Weekly Rochester Events #448: Sounds Like 5 Colas

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Well, this past week was largely about preparing for the trip. Relatedly, next week will be the last update until I feel like doing it again after I get back.

Last Thursday I worked on a basic shade structure for Burning Man. Basically it's just 4 poles that come apart for transport. I'm using this material called Aluminet which blocks 70% of the light and heat of the sun and only weighs a few pounds for the 200 square feet I bought. That night I stopped by Monty's Korner (355 East Ave.) but nobody from Drinking Liberally was there so I went to Solera Wine Bar (647 South Ave) instead — at least I knew a few people there and ended up having a nice night. I also stopped at Lux Lounge (666 South Ave.) and ran into a few friends as well.

On Friday I went to visit Ali. We went to Eric's Office Restaurant (2574 Macedon Rd., Canandaigua) since she had some drink tokens and, although the wine was pretty good, the bartender was awful. Perhaps we were just on the sending end of her self-fulfilling prophecy: that people who use drink tokens don't tip well, so she figured she'd give lousy service, and then we didn't tip well because of it. We also stopped by The Füul Music Hall (37 Niagara St., Canandaigua) and had a drink but they had a band ready to play later, plus the juke box was way too loud to chat so we went to Wally's Pub (16 Phoenix St., Canandaigua) and met up with Ali's just-turned-21 friend from work.

Saturday I did my usual tour of The Rochester Public Market (280 Union St. N.) and Abundance Cooperative Market (62 Marshall St.) also stopping by Goodwill Fashions (451 South Clinton Ave.) and finding a Thule bike rack for $0.99. I had to rush back home, though, to make it to Cole Muffler (1735 Mt. Hope Ave.) before they closed at noon as they were putting a new muffler on my car. That evening, Ali stopped by and we had some grilled sweet corn and hot dogs for dinner before heading out.

We went to George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) to see the movie at the Dryden. They opened with a short film made by Albert Brooks during his stint on Saturday Night Live — a hilarious "documentary" about his experience at a research company to improve his image with the public. The film was Modern Romance which was painfully funny and an excellent film. Brooks plays a neurotic jerk-of-a-man who is somehow tangibly likable.

Afterward, Ali and I headed to The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) I once again enjoyed The Spaces who did some punk-rock/bar-rock with excellent guitar work. I finally got to see Old Boy which brought together an excellent selection of Rochester's best talent and harnessed it as acoustic-rock backup. They were awesome. It's creative excellence like this that inspires me to create. Finishing up the night was The Lobster Quadrille who were wilder, more absurd, and more chaotic than usual. It was tremendous fun.

Sunday I spent the morning working on Ali's bike for Burning Man ... so far it looks excellent. She stopped by that afternoon and really liked how it looked before we headed to her parents' house for dinner and to pick up some of her things for the trip. On the way back, we stopped at The Corn Hill Creamery (290 Exchange Blvd.) for some delicious ice cream. Monday I worked on the bike some more then started to tune up the station wagon. The adage that those V-8's are so easy to work on is bunk: you've got to jack up the front end of the car to be able to reach the 4 rearmost spark plugs — not what I'd call "easy". Anyway, I got halfway done that night and finished it up on Tuesday.

That night I visited her again to lend support of her packing up her apartment to move to her new house. We got some pizza and then went out for ice cream at Abbott's Frozen Custard (150 Eastern Blvd., Canandaigua) which was far too expensive given that there's better stuff around — it was too bad The Muar House Cafe (169 Lakeshore Dr., Canandaigua) had closed for the night.

T H U R S D A Y

Tonight at 7 p.m. at Verb Café at Writers and Books (740 University Ave.) is another meeting of The Bertrand Russell Society. [source: Writers and Books calendar] [all ages] Tonight at The Baobab Cultural Center (728 University Ave., formerly on Gregory St.) at 7 p.m. is a screening of The Rosa Parks Story. [source: Baobab website] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing a double-feature of L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage) and Il gatto a nove code (Cat O'Nine Tails). Quoting from the Eastman House calendar, the former is "a heart-stopping sex thriller that earned [director Dario Argento] comparisons with Hitchcock. This variation on the Jack the Ripper story, about a psychopath who stalks young women through the streets of Rome, is given a boost by the nerve-jangling, dissonant music of Ennio Morricone." The latter is about a series of murders tied to experiments at a pharmaceutical company. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Today at 7 p.m. in the Atrium at City Hall (30 Church St.), Mayor Robert J. Duffy and Rochester City Council President Lois J. Giess will host the 35th Anniversary Celebration of the Rochester-Rehovot, Israel Sister Cities connection. [source: City Hall press release] Starry Nites Café (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) will be hosting clever calliope-styled light-bluesy-jazz instrumental band The Lumiere Gypsy Jazz Trio starting around 8 p.m. [source: Starry Nites calendar] [all ages] Robin Hood will be at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) starting around 8 p.m. [source: Boulder Coffee MySpace site] [all ages] Over at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (99 Court St.) starting around 10 p.m. is wicked fun percussion-driven groove-rock from The BuddhaHood. [source: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que calendar] Tonight at SoHo East (344 East Ave., formerly Tonic) is The Akuma Roots Reggae Band starting around 10:30 p.m. [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

