Archive 2016

First, a Few Notes for The Metro Underground: 

HUGE changes are coming to TheMetroUnderground.com => Due to required upgrades, we're currently in the process of rebuilding our entire site (& I can't begin to express what a pain this is). So by year's end we will have completed a full overhaul of the structure, design, & all core elements. But aside from a new look & feel, once done we'll also be more mobile friendly & aligned to tech-platforms across the spectrum. So please bear with us as our general maintenance may lag behind a bit while we make way for the new build-out. 

DC's Greatest New Night => Last year we hosted The Fourth & Final Black & White Ball. It's been a great event, but the timing was such that it came at the height of my busy season. Changes were needed, so we had to let this one go. However, from its ashes one of DC's greatest new traditions will soon rise to take its place…  

Coming this January over MLK Weekend, The Metro Underground will present DC eXotica! Hosted at UltraBar, it's our intention to include all core elements of the Fetish Ball except the fashion show. But fear not! We'll be replacing fashion with some incredible demos & stage performance to carry throughout the night. So please stay tuned - details are coming soon!

Underground Parties => The Metro Underground hosts some of the region's most anticipated & respected events. But we now offer a new dimension through Underground Parties as well. Focused as more exclusive guest-list-only play parties, these are sex-positive, kink & swinger friendly, dance worthy, full blown private affairs where anything goes & it usually does. But unlike Metro Events, U-Parties are handled almost exclusively through Evite. So please RSVP to Richard A.D. for vetting & further info. With this in mind, any of our events are also a good time meet him, become vetted, & get on the list.

Changes for The DC Fetish Ball => Please note: we will no longer be doing the full fetish weekend! Rather, we will focus strictly on the main ball for one incredible night. We recommend checking The Metro for available options. 

Facebook Group vs Facebook Page => our focus on Facebook has shifted from the FB Page to our FB Group. Due to the appeasement of Wall Street, you now have to pay to promote your page & "boost your post." Unfortunately, most of our promotions are not our own events so the Metro doesn't work under that model. As a result, not only has growth slowed, but whenever we post an item of interest the current reach is basically irrelevant. Even more, due to the adult edge for our own events, Facebook won't let us 'boost our post' anyway! With such diminishing returns, efforts to maintain the page was a waste of time. However, the Facebook GROUP still offers a solid forum to get the word out. So we've shifted our focus from one to the other. The Page will now be used for event photos & occasional updates to drive traffic to the group, but that's about it. 

News from Around the Scene:  

A Few Notes for The Crucible - there have been a couple developments as of late…
For quite some time The Crucible (DC's main fetish venue for a number of years) has been locked in eternal bureaucratic gridlock as it settled in to a new location. A couple months ago the city finally dropped the zoning restrictions that allowed them to proceed.

This was a huge milestone to get them back up & running. Currently, efforts have been under way to move forward with interior construction. The permits are in place & things are moving along. However, they still need funding to install a commercial sprinkler system which will bring the new space up to code. This is the final major hurdle before DC can have its main play space back. With this intention, crowd-sourcing has been initiated & investors are being sought.   Please see: The-Crucible/FrontFund. .

Studio 58 - As the only on-site fetish club in Frederick, Md. Studio 58 drew from not only its own regrion, but Baltimore & DC as well. However, they were having problems on a number of fronts. One core issue was the zoning was aligned for a photography studio & the did not have proper fire escapes for larger crowds. This put them under the microscope w/ the city & they suffered as a result. So as of May 2016, they ceased operation at their previous location & have since been searching for a venue that more conducive to their intent. We'll see how it all shakes out, but we expect a long hiatus in the meantime.

For their public statement on the subject, please see the Studio 58 Fetlife Post. 

Dark Odyssey Happy Hour - Although they primarily remain as a DC organization, the core promoters for Dark Odyssey have moved from Maryland to San Francisco. In turn, the local group who has been running the Thursday D.O. happy hour has decided to spin off into their own group. The Thursday night gather is still held on the same night at the same location (see our calendars), but they are now called DC After Dark. 

Changes to D.O's Summer Camp - Another change for Dark Odyssey pertains to their two main festivals: Summer Camp & Fusion. Although the last festival was lauded as a fantastic time for most, it should be noted that several core elements are no longer present. The ever so popular Clit Washer, Primal Arts Camp, Little's Camp, & Tailgate Camp are all no longer with the Dark Odyssey organization. It should also be noted that the traveling open bar that was always so popular at event parties is no longer serving alcohol. You can get "mock-tails" & bring your own liquor, but booze on site will no longer be provided by D.O.

This was the case for Summer Camp 2016, so we assume this will carry over to Fusion 2017. But that is not yet confirmed. 

