JUNIOR SENIOR ICE CREAM CORRESPONDENT  

DIG DUTIES: Ice Cream, mostly. We’re reasonably sure she’s got some other responsibilities, but none of ‘em leap to mind at the moment.

HABITAT: Huddled on the floor about a foot and a half from the freezer, affectionately known as the “Groan Zone.”

DIET: You get one guess.

QUOTE: “Who took my Lactaid? Seriously guys, I need that.”

TOIL TRIVIA: When Lyssa graduate from BU last year, she thought her halcyon days of endless Hoodsie cups were behind her. Boy, was she wrong!

Just think, recent grads, what could the future hold for you? (Results Not Typical.)

There is nothing cuter than listening to little kids talk about something they don’t understand… unless those cute little kids have British accents. And unless they’re talking about Skrillex. (via Vice’s Noisey channel)

“Sounds like my dog.”

“This is just like my grandma’s sofa!”

“His hair looks like a girl and his face looks like a boy and that’s so funny.”

There is something just so innocent about these kids. They’re too young to have experienced a club or a rave, yet they are having the time of their lives hopping around in neon-colored wigs trying to dissect Dubstep.

I remember a time when I was that young. I didn’t know anything about Dubstep, and hopped around flailing my arms without a care in the world… so like a year ago, I guess?

DJ FIVE

YEARS OLD. #gamechanger

Harvard alum and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin has renounced his US citizenship to reside in Singapore. Some see the move by Saverin—emphatically portrayed in The Social Network—as a ploy to both avoid taxes and covertly develop his new “Spidey-powers.” MINUS 2

State officials are considering a ban on large-scale food dumping by corporations as a means to curb methane emissions. Company statements to the effect of “Food fight!” have been met with scorn, pies. PLUS 2

A North Carolina businessman who tried to open the door on a Maine-Philadelphia US Airways flight was released on $500 bail Friday at his arraignment in Boston. The accused claims to suffer from a neurological disorder coupled with a severe phobia of closed things. EVEN

Allston real estate firm Alpha Management have angered tenants over recent 20 to 30 percent rent hikes. Company officials say current rates are standard for apartments near public transportation/oil wells/Mayan treasure rooms. MINUS 1

The state transportation department has banned trucks carrying hazardous materials through Boston between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. The ban will reduce the risk of dangerous spills, but may have a regrettable negative impact on the city’s mutant crime fighter community. PLUS 2

State officials in New Hampshire celebrated “National Train Day” Saturday with a celebration at Hobo Railroad in Lincoln. Said one participant: “Yeah, this is pretty much the ‘Hamp peaking.” PLUS 1

THIS WEEK’S TOTAL: PLUS 2
LAST WEEK’S TOTAL: MINUS 2

It all started with a pair of Wonder Woman shoes …

If the shoes make the woman, then local accessorizer extraordinaire Bexx Fine must be a force to be reckoned with. Just last month, Fine started a bit of a crafts project--her own customized brand of cartoon and comic styled gear. “I grew up with Batman and Indiana Jones, and just stuff I’d watch with my brothers and my dad,” says Fine. “I’m a nerd at heart.” Sometimes life needs some more color block panels, thought bubbles, and caped crusaders, and Fine’s collection of shoes, wallets, purses, hair accessories, bracelets, and furniture supply that needed dosage.

Armed with a degree in advertising design and faced with poor job prospects in a belly-up economy, Fine took to beauty school and then became a hairstylist. Still, Fine was always interested in pursuing her own crafty and DIY projects. While working on a Wonder Woman costume for a party, Fine was inspired to design a pair of shoes using some old Wonder Woman comics, and she branched out from there. “I basically made a pair of shoes at 4 in the morning one day and ran with it. By the end of the day, I had a logo idea; I had an idea for other products to make.”

A few weeks ago, Fine premiered her new collection at Boston’s largest gathering of artists, collectors, vendors, and block panel enthusiasts—Comic Con.

“I got my business cards printed in about 4 days and threw a bunch of gear on myself and a couple of girlfriends and had my logo printed up on some t-shirts and went to start a buzz. People are really into it.”

Fine takes used or discounted purses, wallets, and shoes and coats them with vintage comic and cartoon designs that she handpicks from comic book stores. Her prices range from about $8 for a hair bow to wallets for about $40 and purses around $50-60, depending on the size. Fine also takes her customers’ favorite old shoes and purses and revives them with her comic prints. “It’s fun for me. It’s like my dream job. I get to go shopping at Buffalo Exchange or Target and buy used or cheap pocket books and I get to go home and make crafts with them. Shopping and crafts—what’s not to love?”

