Weekly Rochester Events #250: Seriously ... Can You Believe 250 Weeks in a Row?

Thursday, October 23, 2003

Anyway, First Rate Deli comes pretty close. So far I've had a great turkey sandwich there and a great tuna salad sandwich too. Their jerk chicken soup was excellent as well. The only trouble is, they're open from Sunday through Friday, but not on Saturdays, so we'll meet there on Sunday instead. It's near Salinger's Bar & Grill (107 East Ave.) ... across the street from Spot Coffee (East Ave. and Mathews St.) and toward Main Street by two blocks.

So on to things going on ... here's what I had to write about when I got home on Thursday:

Friday, October 17, 12:37 a.m.

Music died tonight.

I went to see Evil Jake at Montage Grille (50 Chestnut St.) I got there around 7 and met with Mike from the band. He was so excited ... excited to see that he had set up this gig with three other bands on short notice; excited that I showed up after I sent them the e-mail recommending they check out the Montage; excited that they got singled out as "picks of the week" in both The City and Freetime Magazine; and excited they were featured in favorable light for a couple hours on WCMF, 96.5FM. Throughout the night, a total of about 8 people showed up, including two 'CMF listeners and a woman who works there, and the five people there to see the baseball game. After playing to an empty house (save for those 8 people and the dozen or so in the other bands) Mike ended up head-in-hands pondering what else one could have done to bring people out.

This kind of thing has been a trend in the last year or so ... smaller and smaller crowds to see music. So tonight, I declare it officially dead. In December, 1980, millions of people mourned the death of John Lennon. Don McLean wrote American Pie in response with the refrain "the day the music died." Nobody had any idea how bad things could get.

Basically, I'm it. I'm the only person in the entirety of Monroe county who wants to see live music for the sake of bearing witness to creative expression. I'm the only person who will pass up a band I have seen before so I can go see one I've already seen. I'm the only person who went the extra mile to see if there was going to be a show when the power went out earlier in the year.

I like to see live music. I also liked Crystal Pepsi, Snackwells Yogurt, Mount Hope Wegmans, and Aaron's Place (690 Park Ave., formerly Bistro Seven) Now all those things are gone. I guess so is live music. I might as well face it ... I just liked it too much. Everything I like goes away.

Goodbye, music.

[Ok, I didn't edit the above at all before publishing it. Several people wrote to me to say that Don McLean's song "American Pie," written in 1971, was not a response to John Lennon's death in 1980—I'm still holding out hope that it was just excruciatingly prescient. -J] Thankfully, things only could improve for the rest of the weekend. On Saturday I went to see that movie Cinemania over at the Dryden at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) It's about these five people in New York who are "cinemaniacs"—they see an average of four or five movies every day. They've got schedules of everything going on all, they're known by curators of the historical theaters they go, and they're finicky about things like projection, sound, and print quality. The movie also has an interesting perspective because it's made by Germans and is subtitled as such. However, the funniest thing was that when I got to the theater, someone was in my seat! It's the one to the right of center in the third row from the screen. It's a general location I like, and the seat has glue on it or something so nobody tends to sit there. Alas, I was forced back a couple rows, but boy did I glare at that guy. Later I saw The Isotopes at Richmond's (21 Richmond St.) It was a somewhat subdued show ... not too many people there, and Krypton 88 didn't play. I did bring the camera and take a bunch of pictures, though. One of them is to the right. In the future ... well, take a look. This is a huge week for stuff going on. I don't even know what I'd like to take a shot at seeing.

The Isotopes move in the dark too fast for the camera at Richmonds on October 19

T H U R S D A Y

Jack Garner will again be at Verb Café at Writers and Books (740 University Ave.) starting around 6 to show and discuss Hitchcock's Rear Window where James Stewart plays a guy stuck with a broken leg who's only entertainment is spying on his neighbors out the back window. The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting Bongzilla, The End, and Psy Opus in an early show starting around 8:30 p.m. Seth Horan will be at Record Archive (1880 East Ave.) starting around 4 p.m. The All-Purpose Room (#8 in the Public Market, off N. Union St.) will be hosting the installation sound-and-visual artwork titled Clear Housing and Clearing House starting around 7 p.m. Over at Ingle Auditorium at RIT (One Lomb Memorial Dr., campus map image) starting around 8 is Confidence about a con man who gets in trouble with the mob after he rips off a mob accountant, then at 10 is Sweet Sixteen about a teenager dealing with his mother's recent release from prison. Silandara Bartlett will be at Java Wally's at RIT (One Lomb Memorial Dr., campus map image), starting around 7 p.m. The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Tre volti della paura, I (Black Sabbath) starting at 8. Three Italian horror stories all in one movie. At Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Ave., near Goodman St.) tonight starting around 6:30 is a special event marginally cleverly titled Palate To Palette. This will feature a cooking demonstration, a gourmet dinner, and an art history lecture all rolled into one ... it's pretty pricey at $70, though. Tonight at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) is Throttlerod, and Quintaine Americana starting around 10:30 p.m. Starting around 6:30 at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) is a Tips and Techniques Lecture titled Right Before Your Eyes - Transforming Ordinary Objects into Extraordinary Photographs. Pure Kona Poetry Open Mic Night is at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) tonight starting at 7:30.

