Weekly Rochester Events #447: Pyramid Lake Scenic Byway

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Well, it's been a super busy week.

On Thursday I went to visit Ali to celebrate her getting approved for a mortgage on a house in the city. Then on Friday I started out at the gallery show at The Rochester Contemporary Art Gallery (137 East Ave.) I thought the show was okay — not bad, necessarily, just ... well ... done before. Like all the artists are practicing technique which is obscuring their own voice. From there I headed to Solera Wine Bar (647 South Ave) for some wine. I finished off at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) to see The Isotopes. I didn't stay long — they still put on a great show. However, I got a chance to check out the new performance-space side of the place. They've about doubled their size and now have big windows that face the corner of Alexander and South Clinton for a wild show of live traffic.

On Saturday, Ali and I took our station wagon to North Star Auto Sales (1127 Waterloo-Geneva Rd., Waterloo) for the WagonFest. There wasn't anything at the shop, but we called the number on the building and thankfully Fred's painter told us that it was at Seneca Lake State Park (Park Rd., Geneva) so we headed there. Ours was wagon #58 and all told there were about 60 that showed up. We checked out the customizations that people did. We both got a kick out of the one that was a chopped-top convertible.

We left around 5 and headed back to Rochester. The goal was to get to BoulderFest at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) When we arrived, Snmnmnm was just setting up. I was so happy to hear their geek rock once again. Seamus tried to kick me out for requesting Garbage Sleeve (one of their earliest songs) but Matt responded to the same comment with, "Hey, Old School Jayce is here!" Ah, to be remembered. Anyway, they played a great set and then we hung out for Eddie Nebula and the Plague. Once again, they're fun if you're close to the stage but kind of unremarkable if you're far away. Heck, it's catchy bar-rock/punk-rock with a bitter but playful edge — it has to be loud and in your face. And later, Ali finally got to see The VEiNS who did a great job with their technical, heavy rock.

On Sunday we headed to Ali's parents' house for a family reunion. From Saturday's excitement, I was already weary from meeting new people so I kept to myself a little more than usual but had a good time nonetheless. On Monday it was my turn for family. My brother Adam had been living in Denver but he has longed to return to living in Washington, D.C. In the middle of July, he heard from a friend living there about some jobs and started looking for work there. He started putting things in motion and found that if he left before August that he wouldn't have a rent penalty in Denver so he packed everything in his truck and headed out, stopping by to see me on Monday. Heck, just before the middle of July, Ali and I were fully expecting to crash on his couch on our way to Burning Man.

Anyway, we stopped by On the Rocks (1551 Mount Hope Ave., formerly Michael's and before that Trios) so he could get something to snack on. We had some acceptable chicken fingers from the crummy bartender. Well, I shouldn't say that: I think she just expected us to be dumb-jock hit-on-her-because-she's-female and didn't realize that we weren't going to be like that. It's not like we weren't a bit spacey as well — Adam had just finished driving from Columbus and we hadn't seen one another in a year. To make matters worse, though, was that the bar was apparently physically out of pint glasses — as in they only had a couple left — so we were given beers in small plastic cups instead. At least there was a 2-for-1 special.

So later Ali got to my house and we all headed out to Hogan's Hideaway (197 Park Ave.) for dinner. We all avoided the pasta which I tried sometime back and didn't like and everyone was happy with their respective meals. From there we went to Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) for a pint or two. I hadn't been there for a while but some of the old regulars were still there along with my old bar-staff pals. Next we stopped at Lux Lounge (666 South Ave.) for another drink and to shoot some pool before calling it a night.

Tuesday Adam and I went to O'Bagelo's (165 State St.) for lunch. It's still an excellent choice with hearty, tasty sandwiches. Adam's a fan of iced chai tea so we went to Java's (16 Gibbs St.) for that. When we got back home I put together The Bike With 2 Brains so he'd have a chance to see it and play on it. We had fun with it but bent the back wheel on the curb — thankfully it was fairly easy to knock it back into place.

For dinner we went to California Rollin' at Village Gate Square (274 N. Goodman St.) for some quite good sushi and $1 Sapporo's. Adam had been asking about the singles scene and I couldn't think of a good place, but I figured Park Avenue would be pretty good so we went to Café Cibon (688 Park Ave.) for some drinks. Although it was a Tuesday night, there were a lot of women in his age range to check out. From there we went to check out things on East and Alexander but it was completely dead around 9:30 — we stopped at Monty's Korner (355 East Ave.) for a drink. Just to finish things off, we decided to go to Solera Wine Bar (647 South Ave) and we ended up having the best time there because it was a light crowd but friendly enough to have a big group chat.

Anyway, he left on Wednesday and got to D.C. in the afternoon. I then realized it was August already and started to get that twinge of panic about getting ready for Burning Man.