Photo via Bexx Fine's Facebook page.

And this is the perfect time for the launch of Fine’s collection. Hollywood’s recent resurgence of heroes such as Batman, the X-men, and now Joss Whedon’s Avengers has proved something that could only be true in this context:

spandex, superhuman mutations, and masked vigilantism is so in this season.

Since the release of the Avengers, Fine has been working on new Avengers-themed wallets and wristlets for fans. With the recent launch of her website and more comic conventions on the horizon, Fine is working on producing new items to sell to a growing customer base. This summer’s upcoming Marvel and DC film releases show just a fraction of the work Fine has in front of her. “Next thing, I’ll have to have some Spiderman stuff and Batman stuff lined up.”

From Moscow to Tokyo, Eli Goldstein and Charles Levine, aka Soul Clap, have rocked them all. They happened to have a rare week off from traveling the world when we caught up with them in the club where it all started, Cambridge’s Phoenix Landing. We discussed their new album, EFUNK, the explosion of popularity in electronic music in the United States, and, of course, Boston.

How long have you been away?
Eli: We’ve moved out almost two years now.
Charles: Almost exactly two years.

How is the EFUNK Tour going?
It’s only half done now. This is the beginning of the American part. And the European bit was incredible. I think we’ve really transcended to the next bit of our performance and popularity and confidence and excitement. This album is getting a different kind of appreciation and respect.

Your debut album, EFUNK has definitely surprised some people. Why do you think that is?
Eli: There’s a general trajectory in dance music: They have a couple of hits, they DJ more and end up playing bigger and bigger rooms with bigger and bigger sound.

But because we’re on Wolf and Lamb, a label that is all about creative music, they encouraged us to do whatever we wanted for the album

… not worry about making hits.

That’s nice.
Eli: It’s amazing for us.
Charles: We’re fortunate.
Eli: It’s surprising to hear people say they’re surprised to hear the direction the album went. Reviews  of us being like “Well, it’s typical dance artists trying to make an album with downtempo music.” It’s like, you obviously don’t know us at all [laughs].

Charles: I think from the beginning, from the inception of this album, we had this idea that we would make it be about our influences.  So this song represents our love for R&B, this song represents our love for funk, this song is the ’90s dance jam.

Dance music press tends to take itself a little too seriously. This album—like you said—probably threw them for a loop too.
Charles: I think a lot of the dance music press—you’re right—lacks the language because they’re so use to trying to differentiate between this techno beat and that techno beat. When they’re all very homogenous. We throw something in the mix and they’re not sure what genre it is, they’re not sure how to write about it.

The industry is changing like crazy. It’s the reason we’re able to start releasing these kinds of albums. Kind of always foraging new ground, which is pretty exciting.

I feel like part of your success comes from that, that you don’t take yourselves too seriously.
Charles: We do have a lot of fun, but while we have fun with our image, during the performances, we making muppet videos … we’re very serious about the music making.
Eli: And the history and tradition of DJing and producing. People don’t realize how long we’ve been doing this.

That’s part of coming from here, is people might think you guys just came out of nowhere.

Eli: It’s not nowhere … it’s Boston! [laughs]

Now, it sounds like Boston’s got a pulse. I think it was just a matter of time.

XLR8R Podcast Soul Clap Boston Mix 2010 02 18 by InTheMixDig

Maybe if they’re like “Oh, if the Clap can do it, I can do that, too. I know those guys.”

That kind of familiarity is cool, and if that lights the fire to get you back in the studio, doing the promo grind, trying to make some noise.

What about the remixes coming out or who you’ve got lined up. I guess Kahn?
Probably almost fifteen remixes. The next single, concisely, is the Nighttime remix of “Need Your Lovin.”

How’s your relationship with vinyl?
That plastic stuff called vinyl?

I mean you’re traveling all over the place. Have you gotten stopped with your record bag?
Of course in America they get weirded out. “What is this dark circular thing in your bag?”

Is this a weapon?

“DJs? What is that?”

“I thought you guys needed computers.”

When you fly to Russia it’s always a pain.

So the puppets… I think I watched that video like three or four times.
Charles: I think they should be at the Phoenix Landing show. Should we bring the puppets?
Eli: Yeah, let’s bring the puppets.

