Month: September 2013

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Fine Line

Uncle Jack and Todd in Breaking Bad
Uncle Jack and Todd in Breaking Bad

We’ve read and heard countless speculations on how Breaking Bad will end and even found ourselves talking about the outcome at a funeral on Friday. The episode of course is called “Felina” and our friend, John Gilmore, has reworked the Marty Robbin’s song, “El Paso.”

“Out in the west New Mexico Town Of ABQ, I think even though he is a megalomaniac and self centered egotistical person of limited morals (“Shocked by the FOUL EVIL deed I had done”) he really does love his family and originally broke bad for them. He can’t stay away (“Back in El Paso my life would be worthless”)

(“It’s been so long since I’ve seen the young maiden”) (“My love is stronger than my fear of death”) so he will come back to ABQ, gun (my little friend) in hand to shoot it out with Todd’s gang (Off to my right I see five mounted cowboys ) and the DEA  (“Off to my left ride a dozen or more”) because as we know “Everyone dies in this movie”. (“I see the white puff of smoke from the rifle. I feel the bullet go deep in my chest”).

(“Cradled by two loving arms that I’ll die for , One little kiss and Felina, good-bye.”) Probably in his back yard by the swimming pool !!! With the pink doll’s eye in his hand !!!”

“El Paso” would sound as good as The Limeliters “Times Are Getting Hard” did a few weeks ago, a great juxtaposition with something much darker. The characters have been so delicious it hardly matters what happens. The introduction of Rochester’s Robert Forster in the next-to-last episode, oddly brought a calm before the final nods to Walt Whitman and Scarface.

Peggi thinks Walt will survive, alone, only to be told his cancer is gone. This would be a brilliant summary for a show that has continually messed with our notions of good and evil.

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Academic Fringe

Mike Burritt with marimba performing at the 2013 Rochester Fringe Festival
Mike Burritt with marimba performing at the 2013 Rochester Fringe Festival

We met Mike Burritt in the woods. We never meet people in the woods. There is hardly anyone in the woods anymore. Mike had just moved to our area and he and his wife were walking their two dogs on a path they were taking for the first time. We showed them a loop they could do but the hills were a bit much for them. We finished our hike with tour of their place and Mike played a marimba solo for us.

He told us then about a performance he was doing at Kilbourn Hall for the Fringe Fest and we marked our calendars. Mike is one of the world’s leading percussion soloists. He performed an amazing piece on three tambourines last night, playing one with his foot, he did a a duet with John Beck, the former head of the Eastman percussion department, and played three original numbers on his signature marimba, accompanying his daughter reading her poetry.

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Last Call For Sun

Craig Colorusso's Sun Boxes at RoCo
Craig Colorusso’s Sun Boxes at RoCo

If you only do one event at the Fringe Festival I would suggest this one. It’s free and is happening on the lawn in front of the church next to Rochester Contemporary for one more day – tomorrow. The artist, Craig Colorusso, on the right above, had to move his solar powered speakers around as the sun got lower in the sky because without the sun they would not be able to play the loops of guitar notes that he has assigned to each speaker, all notes found in a Bb chord but the music they produce is so much more. We were mesmerized.

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Killer Salad

Cows in pasture with purple flowers
Cows in pasture with purple flowers

We opened a Google map of NYS this morning and zeroed in the the FingerLakes in the middle of the state. We wanted to take a day trip so we started with parks and forests looking for a hiking trail. We found a few spots we’ve heard about but weren’t familiar with like Harriet Holister and High Tor and the Finger Lakes National Forest. We settled on Watkins Glen State Park.

Next we looked for a restaurant in that area and found Suzanne’s Fine Regional Cuisine in wine country along Seneca Lake in Lodi. The place was fantastic. I may have had the best salad I have ever had in my life there and I told the chef (Suzanne) as much in the comment card that was included with our check. It was fresh greens from a farm in nearby Hector. Purslane was in there, the same weed that grows between the sidewalk slabs down at our pool, goat cheese, roasted beets and caramelized walnuts but the real kick was the dressing. They must have misted it on. It was so light and delicate.

