Jason Wilder

Infinitely Curious and Mildly Amused

links I like/endorse

Doyers
gonechester
greenwood books
nts
popwars
spiritualized
sun ra arkestra
vernacular social club
wayofm

  • Night Moves

    We watched Night Moves after our morning coffee. I’ve become a big fan of Kelly Reichardt. Night Moves is about a trio of environmental activists whose attempt to blow up a dam has both expected and unexpected results. The beauty of Reichardt’s films are not only the story but the scenes where nothing is said and the cinematography that accompanies the silence. Mastermind was brilliant too. I might have to watch another Reichardt film tomorrow morning.

    We also finished Firefly. A somewhat rewatch for me but new for Beth. On to the movie Serenity next. Maybe we will watch it while we are camping this summer. I love how you can track sci-fi shows/movies like Firefly and Serenity to Westerns and Samurai movies. My goal is get Beth to sit through Seven Samurai and Ran sometime this year. I’d love to see them in a theater.

    Zach Galifianakis has a show on Netflix called This Is A Gardening Show. The show reminds me of public access television, which is a compliment. Also, I agree, the future is agrarian.

    Going through some photos recently. I’ve always meant to try to find this varsity jacket. I found it but it looks a little different. As far as I can tell, this specific jacket does not exist online, except this photo.

    Today we found out our old neighborhood bar that closed last summer is now going to be sports bar with new owners. We instantly got pretty psyched. Looking at the photos online, though, maybe, we celebrated too soon. The owners seem very cool. That’s the bright spot. Very sweet back story. But they got rid of or didn’t replace the tables so it’s either the bar or public … couches. Public couches are so gross. They added dorm room lights to the trim of the bar and other places.

    I always imagined that bar would be a great kissa. If I had the money, I would have swopped in and saved/invested into the old bar as I really appreciated the owners and their staff … then make it a kissa. If we lived in other areas, bars like Dicky’s would be very welcome downtown / center city. I’d be there tonight watching the Dodgers since I do not pay to have Fox while having random conversations with a wild selection of people.

    Anyways, I’m happy a business went in with such great owners. Just wish it was less of they made it. Will we go and support it, I’m pretty sure.

    Anyways x 2, I think. business people in Rochester tend to go to either Five Below for fancy or a close but not quite NYC experience or just keep it simple stupid. The KISS places are my places. I think is a kissa would be a kiss. Of course, there are a very few exceptions. I’m just glad there’s lots of places for people to get to the city and enjoy themselves. I hope they also consider the people already here.

    Making a Fantastic Voyage setlist inspired by the bars on here. Imagine working or drinking at places like these? Gonna go straight vinyl on this one.

    It’s sad that nature is taking over the vacant buildings downtown while we build new condos on a green space. Man, the passive aggressive barbs from both sides were slyly brutal. Also, a lot of people in the burbs had strong opinions on this on social media. All this hub bub while we don’t have a grocery store downtown. Getting fresh fruits and vegetables is a luxury. I’m glad to know that all those people in Gates, Pittsford, Churchville, and Webster have an opinion on this.

    Oh, the movie Emerald Cities. Five stars. No notes.

  • Material Objects

    In 2025, I only went to three local shows. My heart just isn’t in it for live music anymore. Last night I went to my first of 2026 show to see some bands. There were five bands on the bill at the Bug Jar. I struggled to find the energy for three then I walked home. I brought my camera along to document me being there but didn’t care to make photos like I did in the past. Again, my heart just isn’t into that subject matter anymore.

    Joe Tunis solo’d some psychedelic wavey guitar work as Joe+N. Earlier in the night, Joe and I discussed music from New Zealand, which he is a passionate expert of. I always enjoy Joe’s performances as well as his label Carbon Records. I’m positive every year I’ve been in Western NY I’ve listened to something Joe has been a part of and/or released on his label.

    Next up was Radon Flowers. This is a new to me band with Needledrop Russ on the bass. Their last song reminded me of a rollicky Ride song. I was very impressed as I knew nothing about the band going into the night. No fault to anyone but I couldn’t make out their lyrics so I hope they release some music with some liner notes. (side note: every band should include/release liner notes regardless if they release physically or digitally.)

