Like Violence
8:30pm on a Monday
at Dogtown

Interview by Maria Gorre.

Published November 12, 2015.

What’s your favorite part of living in Rochester?

Beau: Honestly, as much as people hate it, I like the seasons. I love having winter all the time. I like snowboarding and shit. It’s fun. I also like the fact that everything is not too far away from each other.

Brittni: Dude, it’s set up perfectly. The city is here and all these cool things, and then the country is close too if you want to play in the woods.

Joey: And there’s garbage plates.

Beau: And Genny. We got Genny.

Donald: I think the music scene is cool here. I like that there are a lot of kids playing music. It’s not just a couple bands.

Do you guys have any favorite secret spots?

Dan: The subway tunnels, but it’s not really secret.

Beau: That one spot near the falls. One time we climbed down, jumped a couple of fences and we were right next to the falls.

High Falls? I’ve always wondered how you get down there?

Brittni: You go down parts that say don’t go down there, you climb fences that say don’t climb this fence, and then you’re in the falls. (laughs) And it’s so cool.

Beau: There’s that one sweet spot up at the top of Pinnacle Hill that’s got that big opening, and a bonfire pit in the middle. It overlooks the whole city.

Joey: I like that thing in Manhattan Square Park. That big tall thing.

Dan: Oh, the spider-looking thing that looks like it’s from Wild Wild West Two?

Donald: I like looking at the falls from the bridge. That’s pretty sweet. At night it has a bunch of different colors and stuff.

What’s your favorite day of the week?

Beau: I would say Friday and Saturday, but the bars are always so packed on the weekends.

Brittni: Yeah, with a bunch of douchey assholes. So I kind of like the week where it’s just my friends.

Beau: I like Thursday nights.

Brittni: Thursday is cool because there are people out, but it’s not those Saturday assholes.

What's your favorite time of day?

Dan: Nighttime.

Beau: I like this [time of day], at dusk, because you’re getting ready for the nightlife. It’s like the calm before the storm.

Brittni: When I’m out and I’m trying to get my party on, I like midnight! Everyone is getting hammered and I want everyone to do shots with me. 2 o’clock is sad. The lights go on and you see how ugly everyone is (laughs). So I don’t like 2 o’clock. Last call comes and you start freaking out like, “Oh man, I’m not drunk enough!”

Beau: I need to do four more shots really quick! (laughs)

Brittni: It’s scary! 2 o’clock is a scary hour.

Beau: Nothing good happens after 2am.

Describe your dream Rochester day.

Beau: Hit up the Genesee Brew House.

Brittni: Start your day at the brew house?

Beau: Who knows? You can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning!

Brittni: I’m gonna say start at a sick local coffee shop, because we have some really good ones. Fuck Starbucks! Boulder is awesome. Starry Nites is pretty good. Pour is pretty good too.

Dan: I like Starry Nite, and they’re cheap. And Spot isn’t bad. I do dislike Java’s. I like the atmosphere. I don’t like their product.

Brittni: So I’m going to say start with that.

Beau: And then go to the brew house. And then, I don’t know, just wander the city.

Brittni: Wander the city for sure, explore, and then go to Marshall Street, or Lux, or one of the cool bars without all the douchebags.

Beau: Or if there’s a show, go to a show.

Brittni: Basically if you live in the city, you can walk to somewhere cool. It doesn’t even have to be a specific place.

Donald: I think the best times I’ve ever had in the city were with [my friend] Andrew. And Dan was there too.

Dan: ‘Splorin’ days? Yeah, Andrew was the best at ‘sploring.

Donald: I remember one time it was me, you, Andrew, and Lenny. And we just went in the city and went exploring.

What’s your favorite hungover eating spot?

Brittni: I’m going with freakin’ Dogtown. I know we’re there, but I’m gonna say it.

Dan: Wimpy’s.

Donald: Denny’s. (laughs)

Dan: Fuck Denny’s!

Donald: Okay, I do like Denny’s, but if I had to pick a place related to Rochester, I’d pick Wimpy’s.

Joey: Tahou’s, man.

Beau: Any Mexican restaurant. I like Dorado. Dorado is bomb.

What's your favorite bar?

Beau: Marshall Street, because you can go there any night of the week, and there will be people you know. I don’t think I’ve been there once without seeing someone I knew.

Joey: Yeah, I’d say Marshall Street.

Donald: Marshall Street.

Dan: Lux. They have the coolest stuff! Free food, and free movies…

Brittni: I’d say Lux because of the people there. And they have that cool swinging game. And a penis chair.

Joey: But Marshall Street has that hockey game.

Dan: I saw a guy bring in a turtle to Lux! It was on a leash. And he brought lettuce and he was feeding it. People were petting it

Rochester is a three-legged rescue dog.

Wait, they just let him bring the turtle in there? That’s awesome!

Dan: Yeah! They let people bring pets to Lux, and there are random piles of free pizza. You can’t say that Lux isn’t awesome.

Donald: Okay, I like Lux. I just don’t like the Satanism about it.

Beau: That’s what I love about it. (laughs) But Marshall Street has more beers on tap than Lux does.

Dan: Last movie night, there were just two huge piles of free pizza. Lux has the coolest free stuff. Also, Havana Moe’s is a great bar. I can smoke cigarettes inside.

What's your favorite Rochester memory?

Beau: The first time our first two bands played at the Penny Arcade.

Joey: I liked the parties we had at your old house.

Brittni: La Casa Grande!

Dan: I saw Donald puke on a couch, himself, and the floor.

Donald: And I remember I laid down on the nearest tree.

Beau: There was the one Halloween party that we had. We had a couple of people show up that we didn’t know, and they ended up bringing out a shotgun.

What happened?

Beau: We told them to leave, but one of them punched this kid in the face, and so we were about to fight and then the one kid pulled out a knife. And then all of the sudden this guy had a gun. So we told everyone to run inside and then they ended up just jumping in their car and driving away.

Brittni: I was getting garbage plates, so I’d be alive.

Dan: So would I. I was in the back.

If Rochester were an animal, what would it be?

Brittni: I’m gonna say a Jaguar, because Jaguars are cool and I think Rochester is pretty cool.

Beau: A wolf. You know how dogs always manage to find their way home? Well, people always move away from Rochester, but then I always hear about people wanting to come back no matter what. People move away all the time, but then they always end up coming back to Rochester. Wolves are loyal to their pack.

Dan: I’d say it’s a dog that you adopt that has three legs. It’s kinda cute, but it’s kinda scruffy. Rochester has had better days, but it’s still a good dog. And you kind of just accept it because you were born here, and you learn to love it in the end. Rochester is a three-legged rescue dog.