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Poor Man’s Noguchi

Stone bench on Log Cabin Road in Durand Eastman Park
Stone bench on Log Cabin Road in Durand Eastman Park

I wish I could walk around with my neighbor’s yellow, six foot level. We’ve borrowed it for a few long term projects and I really hated giving that thing up. Does this bench look level to you? The road here goes downhill and the trees aren’t exactly perpendicular to the world. Regardless, I like the look of it. It could almost be a Noguchi.

The park really empties out in September. You could grab any shelter you like on Log Cabin Road without reserving it. We used to do exactly that we had our company picnics in one of pavilions here. Puts me in the mood for something char-broiled. How about a Portobello mushroom?

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Gambling With Health

Tiny turtle crossing Log Cabin Road in Durand Eastman Park
Tiny turtle crossing Log Cabin Road in Durand Eastman Park

Peggi is downtown learning about the the Affordable Health Care Act. We buy our health insurance through the Arts & Cultural Council. I still call them “Arts for Greater Rochester.” The only reason we belong to this group is to purchase insurance coverage at the rates offered to groups. We chose a high deductible plan. Maybe the Republicans will get their way and shut the whole thing down but I doubt it. I don’t understand why we didn’t go for the Single-payer option. I know health care is big business and therefore it is all very political but it is impossible to stay out of this one.

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Fringing

Drag queen MCs at Xerox Auditorium for the Fringe Fest
Drag queen MCs at Xerox Auditorium for the Fringe Fest

With 300 some odd events a good bit of the fun of the Fringe Fest is trying to figure out what is going on where. It was pretty obvious why the huge crowd was looking up at the HSBC building. Bandaloop is a sensation. We wandered by the Xerox Building and saw people filing into the Auditorium for TheaterRocs Showcase. Funny how mainstream drag queens are today. The MCs of this citywide theater group roundup were billed as two of Rochester’s most beloved personalities.

We missed “Ole,” the Blackfriars production of a Lorca/Dali play, because we hadn’t deciphered the Fringe handbook in time. Outside the packed Magic Chrystal Spiegeltent at Main and Gibbs we heard that a silent disco was going on inside but it sounded more like a circus. We might have to buy tickets to find out.

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12:20 In Bilbao

Atlas Eats restaurant on Clinton Avenue North in Rochester, New York
Atlas Eats restaurant on Clinton Avenue North in Rochester, New York

Main and Clinton used to be the unofficial four corners of downtown Rochester. Now it is more like an ongoing construction site. The Rochester Club used to be downtown and we did a logo for them when they changed the name to “Gerry’s.” If you take Clinton Avenue north from downtown you’ll go through some pretty funky areas but you will eventually cross the 104 moat and Ridge Road where the Avenida Clinton turns into a sleepy old neighborhood. You’ll cross the northern boundary of the city limits and break into Irondequoit where Clinton Avenue ends just short of Titus. On your left in a beautiful old brick building with leaded glass and tin ceilings you’ll find Atlas Eats, Gerry and Diane’s new place.

They keep it pretty simple. Old maps and clocks showing times around the world draw you in. Dinners are one price, a fixed menu, served at two settings, 6 and 8pm but menu changes every few weeks to a different locale. Last night was “New England” and the lobster bisque was killer. We had to walk all the way to the lake today to get right.

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Nothing Lasts Forever

Peggi Fournier performing with Personal Effects at Scorgie's in Rochester, New 1983. Photo by Ed Richter.
Peggi Fournier performing with Personal Effects at Scorgie’s in Rochester, New 1983. Photo by Ed Richter.

I got completely sidetracked the last few days organizing my digital life. It started when I came across some early eighties Hi-Techs songs that were never released so I did a web page for that band and that project led directly to the next band, Personal Effects. I sorted through folders and folders within folders of old band photos and found the one above that I don’t remember seeing before. I created a mini website for the band just in time for the thirtieth anniversary of the Community Playhouse Multimedia Show.

Duane Sherwood wanted to get the band members together for a photo in front of the place to mark the anniversary but that wouldn’t have been as much fun as any of these old photos.

