MILKY WAY LOUNGE & LANES TO MOVE

There aren’t many bowling lanes/music venues in New England, and as of 2009 there will be one less, Jamaica Plain’s beloved Milky Way Lounge & Lanes is set to move in March ’09 to the Brewery at 284 Amory St, JP.

Another victim to the rising rent throughout major cities, the Milky Way is feeling the strain as well. “We’re at the end of a 15 year lease. Our base rent is 13K per month plus triple net building expenses, renting the parking lot, and an annual 7% automatic increase. The new rent will be 24K base rent with all the triple net and parking lot expenses plus a 5% annual. We don’t know any business that will be able to afford this,” says Milky Way owner Katherine Mainzer. “We’re heartbroken but glad that we could find another location in our beloved JP,” Mainzer adds. The Milky Way will be merging with its upstairs restaurant Bella Luna and will no longer have bowling lanes but will feature skee ball and a bocci court and also will still be hosting live music on a smaller scale than it currently does. The Brewery, which is also the location of Sam Adams’ headquarters gets over 75,000 visitors a year through tourism.

www.milkywayjp.com

STUDIO PROFILE: CAVEMAN MUSIC

Why it’s called Caveman Music isn’t clear,but it is clear that the recordings coming out of the small studio aren’t as archaic as its namesake implies. Armed with a plethora of quality mics, a few vintage guitar amps and superb modern gear (Apogee converters, Waves Platinum), Caveman works closely with all kinds of artists from pop/rock bands, classical artists, hip-hop/ R&B artists, to even corporate clients. Since opening in 2002, Caveman is also notable for being affordable for musicians while still producing great results.

The studio has recorded Boston alt-hip-hop group Savin Ill and classical marimbist Pius Cheung on his solo marimba interpretations of J.S Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Also

not one for staying in their “cave” for too long, Caveman also provides remote recordings as well as they did on Mana Washio and Noriko Yasuda’s album, which was recorded at The Community Church of Watertown.

For more information and sound samples of artists recorded at Caveman Music, visit their website.

www.cavemanmusiconline.com

BENJAMIN MAITLAND- LEWIS OF SIDEHATCH ENTERTAINMENT GROUP

Sidehatch Entertainment is one of the premiere promotion groups in Boston with their astounding lineup of nu-metal and heavy rock groups such as Kid:Nap:Kin, Thick As Thieves, Shanghai Thrills and The Thickness. Performer discussed the company’s beginnings and advice for those getting into the music industry with co-founder Benjamin

Maitland-Lewis.

Q: When and how did you get started?

A: Sidehatch began during my tenure at SonyBMG as their New England Retail Marketing Rep. I’ve been in bands and orchestras since I can remember and always

loved the business side of things. While at Berklee College of Music, I started managing bands and releasing records for Spiritual Rez and September Twilight, then grew to manage the careers of newer acts like Kid:Nap:Kin, Thick As Thieves, Zen Robbi, The Thickness, and along with my partner, Shanghai Thrills, and Ryan Joy. Newer verbiage and business strategy in the industry dubs us as a 360 company as we work much more than focused management groups and dive right into the careers of our artists. We handle most of the PR, marketing, booking, budgeting, promotion and everything and anything that our freethinking staff and bands can muster up. We also create our own marketing platforms to further our artists’ exposure, while contributing to the betterment of music and culture.

Q: What advice would you give to others starting up a label or a promo company?

A: Follow your gut and ears always. Never question your character or integrity. Always look out for opportunities for your bands and company, including cross promoting and branding. Be ready to live on a shoestring budget for a long time and plan ahead! Always take a step back to assess your situation; it’s easy to get caught in a horizontal motion.

Q: What are future goals?

A: To build sustainable careers for our artists and employees, and continue to grow our in-house networks such as the WGS nationally distributed independent magazine, our “SIDEcast” radio podcast, our concert series and festivals, as well as the 8th grade apprenticeship program we teach at Citizen Schools and the new software we are developing for the entertainment industry. While contributing to the entertainment industry we also strive to bring awareness to the importance of the health of our environment. We recently acquired a veggie-fueled mini-bus that we have great expectations for.

Q: How big is the staff?

A: We have an energetic and creative staff of 14, comprised mostly of “interns” who I consider very close friends and associates.

