Weekly Rochester Events #353: Double-Cross the Axis and You'll Rolle a Parallel Tangent

Thursday, October 13, 2005

In lieu of doing any real philosophical ramblings like I want to be inspired to do again, I figure I'd just dump several random things that I've got on my list to announce or mention.

First, I dropped the IUMA links from the band pages. They instituted a policy where they have pop-up ads that break the pop-up blocking in two browsers (Safari and Firefox.) While I guess they think it's some kind of a challenge, I look at it as a formal request: when I check "block pop-up windows" in preferences, that means I am sending a clear message that I do not want to see them. It is not hard to honor the request, either: it means to fail to create special software to circumvent the pop-up blocker. That's why the IUMA links are gone.

Second, I got mentioned by Joe Tunis in City Newspaper's "Fiz" from August 10, 2005 subtitled "Self-publishing revolution." I was sad to note that they didn't "linkify" the page, so it although it includes "www.jayceland.com/" it's not "www.jayceland.com/" so people have a harder time exploring. Ninety-five percent thanks goes to the mention, though.

Lastly, I was digging around on the The City of Rochester pages and stumbled on the property records for almost every property in the city. They started photographing them long ago, and my evidence of that is my old apartment (20 Burkhard Pl.) The 1985 Ford Escort parked in front is my old car ... I guess I was home at the time.

Anyway, last Thursday I kicked things off going on winery tastings around Keuka Lake with this ... umm ... friend ... er ... friend of mine. She was doing a project about the Sereksiya grape grown at McGregor Vineyard and Winery (5503 Dutch St., Dundee) so we started there. It was a really pleasant and friendly place to visit and the Black Russian Red they make from a blend of their Sereksiya and Saperavi grapes is really good.

Despite having no experience with the weird vernacular of wine tasting (i.e. smelling, "I get ... moldy leaves in springtime ... sugar maples perhaps") I insist it's most like a shiraz. To me, shiraz's run this spectrum from really good where they're well balanced to really bad where they're a harsh cacophony of spices and flavors. The Black Russian Red is beyond the good end of the spectrum, being like a very smooth and well balanced shiraz, but with additional flavors which I surmised was the complexities of the strong flavor of the tannins.

We had lunch at Village Tavern Restaurant and Inn (30 Mechanic St., Hammondsport) which was quite good — thumbs-up to their pumpkin and zuchini bisque. We hit some other wineries that I'll skip except that I'll mention Pleasant Valley Wine Company (8260 Pleasant Valley Rd., Hammondsport) just for the amusement. They're also known as Great Western and make mediocre sparkling wines and although it's barely acceptable, their samples are huge (at least when we were there ... by the way, mid-week is the way to go ... everything is one-on-one personal attention) so you do get lit up a bit. I guess their theory is that you'll buy it if you're drunk enough.

The place I liked the most, though, was Chateau Renaissance (7494 Hatchery Rd., Hammondsport). Despite it's rather pretentious-sounding name, it was a small, friendly place. They make New York State sparkling wines done in the champagne style and some really good fruit wines — not the blend of grape-wine-and-fruit, but real fermented fruits. I couldn't resist the light and nutty dandelion wine and the wispy rose petal wine. I sure hope they're actually really good instead of being a Pleasant-Valley-side-effect.

On Saturday night I started out to George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) to see Where the Buffalo Roam but when I got there, found out I had entered the date in wrong and it was actually shown on Thursday. I killed a bit of time talking with some folks at Mex (295 Alexander St.) before heading to The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) for the show there.

The theme for the night seemed to be "religion" and all the bands had at least one element related to that. The Lobster Quadrille did a satire of a gospel rock band — within that concept, they played some really catchy, nearly Klezmer-inspired rockabillyness. Next up was Reverend Glasseye who followed with some also klezmerish, gospelish, trucker-country style, theatrical rock orchestra — they had eight people on stage with different instruments. Finishing things off was Voodoo Organist who did like last time: a one-man synth-gospel rockabilly band.

I was excited on Sunday to get to Kilbourn Hall at Eastman Theatre (60 Gibbs St.) to see Break of Reality. They did the hard-rock-on-cello-and-drums thing and it was good, but it seemed a bit out of place in that particular hall. They don't really fit anywhere (although they will be at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) this week) and I've found them most at home in a coffee shop setting where they can really blow some minds.

T H U R S D A Y

This evening at The Little (240 East Ave.) at 5:30 p.m. is another film in The ImageOut Film Festival. Based on a True Story is a documentary about the true story that inspired Dog Day Afternoon. Later, at 7:30 p.m., they'll be showing the short-film program titled Desperate Homos featuring 8 shorts from around the world. [source: ImageOut program] Tonight at The Rochester Visual Studies Workshop (31 Prince St.) at 6 p.m. is a Reception for Steve Eckel, an artist and candidate for the County Legislature 26th District. [source: the proverbial grapevine] This evening at 7 p.m. in the auditorium in The Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Ave., near Goodman St.) forensic anthropologist Jennifer Prutsman-Pfeiffer will discuss her analysis of a 2,000-year-old mummy on view in the Gill Discovery Center. [source: Memorial Art Gallery calendar] [all ages] Petracovich, digitally enhanced mellow acoustic from Autumn In Halifax, and Chad Oliveiri will be at A|V Art Sound Space (#8 in the Public Market, off N. Union St., formerly The All-Purpose Room) starting around 8 p.m. [source: artsound website] Tonight at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is Wales Road starting around 9 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting Fantastic Dan and the Master Plan starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: Freetime] [21+] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas starting at 8 p.m. Nothing like gonzo-journalism effectively brought to the big screen. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Pure Kona Poetry Open Mic Night is at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) tonight starting at 7:30. [source: Daily Perks calendar] [all ages]

