Brute Force on The Dawn Patrol

At Dawn Eden's blog today, a celebration of our favorite pop surrealist Brute, with links to MP3s of some of his most celebrated tracks. So if you've been wondering what all the Fuh-king is about, here's the perfect time to find out.

One week left to win a free Bubblegum Awards ticket

If you've been planning on coming to the Bubblegum Awards, please note that there's just a week in which to buy your tickets and get a chance to win one free ticket. For every ticket purchased on or before Sept 7, we'll put your name in the bowl from which we'll pick one name. That person gets to bring a friend for free. Read on for news about Bob Baker's very special marionette program at the Gummies!

Los Angeles- On October 7, four legendary artists will be honored for their contributions to the under-appreciated genre of bubblegum music at the 2nd biannual Bubblegum Achievement Awards. The ceremony honoring Steve Barri (Lancelot Link), Ron Dante (Archies – "Sugar Sugar"), Joey Levine (Ohio Express – "Yummy Yummy Yummy") and novelty DJ Dr. Demento will be preceded by a spectacular new marionette show written and performed by master puppeteer Bob Baker, who for more than 60 years has amazed the kids of Los Angeles--and their parents--with his inventive and exquisite creations, but who rarely performs at his own theater.

Bob Baker’s puppets have performed for hundreds of film, television and commercial clients, working with stars like Elvis Presley, Judy Garland and the Three Stooges. For the Bubblegum Awards show, Bob Baker dug deep into his massive collection of rare record albums to find the perfect soundtrack to express the horrors of Halloween and the giddy, silly pleasures of bubblegum.

Every Bob Baker puppet show has a show-stopping number, often using black light to startling effect. For the Bubblegum Awards show, Bob is creating a program that’s nothing but show-stoppers, calibrated to keep the audience gasping from start to finish. Among vignettes featured are a bubblegum-powered dance of the gumdrops, an Asian-themed umbrella ballet, a visit from a wacky spaceship brigade from Venus, and an outrageous Monster Rally starring all of Bob’s beloved ghoul, goblin, vampire and skeleton marionettes.

This special edition Bob Baker show has never been seen before, and is being exclusively created to accompany the 2005 Bubblegum Achievement Awards, on October 7 at Bob Baker’s Marionette Theater in downtown Los Angeles. Other featured events include the premiere of Kier-La Janisse’s documentary based on the book “Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth,” the presentation of dozens of valuable raffle prizes, free cake and Bazooka bubblegum, and live appearances by Canned Hamm, the Bubblegum Queen, Abram the Safety Ape and the Archies’ Ron Dante.

See Bob Baker’s stellar credits at
http://bobbakermarionettes.com/Credits.html

For more info on the Bubblegum Awards, visit http://www.bubblegum-music.com

I saw Jandek play live last night. And apparently the world has decided that it might just go ahead and end today. Coincidence? I think not.

Worms--Brutalizer 7" EP (Maho Pop 1991)

A Finnish single I don't remember buying. I think I just played the A-side at the wrong speed but it sounded great like that. However, the B-side didn't. Playing it again at 33 is a bit disappointing. It sounds a bit more metal than crazy now, so I highly recommend the Japanoise setting at 45. I could be wrong. Who knows and who cares?

Worms--Heaven/Towards 7" (Maho Pop)

Another by the Worms. This one I can tell is supposed to be played at 45. Very goth metal! Swans even! They definitely fall along the Grunge/Amrep part of the galaxy instead of the Japanese noise segment.

Keuhkot--Musiikkia Konduktöörivaunuihin EP (Stigma)

I can't remember where I obtained this neat little Finnish 7" but I sure am glad I picked it up. Researching it, I came across Gloria's description. Damn, now I really wish I knew Finnish! Look at those translated titles!

She's definitely on the money about it being Residents influenced. Side A is very circus-like. One of the B-sides is dark and rhythmic along the lines of Theatre of Hate and the second returns to jolly, disjointed music pierced by what I can only assume are the type of very important statements Gloria translated for us on her website. This 1989 release apparently was Keuhkot's first.

