Weekly Rochester Events #228: But Patriot's Day was Over a Score and a Half Days Ago

Thursday, May 22, 2003

Lately I've been really annoyed at the crashes I've had on the computer, but I think I fixed it. While I have my blinders on during this short window when things aren't falling apart, I thought I'd try to sneak in this editorial. Now, there are a couple computer things to talk about. First is that I downloaded the latest version of iTunes and let me tell you, it's unbelievably easy to spend money. They integrated their music store right into the player, so I can now browse for songs, click on the "Buy" button, and a newly purchased song appears in my library. Songs are $0.99 each and whole albums are available for $12-$15. You can copy the song to a couple computers, and you can uncompress it and rip it to a regular CD at which point you can re-rip it and make as many copies as you need. The imposed limits seem pretty resonable, though, and you probably won't need to do that.

Imagine it in this scenario aloud while I imagine silently: go through all your old cassettes and records and pick out your favorite songs that you want to keep and pay someone $0.99 each to digitize them in perfect quality, compress them to AAC format (similar to MP3) and put them in the music library on your computer for you.

Damn you, Apple! I need that money for other stuff.

The other computer thing was that I found this cool website that I thought I'd highlight here instead of in the Link of the Week thing that I occasionally use. It's called Half Bakery.

The idea is that you can get partially baked goods.

Ha, no ... if you have any half-baked ideas, you can put them up and let people comment on them. I put up a couple that I've thought of: using pacer lights for speed regulation and blinking traffic lights so colorblind people can tell light status from far away. The first idea is doing pretty good but the second one needs some better explanation because, of course, it's a good idea since it came from me.

Ok, I guess I do have one more computer thing, but it's about the site, so it doesn't count. [See, you don't know that your computer just sent out a HTTP request to a computer in California by breaking it down into short packets and sending it through the ... blah blah blah ... anybody who knows about this stuff will call me on my errors and anybody who doesn't has already stopped reading.]

This isn't really a new paragraph, but I wanted a little whitespace to recover your glazed eyes. Anyway, a couple of the regular links were never updated so I got rid of them. Smash has not updated since January (even though I think I've seen Christina out and about a couple times), plus it's on the suckfest Angelfire which is thinly-veiled code for "hell"—pop-up hell, that is. (Sorry, that wasn't very well written.) Also, Rochester Nightlife seems to be completely done ... their latest article is about Halloween safety, and I'll take the chance that they're not being excruciatingly proactive. OneChord also bit the dust. TVGrid is apparently gone too. I used to use them when I'd put the TV listings for Sunday night, but I haven't for a long time so the link went bad a while back and I never even noticed. It was way at the bottom of the page, so you probably never saw it unless you wanted the explanation for the bizarre titles, which you probaby didn't know was down there either. I changed a link, too ... I swapped out the Yahoo! Weather for the much cooler Weather Underground. I've been using them for my weather, and they're super cool because you can bribe them $5 each year and they'll suppress all the advertising.

As for activities, it was a pretty good week. Last Thursday I got to go to the Montage Grille (50 Chestnut St.) second anniversary and got some free food and talked with the manager Carly for a bit. After that I went to Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) and saw Earl Cram Revue who did a great job with their powerful acoustic folk ... it was also Pure Kona Poetry Night, so I'll have to check the stuff that repeats is still accurate (I don't enter everything every week, ya know.) After that I saw some cool bands around the corner at Analog Shock (674 South Ave.). First up was Sneaky Dragons who I had seen at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) in the past. It's mostly one guy, but he got some accompaniment from a cellist in one of the other bands ... he did low-key acoustic which I found really cool again. Next was Ian Downey who played some rapid-fire acoustic, and as I had put in my notes, "his slower stuff was terrifyingly lonely." And man was it, but I don't remember the exact context of the song so you'll have to check him out yourself. Finally was Adrian Crowley who did some deceptively simple sounding low-key acoustic stuff, but I didn't stay for his whole set.

On Saturday amused myself by biking to the Rochester Red Cross (50 Prince St.) and giving blood. I was worried about suddenly passing out on the way to O'Bagelo's (165 State Street) from there but it turns out my legs just fatigued really really fast. I guess if I kept pushing myself I'd have passed out but it realy wasn't so bad.