    Finally, I got to see Material Objects again. Their Lux show last year was one of the three I saw. I found out about the band, originally, through guitarist/singer Domenic Gagliano’s YouTube channel. Dom’s YouTube channel stands out much like Joe’s passion for New Zealand music. Social media cult behavior doesn’t get in the way of honestly sharing their musical interests and passions. Material Objects had Gabriella Evergreen joining them on cello, which added both a sweet and gritty dynamic to their take of what 80s/90s underground music heads love about that era. I’m not talking low hanging fruit/riffs/melodies either. This is a band filled to the brim with pleasurable nuances of a time period of music that I will always enjoy.

    Then that was it. I hit that final wall of exhaustion and made my way home. I wish I had the energy for Comfy and Growing Stone. I really enjoy Comfy’s music and Growing Stone I have yet to hear a song by.

    On the way home, I made a few double exposures.

  • Had a pretty poignant conversation about photography with another local photographer. Specifically, the art of it and what is subjectively good/great artistic photography and what’s just amateur photography. We both think that lines have blurred so much because the democratization of cameras. Blurry lines bad, democratization good. I also believe art criticism when it comes to most photography is not welcome anymore, especially among people who like to show their work. I’ve seen it at group meetups where the whole point was question making and criticism. I’ve seen it in person.

    Everyone is capable of artistic and amateur photography but very few people I come across only want/need praise. If you are unwilling to be thoughtfully challenged, whats the purpose then? What I think is the worst is the gamification of photography. Likes, comments, numbers of shows, podcasts, books, zines, followers, tagging, emojis as comments, hashtags, reels, updates, algorithms, etc., it’s all corporate metrics, overwhelming and cultish. And much of it is not thoughtfully done.

    Thinking out loud, but maybe that’s just society now and my friend and I should just accept it..

    Back in the photoblog book in the late 90s and early 2000s, everyone was an amateur. It wasn’t an insult or a badge of honor. Now everyone is a Picasso. Or in this case, a Cartier-Bresson. It doesn’t feel like that anymore.

    I do feel like a decent selection of amateur photography can make a great artistic statement. I also think a decent selection of artistic photography can feel generic. Am I talking out both sides of my mouth?

    I guess my point is that we aren’t thinking about photography, we are thinking about everything else that shouldn’t be important. People are afraid of losing “a community” if they leave the cult. And people who leave the cult never hear from the cult members anymore.

    I should point out this is not about or directed at anyone. I just watched a video about how some photographers feel it is harder and more dangerous to make photos in public. Some of the points made in the video also correlated with my other conversation. I like to think and philosophize about this stuff.

    Anyways, the photo above was made when I still was bringing my camera on the three minute walk I have to work. I had a couple minutes so I stopped at the corner to mill around and heard something in the sky, so I made a photo. It’s definitely a snapshot and not intended for anything other than being a snapshot of a moment only I remember. Never did see anything in the sky. Probably just a plane. No one else seemed to care.

    Artemis was all pretty damn amazing. Right up there with all the recent UFO related news. My wife and I will chat about this stuff for hours after listening to podcasts with astronauts, physicists, doctors, researchers and experiencers. I never imagined when I met her that we would watch the Dodgers together and have passionate conversations about UFOs. Ten years ago a couple weeks ago, after I went to a Gerry Szymanski photography showing (A Clear Midnight), we met for the first time and stayed up all night talking, drinking champagne.

    Red Wings back in town this week. If you like baseball, me, and/or want to follow along in my project, take a look at High and Inside.

    Had a little movie marathon.

    Sometimes I Think About Dying.

    Sick of Myself.

    Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person.

    Nightide.

    All very fun movies for different reasons.

    Rewatching for me, and first for Beth, the Firefly series. Word on the street there is an animated version coming soon.

  • internet presence

    Changing up hosting, for cost and convenience. Expect some delays, changes, etc. around here.

    Soon I will be blogging like the good ol days on four separate websites.

    This domain will just be my photography archive, CV, and probably a photoblog.

    Fantastic Voyage is due for some updates. I have a few album reviews in the can, show notes to add and update, and some non-music show related stuff. This will definitely be a nod back to my mp3 blog days.

    High and Inside. This is my photographer’s sketchbook, if you will, for the baseball project I’ve long been working on.

    adieu au photography. Everything vernacular photography and photo books.

    There will be some cross-posts between High and Inside and adieu au photography.

  • Weird

    Tonight, I helped this movie ‘s overall rating on Mubi.

    Which is kind of weird / coincidental with another rabbit hole I’ve been diving into.