Neil Hamburger hosts Saturday bingo, LA

Our favorite comic has officially arrived: this was a weekend pick on Daily Candy.

Archies rarities group launched, featuring unreleased, TV-only tunes

David McLallen says:

Hi folks! I've just started a new Yahoo group for downloading rare
Archies tracks. I've already got nine tracks ready for you, including
such gems as "The Ballad of 51st Street Park", "Looks That Say I Love
You", "Fallin' In Love Is Fun" and even "Do the Surfer"! Once I've
run through my stash of rarities, I'm hoping that others will add
anything they have, as well!

To join, you can either go to the group's Yahoogroups site
(http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/archiesrarities/) or send an
empty email to archiesrarities-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

But please - in the tradition of the Archies, let's keep it clean and flame free

Thanks!
David

Psst! wanna buy some bubblegum... cheap?

Big sale at oldies.com, with Ohio Express, Lemon Pipers and two volumes of Super K rarities on special for $2.98 a pop.

Oh, those cranky Cowsills fans

Remember the post a couple weeks ago directing readers to sign a petition seeking to get the Cowsills a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination? I wrote it after receiving an email from a woman named Marsha Jordan, who identified herself as the president of the Cowsills Fan Club. She asked that I please sign her online petition, and help spread the word.

So I did, both, and wrote back to ask that she return the favor and please let her list know about the Bubblegum Achivement Awards and International Bubblegum Month.

I guess she didn't appreciate my blog post, in which I called the Cowsills "kids" and suggested they had scant chance of being nominated. In response, I got an email lecture on the Cowsill family's many post-adolescent musical achievements, and nothing about the Bubblegum Awards. The Cowsills are featured in both Scram anthologies, so none of this was news to me, or I assume to our readers.

Y'know, if she had just said "good luck with it, and sorry, but I don't think I want to use the word 'bubblegum' in anything that goes out to my Cowsills list, because they are NOT a bubblegum band" that would have been fine. But she didn't. And I ultimately asked her three times, and which is how many times she ignored me.

A little goodwill and reciprocity goes such a long way. I'm not taking the link to the Cowsills petition down--I'm even linking to it again in this post. It's not the Cowsills' fault that the person representing their fan base lacks common courtesy. But I hope people like Marsha will think twice before they ask others to help promote their pet causes if they are also willing to do anything in return, or to at least respond graciously to a request. Because ultimately none of us has to help spread the word about anything, and it's the ones who drop the ball who make it less fun for all concerned.

Brute Force live in NYC

A rare and not-to-be missed opportunity to see the master wordsmith and musical humorist Brute Force in concert with a full band.

NYC BRUTEGIG ALERT!!
September 3, 2005
at Otto's Shrunken Head
538 East 14th St.
212-228-2240
Brute at keyboard, appearing with band:
Christy Edwards, drums. Steve DeSeve, bass, (Bklyn Cable, Cathouse) Peter Pierce, guitar, and backup singers Daughter of Force ( LaLa Pantzeroff, Celebrity Hostess) and Aaron Diskin (Golem Klezmer Band).

All Brute's Force from Metro area urged to appear also..
Be there or be trapezoidal.


go to
http://www.ottosshrunkenhead.com/
for additional details about this super cool club!!!

Brute
www.brutesforce.com

Repo Man Road Rally and outdoor screening

Our pal Kier-La Janisse from the Alamo Drafthouse (she made the Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth doc that will screen at the Bubblegum Awards) is coming to LA with an amazing travelling cinema happening. Come downtown and experience Repo Man as no one has ever seen it before... and if you're really city-savvy, you might win a '64 Malibu.

REPO MAN ROAD RALLY IN LOS ANGELES, CA
Theater: The Rolling Roadshow
Film: Repo Man
Date: Saturday, August 27 - 3PM RALLY , 8PM SCREENING

Location: Secured and fenced yard , East 3rd Street and Santa Fe Street, Los Angeles, CA

NOTE: THERE HAS BEEN A DATE CHANGE, THE REPO MAN ROAD RALLY IS NOW ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 27. ORIGINAL DATE WAS FRIDAY, AUGUST 26

Event Details: Set in the seedy underbelly of the 80's punk rock scene, REPO MAN was a major influence on nearly every modern indie director.

