Well here’s some live music party-pooping if we’ve ever seen it.
Various members of Boston Police are adopting alter egos and posing as music fans online in an effort to uncover where DIY house shows are taking place throughout the city (and obviously, shut them down). It comes in the wake of a recently passed legislation throughout the city of Boston, cracking down on loud noise and activity deemed to be a ‘nuisance’ to surrounding citizens.
As Slate reports, an alias by the name of ‘Joe Sly’ is currently doing the rounds, trying to lift the lid on gigs being held by the bands. A local band, Speedy Ortiz, outed the user by publishing screenshots of some intriguing emails sent to a band they supported, St. Louis group Spelling Bee, by Mr. Sly.
With an avatar of a green-mohawked punk and ‘Boston Punk Zombie’ scribbled on the side, and an email address of bostonbeatgang@gmail.com, Mr. Sly sent Spelling Bee comments such as: “Patty’s day is a mad house I am still pissing green beer. The cops do break balls something wicked here. What’s the address for Saturday Night, love DIY concerts.”
The revelation also prompted another local band – Do No Harm – to come forward, saying they received an email from Mr. Sly this month, where he asked them: “whats the 411 for the show Saturday?”
Sounds fishy, corny, and above all, just not rock n’ roll. Read the full story here.
