Dear fans and followers—

It’s been quite a whirlwind since our bootstrappy beginnings over a year ago, but these days you’ve probably noticed a lack of action happening in our various virtual spaces.

Finally, we can share some really exciting news: We’ve decided to leave our posts at TeaParty | Supertonic in order to join the team that will start Time Out in Boston.

We’re thrilled to be a part of this company that started much like TeaParty (except in London, and without the internet), and are honored that Time Out North America has given us this opportunity. We feel better equipped to continue to build, unify, celebrate and showcase the local arts community in a real and substantial way with the resources and support that Time Out offers.

Since the site will contain a lot of what you came to TeaParty | Supertonic to find (interviews, reviews, photos, an event calendar) and so much more (comprehensive listings and reviews of bars, restaurants and venues, more editorial features, more photos and video), we thought it prudent to have TeaPartyBoston.com and SupertonicMedia.com redirect to the Time Out Boston Site.

As it stands now, TimeOutBoston.com is geared toward out-of-town visitors to our fair city, but we are working hard behind the scenes for our beta launch in November, when we’ll transform it into something more compelling to you Bostonians.

You can follow Time Out Boston on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date on what is happening all over the city.

Thanks so much for your support.

Gabrielle & Jessie
Co-founders, TeaPartyBoston | Supertonic Media

Kirsten Amann is living what might be considered an upscale tippler’s dream. When not behind the bar at South End hotspot Toro, this multi-talented lady can be found helming her eponymous PR company (bringing many delightful cocktail-related events to fruition, including the seminar and tasting with The Bitter Truth). And as if that weren’t enough boozy goodness, Amann is a founding member of the Boston chapter of LUPEC: Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails. We recently sat down together for a chat about the group and its seamless melding of cocktail culture, American history, and even a little bit a of feminism.

First, a brief history of LUPEC. The first chapter was founded in Pittsburgh in 2001. Its cheeky tagline (“Dismantling the patriarchy, one cocktail at a time”) underscores a deeper truth: much like high-end kitchens, mixology is still, according to Amann, “very much a boy’s club.” Which is not to say that male bartenders or cocktail enthusiasts are at all bad. But it left a small but vibrant niche to be filled, with women teaching women about cocktails.

Here in Boston, those ladies came together in 2007 under the leadership of Misty Kalkofen (currently rocking the bar at Drink in Fort Point). The group’s membership is diverse, containing everyone from bartenders to media types to a water treatment engineer.

Because each chapter has its own personality and spin, the local group has had the chance to branch out in many directions. Their charitable endeavors run the gamut from a tiki-themed luau to a published work, The Little Black Book of Cocktails. The generative process behind this pocket sized handbook gives a delightfully telling look at the incredible energy of the group. It began with a collaboration with a photographer friend on a series of black and white photos based on classic images of silent film star Louise Brooks.

“We just did it for fun, and then we wanted to use them as a fundraising tool,” Amann reminisces, “We loved the images, and were going to do a calendar but couldn’t get it together in time – so we did a book.” All proceeds from the book’s sales go to charity, and it’s an accessible example of the way that creative, motivated people can turn a whim of a project into a powerhouse for the forces of female empowerment.

When I ask about feminizzle and its place in the world of drankin’, Amann gets thoughtful. She points out that during the golden age of the cocktail, women were not allowed to be in bars unless they were working there or (ahem) working there. Possibly as a result of this exclusion–and the saloon’s ensuing reputation as a house of ill-repute–women were a driving force behind temperance leagues and eventually Prohibition itself. The speakeasies of the Roaring Twenties, then, were the first places where men and women were allowed to mingle and drink as relative equals.