For our screening, attendees will first scour the city looking for the movie's cornerstone prop: an actual '64 Malibu. The person who manages to drive it to the screening location wins the Rally and gets to keep the car! Tickets are also available for the screening only, without the road rally.

Members of the cast and crew - including DIRECTOR ALEX COX, SY RICHARDSON, DEL ZAMORA, TRACEY WALTER, DICK RUDE and BIFF YEAGER - will conduct a Q&A following the screening. We are still securing addditional cast/crew members. More details on cast and crew when they become available

IMPORTANT: SEATING IS NOT PROVIDED AT ROLLING ROADSHOW EVENTS! YOU MUST BRING YOUR OWN FOLDING CHAIR OR BLANKET! At the Repo Man screening, however, you can either bring your own lawnchairs, or, you can sit in your car and watch the movie drive-in style. We'll have an FM transmitter hooked up for you to listen in on your car stereo! We will have FOOD, DRINK and BEER available at the screening. No outside beverages are allowed at the site.

Here's how the road rally works. Teams will meet at a the screening area (East 3rd and Santa Fe) in Los Angeles at 3:00 PM, night of the show. Here, you will receive a CD and a set of clues. At the drop of the checkered flag, teams will run to their cars, Le Mans style, and open the first clue. The clues and the CD will guide you across the city, past many of the shooting locations of the film, in search of the 1964 Malibu. The person who manages to drive it to the screening location wins the Rally and gets to keep the car!

What you will need for the road rally:
A map of LA
Yellow pages for central Los Angeles
A digital camera
paper and pencils
drivers licenses from everyone on the team
a cell phone
and a few dollars

The rally should take you approximately 3 hours to complete. The screening will begin at 8:15 PM. If you have any questions on the rally, please contact the road rally coordinator

A note about security and the LA screening: The area where Repo Man was shot is the warehouse district near LA river, between the 1st and 6th street bridges. The road rally and the screening will be in this area. We have rented the fenced, secured lot at the corner of 3rd and Santa Fe (see map above). Security patrolled parking will be provided within the contained, fenced yard. No one other than Rolling Roadshow staff and attendees of the event will be allowed in for the duration of Saturday, August 27. You will not have to park your car in an unmonitored area and walk to the screening. In fact, we are setting up an area for cars to tune into our FM transmitter, if you want to watch the film drive-in style!

A note about driving in Los Angeles: We realize that driving a road rally in Los Angeles could get bogged down by traffic. For this reason, we have confined the road rally to the area bounded by the 110 to the west, I-5 to the east, North Main Street to the north and I-10 to the south. You will not have to drive on any freeway at any time, and the surface streets on the weekend, in the areas in which we are driving, are expected to be free of any traffic.

Tickets are also available for the screening only. Tickets to the Road Rally include admission to the screening at 8:15 PM

Tickets to the movie only are $14 in advance, $18 day of show. Check out the other screenings in the Rolling Roadshow Tour 2005, including the Bullitt Road Rally in San Francisco!

http://www.originalalamo.com/downtown/frames.asp

Punk Rocker Turned Lawyer Helps Other Musicians ‘Seize The Means Of Collection’

Punk Rocker Turned Lawyer Helps Other Musicians ‘Seize The Means Of Collection’

LOS ANGELES (Wireless Flash) – A new website could be music to the ears of struggling musicians, thanks to a former punk rocker-turned-lawyer.

Philip Drucker has just created a new publishing agency called Lost In The Grooves, which helps musicians who may have earned money for their music in Europe or Asia.

Drucker says major acts like Mariah Carey have no problem collecting royalties in other parts of the world but one- hit-wonders, punk rockers, rap artists, jazz bands and other acts that never made it in the mainstream have it much harder.

