CAPITOL HILL CLUB CHOP SUEY IS FOR SALE

Chop Suey, long a home of adventurous music and comedy shows, as well as host for the 'Mo-Wave Festival and Black Weirdo parties, is for sale. According to real-estate site Zillow, the business is selling for $99,950. Chop Suey has been on the market since August 3. The club's talent buyer, Jodi Ecklund, who's consistently booked a diverse, interesting schedule there, said, "The most recent development is that the price was significantly dropped from the original asking price. The issue is the rent on the building is $13,000; even with a thriving club like Chop Suey, that is not sustainable. I have heard there are some interested parties and I have been contacted by a few folks for more insight. My number one concern is that if Chop Suey is purchased, I hope it is by someone who values the local music scene." Agreed. I've seen countless amazing shows in the dragon-festooned space at the corner of 14th Avenue and East Madison Street, including Squarepusher, Loop, Raincoats, and Master Musicians of Bukkake. Let's hope it can continue doing what it does best for a long time.

GREAT FUNK/SOUL DJ JON FRANÇOIS IS DETROIT BOUND

One of the key members of the DUG DJ crew, Jon François, is moving back to Detroit (Eastpointe, to be precise) in September, after an eight-year run in Seattle. His final local gig was Friday, September 5, at Lo-Fi for the DUG monthly, where he's held down a residency for the last five years. Besides spinning crucial, original funk, soul, and boogie vinyl from the '60s to the '80s with DUG, François also branched out into psych rock with the great but short-lived LOVETONE (later DREAMTONE) monthly, and with Movie Nite, he provided new and one would like to think improved soundtracks for films with his wife, Marcy Stone. François also DJed under the name Mr. Bottomsly, and he recorded a mix of slow-motion funk and R&B for Hush Hush Records' Distant Light series.

But Jon—why are you moving from this tech utopia to a bankrupt city whose winters destroy one's will to live? "I quit my job, and I'm moving to Detroit because I think it's the society of the future," he said while at his going-away party Friday night. "Plus, it's way more affordable; I'll be paying $350 rent while sharing a house with a friend. I want to work with kids [Jon was a gym teacher in Seattle] and be more of a spectator with regard to music. I'll do maybe one DJ gig every two months." Good luck, Jon, and thanks for all the rare gems you spun.

WHAT'S THIS SCUTTLEBUTT ABOUT A NEW CAPITOL HILL GAY BAR?

Rumors have been circulating around town that Jason Lajeunesse—co-owner of Neumos, Lost Lake, and Big Mario's and owner/producer/program director of Capitol Hill Block Party—is planning to open a gay bar on the Hill. When asked about the veracity of this hearsay, Lajeunesse, who is heterosexual, dismissed it as "Just rumors."