The ladies of LUPEC

Bringing it from the past and into the present and future, Amann points out that women are frequently judged by what, and how much, they drink: which often comes out in coverage of LUPEC itself. “I don’t think we necessarily drink more than the men in the industry,” she says, “But every time someone writes about us, that’s what comes up.” She goes on to discuss the gender stereotypes inherent in certain shapes of drink glasses, and even in various different hues of beverages. The discomfort some men have, for example, when they order a drink only to find when it arrives that it is served in a martini glass and has a dangerously pale red–dare I say pink?–hue can be amusing to the bystander for its squirm factor, but is also fascinating on a sociohistorical level.

Kirsten describes the rabbithole of cocktail enthusiasm that goes into that history, and how it starts. “The thing about beverages is that you can’t really separate a spirit from a culture,” she begins. (A total social history nerd, my interest is piqued.) “Once you start to dig and go into that infinite well, you learn that the cocktail is an American invention, and that people here have always drank spirits. And also that ice is an American invention, which is why Americans order everything with a ton of ice. That’s not to say that there haven’t been cocktails that sprang up all over the world, but the invention is a huge part of our country.”

We delve a little deeper into where that concept evolved from and how it changed over time. “Before cocktails, a major category that people drank was punch. But here in America, people decided that that was something they couldn’t do because we’re a very rugged, individualistic country–no one has time to sit around a bowl drinking punch all day! So we came up with a smaller version: the cocktail. And they’re an incredible window into history; they’re so affected by the politics of the time (quite literally, because of Prohibition). It really gets the part of me that is interested in history, and in why we do things the way we do in the present. This is an important, interesting part of our culture, and you can recreate them if you find the right ingredients. You can drink a little slice of the past.”

For Amann, that interest began when she first made her way into the restaurant industry, waitressing during high school and college and then finding that the industry had become a kind of a home (“I’ve met some of my closest friends while wearing an apron,” she quips). Her involvement with LUPEC has enabled her to be a bit of an educator when it comes to discussing Toro’s beverage program with guests, many of her PR clients are spirits brands and she works with in conjunction with Debbie Rizzo of Drink PR, whom she met while representing the Boston chapter at Tales of the Cocktail.

It’s an interesting life, and she is practical but excited about the paths it may lead to in future: “Misty and I are currently at work on a cocktail book which would be a huge dream come true for me. I’ve wanted to write books since I was a little girl, so this would be just amazing. Beyond that, who knows? I’m trying to position myself as an eager student right now and allow that to guide me in this. So, whether that will lead to more PR projects, more writing projects, work with a brand or maybe some sort of teaching some day, I don’t know. But I am totally 100% thrilled with all of it. I cannot stress how much I love my job and how blessed I feel to be able to learn about, write about, talk about and drink cocktails and call it work.”

Jonesing for some information on our national invention? Check out LUPEC Boston’s site, or slide on down to the bar at Drink, Toro, Trina’s Starlite Lounge, Green Street, Eastern Standard, No. 9 Park, or any of the other fabulous spots around the city that are actively bringing classic back. You may find that the drink you receive comes seasoned with history, flair, and joie de vivre – which means the ladies of LUPEC will be succeeding, one cocktail at a time.

–Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong

Relationships were key in last Wednesday’s locavore event, “Farm to Fork: A Panel Discussion About How We Get The Food We Eat.” Thoughtfully organized and moderated by FRESH‘s Drew Love, the panel featured the farmer (John Lee of Allandale Farms), the chef (JJ Gonson, chef/owner of Cuisine en Locale), the grocer (Jeff Morin, owner of CityFeed and Supply) and the network (Willow Blish, co-leader of the Boston chapter of Slow Food).

