First a Few Notes from The Metro Underground:
The DC Fetish Ball Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary (DCFetishBall.com): A decade in the making, the area’s most respected & anticipated event returns to Ultra Bar on Sunday, Oct.8th
(Columbus
Day Weekend). Due to its increasing popularity, this year we’ll be
limiting attendance & will absolutely sell out! So don’t wait -
tickets go on sale immediately after Labor Day.
DC eXotica Returns (MetroEvents): After an
unbelievably successful debut, DC eXotica returns to the district for a second year. Planned for Sunday, Jan 14th (MLK Weekend) we’ll be back at Ultra Bar for a night of decadence
& beauty you won’t want to miss.
We’re Phasing Out Our Facebook Page (Facebook):
Due to the new policies of Facebook, The Metro Page has become almost
irrelevant. As a result, we’re now focusing almost exclusively on our
Facebook Group & Fetlife for
social media. So: FB Page = to => Facebook
Group
Work is Moving Forward on Galleries & Pics (Galleries): We’re currently in the process of posting full galleries & top pics from past events. These include the Final Black & White Ball, Aiyoku & Steampunk Apocalypse
(Spring Fromal), DC Fetish Ball for 2015 & 2016, as well as DC eXotica. We’re terribly behind & apologize for the wait. However, we hope to be caught up by the next Fetish Ball
in October. Thank you for your patience.
News from Around the Scene:
Fall PDF is Cancelled (Announcement-Link):
Due
to struggles with its current location, the Fall event for Playa Del
Fuego has been cancelled. In its place, a new burn has been organized
called Constellation. It’s currently uncertain if this will
affect the spring PDF or if they’ll just host it at the new location.
Indeed, the search for a proper venue is an ongoing struggle for most.
Transformus has fallen to the same circumstances & is
no more. But the organizers of PDF seem committed & should find good
ground upon which to build soon.
Cranberries Tour Cancelled (Announcement-Link): Unfortunately, The Cranberries
North American & European Tour has recently been cancelled. The
only east coast show still in progress will be New York.
According to the band’s official statement, Doloris O’Riordan has been
suffering from extreme back problems. On the advisement of her doctors
she was forced to drop out & the band cancelled the
tour. See link for full statement & possibilities for a future
return.
Mixtape Goes Quarterly (Faebook):
One of the 9:30 Club’s most beloved nights has shifted to a quarterly
format.
Celebrating 9 years in the scene, the burden started to wear on its
promoters. Although they considered shutting it down, they still loved
the night & all it brought to the scene. So the perfect
compromise was to shift formats to a quarterly schedule & move
forward while creating a better balance within themselves. The new
schedule will include nights for September, December,
March, and June.
Recent Shake-Up on Fetlife (Announcement-Link):
For those who are unaware, Fetlife has recently suffered a major
shake-up. Several groups & elements of certain profiles were pulled.
This was due to a recent
governmental shakedown under the initiative of “Operation
Chokepoint” (worthy of note that this law was recently taken off the
books). The master minds behind Fetlife have made full disclosure of
the problems involved & have worked diligently to
maintain full integrity of the site. See link for more.
The Crucible is Now Open & Active (The-Crucible):
In case you’ve been living under a rock, DC’s one & only playspace
for the kink-set is once again open! After a 2 year hiatus, Frazier
& his aligned powers have
been working diligently to fight a mountain of red tape to get the doors
open. Indeed, the new space is a beautiful venue & marked
improvement over the previous 2 locations. They’re quickly
gaining speed & now have a very active calendar. So be sure to check
it out & throw some support for the new initiative. And congrats on
the tenacity to see it through!
CCPS 2nd Attempt has Left Them Indefinitely on Hiatus (CCPS): After
significant financial difficulties drove the Charm City Play Space from
its
previous location, a second attempt was made at a new location just
north of Baltimore. Unfortunately, things have not come together. This
coupled health issues facing the owner has left them
indefinitely closed until further notice.
Big Changes to DC TNG (Announcement-Link):
As of late, there’s been a bit of a shake-up w/ DC TNG. The end result
of which is a step in a positive direction. For sometime now, DC TNG
has been open to all
w/out the usual requirements of a 35 & under group that is usually
seen. So ‘The Next Generation’ is spinning off into its own group while
the current group is restructuring under Hellfire DC.
This new group will serve as a fundamental ‘gateway’ group w/out the age
restriction, & will carry forward w/ its current happy hour &
monthly play party. We wish them well as they rebrand
& restructure the new initiative!
Update for Indecent Enterprise (Announcement-Link):
Having lost 2 of its core venues, Indecent Enterprise is temporarily
scaling back its once active calendar to take a bit of hiatus while it
regroups. This does not
mean it’s inactive. Currently they do plan to maintain their presence at
regional camps while they sort out issues with a new space.
Diabolique Ball is on Hiatus (Diabolique):
But alas, it appears that a recent shake up w/ one of Philly’s most
beloved events has potentially put them on temporary hiatus. Please keep
an eye out for future
announcements.
Skin Two Magazine is Refocusing Efforts (SkinTwo):
With a worldwide following, Skin Two has stood for years as the most
respected magazine for the fetish & latex subculture. But in an era
of social media &
dwindling returns on print media, they too have felt the reality of
industry economics. As a result, they are now focused almost entirely on
their clothing line & have phased out the magazine
almost completely. To which, they do not stand alone. Gorgeous Freaks Magazine has followed suit & is currently directing almost all activities toward their clothing line as well. We
respect their effort over the years, wish them well in their new endeavor, & lament the passing of a giant.
Our Love & Best Wishes for Richard & Vicki of
Tabu (Facebook):
For those who may be unaware, Richard
(co-owner of Tabu Social Club w/ his wife Vicki) recently collapsed a
lung & has been having a difficult time with his health. Although we
expect a full recovery, our heart goes out to Vicky
& Rick wishing him a speedy recovery, good health, & prosperous
days ahead. Please send some love if you’re able, they could use some
good vibes through this difficult time.
New Club Comes to Hyattsville (ClubShadow):
DC has a new on-premise brick-&-mortar swinger club! To date, we
have not been to any of their functions. But for those groups who may be
looking for a solid venue, you may want to check them
out.
Antibiotic Resistant Gonorrhea has Hit the U.S. (article):
Numbers are still miniscule, but it
must be noted that a new strain of antibiotic resistant gonorrhea has
recently encroached on the U.S. We don’t want to spread unwarranted
fear, but this is a significant development worthy of
note.
The DC Eagle is Alive & Well (DCEagle):
Also
filed under the heading of “in case you’ve been living under a rock” -
DC’s one & only gay male leather club has returned to form. The new
venue offers a vast space w/ secured parking & an
active schedule of events.