He knows from personal experience. Drucker is the former leader of an early 1980s punk band called Savage Republic and was able to collect $20,000 when one of his songs was used in the Denzel Washington film, The Manchurian Candidate.

While in some cases, a musician gets a check worth thousands of dollars, not every musician gets that big windfall every time. Drucker himself recently got a royalty check from Finland for $1.40.

More info is at http://www.scrammagazine.com/subpub.html
Copyright © 2005 Wireless Flash News Inc. All rights reserved.

Hey Bubblegummers, sign Ron Dante's birthday card!

Happy Birthday, Ron Dante!

courtesy of our pal Laura Pinto, who maintains Ron's website

More on the Love disaster

Scott Charbonneau posted on Spectropop, pointing to this recent entry from Love-ster Mike Randle's online diary, explicating the reasons for the band's split with Arthur Lee. Not drugs and booze--those failings we're programmed to forgive/explain--but pure greed and cussedness. The guy must really hate himself to destroy the best chance he's ever had for success. Wonder if this was how it was in the MacLean-era band?Probably so...

Are you ready for... Pornathon 3!?

It's BACK! ....BIGGER & BADDER THAN EVER!

PsychoWorks Presents the Return of the Amazing Vintage Erotic Cinema Festival;

PORNOTHON 3!

Saturday Sept. 10, 2005 Mr. T's Bowl

A Pornocopia of the Greatest Moments in Erotic Cinema History. Featuring:

· XXX Highlight Montages of Adult Films from 1912 to the Present!

· Shorts, Loops, Trailers, Peepshows

· XXX Cartoons & Japanese Adults Only Anime

· Special Feature: Bizarre/S&M/Fetish & Kink Films. You Won't Believe What You See!

· LIVE STAGE SHOW! Scandalous acts depicting debauchery throughout the century by VENUS DeMIDOL and JEWEL OF DENIAL. Additional Special Porn Celebrity Guests TBA.

· Ron Jeremy Look-A-Like Contest

· Groove to the Porno Sounds of D.J. ORGASMATRON!

· Sex Raffle, Dancers, Spankings, Sex Workshops & Much More!

· MC Hosts; Rufus Blumpkin & Dirty Sanchez

Mr. T’s Bowl 56291⁄2 Figueroa St. @ Ave. 56, Highland Park, Ca. (323)256-7561,

$10 -Adults Only!

Full Bar, Free Parking, Porn Star Attire Requested. For further Information e-mail:

incrediblystrangecinema@earthlink.net Check out the web page at:

http://home.earthlink.net/~incrediblystrangecinema/pornothon3xxxfestival

Mark your house on the Bubblegum World map!

If you're reading this, I'd like to know who and where you are. So please click on this link to see the Bubblegum World map, where you can pick a critter to represent you, drop it down on your location, and share your name, URL and a note for anyone else who visits. I'm the little pink bunny, and if you roll your cursor over him he'll share a message that you may have heard before... or not!

No Love Lost

From the Baby Lemonade camp comes this announcement that Love will be touring without Arthur Lee, as the Love Band. It's been heartbreaking to watch this happen. That first show at Spaceland was as gorgeous and moving a rock and roll moment as I've ever been privvy to. But I was also at the UCLA show when, I think, they first added Echols back into the mix, and it was a disaster. Guess it stayed that way...

To all Love fans,

As many of you may already know, Arthur Lee chose not to participate with Love on a tour of the UK and two festival shows in Germany and Spain this July. In the band and management's view this was an unforgivable and premeditated act of contempt towards Johnny Echols, Baby Lemonade and moreover, his adoring fans. Despite great pressure from many venues to the contrary, and indeed some cancellations, the band felt it would be in the best interests of the fans who wanted to hear the music to honour the shows. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of those fans who attended - it meant a great deal to us all knowing we had your support.

Sadly, Arthur Lee's mental and physical health has been in steady decline since the Zombies/Love tour of last year and combined with several disastrous performances both home and abroad, Johnny Echols and Baby Lemonade have now decided to move forward and continue to perform as "The Love Band". We would like to confirm that Arthur Lee will play no part in this new line-up and that Glenn Povey/Second Wave Promotions is no longer representing Arthur Lee.

