COMEDY: Geva Comedy Improv will present two nights of “Halloweenprov,” starting tonight with “Campfire Improv” at 8:30 p.m., and continuing Saturday with a
“Monster Mash” double feature at 8:30 p.m. The shows take place at Geva Theatre Center (75 Woodbury Blvd.) and tickets are
$10. For more information, call 232-4382 or visit gevacomedyimprov.org.
MUSIC: I’m going to go out on a limb and just guess that DJ Energon is
a fan of a certain fighting-robot series that is full of the awesome. If his
name doesn’t prove it, the name for his new show, Cybertron,
should. The project features his self-described mix of “gothic, industrial,
electronic, synth, dubstep and 80’s new wave.” Head
on down to the dance floor at Vertex Night Club (169 N. Chestnut St., $3-$8),
at 10:15 p.m. tonight and check it out for yourself. It’s sure to be more than
meets the eye.
LECTURE: The history of Rochester and its surrounding areas
includes some pretty spooky and unsettling tales. At 1 p.m. today, Michael
Keene, author of “Folklore and Legends of Rochester,” will present “The Mystery of Hoodoo Corner,” about the cursed corner of Main and Elm streets. The event takes place at
Legacy at the Fairways (681 High St., Victor) and is free to attend, but
registration is required. Call 924-7043 for more information.
MUSIC: What makes Queensryche
unmistakably Queensryche is Geoff Tate‘s soaring, quasi-operatic vocal flight. The music on his
second solo outing, “Kings and Thieves,” is not the radical musical departure you
might expect. It kind of sounds like Queensryche.
Over the band’s 30-plus-yyear history, Tate’s voice has ridden atop its prog-metal blast and seems to get better with age — kind
of like a fine wine, which incidentally Tate spends his non-rock time decanting.
The JJ Lang Band and Hair Nation get things started tonight at the Montage
Music Hall (50 Chestnut St., montagemusichall.com, $20) tonight at 8 p.m.
DANCE: Enjoy a performance of DANCE/STRASSER tonight, 7:30 p.m., at Strasser
Dance Studio (SUNY Brockport College, 350 New Campus Drive, Brockport).
The event will include both solo and ensemble performances, and will continue
Saturday night as well. Tickets are $8-$15; for more info, visit brockport.edu/finearts.
MUSIC: Aspiring musicians at School of the Arts (45 Prince
St., $5-$10) will have no shortage of role models Friday when drummer Rob Garcia brings his all-star group
to Rochester tonight at 7 p.m. Garcia has played with Wynton Marsalis, Woody
Allen, Diana Krall and many others. Pianist John Stetch
won the Prix du Jazz at the Montreal International Festival in 1998 and has
appeared on “Piano Jazz” with Marian McPartland and
“Jazz Set” with Branford Marsalis. Saxophonist Noah Preminger has lent his
talents to Dave Holland, Fred Hersch and Dave
Douglas. And Matt Pavolka is a fast-rising New York
bassist and leader of The Horns Band.
RECREATION: Chilly, crisp nights can be great for
stargazing, so extraterrestrial enthusiasts, this is your season. Take part in
tonight’s Public Star Party, held by
the Astronomy Section of the Rochester Academy of Science, 8-10 p.m., at Northampton
Park (near the ski lodge on Hubbell Road, off Route 31) in Ogden. The event is
free to attend, will be held only if the weather provides clear skies, and
members will have equipment and advice for seeing the starry sights. Call
703-9876, or visit rochesterastronomy.org for more information.
MUSIC: Sure, you’ve all heard of dueling banjos, but how
about dueling pianos? New York, NY
Dueling Pianos will be throwing down tonight at RIT’s Ingle Auditorium
(rit.edu/studentaffairs/cab), battling it out for
your hearts, using a mix of current, classic, and all-around-popular pop and
rock. The brew-ha-ha gets started at 9 p.m. tonight, so don’t miss it.
SPECIAL EVENT: The Rochester Academy of Medicine (1441 East
Ave.) is hosting a three-day Susan B.
Anthony Women’s Conference and Expo, which kicks off today with a Legacy
Women Tour to sites of historic importance (7:30 a.m.-5 p.m., $125), a
Bollywood Mania dance workshop (5-6 p.m.), and opening reception (6-7:30 p.m.).
Events continue Saturday and Sunday. Ticket prices vary, for more information
and to register, call 442-1704, or visit legacywomen.com.
MUSIC: Album-release shows always add that little something extra
to a concert, and tonight local hardcore group The Weight We Carry is having an album-release show at the Bug Jar
(219 Monroe Ave., bugjar.com, $5-$7), with support from The Storm, Wreckage, High
Dive Horse, and Forked Tongues. Music starts at 8:30 p.m.
MUSIC: The local alternative acoustic act Grew Hollow Road will be playing
tonight at the Park Avenue location of Boulder Coffee (739 Park Ave.,
bouldercoffeeco.com). Music starts at 8 p.m. and the show is free, so grab some
nice hot coffee and travel down the band’s music road.
MUSIC: The first concert in the 2012 Rochester Celebrity Organ Recital Series kicks off tonight, with
Isabelle Demers taking the keys at the Third Presbyterian Church (East Avenue
at Meigs Street). The music starts at 8 p.m., tickets
are only $10 ($5 for students w/ID), so head on down for that great organ
sound. Visit agorochester.org for more info.
This article appears in Best of Rochester 2012.
