Weekly Rochester Events #263: Winter is the Fourth and Final Season

Thursday, January 22, 2004

Thank goodness for all that Encyclopedia Brown shit I read in college or else I never would have figured it out.

Anyway, I actually did get to some events this past week. First, on Thursday, I was able to use my knowledge of the Upper Mount Hope Neighborhood to my advantage to get to the Thursday Thinkers at The Rochester Public Library (115 South Ave.) I skipped Mount Hope and tried using Kendrick and Lattimore to get to Elmwood to make it to the city via Exchange, but that ended up all backed up from the bad weather too. What I did was to cut through the Strong parking lot at the end of Crittenden (Boulevard, not Road) and end up in Genesee Valley Park. From there it was an easy left onto Elmwood to Plymouth ... a quick jog onto Exchange south of Ford Street, then smooth sailing right up to the library. Sweet.

The actual event, though, was just so-so. See, this Rump Group presented it ... they're a bunch of business owners in the area trying to figure out how to keep this area economically viable. Thomas Judson of the Pike Comapny and this other guy ... uhh ... Charlie something ... presented their findings. They gave us all these glossy brochures with a bunch of information, and started talking about how they started working on methods of consolidating government services to reduce costs. The part I found so puzzling was that it wouldn't really cut costs that much—only a couple percent. I guess it's a good idea anyway, but why not go for the big things first? That, and if you do an analysis and show you won't save much money, that's good: that means to move on and examine something else. To add insult to injury, the people in the audience wanted the Rump Group to endorse a candidate and affect actual change, when in point of fact (as stated a dozen times by Mr. Judson) they are an advisory group and not a group of lobbyists. Sometimes people need to shut the fuck up.

Later that night I made it to The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) to see Concubine Forming and Trailer Park Tornadoes but both bands cancelled. I mean, come on: it was only -3°F there and at least -4°F at my house when I left. Wimps. It ended up being only the staff sitting at the bar at 10:15 p.m. on a Thursday night. I figured I'd head down to Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) to see if anything interesting was happening there, but this band "TBA" apparently overbooked several gigs all over town and wasn't coming (har har.) At the Krown it was just the bartender, door guy, the chef in the kitchen, and one of the regulars who went with this other guy for a run around Cobb's Hill immediately prior. I'm not sure where the other guy went, but I imagine he was somewhere near the reservoir, frozen solid by that point.

I eventually settled on Lux Lounge (666 South Ave.) because there was about 20 people there, including some that I knew. So I hung out for a couple hours then called it a night.

On Saturday at Acme Bar & Pizza (495 Monroe Ave.) was the last show for a while from Astronomical Unit. Their superb guitarist, Dave, is leaving for California soon. I stayed for a few songs then headed over to Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) and caught all of Bee Eater who did something in their last couple shows where they really really power home the rock. I skipped out on The Retreads to ... umm ... pursue other interests. (Interests, I might add, that may not remain as interests much longer, much to my dismay.)

On Tuesday, I was really excited to see Sirsy at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) See in the process of making last week's website, I checked out theirs to confirm that they were coming and such. They're an Albany band, and so I dug a little further since I'm from Schenectady. The lead singer's name is Melanie Krahmer ... a name that I thought I remembered as someone I rode the bus with when I was in High School, but that wasn't correct. I was, however, accidentally right in thinking she also went to Schalmont (Schenectady, Albany, Montgomery counties ... Sch-Al-Mont ... get it?) I snagged my yearbook and lo and behold, there was group picture including one M. Krahmer. Go Sabres (see, saber-toothed tigers went extinct many years ago and the sandy soil around the school was deposited by glaciers sometime around the same epoch ... never mind.)

I'm so much of an idiot that not only did I mention that saber-toothed tigers crap just now, I also scanned in a picture and rintedp [see ... there's that "p" problem] it out. Indeed, she was the Melanie depicted, but she said I blew her "stage age of 24" based on when I graduated and when the picture was taken, etc. Oh well. Anyway, her band Sirsy is a really good band ... I liked that they weren't particularly classifiable, but I decided they were "medium-tempo progressive rock with country and funk influences and a little lounge-act influence," just to pidgeon-hole them. Melanie has quite a large range of dynamics she can pump out (when she's singing, pervert) and the band behind her is superb. It's too bad there were only three people there, but that's what Tuesday nights are like (whether the weather is nice or not.)