Do they come in their own carrying cases?
We should get carrying cases from them and bring them to gigs.

I love when people are like “Oh, dance music and drugs,” and I’m like “How many rock and roll people have died of drug overdoses?”
Charles: Maybe Christian rock is the only soul—and they’re drunk on Jesus!
Eli: It’s despicable. You know Madonna’s album, whatever it’s called with the MDMA reference, and her going on stage and being like “Is Molly in the building?” and DeadMau5 and Paul Van Dyke coming out and saying “How can she be this kind of role-model for our kids?” Who are they kidding? They’re electronic music DJs.
Charles:

You can’t hate on people choosing whatever they want to be doing.

Eli: Something we’ve really encouraged and worked towards is responsible, grown-up partying. It’s not this rowdy, get wasted, balls-to-the-wall thing, it’s come in and feel classy, have a dance and hang out for a little bit and talk to your friends.

How much did your collaboration with other artists start here in Central Square?

Charles: A lot of it has to do with the Phoenix Landing,
Eli: Where we’re sitting right now. [laughs]

Charles: Booking these guys, playing this night that they had heard about.
Eli: Even these guys that we brought here, that we haven’t seen for years, when we see them again it’s like “Oh my god, good to see you guys!” And they remember everything.

And now someone like Avicii is playing the Garden.
Eli: I can’t believe how big that guy has got with just one record.
and the reason he got so big is that he was paying off Swedish house mafia.

He’s paying tribute.
Charles: Paying tribute to Swedish house mafia, and…
Eli: He got made! [laughs]
Charles: The Mouse Mafia, which is how Deadmau5 was getting his success. Then there’s the Swedish Fish Mafia, which are really tasty…

And they play all the Phish Festivals. But it is mega huge, we had the screen Electric Daisy Carnival movie at the festival this year.
Charles: Ultra has a movie coming out

250 thousand people freaking out, it’s crazy. 

Charlie: It’s arena rock at this point in time,

which is cool. I’m cool with arenas being filled with electronic music in America. But … it’s no Woodstock, baby. It’s not about peace and love, it’s about profit.

The message that Skrillex, Swedish Mau5 Mafia, any of these mafias are sending is: it’s about ticket sales.

I think the profit margins of the music is starting to get in the way of its authenticity, and I feel like, it’s inescapable.
Eli: Exactly. I don’t like these big agencies. I think nine out of ten managers are people who couldn’t make it as musicians. And once you have a cut going to your agent and a cut going to your manager the decisions aren’t being made about music anymore.

Charlie: All these [arena rock EDM producers] have to do is stand.

It’s easier to hide behind a stage show for a 100,000 people than to play a great set at a thousand-person club. Or the Phoenix Landing.

In here, you have to work harder than you do anywhere else.

That’s interesting actually, because you’re under more scrutiny.
Eli: And you’re just going to make sure that the order is right, you have one hour, you know what I mean?

But, there’s no substitute for playing a seven hour set in a smaller club. You can’t, there’s no other way to get that feeling, and to get that feeling that you’re really connecting with everybody there.

RE:SET PRESENTS
EFUNK WITH
SOUL CLAP

WED 5.16.12
PHOENIX LANDING
512 MASS AVE.
CENTRAL SQ.
CAMBRIDGE
617.576.6260
10PM/19+/$10
EFUNK.US
@SOULCLAP
PHOENIXLANDINGBAR.COM

About four years ago, Alex Zielke quit his job, moved to Berlin, and enrolled in a brewing school. It was a risk—but one that will soon pay off. Zielke, along with Alex Rabe and Ian Chester are launching Boston’s newest beer company, Portico Brewing. The three met while getting their MBA at Babson College, and after Zielke and Rabe discovered a mutual love of craft beer, they homebrewed together for two years. Now they hope to use that combination of business and branding smarts and craft beer passion to find a home for Portico in the marketplace and the beer drinker’s fridge.

They’re tenant brewing their beer at Watch City Brewing in Waltham, and hope to one day open a brick and mortar brewery. The first draft-only release is a Kolsch, called Fuzzy Logic, and they’ve got more lined up that range from classics like a Belgian Strong Ale and an ESB to the experimental like a mango and jalapeno beer. Ahead of their launch at Tommy Doyle’s, they talked to Honest Pint about branding, business, and beer.

How do you think you set yourselves apart from other breweries?

