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Burnin' Down the House
It was any musician's worst nightmare when Rick Rubin's Laurel Canyon guest house/studio burned down April 11. According to Internet sources, both Psychic TV and Love and Rockets lost everything from musical equipment to DAT archives during the early-morning fire that swept through the ground floor while Genesis P-Orridge, Daniel Ash, David Jay and several others slept upstairs. Luckily no one was killed: P-Orridge's assistant managed to escape and call 911 while Ash and Jay climbed down a balcony to safety. Unfortunately, P-Orridge was injured when he lost his balance and plunged some 20 feet to the ground. He's since been laid up in the hospital with a severely fractured arm that required major surgery. The cause of the fire has yet to be officially determined, though rumor faults a short in a P.A.

S.F., Sucka Free
"Tha Bay Area Ain't No Joke," the stickers say. We've known that all along, but now the word is finally making it to the other coast. Not only are Bay Area rappers getting play on big-selling soundtracks -- Ray Luv and Mac Mall on New Jersey Drive and EA Ski on Friday -- but a host of locals just signed the dotted line with some majors: Mac Mall to Relativity, COZ to East West/Elektra and JT the Bigga Figga and Master P to Priority Records distribution. Thanks to Hip Hop Slam for the update and a copy of the Fuck the Bullshit! Vol. 2 compilation featuring artists like B.L.A.C.K, the Delinquents and DJ Disk ... Also, Herm Lewis and Black Power Productions bring you more of the underground with HERM: Still Trying to Survive in the Ghetto. The tape includes up-and-comers like Tabb Doe, Primo and Hitman, women rappers Female Fonk and 3-Deep and Lewis' positivity messages. Call 457-9080.

Closed Door Session
On Monday, April 24, the EndUp, sweaty home of the Kit Kat Club, Chill House, Club Dread and the infamous Sunday morning Tea Dance, opened its doors for the last time. The EndUp's closing -- allegedly due to tax violations -- ends a longstanding tradition of fun, sex-positive, all-hours dancing with some of the finest DJs around. It's also a further reminder of the problems facing the SoMa dance club scene. This year alone, four such venues have had their liquor licenses suspended: 715 Harrison, DV8, 278 11th (formerly the Oasis) and 650 Howard. Paradise Lounge, after months of remodeling the adjacent Transmission Theater, had to postpone a January 1 grand opening due to licensing complications. The EndUp will be sorely missed, though devotees can now find the Kit Kat Club Thursdays at 278 11th.

By Mike Rowell, Sia Michel, Silke Tudor