Weekly Rochester Events #366: Park for Magnolias

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Kicking off last weekend was some movies, a good friend, and a bunch of scotch. I mean lots of it. Like three quarters of a 750ml bottle of Laphroaig Quarter Cask. Thus, I spent Thursday largely nursing a hangover. I guess that although I missed out on New Year's Eve, I certainly made up for it now.

That night I went out to The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) and didn't have any alcohol. I stayed to watch a bit of Moustache who are an okay hard-rock/metal instrumental band. I didn't ask, so I'm not sure if they have a singer who was just absent this one night or not. Next was The Sweatshop Boys — I still liked their solidly good punk style but didn't stay because I was wiped out.

Friday I started off with some dinner so I stopped at Magnolia's Market and Deli (366 Park Ave.) for thier Rising Sunflower sandwich which wasn't as rich a tapestry of flavors as I had expected, but just a pretty decent sandwich of tukey, havarti, peppers, and tomato. From there I was off to The Rochester Visual Studies Workshop (31 Prince St.) for the opening of Memory Making Meaning by The Evolutionary Girls Club. I forgot that they do an auction of some of the artwork, and I picked up a piece by Kelly Jacobson which is pretty nifty. The show is rather interesting and reflects quite a few artists working in different media and ideologies.

I got to thinking a bit about what the heck I'm doing. Five years ago I was just elusive in response to "so what do you do?" At the time it was because I'd say it was something about computers and they'd say, "oh, well, I have this Windows 95 computer, blah, blah, blah, blah." Yuck.

Now, however, it's not so much a desire to be elusive as an honest-to-goodness inability to answer. I mean, do I run a website? Am I a writer? [Don't answer that, guestbook drive-by shooters.] Am I a photographer? A kinetic metal sculptor? An inventor? Now I went and signed up for the Geva Comedy Improv classes next month — will that be my answer? Heck, then there's the more pedestrian descriptors: unemployed? retired? burner? programmer? technical writer? ... electronics designer? ... tinkerer? Maybe I should just tell people "mu" when they ask, for the question itself is leading and doesn't really make sense.

When I left, I again tried hunting for that somehow elusive intuition, or my subconscious desires and whatnot. I had an urge to head toward Buffalo Road — I suspected that I was planning going to go all the way to Buffalo, since the Evolutionary Girls Club hails from there. I pondered The Rohrbach Brewing Company (3859 Buffalo Rd.)? no ... The Jam Room (3873 Buffalo Rd., formerly the Buffalo Roadhouse) ... yeah ... the Jam Room. I parked the car and listened to the beat for a minute and decided to go in. There was a $5 cover and I almost left, but figured that since I made the effort, I might as well stay.

I looked at the stage and realized that I forgot that Burning Snella would be playing Friday — I was certain the gig was on Saturday. I can now say I've been out to the Jam Room ... and they've got a really nice-sounding system there. Burning Snella was as much fun as always: an unassuming rock-and-roll band with a welcoming presence. Following them was Jennifer Marie with what I believe was her recently assembled band. They're a good bar-rock band and have all the moves down, both musically and physically.

On Saturday I started out at the Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) to see Woody Allen's Manhattan. I'm definitely not a consistent Woody Allen fan, but I really liked this one. In it, he essentially plays the personification of the city. People fall in and out of love with him and he with them; some feel charmed by him, some mock him, and some are abandoned by him. It's really a beautiful film to watch ... at least from a thousand feet detached.

I headed to Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) after that. I got a chance to see The Expired who play as if you put rock, punk, and ska (hold the horns) in a blender and set it to "Band". They're young but good and fun. Mrs. Skannotto followed them with a bunch of fun ska, throwing in some 1980's covers as well.

On Wednesday night I decided to go to the artist networking event at The Arts and Cultural Council for Greater Rochester (277 N. Goodman St.) which was pretty refreshing. Michael Rogers was there to discuss his glass sculpture. He spent a lot of that time noting his confusion about being an artist and the desire for other people to have easy answers from him. He said he works using an intuitive process, so it isn't until a work is finished that he's willing to analyze its meaning. For me, it was refreshing to meet with someone else who has a number of answers to "what do you do?" and who's not willing to give a simple answer.