The Baltimore Eagle is Set to Reopen in September - After its closure in 2012, the Baltimore landmark was left in purgatory for a number of years. Quibbles between construction & the liquor board dragged on to seemingly endless gridlock. But the long awaited opening has finally become a reality as the former board was dissolved & replaced. This opened the door for new negotiations & permits were finally passed. Now that construction has been completed, the Baltimore icon is ready to open its doors once again.See Washington Blade article for the full scoop. 

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Camp Crucible (Memorial Day Weekend): A Personal Review...
While the Crucible may be structurally in transition, the group remains active. Ongoing parties, events, & cruises have been hosted at various locations throughout the area - including their flagship affair Camp Crucible...

For a change of pace, this past summer we took a trip to camp. I must say, it caught me off guard. It was different, but in a good way. As it is an often overlooked camp for so many in the fetish culture, I'd like to offer a quick review.

Hosted at Ramblewood in Darlington, MD, it's held for 9 days over 2 sessions on the crux of Memorial Day Weekend. Overall, I found it was a noticeable change of pace.

The first thing that struck me was the numbers. They intentionally strive to fill the dinning hall ONCE, but not much more. They feel to do so will lose the cohesive nature that allows for more intimate connection. Fair enough, but my take was a little different. I found it was instrumental to creating an atmosphere & overall vibe that was incredibly relaxed. For once, my camp experience actually felt like a vacation. I actually came home recharged & ready for the days ahead.

That's not to say that other camps offer a bad experience – NO, that's NOT what I'm saying. I simply mean it was a nice change of pace from the high energy festival format.

The other thing that hit me was the incredible use of space. I've been to Ramblewood many times for various festivals & camps from across the scene. But I have NEVER seen a build-out as beautiful & well considered as Camp Crucible. As a promoter, I found the attention to detail & layout to be simply awesome.

One trade-off was cost. Yes, on the surface the camp IS more expensive. But that perspective can be deceiving. The entire experience operates as a type of Kink Club Med. Everything is included: entrance fee w/ the usual parties, play & classes, but also three meals & midnight snack, cabins (there is a discount if you tent), nightly bar-service, beer/juice/soda/water available 24 hours, & they even offer a snack shack anytime you want it. So you get a lot of mileage for your buck.

I also understand they host the largest & most recognized pony camp anywhere east of the Mississippi (possibly for the entire U.S). I even met a couple from Sweden who came across the pond so they could attend pony camp. So if you've ever had an interest in human equestrian / pony play then IS the place you need to be.

Predominantly, they do cater to an older crowd. But overall I found both the beautiful people & us regular folk fully represented.

The final word? Everything in the scene has its pace & place. For some, this may not be quite what you're looking for in a camp or festival experience. But if you'd like a change of pace with a more relaxed atmosphere - in a place that is kink & sex friendly w/ truly open minded people - then this just may be exactly the place you need to be.

Metro Reviews you say? Some time ago we were publishing active & unbiased reviews from our travels throughout the scene. Basically, we wanted people to know what they were missing. We kind of pulled away from that, but I think we'll be reinstalling this element under News & Notes (on our main site). So please check back, we'll do our best to keep you up to date.

Thanks for reading!

Archive 2015

Just in time for the summer season, the annual build-out for The Metro Underground is now complete. No doubt, this was our largest build-out since we launched efforts back in 2008. It's been quite the undertaking, but it we've added a lot so we have all that much more to offer.  Our apologies for the delay, but due to personal reasons it was necessary to take a brief hiatus. Either way, we're finally back so we hope you enjoy! 

First & Foremost, Our Email has Changed - It seems the spam-bots found us, so the old email (Rick@TheMetro) now diverts to a secondary inbox. Additionally, personal email for Richard A.D. has also changed. We're phasing out both so please update any info to
OUR NEW ADDRESS HERE (hidden for fear of spam-bots). Thank you.

A Critical Change for Facebook - Please note: our focus on Facebook is shifting from the FB Page to our FB Group. Previously titled "DC Fetish Ball / DC Fetish Weekend," the group has been renamed to The Metro Underground & will now carry an expanded focus. 

This will do 2 things: First, it will expand the scope & use of the group beyond our own events to cover the full spectrum of the scene (more hard-edged events will still be placed to Fetlife). Second, since Facebook is more mainstream in nature it will also tone down the impact of the previous title. The reason for this is due to changes in policy. We've grown progressively disillusioned w/ Facebook pages. You now have to pay to promote your page & "boost your post." Unfortunately, since most of our promotions are not our own events the Metro doesn't work under that model.

As a result of the new policies, not only has growth ground to a halt but whenever we post an item of interest the current reach is basically irrelevant. With such diminishing returns, efforts to maintain the page at previous levels was seen as a waste of time. However, the Facebook GROUP still offers a solid forum to get the word out. So we're shifting our focus from one to the other. Now the Facebook Page will be used primarily for event photos & bi-monthly updates to drive traffic to the group. 