To think of Johnny Echols and Baby Lemonade performing without Arthur Lee may not seem as strange as it sounds. Many fans have already welcomed the new line-up with open arms as it has allowed the band to perform, with unbridled pride, tracks from the Echols-era catalogue including many that have never been heard before. Johnny Echols now shares lead vocals with a more than competent Rusty Squeezebox in much the same way as he did with Lee in the original line-up. Moreover a new studio album is promised combining the talents of both Baby Lemonade and Johnny Echols which is an exciting prospect for all fans of Love both past and present.

The LOVE Band comprises:

Johnny Echols: Guitar / Lead Vocals
Rusty Squeezebox: Lead Vocals / Rhythm Guitar
Mike Randle: Lead Guitar
David 'Daddyo' Green: Drums
David Chapple: Bass Guitar / Harmonica
(Glenn Povey: Management)

Please note: A tour of the USA as "Love with Arthur Lee" had been scheduled for September/October this year. Unfortunately, and without the band's permission, some venues had gone on sale. This has obviously already led to some confusion and therefore in view of the above we would advise caution when purchasing tickets as some venues may not be aware of the change in circumstances. It is more than likely the tour will be postponed completely until later in the year or early 2006. These will be billed as "The Love Band".

We hope to see you at one of our shows soon.

With much Love,
Johnny, Rusty, Mike, Daddyo, Dave and Glenn

The Beat Goes On with Hal Lifson

Remember "Radio-A-Go-Go"?

Back on the radio in LA on KCSN 88.5-FM (you can listen online), "R-A-G-G" host Hal Lifson's new show "The Beat Goes On" is one true fan's version of an oldies show, with a wide and unpredictable playlist.

Gene Sculatti tells me he heard the Archies last week, and that's the sign of an open mind. Tune in tonight and any Wednesday from midnight to 2:00am, Saturdays from 6:00pm-9:00pm, and Sundays from 10:00am-2:00pm for a Beatles and British invasion set.

Hal is also Nancy Sinatra's manager, and the author of a boss book called Hal Lifson's 1966! More info is over at his website, where you can also order retro Quikoin keychain coinpurses with your own logo embossed.

Turbonegro The ResErection DVD (MVD)

Everyone interested in being in a band should see this DVD immediately. It’s a roadmap showing how good bands screw themselves up and slide back into the oblivion whence they came. In this case, the catalyst was drugs, but whether it's drink, women or just plain insanity, it’s a lesson bands never seem to learn. For Turbonegro fans, this is a lovely and brutally honest account of the band's return to playing live. Not "brutally honest" to turn a buck brutally honest, this is the painfully real deal mostly from the POV of singer Hans Erik Husby. Very touching. Oh, and it rocks too! It's fun, when you aren't slapping your head in disbelief at Husby's antics.

Government Issue Live 1985 DVD (MVD)

The closest I ever came to seeing GI live was sitting on the couch next to John Stabb at a house party twenty years ago. He seemed a bit too skinny and haggard to be alive, but they had been on tour so it wasn’t unexpected. I was too young to get into the club, so I had to settle for this brush with celebrity, which is a damn shame. Live 1985 pretty much confirms that I missed out on a great show. No wonder everyone was nuts for GI after they came through. The DVD contains two different California shows from a couple months apart and is must-have for hardcore collectors (of hardcore).

Bert Switzer Second Chance DVD (BertSwitzer.com)

Over the last thirty years rock ‘n’ roll drummers have been turned into fancy metronomes. They might as well just be replaced with drum machines since they don't play much differently from the tap-tap-tap of disco or electronica. Yet, here we have Bert Switzer, who disappeared from the scene for many of those years. Raised on Keith Moon and seemingly oblivious to the watering-down of music, he kept a powerful, organic method to his playing. Think free jazz played by a gorilla--a really with-it gorilla. This is a musician, not a machine. So after a couple of recent CD releases, we now have this Second Chance documentary, which showcases Switzer's drumming while interspersing the segments with interviews from Switzer and former bandmates, including Henry Kaiser. This is a really neat treat for drummers and the people who love them.

