The Beatdown

"Everybody here -- from the people who work on forklifts to the marketing -- are all super-involved with Tour de Fat," he concludes. "People are really proud of it. This place is powered by the wind and employee-owned. It genuinely is what it appears to be. And the people who work here are super proud of it, and they feel real ownership of it."

Hmm. Looks like you can be fat and happy, after all.

Upbeats and beatdowns: First impressions are everything. A few weeks ago, I watched the bassist for Sunset Curse reduce his four-string to a pile of splinters. I don't know if we can count on more of the same when the act performs Thursday, July 7, at Old Curtis Street, but we can hope. On Saturday, July 9, Curse joins Ben Park Drive, Rubber Planet, More Than Medium and more at the Soiled Dove for the second night of Rockfest. Meanwhile, Shoot Romeo and the Last Seen help Ten Cent Redemption celebrate the release of its debut disc at Bender's Tavern.