Tonight from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Storefront Anti-War Crisis Center (658 Monroe Ave.) is an Art Exhibit Opening and Reception for works by Rachel Dow. [source: Rochester Against War website] Sonic Duality will be at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) 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 Blue Buick Special. [source: Starry Nites calendar] [all ages] Tonight at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) is Julia Nunes 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 Sacco e Vanzetti (Sacco and Vanzetti) starting at 8 p.m. Again, quoting straight from the Eastman House calendar: "One of the most shameful chapters in American history is captured here in the dramatic retelling of the true saga of two Italian immigrants and anarchists — Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco — who were falsely accused, tried, and executed for murder. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] The Club at Water Street (204 N. Water St.) will be hosting The Goods starting around 10 p.m. [source: Water Street calendar] [all ages] Over at The Montage Live Music Hall (50 Chestnut St., formerly the Montage Grille) starting around 10 p.m. is fun ska band Mrs. Skannotto, and rock-ska band Room 30. [source: JamBase calendar for Rochester] [all ages] Slower, cleaner heavy rock from Orodruin, Against Nature, and Electric Magma will be at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [18+]

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 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) is Home Movie Day featuring home movies and other treasures. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Today at 1 p.m. at The High Falls Festival Site (Browns Race and Commercial St.) is Carifest (sponsored by The Rochester West Indian Festival Organization, Inc.) including a Carnival Costume Parade that starts earlier at The Liberty Pole (1 Liberty Pole Way) at 11 a.m. [source: Freetime] Today from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Monty's Korner (355 East Ave.) is a fundraiser by Discreet Charm Productions for their upcoming feature film titled Sleep Shift and also featuring a performance by Night Gallery. [source: Craigslist Rochester events] Tonight starting at 6 p.m. at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) is Face Fest featuring many bands including disorienting anti-band Gaybot and Ju-Jajuba. [source: Boulder Coffee MySpace site] [all ages] Tonight at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) is The Soups of the Day starting around 8 p.m. [source: Daily Perks calendar] [all ages] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing the Italian original version (a.k.a. the "uncut version") of Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly) starting at 8 p.m. Civil War-era double-crossing rivals unite to find gold. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Tonight at The Penny Arcade (4785 Lake Ave.) is great punk-rock/hard-rock band The UV Rays, and awesome punk-rock band The Blastoffs starting around 9 p.m. [source: Penny Arcade MySpace page] Tonight at an invitation-only location known only as The Bunker is very interesting looped reed instrumentation from The Dead Machines, something like semi-melodic fast-paced noise from Pengo, and Nôh starting around 9 p.m. See Carbon Records for details on getting an invitation. [source: Carbon Records calendar] Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) starting around 10:30 p.m. is great attention-deficit rock/jazz/funk from Gaylord, good white-boy pseudo-blues from The White Devils, and a perfection of clean, crisp rock-and-roll from Tiger Cried Beef. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [21+] Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting The Skull Maracas starting around 10:30 p.m. [source: Freetime] [21+] 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

Today at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. is Ansel Adams Environmental Awareness Day concluding at 4 p.m. with a lecture by Michael Adams titled Ansel Adams: A Son's Perspective. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing 2001: A Space Odyssey starting at 7 p.m. and documenting man's technological progress, Stanley Kubrick-style. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) will be hosting good metal from Warblade, The Accursed, Aegean, and Brimstone Howl starting around 8 p.m. [source: Bug Jar calendar] [18+]

M O N D A Y

Over at Boulder Coffee Co. (100 Alexander St.) starting around 8 p.m. is A Drum and an Open Window, Dustin and the Furniture, and Somolian Bonaparte. [source: Boulder Coffee MySpace site] [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. Today at 5:45 p.m. is a Yoga Class at The Baobab Cultural Center (728 University Ave., formerly on Gregory St.) [source: Baobab website] Azure Sky 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 There's Always Tomorrow starting at 8 p.m. about an upper-middle-class couple whose unhappy marriage is shaken when the husband meets an old flame. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Tonight at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is The Skull Maracas, and The True Believers starting around 9:30 p.m. [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

The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing How to Steal a Million starting at 8 p.m. about an art forger's daughter and a burglar who go on a caper. [source: Eastman House calendar] [all ages] Tonight at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) is The Degenerettes, and Fewn 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]

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