Chester: A lot of what we do is in our branding—besides having a product that is superior to stand behind.

I think our branding just stands out from everything else you see at the moment.

Zielke: At the end of the day, that’s the question a lot of people have—why don’t you call yourselves Belgian, or why don’t you call yourselves this or call yourselves that. There’s a lot of breweries that are opening that are Belgian-focused, or I talked to a guy the other day who wants to start a place that focuses on stouts and porters.

It’s like at the end of the day, I just love beer.

If we saddle ourselves into being just this or just that, we’re probably not going to survive long-term. For us, it’s just about making good beer. Our tagline is, “Put some design in your stein.” So we try to be very deliberate with our beers, our recipes, our whole aesthetic.

What does the name mean?

Rabe: A portico is probably the most universal architectural feature in the world. Basically a portico is two columns with an overhang in front of a doorway. You can find it in any culture in the world—Japanese, Belgian, German—and that speaks to the fact that we draw from a lot of different disciplines in beer.

Where does Portico fit into the marketplace?

Zielke: I think another thing that stands out in a lot of our recipes is accessibility. Craft beer in the past five years has gone into the whole extreme movement. Extreme IPAs especially, really bitter beers, but you know that’s not accessible for this group of people who are really getting into craft beer. So that’s one of the things we try to do with a lot of our recipes, like our Fuzzy Logic.

It’s very easy and very drinkable.

I feel like a big problem with a lot of new buzz breweries is that they have trouble gaining traction in getting return customers. People will try the new, crazy beer and move on to the next thing. How do you get someone to keep on buying it?

Chester: I think most people are kind of at that point. There is a segment of people who are beer geeks, who are going to know what the want, know what they’ve had, know what they’re going to try. I think it’s harder to influence those people in either direction. Whereas that middle ground that are getting into beer, I think that’s the market that’s big and influencable.

I think some people in the craft beer industry can be skeptical of business people starting a brewery—wondering if you’re brand and marketing focused rather than beer-focused.

Zielke: I started this whole process before I met these guys years ago and it’s always been about beer to me. I made the choice to go to business school because I love beer so much and I want this to succeed—the best bet for this to succeed is to go to business school first and learn some of those tools so we can be successful.

Although we are all business students, the beer always comes first.

Rabe: Not to rope us in with some of these guys, but Sam Adams, Harpoon, both of them had MBA. And fine, if you want to put them in the category of craft brewers saying we don’t like them because they’re so successful and we don’t know how they did it—everyone envys them.They sort of say, holy crap how did they scale, I can’t even conceptualize how they scale.

Going to a two-year business program doesn’t give me any kind of klout to figure out what they know about the brewing industry. The business thing gives us the knowledge to know how to manage our books. And brewers figure this stuff out—Chris at Notch is a great resource, we call him all the time.

We’re learning from these guys and we’re not here to say we think we know anything more than anyone else. We just think that our thinking process is a little bit different than some going in saying, I’m just gonna start a brewery and see how it goes and figure it out as I go. But that being said out business plan has changed three times. [Laughs] …

And I’m not going to start tattoing my arms just to fit in, or grow a fu manchu or something like that. If you look at Brooklyn [Brewery], those guys, they were business minded, one was a business guy, one was a reporter. Guys like us—scrapping it up, figuring out how to make it happen, but using our knowledge of the industry to apply it to the beer world. That’s really all we’re tyring to do.

Zielke: Hopefully it works.

Welcome Portico Brewing to the Boston beer scene tomorrow night at Tommy Doyle’s in Harvard Square. Details below!

[Portico Brewing Launch Party. Thu 5.17.12. Tommy Doyle’s, 96 Winthrop St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. 6pm-10pm/21+/$5. @PorticoBrewing. porticobrewing.com]

ON FUZZY LOGIC

Rabe: “Fuzzy Logic” is the idea is that we take ourselves seriously but we don’t really know where we’re going to end up. It’s a mathematical term that means you know that you start here, and you gonna get here, but you kind of go like this [waves finger in a line] to get there. And that describes literally everything about how we run our business.

BEER ALERT

Beer and Cheese—two great tastes that taste great together (and even better when you’ve got a subtle little buzz going on). The Cambridge Center for Adult Education is offering courses on how to perfectly pair your vices, and the more enroll the more they’ll be, so … get on that. [Fri 5.18.12. 42 Brattle St., Cambridge. 617.547.6789. 7pm - 9pm/21+/$66. @cambridgecenter. ccae.org]

Moldy delivers us a mix of his anticipated set at Naga tonight!