The Stranglers Live '78 SF DVD (MVD)

The Stranglers Live '78 SF DVD (MVD)… In the early eighties, getting a Target video was not unlike receiving confidential documents. You gathered your war party to watch what the cool people were doing hundreds/thousands of miles away, and then were debriefed by the unfortunates not privy to the original viewing. Even at the time, there was an eerie/timeless appeal to the older videos, like this Stranglers live show. Sure, the quality isn't great, but it's good enough to get an idea of how unique and interesting these "art punks" were. It's a bit short, but they were a bit British--which usually meant you were lucky if you got even thirty minutes back then.

V/A Cameo Parkway 1957-1967 4-CD box set (ABKCO)

Cameo-Parkway’s vaults have been closed for so long, they’re like the pop equivalent of the Valley of the Kings. But instead of mummies, unguents and gold, C-P’s depths held pop gems, genre-hopping, mad, gorgeous and many. The Philly-based labels walked on whatever side of the street bore the hits, so this long-awaited (and all-mono) box is packed with doo wop, teen pop, novelty discs and answer songs, Bobby and Chubby, exquisite soul and goofball dance tunes, raunchy girl groups and tap dancing percussion, and, when Neil Bogart came on board, garage classics by the likes of the Ohio Express. ? and the Mysterians and a young, clean-shaven and utterly brilliant Bob Seger. The kids like English bands, god knows why, so the Kinks and the Ivy League make brief appearances before spinning off to parts known. And country’s hot, so let’s have some hillbillies. Over four discs and 115 tracks, pop music mutates with a fluid, playful grace we seem to have lost. Not everything here will thrill everyone, but as a clean cut through one of the more fertile trees in pop’s early forest, it’s a fascinating trip. On cool, black-vinyl-look CDs.

Mojo reviews Lost in the Grooves

True record-geekdom means championing music that no one else likes or even knows. It's easy to pour on the irony in gushing about some chintzy garage-sale find, but what makes Lost in the Grooves a really groovy read is the honest passion its contributors exhibit for their lost-and-found faves. Doug Harvey tells of accidentally buying Yoko Ono's Plastic Ono Band thinking it was Lennon's same-titled LP, and growing to love it. Others rave about deserving MIAs, from Harry 'The Hipster' Gibson and Buckner & Garcia to Sylvester and The Loud Family. Can we please draw the line at Aaron Carter though?
(Jeff Tamarkin, Mojo, 4/5 Stars)

Abram Goes Bubblegum Ape!

This year's Bubblegum Achievement Awards will include a visit from a very special simian, Abram the Safety Ape, that hard-working promoter of carefulness.

But you don't have to wait until October 7 to meet Abram, nossir--just hop on over to his website and take a gander. There you can hear Abram's music, ask him a question or find out when he'll next be appearing at an unsafe intersection near you!

Yea, Abram!

Cowsills Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Petition

While I'm afraid these talented kids have about as much a chance of making it into the Rock Hall as the Child Molesters do, I've signed the petition and you should, too. C'mon, show the Cowsills a little love.

2005 inductees list, for comparison:

• Buddy Guy
• The O'Jays
• The Pretenders
• Percy Sledge
• U2

They Saved Ron Garmon's Brain

Announcing a new blog from LITG contributor, and editor of the late, lamented Worldly Remains magazine, Ron Garmon. It's a place where he can compile the bits and bobs he pens for City Beat and Mean Street and perhaps riff on the state of the world. Tune in for the latest installment, a Magic Christian-inspired scheme for ending US involvement in Iraq with one grand prank.

Pester him to post the out-of-print Spirit interviews from WR!

What Are You Doing For International Bubblegum Month (October)?

Visit this question at I Love Music and share your answer with the rest of the class.

Bubblegum Queen Banner, banner trades most welcome

A Very Special Bob Baker Puppet Show... with Monsters!

