look , there goes PHOENIX CAIN ! they’re the LONER i was telling you about … you know NIX ? the THIRTY - TWO year old RECORD STORE OWNER / FREELANCE MUSICIAN known for their TIRED EYES AND NIMBLE FINGERS ? throughout their years as a magnolia NATIVE , they’ve earned a reputation for being + INDEPENDENT & + GENTLE , though with everything happening around town , it’s no wonder they’ve been a little more - CYNICAL & - DISTANT lately . rumor has it , when they’re not MAKING MIXTAPES , you can usually find them idling around CYPRESS SQUARE & leaving behind a trail of FADED DENIM, THE SMELL OF VINYL AND CIGARETTE SMOKE, SCRIBBLED SONG LYRICS wherever they go . just don’t ask them whether they think the recent disappearances are connected to the summer of 1997 … they might tell you they BELIEVE .
𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐬 ...
full name: phoenix elias cain. nickname(s): nix, occasionally phoebe when someone is feeling particularly brave / stupid. age: 32. date of birth: october 17. astrology: libra sun, scorpio moon, capricorn rising. hometown: magnolia, ms. current residence: magnolia — a small, perpetually cluttered apartment above dead letter records, his record store. sexual orientation: bisexual, though he tends to avoid labeling himself unless someone asks directly. occupation: owner of dead letter records / freelance musician / songwriter / occasional session guitarist. education: some college — dropped out after two years to tour with his band. mother: elena cain. father: thomas cain. siblings: one younger sister, mara cain. children: emery taylor ( though he doesn't know she exists yet. ) pets: a half-feral black cat named morrissey who technically belongs to nobody but spends most nights in the record store. height: 5'11". build: lean, wiry, deceptively strong from hauling boxes of records and years of playing guitar. hair: naturally dark brown, grown out and perpetually in need of a trim. eyes: light brown. dominant hand: right. style: faded band tees, worn black denim, old leather jackets, thrifted flannels, beat-up boots, silver rings, chipped nail polish, and whatever jacket he happened to grab on the way out the door. car: black 1997 jeep cherokee with a temperamental cassette deck, a cracked windshield, and more guitar picks in the center console than actual change. love language: acts of service, quality time & physical touch. mbti: intp. enneagram: type 5 wing 4. hobbies: collecting records, making mixtapes, photography, writing songs, playing guitar, hunting for vintage audio equipment, digging through estate sales, reading old newspapers, exploring abandoned places, late-night drives, and researching whatever obscure piece of magnolia history has caught his attention that week. positives: independent, gentle, perceptive, patient, loyal, quietly funny, resourceful, open-minded, protective, thoughtful, and surprisingly sentimental. negatives: cynical, distant, guarded, stubborn, self-isolating, obsessive, pessimistic, emotionally avoidant, restless, and prone to fixating on things long after everyone else has moved on. habits: writes song lyrics on receipts and the backs of cigarette packets, taps rhythms against his thigh when he's thinking, automatically turns records over before anyone else remembers to, keeps the radio on even when he's not listening, pockets guitar picks without realizing it, remembers people's coffee orders after hearing them once, falls asleep with music playing, disappears on long drives when he's overwhelmed.
𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 ...
nix was born and raised in magnolia! his family has been local for generations, so he knows the town almost instinctively; the back roads, old businesses, who used to live where, which buildings have been abandoned for years, etc.
he was a quiet kid who spent more time taking things apart and putting them back together than playing outside with other kids. he also developed an early fascination with his dad's old record collection.
at age 9, nix received his first guitar; an old, beat-up acoustic that had belonged to his father, and started teaching himself songs by ear.
in his early teens, nix became increasingly obsessed with music. he started trading cds and cassettes with friends, recording terrible little covers, and spending weekends digging through thrift stores and flea markets for records!!!
at age 17, he formed midnight broadcast, the indie-rock band that would eventually become his most successful musical project, as the guitarist, occasional vocalist, and primary songwriter.
the band developed a small but devoted following throughout texas and the surrounding states. they released an ep, eventually followed by a full-length album, and spent several years touring small venues!!
phoenix also briefly attended college but dropped out after realizing he cared so much more about music than his degree. and he spent the next few years touring, recording, and working various odd jobs between gigs.
then by his mid to late twenties, the band began falling apart; creative disagreements, exhaustion, and increasingly different ideas about the future eventually drove them apart,, and their final show was in magnolia.
nix took the breakup harder than he admitted to even himself, returning home and quietly distancing himself from the music scene.
he couldn't stay away though. the next year, he started working at a local record shop. and within that year, he bought the business and renamed it dead letter records.
and that store became his life,,, he slowly built a reputation as magnolia's resident music obsessive; as the guy who could find obscure pressings, repair broken equipment, and recommend exactly the right record for someone's mood.
around this time, nix began playing occasional solo gigs again! he also started doing freelance session work, writing songs for other musicians, and recording small projects from his apartment above the shop.
by now, he's settled into his quiet life. dead letter has grown into a beloved local institution, and he's started playing more frequently. his music has developed a modest cult following among regional indie-rock fans. he still isn't famous, but people who know the scene know him.
recently, midnight broadcast was approached about a reunion / retrospective show, and phoenix, half - reluctantly agreed to perform. said reunion unexpectedly got attention from a local music publication and the magnolia newspaper,,, now he doesn't quite know what he wants.
𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 ...
drinks his coffee black
always has a guitar pick somewhere in his pocket
keeps receipts because he writes on them
never throws away old concert tickets
owns an unreasonable number of jackets
knows every good late-night diner in Magnolia
can identify records by the first few seconds
hates voice messages
loves thunderstorms
leaves music playing when he sleeps
has terrible sleep habits
keeps old photographs in record sleeves
knows how to fix basically anything with electrical components
has a tendency to disappear for hours without telling anyone where he's going
his phone contact list is full of people's names followed by increasingly bizarre descriptors and emojis because he refuses to use last names
,,,, he's sillier than he lets on
owns a harmonica he cannot yet play
has tried to learn drums approximately four times
knows the exact date his favorite album was released but has no idea what day of the week it is
will drive 45 minutes for a specific brand of cigarettes
hates being photographed but secretly keeps every good photograph anyone has ever taken of him
doesn't like people standing behind him
hates being rushed
gets irrationally annoyed when someone skips tracks on an album
has a tendency to stare out windows when someone is talking to him, but he is actually listening
if he tells you "i'll remember that," he actually will
if he tells you "i don't care," there is a 90% chance he cares an absolutely devastating amount
