Issues

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From your L.L. Bean boyfriend to the flannel fashions of Brooklyn, Mainers seem to be having quite the moment. But that makes sense—we’re a state that works hard, plays harder, and enjoys the finer things in life (like great indie music and succulent summer lobster). To celebrate the incredible talent of the Pine Tree State, we’ve rounded up six rising stars in the fields of fashion, music, and food. Though they’re currently making waves elsewhere, these up-and-comers all have one thing in common: they’ll never forget their Down East roots. Our January-February issue is all about our best export: everything that is “Made In Maine”.

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Americans love their beer, but we’ve found that Mainers tend to love it more than most. Just take a look at the drink list in your local watering hole. Chances are fairly good that it has brews of every hue and style, from session to saison. But while it’s never been easier to find a pour from Belgium or Spain or any other far-flung place, there has also never been a better time to drink local, thanks to a number of great craft breweries popping up all over Maine and New Hampshire.

But this isn’t exactly a new trend. According to the Brewer’s Association, Maine ranks fifth in their list of breweries per capita, which didn’t happen overnight. Furthermore, from 2009 to 2011, Maine breweries saw a 56% increase in output, and there is no sign of that slowing down. We’ve seen a steady growth in the popularity of craft brews. Once upon a time, predictions were that craft breweries would never dominate more than 5% of the market. Now experts are saying they could reach up to 10%—or even more. It would be a huge blow to Anheuser-Busch and their ilk, but a great thing for consumers.

Want to celebrate the season by rooting for the local boys? We do, too. That’s why we took field trips to four different breweries. We drove from Portsmouth to Newcastle to meet the people behind your favorite drinks. Next time you tie one on, you’ll know exactly who to thank.

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Lights… Camera… Camden! This issue will complete your summer and kick off the fall with an inside scoop on this year’s Camden International Film Festival.

Before sitting down with the creator of the CIFF, Ben Fowlie, and Alyssa Morris, his director of operations, we had the chance to explore a largely abandoned vintage movie theater. The seats were crimson red, velvet, and worn, the screen was in no way IMAX compatible, and the collection of forgotten film memorabilia and weird catalogs from the ’80s gave us the eerie sense that we had stepped back in time, a little bit. In short, it was the perfect place to discuss the Camden International Film Festival.

In addition to this issue, we have coverage on The Maine Arts Commission, Portland Food Coma, the top 5 places for buffalo wings in greater Portland, and of course a fresh batch of our infamously critical thumbs-up/thumbs-down local album reviews.

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Lobsters, and pizzas, and Moxie! Ahoy! With summer 2012 rapidly coming to an end, we’re covering unchartered territory so that you can make the most of your summer journey. We’ve pooled all of our resources to bring you this very special issue, uncovering topics that we hope will make a splash in the community. Included is a complete article on Reverb, a company whose sole purpose is creating a more sustainable future. In this interesting read, you’ll find how these passionate artists, employees, and volunteers go about making the music festival experience more environmentally friendly.

We decked out this issue with some of the most superb summer escapes for you adventure seekers. Early in the pages, you’ll find a scrumptious article on “The best pizza in Maine” covered by Ali Donahue. We raised the bar to renovate your summer to max enjoyment.

Dispatch presents… Vol. 6

Issue Details

Summer is just around the corner and in the spirit of that fact we wanted to make this issue fun! Our cover story features one of the most successful artists to come out of Maine recently: none other than our favorite hip-hop jester, Spose. We dive deep into his psyche to reveal his motivations, inspirations, and why he loves making music. We also take an in-depth look at The Other Bones’ recent EP, Hinges, which is just spectacular. When you listen to it, you will go “there’s no way this is local.” Both of these artists recently broke the iTunes Top 10 charts. Not to brag or anything, but I think we might have psychic abilities.

We also travel out to Vince Clarke’s (Depeche Mode, Erasure) secluded studio nestled in the backwoods of western Maine to talk synths and his impact on electronica/pop music. In addition to music stuffs, we convinced our events gal Ali Donahue to take the 6-pound calzone food challenge at Jimmy the Greeks. Also, Joel provides an incredible list of the best bike trails in Maine that you’ve never heard about.

Dispatch presents… Vol. 5

We are super-excited about this issue’s music compilation, which features two recent iTunes Top 10 groups Spose and The Other Bones, as well as The Pete Kilpatrick Band, Anna & the Diggs, Amy Allen, Zach Jones, Jeff Beam, Steve Jones, and Kyoty!