Anyway, that night I went out to The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) and got to see a couple good bands. Bitpart was up first and the play fast rock, but I found it too ordinary for my liking. Next up was Veluxe who play really tight rock-and-roll ... also standard, but I'm growing to like them a lot after having seen them four times or so. I also got to see Karl's new band Flaming Moe's who are sort of like his old band The Sluts but with a grittier sound.

I finally found out what that Grand Pictionary Contest is at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) Apparently, a group of people who would come in and play on the big chalkboard they have, but as soon as it was advertised, interest vanished.

Well, nothing more on the past, but I do know that Evil Jake won't be at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) on Thursday. Too bad, really, because they're really good ... You'll have to go to Buffalo to catch them this weekend, or Europe if you want to see them next month.

T H U R S D A Y

Ok, over at Verb Café at Writers and Books (740 University Ave.) tonight starting at 6 they're screening the really cool movie Adaptation. It's about the creation of the movie Adaptation. which was to be the screenplay adaptation of Susan Orlean's book The Orchid Thief. For $10 you also get to see Jack Garner's giant head ... er ... hear him speak about the movie. The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing My Son John starting at 8. A strange comedy about Communist propaganda in the 1950's. Over at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) tonight is The Beeves with Billy North Show starting early around 8 followed by DJ's. Monty's Korner (363 East Ave.) has another of their CanAm Songwriting Circles with Mary Simon, Julie Shields, Leah Zicari and Katie Miller all starting around 9:30 or so. If you like acoustic performers, this really is a good show to see since all the performers play round-robin style rather than each one playing a bunch of songs one after another. Get it? I didn't think I explained it well enough. Over at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) is the low-key punk rockers The Franks starting around 10:30. The Cramps with Von Bondies and The Priests will be at Water Street Music Hall (204 N. Water St.) starting around 8 or so ... probably later if the bands get any say in it. Pure Kona Poetry Open Mic Night is at Daily Perks (389 Gregory St.) tonight starting at 7:30.

S A T U R D A Y

Remember ... Starry Nites (696 University Ave., formerly Moonbeans) at noon for lunch today. Way early in the afternoon (like around 3) is a punk show at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) with Bludwulf, New York's Treason, Warsquad and 17th Class. The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Citizen Kane starting at 8. Rosebud was the name of the sled. Watch the movie anyway. Hey cool, Throttlerod with one of Rochester's rockingest rock bands Low Ton will be at The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) tonight starting around 10:30. The ever fun rock-and-punk of The Flour City Knuckleheads will be at Monty's Krown (875 Monroe Ave.) with The Clockers, The United States of Mind, and Dirty Water starting around 10:30. Over at Richmond's (21 Richmond St.) is a really good rock show starting around 10:30 with Bitpart and Veluxe who are finally starting to grow on me after a great show at the Bug Jar last week. If all this stuff isn't your speed and a little cover band/modern rock is in order, check out Perfect World at Norton's Pub (1730 Goodman St.) starting around 9:30 or so.

S U N D A Y

The Dryden Theater at George Eastman House (900 East Ave.) will be showing Doctor Zhivago starting at this afternoon at 3. Supposedly a really good adaptation of Boris Pasternak's novel of the same name. Hey, you've got tomorrow off ... why not stay up late and listen to Cobra Verde with Jay Kast's new band The Retreads and Irthlings starting around 10. Up at Penny Arcade (4785 Lake Ave.) this afternoon is AUSA, 8 Point Blank, ska with The Lightbulbs, and Crystal Son all starting around 3.

M O N D A Y

Memorial Day Observed (half-staff until noon) It's a night of heavy metal type stuff with Orodruin, Kalibas, Warblade, and Let Alone Shimmy starting around 10:30.

T U E S D A Y

The Bug Jar (219 Monroe Ave.) has a show starting around 10:30 tonight ... rockabilly of Cave Catt Sammy and making a break from his regular QUiTTERS gig is Howlin' Jed. Tonight is another House of Hellfira show at The Club at Water Street (204 N. Water St.) with industrial music from Inertia, something called "NYC power noise" from Terrorfakt, and the pounding bass of the industrial dance band Process of Elimination, DJ Hellraver, and DJ Dangler starting around 9:30. Over at Rochester Visual Studies Workshop (31 Prince St.) tonight starting around 8 is Nautical Almanac, 50% Beam Splitter, Mystery Brinkman, and Pengo. 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.

W E D N E S D A Y

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.