A high-pitched wail in excess of low tones, the fog rolls in, in a synth chill. A bird chirp, and a single hit on the snare drum. The mix is motion in slow motion, a downtempo beat, a laugh in the background. No looking back.

Moldy joins Spliffolian and IMMvC for Mmmmove, presented by Mmmmaven. Mmmmove over to Naga tonight!

MMMMAVEN PRESENTS:

MOLDY

WED 5.16.12
NAGA
450 MASS AVE.
CAMBRIDGE
617.661.4900
@MMMMAVEN
NAGACAMBRIDGE.COM

I tweeted the following earlier: “affiliations aside, i think that we all agree that @wfnx being sold to clear channel is a blow to #bostonmusic.” Instead of getting into a retweet contest or a social media back-and-forth with everyone who’s confused as to why the Music Editor of DigBoston, the Phoenix’s alt-weekly competitor, is mourning the loss of the latter’s radio station, I think I’ll spell it out for you clearly:

I am a supporter of Boston music and a participant in the Boston music scene, and for that reason, I’m upset about a local independent radio station like WFNX being sold to a national conglomerate like Clear Channel.

We can break this down a little further, if you’d like. Many may gripe about the fact that WFNX play the Black Keys and Beck and Green Day on the hour every hour, sure. I’ve cracked a joke or two at the station’s expense for that very reason and I’m not ashamed of it. WFNX also incorporates the music of local bands into it’s regular programming seamlessly, showcasing bands like Mean Creek and You Can Be A Wesley and Viva Viva alongside the Foster The Peoples and Funs and Joy Formidables that strangers to the Boston music scene may recognize.

To play a Bostonian underdog’s song before or after a major, recognizable single is a GOOD thing by association. It introduces the local band to listeners tuning into WFNX as one on par with the national hit-maker, and hey, maybe the local band will get a few more new listeners out to the show and cultivate more fans. How can that POSSIBLY be a bad thing, for the band, the local venues that support them and their growing fan base? Though there are a handful of fantastic local music programs on Boston radio stations right now–namely Boston Emissions on WZLX, which moved from WBCN after that station was sold in 2009–WFNX is the only station to keep this line between out-of-town headliner and local wunderkind blurred. To lose a station with that kind of programming, regardless of who’s writing the paychecks, is a shitty thing for the Boston music community, plain and simple.

And regarding who was writing the checks? Though yes, DigBoston has published many a Media Farm eviscerating the Phoenix over any industry rumor our anonymous columnist could get their hands on, we count many members of the editorial staff at the Phoenix as friends of ours. When it comes to my connection with the Phoenix staff, the music crew–especially Phoenix Music Editor and WFNX’s Boston Accents host Michael Marotta–and I have been going to the same shows, national and domestic, for years now, and to take delight in an announcement of this nature that directly impacts him and his writers in a very negative way is, frankly, morbid and unprofessional. Michael and I don’t necessarily have the same tastes, and sure, sometimes we scoop each other when it comes to profiling a local band we’re both really excited about. But he’s a fantastic colleague, one whose pieces I read and radio program I listened to, and the man cares very much about doing this city right when it comes to giving Boston bands and members of its music community the attention they deserve. He’s been supportive of me when I’ve posted controversial pieces and when I’ve booked local lineups for various DigBoston events, and I support him and his editorial judgment when it comes to Boston Accents, the Best Music Poll, whatever.

That doesn’t matter so much, though. What matters is that the sale of WFNX means that the future of a program like Boston Accents is TBD, and that in itself is a blow to the Boston music scene.

Am I bawling my eyes out over a shot to the competition? No–hell, I don’t know what’s going on over on Brookline Ave. any more than the rest of the city, and I’m not going to make assumptions about how everything’s being handled behind closed doors. Am I distraught over this hefty setback facing a group of journalists, DJs and producers I respect and value both as colleagues and friends? Yeah, absolutely. And am I worried about what this could ultimately mean for local, independent music coverage on the whole? I don’t want to even get into it.

I love being a member of the DigBoston editorial staff, and I’ve gone on record plenty of times saying that I’m the luckiest music journo in the country because I get to immerse myself in Boston music and call it work. The folks of WFNX and the Phoenix do that as well, and I think that that’s what people need to remember, here–that an outlet and a resource for Boston music may not have a future, and that in itself is a terrible thing.