F R I D A Y

Tonight at German House (315 Gregory St.) is the season finale performance of Nuts and Bolts Improv Troupe (see their site at ImprovAmerica too) starting around 8 p.m. Garrin Benfield will be at Spot Coffee (East Ave. and Mathews St.) starting around 8 p.m. Over at Johnny's Irish Pub (1382 Culver Rd., still smoke-free) starting around 5 p.m. then again at 9 p.m. is acoustic soloist John Akers. Tonight and tomorrow from 7 to 9 is the annual Ghost Walk with The Landmark Society of Western New York at Third Presbyterian Church (Meigs St. and East Ave.) for $8.

S A T U R D A Y

Starting this morning at Seneca Park Zoo (2222 St. Paul Blvd.) is Allen Hopkins for some family Halloween music starting around 10 a.m. Over at The All-Purpose Room (#8 in the Public Market, off N. Union St.) starting around 7 p.m. is the installation sound-and-visual artwork titled Clear Housing and Clearing House. "Good ole country-fried hip-hop" with Nappy Roots, and The Beatnuts will be at the Clark Gymnasium at RIT (One Lomb Memorial Dr., campus map image) starting around 8 p.m. Water Street Music Hall (204 N. Water St.) will be hosting October Project, and Gregory Paul and the Autum Divers starting around 8:30 p.m. The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing The Hired Hand starting at 8. A couple drifters return to the wife of one of them to work for her. Director/star Peter Fonda will not be on hand to discuss the film as originally scheduled, but his co-star, Vera Bloom will. Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:30 p.m. is the reunion of the Fertility Rite Brothers, solid, fast rock with The Franks, and bland surf-rock with Cousin Al and the New Generation. An Exhibition Preview Party will be at Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Ave., near Goodman St.) starting around 8 p.m. This is a preview of rarely-seen treasures from a major Mexican collection featuring some of the 19th- and 20th-century masters including Picasso, Chagall, Kandinsky, Renoir, and Corot. Also, there will be live music and entertainment from The Skycoasters, The Steve Greene Trio, Jack Edward Smith and Concentus Women's Chorus. Montage Grille (50 Chestnut St.) will be hosting Vienna Teng starting around 9 p.m. Acme Bar & Pizza (495 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting interesting funk with The Filthy Funk starting around 10 p.m. Over at Fat Moe's (4419 Dewey Ave.) starting around 10:30 p.m. is modern rock and covers with Uncle Plum

S U N D A Y

Daylight Saving Time Ends -- Set your clock back one hour from 2:00 a.m. daylight saving time to 1:00 a.m. standard time in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Lunch is today at First Rate Foods & Deli (127 East Ave.) The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing How to Marry a Millionaire starting at 3. Ah yes, the age old game of marrying millionaires ... featuring Marilyn Monroe (a double feature ... see below.) The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing The Seven Year Itch starting at 5. Marilyn Monroe is back trying to seduce a man trying to resist her advances. This afternoon at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) is their Halloween Haunted House starting around 1 p.m. Awesome heavy metal with Dixie Witch, excellent heavy rock/metal with Heatseeker, and the newly formed Baba Yaga will be at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 7 p.m. ... right after the Backyard BBQ starting around 6. Later at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is moderately heavy punkish rock from The Purrs, The Hentchmen, and The Paybacks starting around 10:30 p.m. 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

Navy Day Tonight at Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Ave., near Goodman St.) is The BuddhaHood starting around 1 p.m. until 4. Updated: Upper Mount Hope Neighborhood Association will be having their semi-annual meeting tonight at St. Anne Church (1600 Mt. Hope Ave.) starting around 7. The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting Earlimart, Kaito, 1980's new-age mixed with punk and metal with Turn Pale, and tight rock/punk-rock with The Retreads starting around 10:45 p.m.

T U E S D A Y

The installation sound-and-visual artwork titled Clear Housing and Clearing House will be at The All-Purpose Room (#8 in the Public Market, off N. Union St.) starting around 7 p.m. Java's (16 Gibb St.) will be hosting Oshe starting around 8 p.m. Over at Verb Café at Writers and Books (740 University Ave.) tonight is The Old Pothead—Sam Abrams for a reading, signing, and publication party for his poetry collection, The Old Pothead Poems. Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:45 p.m. is classic-style, funny punk with The Groovie Ghoulies, The Flipsides, and awesome punk-rock with The QUiTTERS. That "Tuesday Treasures" event is coming up at Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Ave., near Goodman St.) and they're asking for people to drop off stuff for it today from 10 to 6. See the website for more details on what not to bring. 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. Over at Downstairs Cabaret (20 Windsor St.) starting around 7:30 p.m. is Funny Underground

W E D N E S D A Y

Tonight at The All-Purpose Room (#8 in the Public Market, off N. Union St.) is Gumshoe, and Chad Oliveiri starting around 7 p.m. Like beer? Like Catholicism? Check out Theology On Tap with Jamie Fazio and Alice Miller-Nation at Johnny's Irish Pub (1382 Culver Rd., still smoke-free) starting around 8. 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.