Weekly Rochester Events #274: Found at the Village Gate

Thursday, April 8, 2004

The excitement begins on Wednesday when I finished up my business class with The Urban League of Rochester. (Ok, so it wasn't really the beginning of excitement—it's actually rather hard to pin down when that excitement begins, but I'll start there.) Thursday was the SOHO Rochester show at Riverside Convention Center (123 E. Main St.) which, now that I'm on my way into small-business-hell ... er ... small-businesshood, I figured I had reason to go. There was quite a lot of stuff useful to me, but some of the interesting highlights in general included this company Ayuda (1255 University Ave., Suite 220) who are personal-assistants-for-hire and Crocodile Rock Entertainment who do DJ stuff plus a game-show style quiz (with scoreboards and all.) Unfortunately the free goodies were largely limited to pens—no T-shirts or mugs for me this time.

Later that night I went to help out on the Synaesthesia show at Rochester Visual Studies Workshop (31 Prince St.) Mostly setting up stuff, moving stuff, painting stuff, lighting stuff ... stuff like that. I got out of there around 2:30. The next day I was there at 1 in the afternoon. Oh, and I wanted to mention that I made this week what I refer to as a "free-for-all week" alcohol wise (See, I've generally been sticking to 6 drinks a week, but the last time I cut loose was for the New Year's party, so I decided I earned one between the completion of the class and the Synaesthesia show. It ends up being pretty irrelevant to the story except that I'm currently knocking back a glass of wine.) Anyway, I helped out doing more stuff-related ... um ... stuff and people started mingling in around 8 as expected. The food was awesome, the video work was great, the music was avant-garde as ever, and the installation artwork was provocative. I think there were about 300 people there total with a maximum of 150 or so at any one time. That night I got back home around 2:30 as well.

Saturday I was planning to see Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter at the Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) then ping-pong between bands at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) and The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) What actually happened was that I got to see the movie—which is great, by the way ... perfectly hitting the B-movie balance between trying too hard to be a good movie and being an intolerable, shitty movie. After that, Lee Demarbre of Odessa Filmworks was on hand to answer questions. I hung out afterward for a while to talk with Lee but they started encouraging an after-movie meeting spot. There was a contingency who insisted on Lux Lounge (666 South Ave.) but the Atlantic Tavern (60 Atlantic Ave) contingency won out with the intention to move on to Lux later.

I hung out at the Atlantic with Lee, Jim, and Kate for a few hours. They headed home afterward so I got to act as chauffeur and host for Lee when heading off to Lux. I knew some of the local film people hang out there now and again and I hoped to play up some networking. I was pleased as punch to find that as we were about to head in, local filmmaker Matt Ehlers of Eggwork Productions was right in front of us so I introduced the two guys (pardon the unabashed name-dropping).

Have I told you lately that I am The Kevin Bacon?

Anyway, Lee had a good time ... lots of people familiar with the movie were there and he got a lot of attention, plus he's the best chick magnet I've ever had the pleasure of hanging around with. I got to meet lots of the women who hang out in Lux who ordinarily wouldn't give me the time of day—and I recognize it for its short-term amusement ... not like this changes anything, but at least I had a better-than-average Lux night. In the end we got kicked out around 2:30 or so and I dropped Lee off at the hotel.

On the way home around 3, there was this guy who was presumably drunk walking down the middle of Goodman near Highland. I was a B-list "good Samaritan" by calling 911 and letting them know to keep an eye on him—I was worried that he would end up dead in a ditch by morning, but I decided I'd trade the chance of his semi-frozen corpse for the guarantee that my car would be puke-free. Thus, 911 it was.

I've spent the last few days largely recovering ... trying to get some semblance of normal sleep back with limited success. I did get out on Tuesday a bit, though. First, I went to see Mayor William A. Johnson, Jr. speak at Third Presbyterian Church (Meigs St. and East Ave.) about the upcoming budget shortfall. It was a fairly informative meeting, and succeeded in showing there wasn't a clear solution. I also ran into some guys from The Upper Mount Hope Neighborhood Association and I think I accidentally didn't not volunteer to be captain of my street.