    Also, this will be my view this summer at the ESL Field at Silver Stadium. Great view of the whole park. Feel right at home here. Last night a guy was boo’d because he raced a little kid to a foul ball and kept it for himself.

    This my favorite shirt in the gift shop. I’ll be cutting off the sleeves and rocking that this season.

    The heat hasn’t kicked on all day. But three inches this Tuesday.

    Weird.

  • that time of the year

    Despite the rain, the beer is hoppy and the people watching is <insert chef’s kiss emoji>. I have a great seat this year behind home plate. Red Wings do a great job. We are lucky for the Silvers and the team’s leaders and staff.

    Gonna be transferring this and the Fantastic Voyage websites, soon, to a new server. So my five readers here may see some interruptions.

    Have some fun stuff, at least for me, in the future photography and music wise.

  • Magic Records

    My cousin made some brew from some hops from his backyard in Brighton. He put it in a German brandy bottle for me that his sister brought him. We met to see Three Days of Condor at the Dryden last night. The movie is 49 days older than me. And wildly prophetic.

    Tonight I’m listening to Magic Records debut on WFMU and cataloging some 7 inches. Got a great deal on stuff from Bop Shop to chop up for use on Fantastic Voyage.

    This Casuals on the Square 45 is pretty sweet. It’s a fictional recording of taking a “charter flight” to the moon.

    Opening day in LA this Thursday. Opening day in Rochester, next Tuesday.

  • honkbal

    baseball
    béisbol
    bàngqiú
    honkbal
    yakyū
    yagu

    Been enjoying spring training and highlights from the World Baseball Classic. Had to get a free trial to a streaming service watch the semi-finals of the WBC, as I felt I was missing out on some great games. The atmosphere of these games feel electric. Kiké Hernández was right, they do seem bigger than World Series games. Well, some of them.

    I’m also a season ticket holder, again, to the local AAA team after the past few years of having a press pass. This is, of course, to go watch the games and to continue to work on my baseball photo project. This year I plan on putting ten plus years of baseball photos into something tangible. I guess the best word would be prototypes. Last year I was pretty much on the IL all season, so I am anxious to get started again.

    One of the benefits of not having a photo pass and bringing what I can carry in? Well, I could say the same old tired tropes about one camera, one lens, and to not overthink and plan and blah blah blah. Photographer influencers are the worst. Anyways, I can now get autographs again. That was against the rules of having a press pass. My job’s hours did not allow me to be at the stadium during the times I could engage personally with the players. There’s a key portion of the chaos I started that has an autograph format.

    Saw Father Mother Sister Brother recently. Three vignettes about family and how families interact with each other, with an awesome, believable cast that played their roles so well, I not once after the initial introduction think about their real names or other movies/shows they are in. Mubi has a sweet essay about the movie.

    img_8775

    I pay rent in this building. I have started taking photos of the various signs the property manager leaves around the building. It’s a lot of fun seeing these littered around the building when you have company. Having the photos makes for great memories. Ugh.

    I got jealous of the guys who made the movie Grand Theft Hamlet. So much so that I want to watch it again. It’s wonderful that blokes like that exist and do stuff like this. Winter in Sokcho was a bleak beautiful cold film. An Art House Lost in Translation. Did I mention I watched Sinners too? I’d watch that again. It was so good. Weapons was a great turn down the lights with popcorn movie, extra butter. My kind of horror. Conan O’Brien spoofing it on Oscar night was the chef’s kiss. Watching Three Days of the Condor with cousin Eric. Seeing movies at the Dryden rules. The only other theater worth going to is the Little. Booo to every other theater in our area.

    Been enjoying this Jason Samosa guy. Someone thoughtfully presenting on Jacques Vallee will always draw me in. Maybe when I’m older and not moving around much, I will read Vallee’s Forbidden Science journals.

    I want to draw, paint and make a lego diorama (in no particular order) of this scene from the I Want To Believe poster. This is a Top 10 photo for me. Yes, ever. I wonder how much it would cost to get good at drawing vs. painting vs. lego this diorama. Which would be the most expensive (supplies, training). My guess lego would be the most expensive. I’d bet on myself making a frame worthy oil painting before I get the room, money and time for the lego.

  • my brain’s liner notes

    I thought via my radio show I would learn what genre of music most defines space more than others. Some might argue space rock. Some might argue ambient. Some might argue disco. Some might argue jazz. Some might argue prog. It’s hard denying any one genre more than the other. I really do think funk, though, is the natural music of the universe and very other worldly..