All in all, it was a tidy and energetic microcosm of an ethical food system. “Slow food,” Blish explained, “is good, clean, and fair.” Good, meaning that they advocate heirloom vegetables, heritage breeds, and food with a complexity of taste. Clean, meaning that food should be as good for the planet as it is for us. And fair, meaning that food producers should get a fair wage and that we should pay the real cost of food. Blish added that the prevailing system is exactly the opposite: “complex, opaque, and anonymous.”
According to the panelists, Boston’s local food scene is dispersed, but growing. Cambridge-based private chef JJ Gonson described how she was often forced to drive to several different farms when sourcing local ingredients for her clients. “How difficult it was, how expensive,” Gonson said. “And did you know that we don’t have a year-round farmer’s market in Boston? Not only do we not have one, we’re not even close!”
But don’t despair, Bostonians – John Lee and Jeff Morin are excellent resources for local produce. Allandale Farms is organic and offers CSA shares (community supported agriculture subscriptions), and Lee is keen on consumer education, reconnecting people to seasonality, and giving people a taste of unusual vegetables once in a while.

CityFeed’s Jeff Morin is enthusiastic about putting faces to vendor’s names by means of in-store demonstrations and putting bios on their products. “Keeping it local is not just about getting good food or good products. It’s a social message. We have a responsibility to the community even if you don’t come into our stores,” Morin said. In addition, farmers markets are plentiful in the summer and your nearest Whole Foods should have a full-time forager on staff whose job it is to look for locally made products.
This panel was held in connection with the FRESH film premiere at the Brattle Theater this Friday and Saturday. Hot on the trail of Food Inc. and The Future of Food, the film FRESH seeks to introduce us to the “farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system.”
For more information, visit the official FRESH website at www.freshthemovie.com.
–Christine del Castillo

Relationships were key in last Wednesday’s locavore event, “Farm to Fork: A Panel Discussion About How We Get The Food We Eat.” Thoughtfully organized and moderated by FRESH‘s Drew Love, the panel featured the farmer (John Lee of Allandale Farms), the chef (JJ Gonson, chef/owner of Cuisine en Locale), the grocer (Jeff Morin, owner of CityFeed and Supply) and the network (Willow Blish, co-leader of the Boston chapter of Slow Food).
All in all, it was a tidy and energetic microcosm of an ethical food system. “Slow food,” Blish explained, “is good, clean, and fair.” Good, meaning that they advocate heirloom vegetables, heritage breeds, and food with a complexity of taste. Clean, meaning that food should be as good for the planet as it is for us. And fair, meaning that food producers should get a fair wage and that we should pay the real cost of food. Blish added that the prevailing system is exactly the opposite: “complex, opaque, and anonymous.”
According to the panelists, Boston’s local food scene is dispersed, but growing. Cambridge-based private chef JJ Gonson described how she was often forced to drive to several different farms when sourcing local ingredients for her clients. “How difficult it was, how expensive,” Gonson said. “And did you know that we don’t have a year-round farmer’s market in Boston? Not only do we not have one, we’re not even close!”
But don’t despair, Bostonians – John Lee and Jeff Morin are excellent resources for local produce. Allandale Farms is organic and offers CSA shares (community supported agriculture subscriptions), and Lee is keen on consumer education, reconnecting people to seasonality, and giving people a taste of unusual vegetables once in a while.

CityFeed’s Jeff Morin is enthusiastic about putting faces to vendor’s names by means of in-store demonstrations and putting bios on their products. “Keeping it local is not just about getting good food or good products. It’s a social message. We have a responsibility to the community even if you don’t come into our stores,” Morin said. In addition, farmers markets are plentiful in the summer and your nearest Whole Foods should have a full-time forager on staff whose job it is to look for locally made products.
This panel was held in connection with the FRESH film premiere at the Brattle Theater this Friday and Saturday. Hot on the trail of Food Inc. and The Future of Food, the film FRESH seeks to introduce us to the “farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system.”
For more information, visit the official FRESH website at www.freshthemovie.com.
–Christine del Castillo

Pop quiz: What do vintage shops, talented designers, local businesses, and day-drinking have in common? If you answered, “They’re the four things that I most love to support!” you would be correct, but the real answer is  that you can indulge in all of the above this Saturday as you Sip and Shop with Grand and Poor Little Rich Girl.

