Weekly Rochester Events #218: Years of Bird-Flipping John

Thursday, March 13, 2003

Let's start today out by getting in touch with our inner computer nerd. A couple weeks ago I got it in my head that I wanted to upgrade the PowerMac 7100's I've got sitting around the house. One of them runs the webcam and all the home automation stuff and the other has degenerated into an infrequently used document scanning station (the cheap-but-effective sheet-fed document scanner I've got won't work on the newer computers.) Anyway, I don't remember how I stumbled on it, but I found that Sonnet Technologies makes an accelerator board for these old systems. I picked one up on eBay for a hundred bucks and upgraded the 66MHz PowerPC 601 to a 266MHz G3, which yields about a 10x improvement in performance. I've got a second one on order from a retail company because I'm sick of waiting around on eBay for more to be sold so cheap. So I guess I'm getting my money's worth. I got the PowerMac 7100/80AV on March 22, 1996 ... I ordered it the day before and went to Golden Port Dim Sun (1054 S. Clinton Ave.) with the crew. The Mac Zone called me back on my cell phone to authorize the charge on my credit card. Heck, that's right ... I ordered it from a paper catalog, not from the website because I don't think they had one at that time. Yeah, so I paid $1,445.00 for it back in 1996, so I guess spending a few more bucks to see if I can't get 15 years out of the thing is a pretty good investment. Oh, and as a word of caution: if you buy computer stuff like I do and use Quicken or some computer-based banking software, never have it calculate how much you spent in the "Computers" category. Yikes.

Mount Hope Plaza on March 5, 2003 a little after midnight shows how cold neon doesn't work so good.

In the world of entertainment, it looks like jamming groove-rock hippie bands have taken over both Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) and The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) on Thursday which is why you don't see either venue listed below. Thankfully the rest of the stuff going on makes up for it ... The Blackouts, Earl Cram Revue, the Mr. Fluff (703 South Ave.) show, and The BuddhaHood should keep me plenty exhausted. Er ... entertained.

In case you didn't notice, I made up a logo for JayceLand. I think it looks pretty good. Anyway, I had originally put a tail on the "y" that underlined the "Jay" part, but it looked too similar to some other logo. The only thing I could surmise is that it looks somewhat like neon tubing, which it's supposed to, but the only logo I could find with a descender that underscored the text was the Packard (car company) logo. So I'll just pose it to you all ... let me know what your impression is by sending me an e-mail at jaycelandlogo@JayceLand.com. I'd really appreciate it if you can find other logos that look just like mine. You know, so I'll know what people's first impression is.

One last thing to ponder ... remember being a kid and going out to bars and meeting people who talked too close to you, smelled funny, and gave creepy, bad advice? Well, now you're them.

Plus a picture from really late at night last week.

T H U R S D A Y

The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Dead Alive starting at 8. Peter Jackson brings us this tale of love, zombies, and lawnmowers. Over at Montage Grille (50 Chestnut St.) starting around 8 is Chris Trapper, originally from Buffalo, and singer from Push Stars. Ok, so Milestones (170 East Ave.) sucks, but the awsome ska band The Blackouts are there tonight after The Slackers and before Doc Norris ... all starting around 10. What will probably be one of the coolest shows ever--despite being way too crowded--is{sarah slean}at The Ritz at RIT (One Lomb Memorial Dr., campus map image) ... pulled together by RIT College Activities Board of all things. Anyway, it's $5 for students and $10 for everyone else and starts around 9, but I imagine you'd need advance tickets.

F R I D A Y

Today is the Huge Used Book Sale at The Rochester Public Library (115 South Ave.) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and tomorrow then on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. If you're a member of the Friends of the Rochester Public Library you can go to the preview yesterday from noon to 8 p.m. Round about happy hour time ... 6:30 or so, I recon, the acoustic rock duo Earl Cram Revue will be at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) for A Folkies Dream Happy Hour ... free with 2-for-1 drinks and food. Wow. The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing All About Lily Chou-Chou starting at 8. Japanese teenagers follow pop superstar Lily Chou-Chou and face their peers lack of understanding. If you're out in Webster and want a fix of a bit of modern rock and covers, check out Uncle Plum at Millennium (2235 Empire Blvd.) probably starting around 10. Up at Penny Arcade (4785 Lake Ave.) tonight is Camel Clutch's Salute to Warpaint show with 7N7 and Torsos from Space (who I saw recently and can compare them both to heavy metal and groove rock) starting around 10. Over at Comix Cafe (3450 Winton Pl.) tonight and tomorrow at 8 and 10:45 is comic Taylor Negron (known to me as the mailman in Better Off Dead...) with Jon Ueberroth. The Grinders, Purrs, and The End will be at the most underground of underground shows -- Mr. Fluff (703 South Ave.) -- starting around 10.

S A T U R D A Y

O'Bagelo's, 165 State Street, noon. You know the Rochester Hamfest that runs on the last weekend of May? Well advance tickets are now on sale for $7.50 (they're $9 at the door) for all three days of the weekend. You'll be able to buy tickets through May 15. This afternoon (around 3) at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is metal with the freshly formed Sulaco, Massachusetts hardcore with Anodyne, and Pennsylvania death/grind metal with Commit Suicide. The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Sunset Blvd. starting at 8. Fifty-three years ago, this film made a splash in theaters by showing Tinseltown's dirty undercarriage. After the early show (like at 10:30) but also at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is power punk-rock of QUiTTERS, The Franks, and rocking rockabilly of The Hirisers. With all this cool stuff going on, don't forget that Bee Eater and Veluxe will be at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) More awsome stuff ... funk and rock of Astronomical Unit with Bad Fish will be at Richmond's (21 Richmond St.) starting around 10:30. Oh, but there's more: awsome percussion-funk-groove-rock of The BuddhaHood with the eclectic everything-music of Peachy Neachys will be at The Club at Water Street (204 N. Water St.) tonight starting around 10.

S U N D A Y

Around 3 this afternoon is Building on Fire, The Ave Lamb, and Breather Resist over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing The Trespasser starting at 3. A stenographer is jilted by her boss and lover. More interestingly, though, is that this is Gloria Swanson's first talkie and the film was released both as a talkie and as a silent film ... this is the talkie, recently restored by Eastman House. Up at Genesee Country Nature Center (Flint Hill Rd. in Mumford) is a Sap, Syrup & Sugar show from 10 to 4.

T U E S D A Y

Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10 is Electric Noodle who's just one guy who plays electric guitar into a loop machine then plays over the top of himself. The good news is he's among the best I've seen in this genre; the bad news is that it's still boring because the loops are of fixed duration so there can be no tempo changes. That and this guy can and will play just about forever.

W E D N E S D A Y

Danceable jam-groove rock from Drums and Tuba will be at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) tonight starting somewhere between 8 and 11 then DJ's starting around 11. 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.