T H U R S D A Y

This afternoon from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. in Kate Gleason Auditorium at The Rochester Public Library (115 South Ave.) is another in the Thursday Thinkers series. The University of Rochester Medical Center microbiologist and immunologist Dr. John Treanor will present the lecture titled How Would Rochester Cope with an Epidemic?. [source: Rochester Public Library calendar] [all ages] Tonight at Starry Nites Café (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) is great vocal harmonies from acoustic duo Red Branch starting around 8 p.m. [source: Starry Nites calendar] [all ages] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Le feu follet (The Fire Within) starting at 8 p.m. A writer on the brink of suicide seeks purpose by visiting each of his friends. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting very good ska band Mrs. Skannotto, and good funky groove band Vernon's Bird starting around 10 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [18+] Over at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:30 p.m. is basically good rock/punk-rock/groove-rock band The Spaces, great one-man guitar/synth drum stoner rock cover band Skull, and Four Feet Away. [source: WBER calendar] [21+] Pure Kona Poetry Open Mic Night is at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) tonight starting at 7:30. [source: Daily Perks calendar] [all ages] Drinking Liberally meets at 8 p.m. tonight at Monty's Korner (355 East Ave.) [source: RocWiki calendar]

F R I D A Y

Tonight at 7 p.m. at The Community Darkroom at The Genesee Center for the Arts (713 Monroe Ave.) is a new exhibition titled Spirit Stands Still featuring works from Lori Farr, Jill Gussow, Betsy Phillips, Patricia Russotti, and France Scully-Osterman. The show closes on March 26 and the opening reception will be on March 13 following the "Meet the Photographer" series. [source: Genesee Center for the Arts calendar] This evening at 7 p.m. The Rochester Contemporary Art Gallery (137 East Ave.) is the opening of a new exhibit titled Lift / Left featuring the works of Deborah Jack. The opening reception will be held on January 27. [source: Rochester Contemporary calendar] Over at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) starting around 8 p.m. is Amos Rosenstein and friends. [source: Daily Perks calendar] [all ages] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing La caduta degli dei (The Damned) starting at 8 p.m. Witness the demise of an industrialist's family during the reign of the Third Reich in Germany. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Chris Squire will be at Starry Nites Café (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) starting around 9 p.m. [source: Starry Nites calendar] [all ages] Over at The Montage Live (50 Chestnut St., formerly the Montage Grille) starting around 10:45 p.m. is Jeff Cosco Band. [source: Montage calendar]

S A T U R D A Y

O'Bagelo's, 165 State Street, noon. This afternoon at 5:30 p.m. in the Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.), photographer Robert Weingarten will present a lecture titled In My Minds Eye: The Selected Works of Robert Weingarten in association with his outdoor exhibition Robert Weingarten: 6:30 am (named the same as his book.) [source: Eastman House calendar] A|V Art Sound Space (#8 in the Public Market, off N. Union St., formerly The All-Purpose Room) will be hosting Tim Feeney, and Vic Rawlings starting around 9 p.m. [source: artsound website] The Inside, and solidly good rock band Dudley Dawson will be at Damian's (81 Marshall St.) probably starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: Freetime] Tonight at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is anything-goes band The Peachy Neachys , power rock from The Earl Cram Revue, and Taduya starting around 10 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

Martin Luther King, Jr. born 1929 Early this afternoon at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at The Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Ave., near Goodman St.) is a brief performance on the Italian Baroque organ by Christopher Jacobson. [source: Memorial Art Gallery calendar] This afternoon at The Montage Live (50 Chestnut St., formerly the Montage Grille) is Death Do Us Part, and Cage starting around 5 p.m. [source: Montage calendar] This afternoon at 5:30 p.m. at The Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Ave., near Goodman St.) is the Italian Baroque Organ Showcase Concert with Hans Davidsson playing the Italian Baroque organ featuring members of The Rochester City Ballet and The Christ Church Schola Cantorum. [source: Eastman School of Music calendar] [all ages] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing A Fish Called Wanda starting at 7 p.m. There's nothing like a British-tainted caper of bungling criminals, now is there? [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Starry Nites Café (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) is hosting their weekly Open Mike Poetry tonight at 7 p.m. [source: Starry Nites calendar]

M O N D A Y

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Today at 12 p.m. in Kilbourn Hall at Eastman Theatre (60 Gibbs St.) is a Martin Luther King Concert with guest speaker Reverend Alvin Parris and featuring baritone Carl DuPont and pianist Christina Lalog. [source: Eastman School of Music calendar] There's also Open Mic Poetry at Java's (16 Gibbs St.) starting around 9 p.m. [source: Java's calendar] [all ages] 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

This morning at 7:30 a.m. in the cafeteria overlooking the arboretum in Bausch and Lomb (140 Stone St.) is the Artists Breakfast Group meeting ... anyone interested in art or creativity is invited. Talented multifaceted acoustic performer Ian Downey, excellent, rough power-rock band Yer Mom (formerly Your Mom), tight, technical rock band Tiger Cried Beef, and Tally Hall will be at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [18+] Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (99 Court St.) will be hosting blues-charged rock-and-roll from Buford and the Smoking Section starting around 10 p.m. [source: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que calendar] Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) is hosting an Acoustic Open Mic from 8 to 10. [source: Daily Perks calendar]

W E D N E S D A Y

Updated: Tonight at 8 p.m. at Writers and Books (740 University Ave.) is Two Pages/Two Characters performed by local actors. [source: Writers and Books calendar] [all ages] 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]

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