Saturday’s event marks the re-launch of Poor Little Rich Girl’s flagship in its move from Davis Square to new digs in a space shared with Grand. The home accessories store is an amazing destination for fun and smart design – their array of animal-themed collectibles is sincerely not to be missed. Grand is also gaining a reputation as a hub for community enterprises (such as last summer’s Ice Cream Showdown) and area start-ups (it was the first brick and mortar home of the Boston Shaker). In keeping with the local theme, libations are courtesy of area brewers Pretty Things Beer. So come on out, snag a drink, and get pretty inside and out as you shop local in sweetly tipsy style.

–Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong

At this point, you probably know that Tokyo Police Club are not Japanese. They’re actually Canadian (check out how they spell “Favourite Colour”), and made a pretty big name for themselves playing festivals like PopMontreal, Toronto’s Edgefest and Osheaga in Montreal in support of their breakout EP, the 16 minute long A Lesson In Crime.

Bouncy and punchy as ever, TPC’s flavor of indie rock has always smacked of enthusiastic youth—they make the kind of songs you play to a car full of friends, whether you are all pumping your fists along to their more anthemic fare or staring introspectively out of your respective windows.

Their latest, Champ sees the quartet suspended between youth and adulthood. They’ve grown up a bit in their 5 years together on the road and in the studio, but they still haven’t quite figured it all out. “Breakneck Speed,” the first single speaks of that “out of the woods” feeling one encounters as you come roaring out of your teen years, just as you turn and stare into the abyss of adulthood: “Super fun. At the movies drunk and young // Double knots that came undone, but the big bad years are gone //…I’m still amazed you made it out alive after what you did.”

We swapped emails with guitarist Josh Hook as Tokyo Police Club preps to swing through Boston next Thursday when they play at the Royale.

–Jessie Rogers

So how’s tour going? Looks like you guys had some good times at Coachella.

The tour is going great–currently we’re in Dallas mid-tour supporting Passion Pit. The crowds have been AMAZING every single night. After a couple years of writing and recording it’s nice to be back on the road in full tour mode. Coachella was really enjoyable–the first year we played we were in the Mojave Tent and this year we were put on the Coachella Stage, which was an incredible experience. We also got to spend the weekend in the area and check out a lot of each day, which is always preferable to a quick in-and-out sort of deal at such a great festival like Coachella.

When you hit Ontario, you’ll be playing with The Flaming Lips and Spoon. That must be pretty cool—are you fans? Do you still get star struck?

YEEEAH! We are all looking forward to this show! We’re all pretty big fans of the Flaming Lips. The first time we got to see them was 2003 when Toronto had a huge benefit concert (Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Guess Who, Rush, Justin Timberlake) to help the city after the SARS outbreak. The line-up was impressive, but we just wanted to see the Flaming Lips. We camped out the night before and made 6 rows away from the stage. I think they played 3 or 4 songs (most of the earlier bands only had a 15-20 minute set) from Yoshimi and it was AMAZING. So worth it. We also played the same day as them at Osheaga Festival (in Montreal) a few years ago and got to see an entire Flaming Lips set, which was an absolutely incredible use of confetti. By far one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen. We’ve watched UFO’s at the Zoo a few times on this tour already.

You were big on the festival circuit before you even released a full album. Do you prioritize your live performance over recording? When you are recording a song, do you think about how you are going to play it live?

Throughout the writing and recording process of Elephant Shell we were getting really cool opportunities for tours/festivals/one-off shows here and there that we didn’t want to turn down so we wanted to make the most of the EP as different places got to it. While it was really amazing to get to do all of the shows we did, it wasn’t the best way to make a record. For Champ we were able to make writing and recording time top priority so we could stay immersed in the ideas for the entire process. Since we have the core parts of the song completed before we record it, we don’t really have to think about translating a song from the recorded version to a live setting.

You just released Champ, five years after you first formed as a band and a lot has changed. Successful tours, critical acclaim, new labels… is any of that reflected in the making of the album or in its content?