F R I D A Y

Over at Downstairs Cabaret (172 West Main St.) starting around 8 p.m. both tonight and tomorrow is Nuts and Bolts Improv Troupe (see their site at ImprovAmerica too.) [source: Nuts and Bolts e-mail] Foreigner lead singer Lou Gramm will be at Water Street Music Hall (204 N. Water St.) with Richard Gramm, Ben Gramm, Don Mancuso and Andy Knoll starting around 7:30 p.m. on both tonight and tomorrow. [source: Water Street calendar] At the Strong Auditorium in The University of Rochester (River Campus Map) Christopher Edley, Jr. will deliver a Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Address titled "The New Civil Rights Agenda" starting at 6 p.m. [source: Freetime] The Hochstein School of Music and Dance (50 North Plymouth Ave.) will be hosting the Spotlight on Faculty Concert featuring Zarina Melik-Stepanova on piano presenting music of Scarlatti, Chopin, Debussy, and Prokofiev in the Hochstein Performance Hall starting at 8. [source: Hochstein calendar] Tonight at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (99 Court St.) is great rockabilly-ish rock-and-roll from The Hirisers starting around 9 p.m. [source: Whole Lotta Shakin' calendar] Tonight at Johnny's Irish Pub (1382 Culver Rd., still smoke-free) is mellow cover band The Earthtones starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: Freetime] Tonight at Millennium (2235 Empire Blvd.) is your fix of modern rock and cover songs from Uncle Plum starting around 10 p.m. [source: Freetime] Norton's Pub (1730 Goodman St.) will be hosting (if I remember right) the mostly-cover-band Rochester Brass and Electric starting around 10 p.m. [source: Freetime]

S A T U R D A Y

O'Bagelo's, 165 State Street, noon. A new exhibit opens today at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) titled 15 Minutes: Celebrity and Identity about how still images and moving images influence our perception and how celebrity is now being manufactured. [source: Eastman House calendar] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Party Monster starting at 8. Based on the true story of a night clubber who kills his lover/drug dealer the brags about it on TV. [source: Eastman House calendar] The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting the eclectic, political, and perpetually striving Peachy Neachys , Oceanside, and pretty good chaotic rock from Kill Myself on Monday starting around 10:45 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] Over at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:30 p.m. is The Slumlords, and former Colorblind James Experience members hünü?. [source: Whole Lotta Shakin' calendar] FMGreen, solid, acoustic-compatible rock-and-roll from Burning Snella and somewhat Irish sounding punk band, Tom Foolery and the Shenanigans will be at Curley's Saloon (511 E. Ridge Rd.) starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: Freetime]

T U E S D A Y

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. [source: Writers and Books calendar] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Shao Lin ta peng hsiao tzu (Return to the 36th Chamber) starting at 8. A con-man learns to fight in the kung fu style ... apparently this is in the vein of the more humor-filled kung fu movies like Jackie Chan's films. [source: Eastman House calendar] Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:45 p.m. is airy and metaphoric acoustic soloist Kelli Hicks, excellent ambient music from Sneaky Dragons, and Keith Parkins. [source: Bug Jar calendar] Family Groove Company, and Cerulean City will be at Java's (16 Gibb St.) starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: JamBase calendar for Rochester] 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. [source: Daily Perks calendar]

W E D N E S D A Y

Montage Grille (50 Chestnut St.) will be hosting Big Drum Songwriters in the Round featuring acoustic soloist Maria Gillard, Dennis Monroe, Kate Silverman and Tim Clark starting at 6:30 p.m. [source: band e-mail] Very cool jazz/jazz-rock band Margaret Explosion will be at The Little (240 East Ave.) starting around 8 p.m. [source: WITR calendar] 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. 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. [source: Daily Perks calendar]