T H U R S D A Y

Tonight at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) is Micah starting around 8 p.m. [source: Boulder Coffee MySpace site] [all ages] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing La battaglia di Algeri (The Battle of Algiers) starting at 8 p.m. Fiction and documentary evocatively combined: from 1966. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Over at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (99 Court St.) starting around 10 p.m. is solidly good blues-charged rock-and-roll/groove-rock from Buford and the Smoking Section [source: Freetime] This evening from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) is The South Wedge Farmers Market. [source: Rochester Turning] [all ages] Pure Kona Poetry Open Mic Night is at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) tonight starting at 7:30. [source: Daily Perks calendar] Drinking Liberally meets at 8 p.m. tonight at Monty's Korner (355 East Ave.) [source: RocWiki calendar]

F R I D A Y

The All Night Ramblers will be in the courtyard at Village Gate Square (274 N. Goodman St.) starting around 6 p.m. [source: Bop Shop calendar] [all ages] Tonight at 6 p.m. starting at The Rochester Contemporary Art Gallery (137 East Ave.) is a historical bike tour titled Emma Goldman: Rochester's Most Famous Rebel guided by George Campbell McDade. This was rescheduled from last week because of rain and/or the strong threat of rain. [source: Obadiah Dogberry Society e-mail] This evening at The Storefront Anti-War Crisis Center (658 Monroe Ave.) is a Poetry Open Mic. from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. [source: Rochester Against War website] Tonight at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) is clever and charismatic acoustic soloist Connie Deming starting around 8 p.m. [source: Daily Perks calendar] [all ages] Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) will be hosting good, ska-influenced high-energy punk-rock from The Grievants, and Go Mordecai starting around 8 p.m. [source: Boulder Coffee MySpace site] [all ages] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Days of Heaven starting at 8 p.m. about a "doomed love triangle on a Texas wheat farm" with some great cinematography. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Tonight at 9 p.m. at The Flat Iron Café (561 State St.) is Live Comedy with Moosie and then at 11 p.m. it's Son Del Barrio. [source: Flat Iron Cafe webstie] Awesome, tight, complex rock and roll from The VEiNS will be at The Dub Land Underground (315 Alexander St., formerly Whiskey) starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: Freetime] Today through Sunday is The Puerto Rican Festival in the parking lot of Frontier Field (333 N. Plymouth Ave.) [source: RocWiki]

S A T U R D A Y

There's a Bagel Brunch at the playground next door to Writers and Books (740 University Ave.) every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. [source: sign] [all ages] Today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. is The Park Avenue Festival (Park Ave. at Alexander St. to Culver Rd.) Among the many musicians and entertainers, wicked fun percussive groove-rock band The BuddhaHood will be performing both days from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Hogan's Hideaway (197 Park Ave.) and clever rock band Burning Snella will be on Milburn St. from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday. [source: band e-mail] Today starting at 10 a.m. at Mendon Ponds Park (Hopkins Point Rd., North Entrance) is the Joe+N Day-Tour 2007 featuring Joe Tunis of Carbon Records performing at various locations throughout the area and joined by other musicians along the way. [source: Carbon Records calendar] Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) will be hosting Matt Millecchia starting around 8 p.m. [source: Daily Perks calendar] [all ages] Over at Starry Nites Café (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) starting around 8 p.m. is The Varnish Cooks. [source: Starry Nites calendar] [all ages] Over at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) starting around 8 p.m. is The Love Parade, and excellent motley-folk from Baby Shivers Boutique. [source: Boulder Coffee MySpace site] [all ages] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Modern Romance starting at 8 p.m. In this, another Albert Brooks film, a film editor breaks up with his girlfriend and spends the rest of the film trying to win her back. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] The Black Pearl Cafe (791 Meigs St., formerly Dicky's) will be hosting Blame Johnny starting around 9 p.m. [source: Craigslist Rochester events] Tonight at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is excellent satirical gospel from The Lobster Quadrille, Old Boy, and solidly good, loud, fat, full, and fast bar-rock band The Spaces starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [21+] Tonight at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) is Electric Organic starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: Freetime] [21+] This evening at 11 p.m.at The Flat Iron Café (561 State St.) is The Freddy Colon Latin Jazz Quartet followed at 1 a.m. with an after-hours jam session with The Quinn Lawrence Trio. [source: Flat Iron Cafe webstie] Tonight's another Betty's Sing-a-Long at Betty Meyer's Bullwinkle Café (622 Lake Ave., a.k.a. "Bullwinkle's") starting around 10.

S U N D A Y

The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing a double-feature with Come Live with Me and They Gave Him a Gun starting at 7 p.m. Come on, who can't resist a Sunday double feature? [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages]

M O N D A Y

Child Bite, The Sister Lovers, and Arrah and the Ferns will be at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [18+] 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. Tonight from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Storefront Anti-War Crisis Center (658 Monroe Ave.) is a Community Center Discussion sponsored by Rochester Indymedia [source: Rochester Against War website] Good jazz band Bending and Breaking will be at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) starting around 8 p.m. [source: Boulder Coffee MySpace site] [all ages] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing The Story of Three Loves starting at 8 p.m. Actually, three stories of love. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 9:30 p.m. is The Sleazies, The Midnight Creeps, and punk-rock/hard-rock from The UV Rays. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [18+] 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

Today is another event in the Wednesday Noontime Concert Series at Aqueduct Park (E. Main St. and Graves St., by the river) from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. featuring The Doubletake Blues Band. [source: City Hall press release] [all ages] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Charade starting at 8 p.m. I think the Eastman calendar entices the best:"One of this comedy-thriller's charades is its deliberate mimicry of Hitchcock's stock-in-trade: high chases, low-life villains, witty dialogue, and an enigmatic plot. The dreamy romantic duo of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn star together for the first and last time, and the great supporting cast includes Walter Matthau, James Coburn, and George Kennedy. Henry Mancini supplies the lush score and title tune." [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting hard-hitting, loud punk-rock band Ghostharm, Raunchy Sex, and cacophonous instrumental rock from Science vs. Witchcraft starting around 9:30 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [18+] 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]

Polls | Other Projects

DreamHost Web Hosting
I use DreamHost to run JayceLand.com. Click the ad to buy hosting and I'll get money to run my site. Hooray!

Store at CafePress
Buy some JayceLand junk at sky high prices!