    On the bright side, I found out very quickly that not only was I not the expert I thought I was of space related music. This is the most fun I’ve had with music since my early 2000s music blog.

    Working from home this week, I was able to listen to two or three records a day. On in the background. Registering enough to make me happy but not distracting to my work. It’s the ideal setup for me. I also have a view of the Kodak tower and the ballpark. I can see planes flying by on their way to the airport. Cars on the interlope float in the distance. As does the train.

    I’m surrounded by my books, music, art and art supplies. If I need a short break that stimulates me, I have it here. Our cats too. All my distractions at work involve modern technology. I’m more analog, and happy, at home.

    I enjoyed this PBS special about the history of funk music.

    I, of course, saw this Sun Ra doc as it aired.

    Anyways, all of this is just to distract me from the unsettling world we live in. Printing photos, making a zine, some collage … all while listening to music. Refreshing my browser every so often, seeing if we are overtly at war with Iran. Reading foreign press because the media here reads like government press releases from everyone you hated in high school.

  • reptilians

    I can’t tell if these are crocodiles or alligators but I do recognize an idiot walking among them. I also see a baby on the railing.

    I’ve started writing liner notes for albums I own that came with no liner notes. I have a bunch of 4×5 and 5×7 photos that were test prints or prints that didn’t sell. I just flip them over and write while listening to an album. I know I get excited when I see someone’s name written in the liner notes or cover of a record. Surely other people like this too right? Anyways, my records will end up somewhere after I am gone. Hope whoever finds it likes it.

    I have made photos for a couple local band’s record covers. After the idea and the shot, it was left to the band and whoever made the decisions about the cover. The above cover was shot at the Bug Jar on a very cold close to Christmas morning back sometime in 2010. I love how there’s life going on behind Casey. I also love how she’s holding her glass. A stylistic decision she naturally chose instead of gripping it or holding it like a cup of coffee. Well after the fact, I do wonder if she had her purse and some stuff on the bar that would have made the photo better.

    Adding liner notes to my vinyl collection made me think of the idea of creating a cheap service doing cover art for indie bands. Give me $50, let me listen to your music and I’ll make something for your cover. Could be a photograph, a collage, found photos, a drawing, a painting, etc. I’m tired of AI covers, sad font decisions and lack of originality in album covers. I’m not saying I could do it better or maybe I am. If you are doing a physical release, fork over an extra $50 and I will make photos for your liner notes. Or if you ask nicely, I’d do it for free.

    Been rewatching Twin Peaks with Beth, who hasn’t seen it. That’s been dominating my tv habit lately. I did see Winter in Sokcho. Here’s a review I sent my cousin:

    It was very subtly shot.  Lots of blues.  Themes and tropes were done in a way that both humanizes and makes the characters more interesting.

    I gave it 4/5 on Mubi. Anyways, it’s the type of movie I love. Full of impactful nuances by both the cameras and actors. In all of these types of movies, you want a sequel. In the movie an artist moves into town at a local boarding hotel to draw/write his next book. He doesn’t know how long it will be. He just knows he likes to poker around for inspiration. That reminded me of one of my favorite recent-ish photobooks:

    Dogbreathe by Matthew Genttempo.

    Blake Andrews introduced the book in his review:

    Matthew Genitempo’s method has always relied on intuition. He approaches photo projects with no clear finish line in mind. Instead he settles in somewhere and pokes around, secure in the faith that his gut will lead him to photographs. Gradually he learns the lay of the land and meets a few locals. One thing leads to another. Acquaintances string together, rhythms flex, and passing moments deepen into portrait sessions. After a while he’s got a book.

    Tonight I listened to Kath Bloom and Velvet Underground while writing this post and looking at Dogbreathe.

    I also had weird ideas. One was to record a roaming tv show on VHS and ask random people questions. The whole episode will be talking to people about that question.

    For instance, a sample question would be: “What do you do with all your Christmas cards?”

    I’d roam anywhere and ask anyone and everyone that question and keep trying to talk to them until they walk away. If I see kids or a young couple about to get married, I’d rephrase the question. “What do you think you will do with all your Christmas cards?

    Another idea I had was to recreate found photos. Try to recreate as close as possible the photo but in real life. Models would have to be hired to stand, or in this case, lay in pose. I found his online obituary. Someone wrote:

    With our deepest sympathy. You all are in our prayers. Find comfort he is in a better place now.