As part of the Bubblegum Achievement Awards show, legendary puppeteer Bob Baker is developing a unique and truly nutty marionette spectacular that's never been seen before. This show, still in development and inspired by Bob's unbelievable collection of oddball vintage vinyl, promises to feature segments like the dance of the candies, an outer space visit with Venusians and their spacecraft, an umbrella ballet, and an incredible Monster Rally starring all your favorite ghouls, goblins, vampires and beasties. And if you want to see it, you'll want to come to the Bubblegum Achievement Awards at Bob's theater on October 7. Much more info is here.

Bubblegum Awards tickets on sale + your chance to win a free ticket

Tickets to the 2005 Bubblegum Achievement Awards are now available at the link below. They are $52 each. You can pay online with paypal by clicking "Buy Now."

http://www.scrammagazine.com/october2005.html#tix

Rather pay by mail? Send a check /MO, payable to "Scram," to PO Box 31227, Los Angeles, CA 90031. Note your seating preference (chair or floor) and include your name, address, phone and email. Please email amscray@gmail.com to reserve your seats when sending payment.

For more about the Bubblegum Awards, honoring Steve Barri, Ron Dante, Joey Levine and Dr. Demento and starring Canned Hamm, the Bubblegum Queen and the puppet wizardry of Bob Baker, visit http://www.bubblegum-music.com

We're having a Contest! Buy your tickets before September 7, and for each ticket you buy, your name will be put into a raffle bowl. We'll draw from the bowl on September 8, and one lucky winner will receive a free ticket to the Bubblegum Awards, so you can bring a date, your mom, or that lucky someone special.

legal stuff: the appearance of entertainers and honorees at the Bubblegum Awards is subject to vagaries of fate, but all of them intend to be present and any changes will be announced as soon as they are known. Tickets are refundable via check if cancelled by phone or email by October 2nd. By attending the Bubblegum Awards, you acknowledge that you may be filmed. Ticket holders will find their names on a list at the door. And while Bubblegum Music is assuredly the Naked Truth, this is NOT a clothing-optional event.

Questions? Email editrix Kim at amscray@gmail.com or call her at (323) 223-2767. Stay informed by joining our announcement list at
http://scram.notifylist.com/scram_events.html

We hope to see you in Los Angeles October 7 for the 2005 Bubblegum Achievement Awards!

Jeff Mangum resurfaces!

While we await Kim's tome on In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, it's worth noting that Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum appeared live on stage last night for the first time in almost a decade. According to billboard.com, he sang two songs with the reunited Olivia Tremor Control at NYC's Bowery Ballroom. Details here:

http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001002224

Hard to say whether this is setting the stage for new Mangum music - but if Jandek could be coaxed out of solitude, perhaps there's hope for Jeff as well.

Folk Is Not A Four Letter Word CD (Delay 68)

Time was, a record collector might make a comp tape for friends, and so spread their notion of an unearthed micro-genre out into discussion. Today, Andy Votel can bring together fifteen obscure, disparate (mainly) femme artistes for a virtual cocktail party where Canyon psych goddess Linda Perhacs nibbles canapés beside teen bossa novistes Wendy & Bonnie, Belushi-killer Kathy Smith bellows by the fire, the Poppy Family shake out of their winter coats, and arty garage babe Erica Pomerance stages a freak out in the sunken conversation pit. The results are like any party where the attendees are interesting strangers: some moments of fascinating confluence, others that are awkward or uncomfortable, but you’re bound to find someone you’d like to talk to in the room. Note that of all the songs in Perhacs’ astonishing canon, Votel picked the most conventional one, “(Hey Now) Who Really Cares.”

Bubblegum Radio in Cincinnati

This Thursday, the Bubblegum Sound gets a little respect in the land where the Ohio Express and Lemon Pipers were born, when editrix Kim (me!) goes on air for a short chat about the Bubblegum Awards with 700WLW host Gary Burbank. I'll be on at 1:40pm west coast time, and you can listen online.