So. There’s my piece. Support local music, support local musicians, and support your local independent media. Affiliations aside, losing an independent radio station is a blow to Boston music, plain and simple.

Greece is in more hot water than a..uh..gyro in a vat of hot water!

“Mr. Popindopolous! I’ve got the plan to balance the budget right here! I just need to transfer it from this table, over this office-sensible thresher, to your desk and--OH, WHOAPAH!! NO!“

The following artists converted their savings into drachma following their shows last night.

The Barr Brothers (@thebarrbrothers), Kishi Bashi (@kishibashi) @ Brighton Music Hall: Who says the Black Keys is the only Blues-Rock game in town? That guy? You’re gonna believe him? Well, OK, he looks intimidating, so hey, no foul. But look; this Montreal quartet and their more tartare sounds might just be the perfect remedy should you find yourself all “Lonely Boy”-danced out. Just don’t tell that guy I said so.

Ingrid Michaelson (@ingridmusic), Scars on 45 (@scarson45) @ House of Blues: Chances are, you’ve heard Ingrid Michaelson’s work before, but you don’t know her name. For shame! ~shame hand motion that no one uses~ Whether on the TV, in the Starbucks, or in the computer, Michaelson’s light-as-air vocals and feel-good vibes goes far beyond simple background muzak, so let’s make a proper introduction here and now.

It’s been more than a year since Soul Clap, the prodigal duo, has come back to grace the stage at the Phoenix Landing for a night of unrelenting groove. Last time I took pen to paper (fingertips to keyboard?) for Charlie and Eli was Thanksgiving Eve of 2011, when I reveled in the glory of their recently released Essential Mix for taste-making channel, BBC Radio One. For this round, I’m torn: do we go the classic mix route, or do we dance to the latest and get freaky with the EFUNK?

EFUNK, by the way: Everybody’s Freaky Under Nature’s Kingdom.

The production duo is known to invoke such a charge of emotion, excitement and expectation whenever they re-inject themselves back into the New England air that it’s quite maddening. And how could it not be? I mean, we are talking about the founders of Dancing on The Charles, the producers of the OG Midweek Techno, the classic tale of small(er) town boys turned Wolf + Lamb prodigies and deep house authorities: it’s unreal and damn well inspiring.

Extravaganza – Soul Clap by ieseala

In an attempt to solve my previous dilemma while remaining true to this column, we are going to revisit the boys through a classic hour long mix. Besides, you’ll get your fill of the EFUNK at tonight’s show. This particular mix is part of a “city series” curated by XLR8R in which Soul Clap pays homage to their home city. The 16 track mix boasts an all Boston-based roster with various Soul Clap tracks woven throughout, while reminding the rest of the world that we are on the map in electronic music. Around ten minutes in, the boys settle into their signature sexy, disco, groove factor with “Extravaganza,” which is a blessed blast to a Motown night and invites a Rolodex of nostalgic imagery. Tonight is going to be one for the books, so get to the Phoenix early, close your eyes and let the beats take you where Charlie and Eli have returned: home.

XLR8R Podcast Soul Clap Boston Mix 2010 02 18 by InTheMixDig

01 Soul Clap’s Boston, Massachusetts Intro
02 Soul Clap “Dreams Of Tomorrow (Mo Money)” (Wolf + Lamb Black)
03 SECT “Hi-Fi All Around” (Culprit)
04 Soul Clap “Extravaganza” (Wolf + Lamb Black)
05 Tanner Ross & Sergio Santos “Excuse Me While I Hit This” (Airdrop)
06 SECT “Man Of Wisdom” (Culprit)
07 Clapz II Dogz “Dogz” (Glass Table)
08 Mystery Roar “Mayhem (Soul Clap Edit)” (Dopamine)
09 Axel Bartsch “Daight (Soul Clap’s E-Funk Remix)” (Suol)
10 Gadi Mizrahi & Soul Clap “Yer Body (Kills Me)” Double Standard)
11 Bad Rabbits “She’s Bad (Gadi Mizrahi & Soul Clap Remix)” (Karmaloop)
12 Bon Johnson ft. Dana D “From the Heart” (white)
13 Armand Van Helden “Spin The Bottle (Axis Mix)” (AV8)
14 Darryl Douglas “Holding On (Kon’s Edit)” (white)
15 Soul Clap “Baker Man” (AUX)
16 Soul Clap “Ghosts Edit” (white)

RE:SET PRESENTS: SOUL CLAP

WED 5.16.12
PHOENIX LANDING
512 MASS AVE
CAMBRIDGE
617.576.6260
10PM/19+/$10
@PHOENIXLANDING2
PHOENIXLANDINGBAR.COM

If you’ve got Facebook, then you already know- this morning, the Phoenix blog announced (via staff memo) that its 29-year-old 101.7 WFNX radio station is being sold to Clear Channel media group.