I think that's part of the reason I cut back on drinking a couple years ago.

Afterward I went to The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) to see The Blam and RantMusic. The Blam is this great rock-and-roll band with fancy distortion—you know, some classic distortion and some effects-pedal work. RantMusic was excellent, though ... they're like ska with violin. They also use mandolin, guitar, bass, and drums and play music with influences in rock and punk-rock with a little bit from Russian, Celtic, Klezmer, and country music.

Coming up, I'm excited to see noise and experimental bands tonight with Voltage, Superwow, and Hilkka at The All-Purpose Room (#8 in the Public Market, off N. Union St.) On Sunday, The Blues Brothers looks pretty cool and I think I'll be able to make it since it's Easter. Finally, on Tuesday, the show at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) with The Slats, Tim Kelly, The Wills Wilde, and Ian Downey looks really good too.

In other news, there will be a total solar eclipse today—sort-of. It's actually on April 8, 2024 but it should be quite an impressive sight. If you look at the NASA/GSFC Eclipse Page you can find the maps for the total eclipses in North America in the next century, and there's the 2024 one that goes right smack dab across Rochester and Buffalo.

T H U R S D A Y

The Bertrand Russell Society will be having their meeting at Verb Café at Writers and Books (740 University Ave.) tonight at 7 p.m. [source: Writers and Books calendar] Voltage, Superwow, and somewhat fast-paced chaos rock from Hilkka will be at The All-Purpose Room (#8 in the Public Market, off N. Union St.) starting around 8 p.m. [source: Carbon Records calendar] The Fuse, Smokewagon, and The Thundergods will be at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:45 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] Tonight at 8 at Kilbourn Hall in Eastman Theatre (60 Gibbs St.) is a show titled Image, Movement, Sound. Well, it looks interesting to me anyway. [source: Eastman School of Music calendar] Tonight at The Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Ave., near Goodman St.) is Poetry Reading starting at 7 p.m. Bruce Sweet reads from his books This is a Good Thing, A Dream of Animals, and Archaeology. [source: Memorial Art Gallery calendar] Tonight at Star Bar (123 Liberty Pole Way, formerly Tilt and Velocity) is Second Sky, and Rhubarb starting around 10 p.m. [source: Rochester Music Coalition calendar] Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting vaguely okay vaguely surf-rock from The Riviera Playboys, and The Coffin Lids from Boston starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: Whole Lotta Shakin' calendar] Pure Kona Poetry Open Mic Night is at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) tonight starting at 7:30. [source: Daily Perks calendar]

F R I D A Y

Tonight at The Club at Water Street (204 N. Water St.) is Navar, Burning Daylight, Lucid, and Last Conservative starting around 7:30 p.m. Tonight and tomorrow at Nextstage at Geva (75 Woodbury Blvd.) is Geva Comedy Improv starting at 10:30 for just $5. [source: the proverbial grapevine] Tonight at Ingle Auditorium at RIT (One Lomb Memorial Dr., campus map image) they'll be showing a double feature of Casablanca and On the Waterfront for free. I swear I checked this twice on the calendar so if they move the time, I'll just have to consider that calendar unreliable and stop using it. [source: CAB calendar] Tonight at 8 p.m. at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) is the Urban-Suburban Slam Poetry. [source: Daily Perks calendar] Acoustic soloist Silandara Bartlett will be at Starry Nites (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) starting around 9 p.m. [source: WBER calendar]