Picture courtesy of Sidehatch Entertainment Group

www.sidehatchentertainment.com

IN THE NEWS

The Dresden Dolls will be featured at Michigan’s Rothbury Festival. The festival, which takes place on the weekend of the 3rd, is an eco-themed, fully sustainable effort that aims to raise awareness around environmental issues. Other performers include Dave Matthews Band, Mike Gordon, Gogol Bordello, Modest Mouse and Primus.

www.myspace.com/

thedresdendolls

Operatic emo-kings Four Year Strong will be returning from an international tour of the UK, Australia and Japan while eventually joining the Vans Warped Tour. The tour, which stretches on until the end of August will be making local stops in Boston on July 23, Englishtown, NJ on the 24th, and New York City on the 26th.

www.myspace.com/

fouryearstrong

Famed nu-metal group Staind have announced that they will be embarking on a

European tour this coming September.

www.myspace.com/

staind

Eco-conscious bands abound! Guster’s Adam Gardner was recently featured on

the Sundance Channel program Big Ideas for a Small Planet. The show, which frequently

features David Byrne as a commentator, offers coverage on a variety of earth friendly topics. Gardner weighed in with ideas for “green touring,” and received commendation in the form of an eco-safe guitar presented to him by Somerville’s First Act Guitar Studio.

www.myspace.com/

guster

Boston’s Vanna Curses have announced that they will be embarking on a national tour this coming August. The band will begin by playing at the Warped Tour during its Boston stop before departing for the month long “Monsters of the Deep Tour” for the duration of the month.

www.vannatheband.com

Boston’s 1960s pop lovers Wonderful Spells have released a new video for their song “Vermilion” from last year’s EPThe Prophecy of Smarmulous Rex. The video was filmed by Louie Jannetty.

www.myspace.com/

wonderfulspells

Boston hardcore act The Acacia Strain is currently out on tour in Europe with Annotation of an Autopsy and Knights of the Abyss. The tour will last through August, making stops in Germany, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, France, Belgium and the UK.

www.myspace.com/

theacaciastrain

Though they might be more at home playing the Whiskey-a-Go-Go circa 1989, Boston’s Crash Midnight has announced a national fall tour that will span from late August to mid-October.

www.myspace.com/

crashmidnight

After a brief tour of Canada earlier this spring, Boston punkers The Unseen will be taking their mohawks and studs abroad with several dates in Germany and a late August festival in Italy.

www.myspace.com/

theunseen

Fresh off an early spring tour with Anti-Flag, Boston punks Street Dogs will be joining up with the Warped Tour for the

entirety of July and August.

www.myspace.com/

streetdogs

Boston’s Lannen Fall have announced plans to begin work on a their debut full length album this September.

www.myspace.com/

lannenfall

Touring in support of their new album Glassjaw Boxer, Stephen Kellogg and

the Sixers have been added to the line up for this month’s Mile High Music Festival, held in Denver, Colorado. Other performers include Spoon, OAR, Lupe Fiasco, Flogging Molly, The Roots and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

www.myspace.com/

stephenkellogand

thesixers

Boston songstress Melissa Ferrick has been added to the line-up for Portland, Oregon’s Pickathon Festival. The festival, which takes place in August, will also feature Jolie Holland, The Everybodyfields, Justin Townes Earle and Laura Gibson, among others.

www.myspace.com/

melissaferrick

Boston’s Eli “Paperboy” Reed has

announced he will be performing at the

legendary Austin City Limits festival. The

eight-day festival will feature 130 bands,

among them, The Foo Fighters, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, The Mars Volta, Gnarls Barkley, Roky Erickson, Against Me!, David Byrne, Spiritualized and many more.

www.myspace.com/

elipaperboyreed

Boston alt-country songstress Kristen

Andreassen will be performing as a member of the string band Uncle Earl at the Greyfox Bluegrass Festival in Ancramdale, N.Y.

www.yellowcarmusic.com

After a tour around Europe, Boston

singer/songwriter Chris Brokaw will play a show at the Middle East Upstairs on July 12. Opening for the groups, The Kadane Brothers from Dallas and Bottomless Pit from Chicago.

www.chrisbrokaw.com