Music Blog
First, let me come clean. When someone says the words "jam band," I inwardly roll my eyes and insert a finger down throat. Gag me. I have no desire to listen to another half-hour of the same riff over and over again, with a few minor alterations
Entertainment Blog
I grew up with Michael Jackson. I pre-teeny-bopped to "ABC," school danced to "Stop, The Love You Save May Be Your Own," and ran the make-out bases to "I'll Be There." I defy anyone to watch old footage of the Jackson 5 and not notice there was something special about
Music Blog
It's not easy being the foreplay act for a headliner with fans that have been waiting for many, many years. Even harder is walking out on that great big stage with just you and an acoustic guitar. I imagine a lot of thought goes into the set list. Should you
Music Blog
The Jazz Fest really messes with my sleep schedule. I'm up until at least midnight, and those are the nights I don't hit the nightly jam at the Plaza. And I'm sure I'm not the only one already looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday morning. Some people I've talked
Music Blog
I slipped into my mackintosh and galoshes and slipped my City umbrella into my bag. That necessitated donning a garment that, once shed for the summer, I don't usually reapply until that white stuff begins to fall: socks. But the sky was crying like the blues and I was out
Music Blog
It's challenging to listen to jazz. It is almost the thinking person's music. And it's not everyone's cup of tea. Which is why I commend the Jazz Fest for bringing in a smattering of musical acts that appeal to a broader audience. And how it makes every night of the fest
Music Blog
I wonder if Neil Crowley ever considered being a meteorologist. Christ Church may have been a bit warm and stuffy Sunday, but his music took me on a tour of the atmosphere. He pounded his piano like the rough-and-tumble thunderstorms of the high plains. Then his music swirled like
Music Blog
I pulled myself away from messin' with The Chief at the Chestnut Street Stage. I had found me a job, and in that moment, my job was to get funky. I rounded the corner to the Jazz Street Stage and what to my wondering eyes should appear? He's ba-ack! Dancing
Music Blog
Being a David Byrne fan could easily be a full-time endeavor. He's an artist that has worked in a list of media a lifetime long; really, he's an "artiste" in the most expansive definition of the word. His life is a work of art, his art is a work of
Music Blog
It was a celebratory crowd that nearly filled Blue Cross Arena for Fleetwood Mac Monday, March 16. And I think most of them had filled their bellies at the Dino prior to the concert. The rib-running-jam was so backed up that the hostess pleaded via loudspeaker for patrons to exit
Events Blog
What is up with parking downtown? I arrived at Blue Cross Arena at 6:15 p.m. for the 7 p.m. "Disney on Ice" show. I figured 45 minutes gave me more than enough time to park, get my ticket, and find my seat, but the lines for the Civic Center
Events Blog
I have always loved chocolate, but it was my first Godiva truffle that spoiled me. Shaped like a shell, the open oyster filled with hazelnut praline dissolved in my mouth in a sense-enhancing glaze. It made me question every chocolate I had previously eaten. Hedonist Artisan Chocolates, recently relocated to 674
Events Blog
I've lived in Rochester more years than I can count on both my fingers and toes, and yet had never been to "Live from Hochstein." I'd heard about it for years, as it began way back in 1975. It starts at 12:10 p.m. and ends at 12:50 p.m., giving you
Events Blog
I had a feeling I wouldn't have an ugly purse I wanted to give away. You see, I like ugly. Ugly is its own sort of beauty. I had planned to stop by a secondhand store and purchase the ugliest one I could find. Then I would win "The Ugliest
Events Blog
A long time ago, I remember seeing a present wrapped in a common brown paper bag transformed into a reindeer. Then I made the mistake of watching a Martha Stewart Christmas Special where she took pieces of colored tulle and gathered, wrapped, and wound them around gifts. I was hooked.
Events Blog
This week was all about the election. I headed down to my local polling place before work on Tuesday to cast my votes. I got a fright when as I walked toward the building that has been my voting place for the last nine years -- with no signs outside
Events Blog
Sunday, October 26, was a beautiful day with the sun shining brightly and the sky all kinds of bright blues. As I drove down to Charlotte Beach, I wondered exactly what a Love Parade would be like. Sgt Pepper's, the Magical Mystery Tour, a sing-along to "All You Need is
Events Blog
Doing the Greater Ithaca Art Trail has become an annual tradition for me. The weather is usually fine and the ride down is beautiful, with the autumnal trees at their peak. This year I wondered if they were going to use my mailbox idea from last year. It's really simple:
Events Blog
It was raining in the morning with a forecast of steady showers, but the sun began to shine shortly before the gardens tour at the Rochester Civic Garden Center. About a half dozen of us met inside the center to eat our brown bag lunches while listening to a our
Events Blog
I love my blog. I love writing it because it's not limited, like a review. It's a firsthand account by me, a regular person, attending events. And, as such, regular things happen to me: venues don't call me back, the event is different than described, or like in
