I'm just like you; I wanna be cool. I wanna know a little bit about cars - not necessarily how to gap sparkplugs, but at least how to change a tire. I wanna know how to bank my shots, tell the difference between Ripple and Riesling, and know where the g-spot is. But moreover, I don't wanna be treated like a kid. Thursday night's Party in the Park was a Rochester grand-slam blues explosion starring Joe Beard. This was my first time at the new riverside locale, and man is it spacious. But you gotta show up with ID, or otherwise your 41-year-old ass - no matter how savvy you are with a wrench, a pool cue, a bottle, or dames - will be walking around with two GIANT X's on both hands.

But other than that the scene was cool. And I've never made this analogy before, but Joe Beard sounds a lot like Magic Sam. I love Magic Sam, and I love Joe Beard, too. Beard had no trouble locating the treble knob as he twanged and wailed, his blue notes bouncing off the edge of downtown. And I've always dug the dude, but lately B-3 player Steve McNally has been knocking me out with his swirling, epic keyboard attack. Utterly righteous.

Keep your eyes on Madeline Forster. Just 21, this young lady has a lovely voice and is well on her way; a star on the rise, a diamond in the distance. I caught her with her quartet Saturday night at the Little Theatre Café. Her band seemed most comfortable in the bossa nova lane, and though festive and relatively tight, they could stand to lay back a wee bit so we can hear Forster get down. It terms of her material, she stays close to Ella and the songbook. But I've got a feeling there are some Julie London numbers smoldering out there - say "Go Slow" or "No Moon At All," for instance - that she could really knock over the fence. She does, and that's when the trouble's gonna start. Like I said, keep your eyes on Madeline Forster.