When Community Speaks Louder Than the Noise

Peter Vazquez got summoned to Albany, so the microphone passed to Dom Genova of the No Nonsense Roundtable, and the day turned into a reminder of what real community sounds like: imperfect, funny, human, and unexpectedly profound.

Dom does not “interview” people so much as sit with them, like two strangers at an airport bar, and ask the question that cracks open a life story: What did you want to be at ten years old? From Rochester broadcasters and music makers to the quiet builders of local culture, the thread is simple: everybody wants to be noticed, and the best leaders notice people on purpose.

A caller demanded commercial-free fairness, another spiraled into civil-war talk, and Dom answered with a hard truth about incentives and responsibility. Then the tone shifted when veteran Steve McAlpin called in, grateful for a platform that honored his service and helped push his long-delayed book toward the finish line. In between: Rochester music history, venues that still matter, and a sober nod to a world drowning in a 24/7 information flood.

Even the “car guy” wisdom landed like a civic lesson: know the Monroney label, watch for dealer gimmicks, and learn which problems are real and which are noise. Open Door Mission and Youth for Christ hover in the background as the quiet call to action: restore hope, invest locally, tell the stories that keep a city alive.