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Empire & the Alchemy Room have Closed - As of May 5th Springfield's main concert venue has closed. They've certainly had some issues so this doesn't come as a surprise. In fact, bigger bands may now be diverted to better venues such as the 9:30 Club so hopefully this might be a good thing. New ownership may even address some of the issues that plagued previous ownership so we'll have to wait & see what the future holds. But for now, the venue is closed.

Scene favorite Mad MoMo's closes - a DC favorite for smaller events such Burning DC, Tribal Fusion, & our Pre-party for the DC Fetish Ball has recently closed as well. We wish the owners well in their new endeavors.

A Few Changes for Key Events - Burning DC, DC Tribal, Black Beat, Floating World, & GlamourCon are all on hiatus. Tampa Bay Escapes & SteamCon are both cancelled. Kinetic (as expected) won't be returning. Scene favorite, TKN (The Kilted Nation) seems to have closed.

Work Continues on the Crucible - Having moved from its previous location, The Crucible is currently undergoing a full build-out on their new venue. They hope be open for business sometime by the end of summer. Volunteers to assist w/ needed construction are VERY welcome. In the meantime, Camp Crucible held at Ramblewood over Memorial Day Weekend is still on.

The Scene vs. Bureaucracy - it seems that several of the area's main fetish clubs (from DC, to Baltimore, to Frederick) have all faced a heavy assault by bureaucratic entities. Attempts to hinder or close said organizations were offered in the guise of zoning issues or fire codes (as usual). However, we're happy to report that each in turn was eventually give a clean bill of health & operations seem to have now passed beyond scrutiny.

The "50 Shades" Effect - A lot has been said about the recent fever over 50 Shades of Grey. Almost without exception the battle cry of the scene has been for concern over consent & abuse. Make no mistake, these are at issue & need to be addressed. But so much on this subject has already been said that I don't feel the need to reiterate it here.

Personally, I think an overlooked element in all this is the reach it's achieved. Most people have been crying foul because it gives a bad perspective of true BDSM, but to be honest I couldn't get past the writing. It was just bad (REALLY BAD). My impression is that it's basically a Harlequin Romance novel set in a storyline of misinterpreted BDSM. Take away the aspects of BDSM or Fetish then all you have is a body of work that's absolute crap. Yet this woman sold over 100 million copies! Then got a major movie deal! The writer in me wants to cry foul. The other side wants to scream that this living proof that our "Taboo" culture is actually very mainstream. So next time someone rolls out how twisted the kink scene is, let the trumpets blare that this is actually a very mainstream practice carried by a LARGE part of the population.

As a side note, there are a few things to make clear with regard to the entire body of work. The targeted demographic for this is primarily housewives in their 30's, 40's, & 50's. Essentially it's a group who is desperate to spice up their lives but who are not exactly clear on an understanding for things beyond the vanilla. The Author (E.L. James) started the whole thing as a Twilight Fanfiction (I swear, you can't make this stuff up), but that story soon evolved into 50 Shades of Grey. She was an erotic novelist in a mid-life crisis, & like any writer she wrote what she knew. In this case, she was morphing a basic story of fandom into a realm which she knew almost nothing about. BUT she had an array of deep fantasies fueled by an imagination that lived primarily in her own head & which was born of fanciful flights with her erotic novels. So what ended up on the page was not a relationship born of a healthy power exchange, but rather was something that she could superficially understand - something of coercion, total control, & dominance for the sake of it. The rest is a complete rip-off of Secretary meets 9-1/2 Weeks (which were both great movies). So there you have it…

And yes, we broke the " more concise" rule on this one but it was worthy of discussion.

AirBnB Meets Kink - There was Facebook, then came its kinkier cousin Fetlife. So too is there AirBnB, an online network of off the grid privately owned Bed & Breakfast establishments for local travelers. Well now there's KinkBnB offering the same accommodations but for sites of a more sex positive nature. See: kinkbnb.com.

Too Strange Not to be True - With ALL the religious debate now entering politics, beware of what may come. First there was a Florida church that lost its tax exempt status because it was actually operating as a night club for college kids on spring break (although they seem to still be operating as a major dance venue. See: CBS News). Now in Nashville there is a Swingers Club that has applied for zoning as a church (See Full Story Here). God love the entrepreneur in all of us. ;-)

Polly Goes Mainstream - You could call this a new age of sexual enlightenment. The Huffington Post recently featured the Polyamorous Lifestyle in a very positive light (See full story here: Huffington Post Online). It's intriguing how often you're starting to see various cultures gain positive exposure for what are generally considered an 'alternative' culture. I would even say the reason you're hearing so much from leaders of conservative religions is that they know they're losing ground. The only response is be loud (which they do very well). I think down deep they know they're on the way out.

Have a Favorite TV Show? - The Summer Schedule for renewals & cancellations has recently been posted. See article here: WashPost.

Speaking of which, stay tuned! We have more to come!