I think reflected in this album is a conscious effort to not musically corner ourselves and write parts we think we should be playing. Instead we just played what we each thought was best for the song and came out with what I think is a much more confident album.

Are you excited to play Boston? What can we expect when at the Royale on July 1?

Definitely! A band that is really, really excited to be back on tour.

Coming to help you work it out, may we present The Fire and the Reason, an electro/baile-funk/dance carnival from New York. The easy-on-the-eyes duo are coming to Boston for a performance at Cool Ranch on June 30th. We got to drill them for a few tibdits of information before they make you dance. And dance you will.

–Kristen Schaer

The Fire and Reason “Do It Again (Remix Version)” from The Fire and Reason on Vimeo.

Tell us a little more about your sound and influences.

We are influenced by pretty much everything and anything. Steve tends to veer more towards heavy electro/beats and rock and I love pop. So you mix both of those together and you get what we consider EDGY POP. We are also influenced by our Latin culture, we sing songs in Portuguese, and Spanish, as well as incorporating rhythms and sounds from Brazil, Paraguay, and Ecuador– where our backgrounds are. We have a few “Baile-Funk” Style songs that are always crowd-pleasers, although most people don’t know what we are singing about– they love the beats.

How did you come together as a duo?

I met Steve a few years back, when I snuck into a show that he was doing with his old band Radiate– I was underage so my sister and I snuck in after I heard this insane sound coming out of the club. After the band was done I went straight up to Steve and said “Hi I’m Bella, I’m a singer too…” We got in touch and soon enough he broke up that group to focus on The Fire and the Reason full time. We started out as a duo, writing songs on Garage Band, evolved into a 4-piece rock band, and have come around full circle so to speak, to being a duo once again, just like when we started off.

You’ve done some performances for Logo TV. Tell us about your connection with them.

Well we have been quite fortunate to be honest, we have a lot of amazing people that have come into our lives, and have really fallen in love with our music, and have supported and helped us incredibly. One of those people is Kevin Graves, who works with everyone (Larry Tee, DJs Are Not Rockstars Records, etc.) who played some of our music for Jeremiah Silva from Logo- Jermiah liked what he heard and said that he wanted us to be part of the Second Annual New Now Next Awards that he was putting together. We were ecstatic to be asked to perform, and then getting nominated for Brink of Fame: Music Artist, and winning was just completely icing on an already delicious 7 tier cake– I mean to be put in the same category as Lykke Li, LMFAO, Ladyhawke, Morningwood, and more and win is pretty surreal, especially for a pretty new, unsigned act.

Tell us some more about your remix album and collaboration with Larry Tee.

Well we have a remix series coming out this summer on DJ’s are Not Rockstars, which is Larry Tee and Alexander Technqiue’s record label. Over the past year we have had some amazing DJs/Producers ask to remix some of our tracks, and we actually amassed like over 15 hot Remixes. Steve and I spoke with our managers, who also are part owners of DANR Records, about putting out some of these remixes, which had already started to leak on the internet, just to give them a proper release, hence the remix series. I think we are looking to release a 3 song EP every month over the summer, so check it out because their are some amazing electro-dance-rock tracks coming out. Larry Tee, the godfather/creator of Electro-Clash. To have him as a friend and an early supporter has been incredible. We also have a few collaborations that we are working on that will see release very soon as well– can’t give everything away!

What’s the story about your name?

The name… yes, the truth is that it’s a line from a song that Steve actually wrote before he even met me. He was thinking of starting a project that was more dance-rock (less heavy-rock like his previous group) and wrote a song called “OUCH” that had the line- “I am the fire and the reason, don’t underestimate this sound.” So when we were bouncing around names, it sort of came up. The other choice we were thinking about was The Amazon, because it is the river that flows through both of our countries, Ecuador and Brazil, but I think with me being a female frontwoman, we would have gotten way more wonder woman questions and references. I like the name, it’s very open to interpretation, and people are always coming up to us, to tell us what it means to them… so I love it!