The band played the Scorgies Reunion a few years back and released a 20 song compilation cd. I have no idea why we didn’t put Bernie’s “What’s The Attraction?” on there or “Nothing Lasts Forever.” I guess that is what the website is for. Bob Martin says he has video of us performing “Is That All There Is?” so this may be an ongoing project for a defunct band. Hey, we played with “Defunkt” at Danceteria in New York.

Personal Effects "It's Different Out There" on Earring Records 1985 EAR 3
Personal Effects “It’s Different Out There” on Earring Records 1985 EAR 3
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I Love Hi-Techs

Hi-Techs video sample of Peggi Fournier
Hi-Techs video sample of Peggi Fournier

Peggi and I were in a band in the very early eighties. I think it was actually 1979 when we put the band together with Martin Edic, a friend we had met behind the counter at Record Theater in Midtown Plaza. We were asked to record a track for an album that Tom Kohn and Marty Duda were putting out called “From the City That Brought You Absolutely Nothing.” Needless to say I never cared for that title.

We recorded in Robert Marsala’s house. He was the bass player in my previous band, “New Math.” Duane Sherwood played synthesizer swooshes. Martin was an active bass player. Peggi played sax. We all liked dance music and pop. Ned Hoskin joined on guitar, not lead, rhythm. We were Hi-Techs, an already dated concept, no “The”  in the moniker and we insisted on the dash. We played fast. We had our own sound, kinda like a toy band.

We played around town and quite a bit in Buffalo where we met Paper Faces and Tony Biloni. Tony played sax too and did this poster. Archive Records released two of our singles. One of them, “Screamin’ You Head by Hi-Techs” got pretty popular at Danceteria, a New York club. We played a gig in a TV studio with Ozzie Osbourne that was broadcast on the old Channel 31.

I rounded up the digital bits and pieces from that era and created a one page website dedicated to Hi-Techs. There’s seven songs on the site and “Subscription” is my favorite.

Hi-Techs "Boogaloo Rendezvous," A side of Archive Records 45 recorded by Dwight Glodell at CSE Audio 1980.
Hi-Techs “Subscriptions Are My Prescription,” B side of Archive Records 45 recorded by Dwight Glodell at CSE Audio 1980.

Listen to Hi-Techs – Subscriptions Are My Prescription

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Br Ba

John Gilmore would not stop talking about this tv show. It was early in season one and he would go on and on about what happened last week and continually interject, “You gotta see this show.” But there was no way. We didn’t have cable tv.

So I guess we got on board during season two when the first season’s shows became available for streaming. We’ve been on the bus since and now have cable hooked up to mainline the second half of the fifth and final season. The director Vince Gilligan is quoted in this week’s Bryan Cranston profile in New Yorker as saying tonight’s show is the best of the whole season. To a fan that is a mind-blowing statement. Better than last week’s show? Better than the pilot?

But not everybody is a fan. We’ve recommended the show to so may people that have checked it out and found it too dark or evil. Aren’t we completely surrounded by dark and evil? John Gilmore is just better salesman than we are.

I compare all shows to Breaking Bad now, all movies, all story lines, paintings, life itself. The twists and turns are so enjoyable to watch they have us laughing out loud just recapping them. Tremendous characters, great actors but most of all I think the writers are fantastic. I read they were going to kill Jessie in the first season and just look at the epic interplay between him and Walt, the ongoing struggle of right and wrong, good and evil that has ensued.

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My Three Daughters

Paintings of three sisters in Don Hershey House
Paintings of three sisters in Don Hershey House

As webmaster for DonHershey.com Peggi fielded a few requests from relatives of an original owner of one of Don Hershey’s mid-century marvels, requests to alter comments that the previous had sent along. Her grandmother’s house wasn’t “pink/orange” as her aunt, who grew up in the house and is pictured on the right above, described it so it is now labeled as coral. The house is on the market and we were invited to an open house house last night and learned that there are four Hersheys in a row on Hickory Ridge.

I fell in love with these paintings, ones an anonymous Guatemalan artist did of the woman’s three girls.

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Pool Pact

Serious clouds over Lake Ontario
Serious clouds over Lake Ontario

One of our neighbors made a pact with his daughter to get in the street pool every day until we we close it. It was easy the last few days with the temperatures in the nineties but it only got to sixty today. The water temperature is 73 so it probably feels warm by comparison. I’m living vicariously.