What you may not have known? That is this actually the mid-point of what’s looking like a full-scale Phoenix firesale.

Just last week, Phoenix quietly sold off El Planeta, after having already closed out their telepersonals and mobile text platforms.

The Dig’s sympathies go out to the staff, for whom we have the utmost respect. Way to fuck up a good thing, Stevie.

Shortly afterward, we received this anonymous letter, reprinted in its entirety below. All the info checks out, and coupled with this morning’s announcement, this could be the Phoenix‘s tailspin.

Letter Below:

Some little tidbits from Phoenix that you may find interesting.  For a company with so many Vice Presidents and Directors you would think all those huge mushy brains could steer a relatively small company away from some big fucking rocks.  Negative on that…

In the last two months the slave drivers at PMCG have closed operation for TPI (telepersonals) and canned the staff, sold G8wave (mobile text platforms) and canned the staff (except Brad Mindich’s wife, Rachael) and, just this week, sold El Planeta (bi-lingual newspaper) and guess what … canned even more staff.

Another promising sign of PMCG’s future is that after 25+ years at 126 Brookline ave, Phoenix is moving from one shithole office to a much smaller shithole office at 61 north Beacon.  Despite the fact that the buildout is underway, Stephen Mindich said in his company wide email that “we have not currently chosen our new home.”  Why would Mindich lie to his own company about something so trivial? Who fucking cares- call it force of habit I suppose.  The hilarity lies in the fact that half of the company already knew the new location and closed the email with cumulative roll of the eyes.  Way to be “in touch” with your staff, ‘lil Stevie.  No word on whether or not the paper will now be called the Allston Phoenix but we doubt it because that would be uncharacteristically honest for PMCG.

The remaining staff also hopes that when the Mindich’s do decide to pull up in their matching Porches and stroll through their private entrances at 10am to subject those (who haven’t already fled or been unceremoniously canned) to longer hours, further pay cuts, and even less adequate tools to work with, and do it with a big fucking smile (“because it’s a goddamn privilege to work here, bitch”), that they at least pretend to give a shit and do the wet-work themselves instead of via email, sent from the smoke-filled back office of dear leader or his absentee son … via text from his Harley … in Florida … on a Wednesday, again.

Half of the remaining non-management staff work second or even third jobs to get by and they need to be forewarned. When management quietly close their doors and gives the “nothing to see here, folks” attitude when these big fucking rocks are not looming but … ummmm, here. You can’t help but wonder if, behind those closed doors, they’re putting the finishing touches on their resumes … and if they are, they’re doing it faster than you, asshole.

R.I.P PMCG
1965ish-2012ish
“Went the way of the dinosaur because it was run by dinosaurs.”

If there’s one phrase that gets repeated around the second half of senior year of college, it’s something along the lines of, “I’m not ready for the real world.”

The sentiment always pissed me off. If post-college is the real world, what world were we living in up until then? There’s an idea that once you graduate college, toss your cap and ditch your gown, you pop some sort of safety bubble and are transformed into a tax-paying, station wagon-driving, wine and cheese-tasting member of society.

But after one year out of school, I don’t think it’s so much popping a bubble, as it is slowly peeling off a Band-Aid. Did you do your taxes on your own for the first time? Start budgeting for student loans? Peel it off a little more. Realize that you have to learn how to make friends again after yours scattered across the country? Keep on peeling.

Eventually I imagine I’ll tear the whole thing off exposing a festering wound of prolonged youth and irresponsibility.  But if there’s one skill I’ve mastered post-college, it’s the art of casual heavy-drinking and I’m fully prepared to go drink-for-drink with every step into so-called adulthood. (Or alcoholism—it’s a fine line, really.)

What I’m getting at is that the “real world” is not too different from college except with more bills, better drinks, and worse hangovers.

So grab a glass and pull up a stool, and welcome to the real world, grads.