Michael Brodeur named new Music Editor at the Boston Phoenix

Boston Phoenix editor Lance Gould announced today that Michael Brodeur would be joining the staff of the alt-weekly newspaper as the music editor on March 31.

Brodeur is a member of the Boston-based electronic-pop band Certainly, Sir; a published poet; and a part-time instructor at Emerson College. He previously served as editor-in-chief of the Weekly Dig.

In announcing Brodeur’s appointment Gould said: “Since Michael started writing for the Phoenix this past year, I have come to know him as someone who is tirelessly searching out new musical experiences, and someone who sees music as a vital place where pop culture defines itself.”

Brodeur fills the slot vacated by Matt Ashare. Earlier this month, Ashare announced his intention of stepping down from his editing position to resume full-time writing. Ashare, who spent 15 years on the paper’s staff, will continue to write for the Phoenix, and will take over the “Cellars by Starlight” local-music column, a Phoenix institution.

Peter Kadzis, Executive Editor of the Phoenix Media/Communications Group, said this: “In his fifteen years as a Phoenix writer and editor, Matt has conducted an important conversation with our readers: adjusting musical reputations in need of revision, alerting the public to important work by already established artists, and -- most important of all -- introducing and championing new music. It’s great news that Matt will continue to appear in the Phoenix, weekly, as the ‘Cellars by Starlight’ columnist, which is Boston’s longest-running newspaper column dedicated to local music.”

In other music-department news, the Phoenix last month added a new contributor, David Thorpe, to its lineup.

The earmarks of Thorpe’s column, “The Big Hurt,” are satire and a playful (some might say relentless) pessimism. Thorpe has previously written the “Your Band Sucks” column for somethingawful.com and “Burn Unit” for the Weekly Dig.