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Hi-Tensile

Shipping containers behind Jerome's Ignition in Rochester, New York
Shipping containers behind Jerome’s Ignition in Rochester, New York

I really like this Mediterranean Shipping Container logo. Ideally the “sc” would be floating on top of the “m” but I’m happy the international committee approved it.

The industrial lot behind Jerome’s on Atlantic Avenue is a pretty interesting place. I hung out there while Mike inspected our car. I grew up a few blocks away and used to walk to Elite Bakery, which was right next door, with my mom. And then in the eighties we recorded a few Personal Effects records with Dwight Glodell in the building that sits right in front of Jeromes. Used to be called “PCI” which stood for some kind of chemical. The place is is full of memories and dreamy junk (see blow-up).

Listen to Margaret Explosion – “In Walks Jack” from “Live at the Little Theater Café”

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Garden Party

Blue Vet at O'loughlin's in Rochester, New York
Blue Vet at O’loughlin’s in Rochester, New York

My brother, Fran has rebuilt a couple of Corvettes but he took a long hiatus from his car hobby while his daughter was going to school. Now that she has graduated he’s drooling over cars at Turner’s. I spotted this one down at the lake and sent him the photo.

There was a time when Abilene didn’t have any beers on tap. I would look around at what others were drinking and then order one of those, usually something in a can. These days I am happy to order a Guinness. Good times, like Brian William’s birthday in Abilene backyard, go better with it. Tom Kohn almost talked us in to driving three hours to hear Pharaoh Sanders at Guelph. And he informed us that Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby’s next local stop will be at Abilene. Maybe Danny will have his new, bigger venue by then.

News Flash: Eric Goulden (aka Mr. Wreckless) will do a version of a painting if you see something you like on his site. Duane Sherwood just received “Cucumber 2” in the mail, a painting that was previously sold.

After the party we stopped next door at Fuego and purchased some FT, OR, fresh roasted on premises, Mexican coffee. Can’t think of a better place to start your evening.

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Stay Away From The Dodd’s

Weeds in marsh off Hoffman Road in Rochester, New York
Weeds in marsh off Hoffman Road in Rochester, New York

My mom has been unleashing a flood of memories from her youth, some stories we’ve heard before but many surprises. My father, who is the webmaster of the family tree was talking about some new information he had dug up on Paul Dodd, his father’s brother. Paul was professional baseball player before Rochester had a professional team. That is he would play for money and even took ads out in the paper challenging other teams to a game with a purse attached. He was also a bootlegger, as was my grandfather, so when my father started courting my mom her father (my maternal grandfather) told her she should “stay away from the Dodd’s.” Of course, at some point kids stop listening to their parents and move on with their life.

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Look Out Below

Zucchini bombs in the garden
Zucchini bombs in the garden

Even with just a few plants zucchini comes in so fast it is impossible to keep up with and of course all your friends are overloaded with the stuff at the same time so you can’t give it away. If you just let them lay there they’ll get bigger and tougher and full of seeds. We piled ours up in a corner of the garden and I was thinking of offering them to the military to drop on Syria.

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If You Got Ears

Margaret Explosion poster for September 2013
Margaret Explosion poster for September 2013

Margaret Explosion returns to the Little Theater tonight for four straight months of performances on Wednesday nights. We have not played together since our last gig during Jazz Fest. This particular detail guarantees an interesting night. If anything, the gig is a great excuse to use a great Philip Guston painting as a graphic.

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Burnin’ Love

Drone over Marge's Lakeside Inn
Drone over Marge’s Lakeside Inn

I ran a light that turned red while I was in the intersection on Webster Avenue. I know there was camera above but it was more than a week ago and I have not received a summons.

Bob Henrie and the Goners played Marge’s Lakeside Inn last night. They performed outside on the deck while the sun set over Lake Ontario. This was a picture perfect, unofficial sendoff to summer and sure enough a drone was flying above the crowd snapping shots for Marge’s fb page while the band cranked out a killer version of Elvis’s “Burnin’ Love.”

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