sort of inner dialog. We are taken into the world of the feverish dream of the child. As I told Ann, it's as if in the middle of writing the screenplay, someone told the writer, "hey, I bet living there was like being in the middle of a feverish dream." "Hmm ... feverish dream, you say ... that gives me an idea." The world of the feverish dream was pretty good, but the concept behind it was too thin to spend so much time on it.

Overall, probably not worth seeing.

S A T U R D A Y

O'Bagelo's, 165 State Street, noon. Starting at noon today at Drinks by Mary Dawn (535 S. Clinton) is a Road Rally Scavenger Hunt. Sign your team up before Saturday, plunk down your $15, and get the list of stuff to fetch on Saturday morning. Get drinks and food at the bar too. The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) starting at 10:30 is part of the ImageOut film festival where curator Bill Taylor will present Lock Up Your Sons and Daughters where he'll present "educational" films that warn children about the "evils" of homosexuality, such as Boys Beware and Once Upon a Honeymoon. Over at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:30 p.m. is punk-rock with The Bloody Hollies, surf-rock influenced punk-rock with The Priests, punk-influenced hard-edged rock with The Purrs, and unrefined punk-rock with The Teenage Junkies. Remember the punk-rock band that didn't play because the power went out in August? Well, they're back ... Peelander-Z, quasi-noise band Nod, experimental Cock E.S.P., experimental U Can Unlearn Guitar, and really really loud noise band Asthmatic will be at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:45 p.m. Over at Water Street Music Hall (204 N. Water St.) starting around 10:45 p.m. is 805 in what they claim is their last show. Tonight at The Club at Water Street (204 N. Water St.) is the solid groove-rock band with a zydeco twist, Sunny Weather starting around 9:30 p.m. Over at Norton's Pub (1730 Goodman St.) starting around 10 p.m. is Rochester Brass and Electric. I think they're a cover band but I can never remember ... maybe I should stop by. The eclectic rock band Burning Snella will be doing an acoustic show up at Shamrock Jack's Steak and Seafood (4554 Culver Rd.) starting around 9:30 for free.

S U N D A Y

In an early show tonight at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is RWAKE, Meatjack, and Withered Earth starting around 8 p.m. Tonight at Comix Café (3450 Winton Pl.) is Mike Dambra starting around 8:30 p.m. Ontario Midland Railroad (48 Belden Ave.) will be bringing people around on a Fall Foliage Express Train Ride starting around 12 and 2:15. Dan Liberto (of the The Comedy Company) hosts Open Mic Comedy Night at Duels Café (17 E. Main St.) starting around 7:30 (theoretically.)

M O N D A Y

The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting Glasspack, Paik, and E-Zee Tiger starting around 10:30 p.m.

T U E S D A Y

Over at Downstairs Cabaret (20 Windsor St.) starting around 7:30 p.m. is Funny Underground Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:45 p.m. is Raoul Björkenheim, Chris Massey, insane and moshable The Laundryroom Squelchers, Coffee, and Rimjob. Over at Verb Café at Writers and Books (740 University Ave.) tonight is the 2,000 Word Club Open Mike starting around 7 for free. Anyone can show up and read up to 2,000 words. Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) is hosting an Acoustic Open Mic from 8 to 10. For this one, there's no microphones and it's pretty open ended.

W E D N E S D A Y

The Club at Water Street (204 N. Water St.) will be hosting political punk rockers (with horns) River City Rebels, and The Code starting around 8 p.m. The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing another film in The ImageOut Film Festival, Die Bitteren Tranen der Petra von Kant (The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant) starting at 8. A black comedy about a fashion designer who lives with an assistant in a small apartment but then reveals her vulnerable side when she falls for a younger woman. 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. Tonight at Verb Café at Writers and Books (740 University Ave.) is a Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered Open Mike starting around 7. It's for both pros and amateurs, so if you feel the need to listen, support, or express yourself, head on down.