S A T U R D A Y

O'Bagelo's, 165 State Street, noon. This afternoon at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is fun-to-see heavy metal band Blüdwülf, Global Chaos, Treason, and B. S. O. M. starting around 3 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] Over at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) starting around 8 p.m. is John Browne, and Shane Hamen [source: Daily Perks calendar] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Bonhoeffer starting at 8 p.m. A documentary about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer who openly criticized Hitler and his supporters before it became historical fact ... what a novel concept. [source: Eastman House calendar] The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting Dexter Romweber, The Ghostwriter, rocking rockabilly from Krypton 88, and solid, simple rockabilly from Diesel Daddy starting around 10 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] Rick Whalers and the Boogie Men will be at Montage Grille (50 Chestnut St.) starting around 10 p.m. [source: Montage calendar] Tonight at Richmond's (21 Richmond St.) is generic alterna-rock band (at least the last time I saw them two years ago) Bird Circuit, and ambient/power-pop band Hinkley starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: Freetime] Duels Café (17 E. Main St.) will be hosting The Comedy Company's Comedy Night starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: Freetime] Tonight at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) is The Neckbeards starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: Freetime]

S U N D A Y

The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing The Blues Brothers starting at 5 p.m. Kill me now ... this was made 24 years ago. Anyway, Jake and Elwood try to raise money to save the Catholic home where they grew up. [source: Eastman House calendar] Jay Kast of The Retreads will be at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) tonight for the Fast Jay Kast's Easter Cussword Jamboree. You see, Jay gave up cussin' for lent and now he's going to cut loose right at midnight following Easter Sunday. [source: the proverbial grapevine] Dan Liberto (of the The Comedy Company) hosts Open Mic Comedy Night at Duels Café (17 E. Main St.) starting around 7:30 (theoretically.) [source: Duel's Café] Starry Nites (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) will be having Aura Readings today from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. then their own breed of Poetry Nite from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. [source: Freetime]

T U E S D A Y

This noon at Gleason Auditorium in The Rochester Public Library (115 South Ave.) is another Books Sandwiched In (actually from 12:12 p.m. to 12:52 p.m. Today's lecture features St. John Fisher College Associate Professor of English Dr. Joyce Middleton on hand to discuss Toni Morrison's Love. [source: Rochester Public Library calendar] Over at Verb Café at Writers and Books (740 University Ave.) tonight starting around 7:30 p.m. is another Genesee Reading Series with M. J. Iuppa, Bruce Bennett, and William Neumire. [source: Writers and Books calendar] The Bop Shop (274 N. Goodman St., in Village Gate Square) will be hosting The Billy Bang Trio, Abbey Rader, and Todd Nicholson starting around 8 p.m. [source: Bop Shop calendar] Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:45 p.m. is The Slats, Tim Kelly, punchy contemporary rock-and-roll from The Wills Wilde, and (probably) mostly rapid-fire acoustic from Ian Downey. [source: Bug Jar calendar] 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

Tonight at Montage Grille (50 Chestnut St.) is Big Drum: Songwriters in the Round featuring Rich Mackin, up-and-coming vocalist Kate Silverman with Bob Stephenson, Blair Vail (whom I last saw at Daily Perks, but that was two years ago and she was 17) fun acoustic soloist Silandara Bartlett, and Bill Lambert starting around 6:30 p.m. [source: Freetime] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Schlock starting at 8 p.m. John Landis' debut film poking fun at the low-grade spinoffs from King Kong. [source: Eastman House calendar] Another Eastman Musica Nova Ensemble show will be at Kilbourn Hall in Eastman Theatre (60 Gibbs St.) tonight at 8 p.m. Brad Lubman will be conducting the music of Ernste and Zorn for the Kevin Ernste Project. [source: Eastman School of Music calendar] Cindy and Peter Bauer from Greyhound Adoption of Greater Rochester will be at The Irondequoit Public Library, Helen McGraw Branch (2180 Ridge Rd. E.) starting at 7 p.m. to give some information and find homes for some greyhounds. [source: Rochester Public Library calendar] 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] Poor People United meets tonight and every Wednesday at 7 at St. Joseph's House of Hospitality (402 South Ave.) [source: the proverbial grapevine]