Abilene opens

The new downtown bar Abilene (153 Liberty Pole Way) celebrated its grand opening Friday, March 21. When we stopped by the bar was dark, welcoming, and full of happy chatter. A game was going on at the pool table in the back, and snacks were spread out on a handsome wood table by the jukebox - loaded but unplugged, so Danny Deutsch, the bar owner, could control the tunes from behind the bar. He held court back there all night long, pouring drinks and talking with friends, occasionally coming around front to give impromptu tours of the place. The back yard was quiet - it was a damn cold night - but bar goers were abuzz with the possibilities the space will present soon, when the weather gets warmer. We left around midnight as another band of Deutsch's friends - new and old - trickled in. Check out rochestercitynewspaper.com/nightlife for our recent feature on Abilene and for photos of opening night.

The Landfill gets shut down

The Landfill, an independent music venue in Greece, had been bringing in acts from Buffalo, Arkansas, Australia, the Dominican Republic, and more since August 2007. But on Thursday, March 20, the venue was shut down after one of its concerts showed up in City's music listings and police discovered it was a private residence, says Ben Court, who booked shows for The Landfill. Court says police plan to patrol the area to make sure no more shows are held at the venue, which operated much like the defunct A/V Space. Organizers accepted donations at the door and ran a MySpace page that stated there would be no alcohol or drugs at the shows. At least one concert has been re-routed to Boulder Coffee Co; the show will be May 16, and the bands are to be determined. Court says he's also interested in exploring other venue options.

Boulder takes a hit

Poor Boulder Coffee. Although the business has just expanded to a second location at the Public Market, the building that houses the original location on Alexander Street either has a car magnet in it, or is cursed. Or maybe it might have the ability to turn invisible to drivers, because on Sunday, March 16, yet another car crashed into the place. This is the third time a vehicle has collided with the building since the coffee shop/music venue opened in 2005. It remains business as usual, however, with damage only evident if you really look for it.

Vinyl closes, then re-opens

In case you blinked and missed it, Vinyl (291 Alexander St) closed - for about a week - and re-opened Thursday, March 13. According to an article in the March 11Democrat & Chronicle, the brief shut-down was spurred by unpaid taxes that totaled close to $1.5 million. The club, which is owned by Ronnie Davis (who also runs many other East Ave/Alexander venues, including Daisy Dukes, The Pig, and A-Pub Live) is back to business as usual.

Gay night at straight club

Vinyl's neighbor Two89 (289 Alexander St) recently introduced a special night at the club. In addition to Thursday ladies nights, a rotation of DJs, and other themed evenings, the new reason to stop down is gay night. It happens Wednesday nights when it's "Boys Night Out" at the typically straight venue. Happy hour starts at 5 p.m., and dancing to tracks by DJ Jon Herbert goes well into the night.

Have a tip for our nightlife reporter? Email eric@rochester-citynews.com or call 244-3329 x25.