F R I D A Y

Columbus Day Tonight at 6 p.m. at The Cinema Theatre (957 South Clinton Ave.) is part of The ImageOut Film Festival. Garçon stupide (Stupid Boy) is about a young gay man who has meaningless sexual encounters on the Internet, but his naïveté is shattered by someone looking for more. Later at 8 p.m. is Schöene Frauen (Beautiful Women) about five actresses waiting in a room, vying for the same role. Tonight at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) at 8 p.m. is a Comedy Show featuring Rich Gagnier, Chuck McCoy, and Skasko. [source: Daily Perks calendar] [all ages] Over at Starry Nites Café (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) starting around 9 p.m. is the multifaceted blended-jazz band Margaret Explosion. [source: Starry Nites calendar] [all ages] Over at Alexander Street Pub (291 Alexander St.) starting around 10 p.m. is the tight modern-rock, mostly-cover band The Meddling Kids. [source: Freetime]

S A T U R D A Y

O'Bagelo's, 165 State Street, noon. Today starting at 8 a.m. at The City Surplus Yard (210 Colfax St.) is the City of Rochester Autos, Light Trucks, and Small Equipment Auction by The Reynolds Auction Company. [source: Reynold's Auction website] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Left Lane starting at 12 noon as part of The ImageOut Film Festival — a documentary about "unapologetic, radical, and refreshing" spoken-word artist Alix Olson. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Crustacés et coquillages (Côte d'Azur; "Shellfish and Shells" or "Riviera") starting at 7 p.m. as part of The ImageOut Film Festival — a comic film about the unexpected effects of some libido-enhancing shellfish. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) will be hosting Sheila Woodin, and Toni Elderkin starting around 8 p.m. [source: Daily Perks calendar] [all ages] The Orbit Underground will be at Starry Nites Café (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) starting around 9 p.m. for an acoustic set or two. [source: Starry Nites calendar] [all ages] Tonight at A|V Art Sound Space (#8 in the Public Market, off N. Union St., formerly The All-Purpose Room) is The Polymer Trio, and Margaret Explosion starting around 9 p.m. [source: artsound website] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Loggerheads starting at 9:30 p.m. as part of The ImageOut Film Festival. A man feels more connected to his loggerhead turtles than to the other people in his life — "a rich meditation on love and loss." [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Tonight at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) is weird rock band GAD, Pile of Face, and Awake in Athens starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: band e-mail] The Bellrays, and excellent rock-and-roll/rockabilly from The Hi-Risers will be at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:45 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] Tonight's another Betty's Sing-a-Long at Betty Meyer's Bullwinkle Café (622 Lake Ave.) starting around 10.

S U N D A Y

Today at 2 p.m. is your last chance to see Topdog/Underdog, a play by Suzan-Lori Parks at Shipping Dock Theatre (31 Prince St., new location at Visual Studies Workshop) [source: Shipping Dock Theatre website] This afternoon at 2 p.m. in Gleason Auditorium at The Rochester Public Library (115 South Ave.) is a presentation by Richard Miller titled Searching for Agent Spencer: Indian Agent to the Sioux, 1886-1890. [source: Rochester Public Library calendar] [all ages] Today at 3 p.m. is the last performance of The Road Home at Nextstage at Geva (75 Woodbury Blvd.) [source: Geva Theatre website] Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 9:30 p.m. is Clyde Federal, and acoustic-rock/groove-rock from Gregory Paul and the Autumdivers [source: Bug Jar calendar] Today from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. is another Community Garage Sale at The Rochester Public Market (280 Union St. N.) [source: City Hall press release] Starry Nites Café (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) is hosting their weekly Open Mike Poetry tonight at 7 p.m. [source: Starry Nites calendar] [all ages]

M O N D A Y

Tonight at Starry Nites Café (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) at 7 p.m. is another Holistic Nite featuring Usha Shah discussing Transformation thru the Power of Now. [source: Starry Nites calendar] [all ages] A|V Art Sound Space (#8 in the Public Market, off N. Union St., formerly The All-Purpose Room) will be hosting Auk Theatre, Wizzards, Mudboy, and (usually) semi-melodic fast-paced noise from Pengo starting around 9 p.m. [source: artsound website] Bored? Why not check out 1980's DJ night at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 11 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar]

T U E S D A Y

Today from 12:12 p.m. to 12:52 p.m. in Gleason Auditorium at The Rochester Public Library (115 South Ave.) is another Books Sandwiched-In featuring Clive Barons of Xerox discussing Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century. [source: Rochester Public Library calendar] [all ages] Over at A|V Art Sound Space (#8 in the Public Market, off N. Union St., formerly The All-Purpose Room) starting around 8 p.m. is The Regulations, and The Hombrinus Dudes. [source: artsound website] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Safety Last! starting at 8 p.m. Philip C. Carli will provide the music for this silent film about a storeowner who offers a cash prize for anyone who can scale the front of the building. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Over at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (99 Court St.) starting around 10 p.m. is blues-charged rock-and-roll/groove-rock from Buford and the Smoking Section. [source: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que 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] [all ages]

W E D N E S D A Y

The Bop Shop (274 N. Goodman St., in Village Gate Square) will be hosting The Steve Gauci Trio starting around 8 p.m. [source: Bop Shop calendar] [all ages] The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting Mugs N' Jugs featuring tight cello-and-drums rock band Break of Reality, Mike Zale, and DJ's Ginnis and Sonic Monica starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: Bug Jar 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] There's an Open Mic for Acoustic Music at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) tonight around 8. [source: the proverbial grapevine] [all ages]