Cavepainters Photo Release: Where's Ed!?!

Thanks, Nancy!

For those of you that missed it somehow, Cavepainter Ed Wray took a fall on Saturday night, injuring his wrist before having a chance to play Sunday (I think the appearance of the Quinnettes may have brought on a bit too much exuberance). Word in is that he has had surgery. In any case, I'm sure ALL of Muffin is pullin' for you Ed! All I can say is it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Take care buddy and we hope you make a quick recovery!

First Pic's In: Derwoody "Out Does" Himself!

This is just a sample of some amazing pic's by Derwoody. Check 'em all out HERE.

First Post Muffin Post: THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!

Hey Muffineers! THANK YOU for making it one of the BEST Muffins ever!!!

Many more posts to come in the coming days and weeks as we sort the whole mess out and try to digest the good, the bad and the ugly, but for now just hoping everyone got home safe. At first glance, it appears that we can meet all our financial obligations. Thanks for your support! To anyone we owe money to, checks will be cut in a day or so and mailed out as the dust settles.

In the Lost & Found department, a number of items have been claimed but a few remain including:

1 Ludwig drum stool (BBC?)
1 brown leather guitar (GC) strap
2 foldable keyboard (?) stands
1 boom microphone stand (I had a similar one that disappeared so...)
A few misc cables (yellow tags?)

You can claim these by emailing thos.bell@gmail.com

Feel free to send links, photo’s, stories or whatever to the above and I will be glad to post them for all to see.

The formal "debriefing" will be held at Paul Pot’s Open Mic at the Missouri Lounge (2600 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley) on Wednesday, June 6^th, 8PM.

More to come! STAY TOONED! MUFFIN!!!

Benefit/Opening Runs Simultaneously in Oakland and Alameda this Friday June 1st!!!

You Are Invited to a Double Header Evening of Fun, Art, Music and History in the Making!

“Oakland’s Pinball Mafia HI-Score Rock&roll reunion”

Hosted By MC Emmet
Friday June 1st, 2007 from 9 pm to 2 at
The Stork Club
2330 Telegraph Ave.
Oakland, CA

MUSIC * PINBALL CONTEST * DANCING GIRLS * ART AUCTION
Happening Concurrently With

"Rocked out pinball machine!"
A Kustom game by Dirty Donny and Wade Krause

Opening Reception
Friday June 1st, 2007 from 6 pm to 12 at
Neptune Beach Amusement Museum’s
The Lucky Ju Ju Pinball Art Gallery
713 Santa Clara Avenue
Alameda, Ca 94501

Runs From June 1st to July 3rd, 2007.

See Website for more information:
http://www.ujuju.com/ or http://www.nbam.org/

Media Contact: Michael Schiess
pinhead@ujuju.com 510-205-9793

Artist Websites:
http://www.dirtydonny.com/
http://www.pinballplayfield.com/
http://www.circuspunks.com/

Photo: Hellacopters Pinball Machine Backglass by Dirty Donny and Wade Krause © 2007

Clams Unhappy about Opening for Sea Kings, Skidaddle Back to Sunday

Well, after a whole lot-o-churn, it looks like things are back to where they started. Funny how that happens more often than not. Apparently the Clams were not too comfortable taking the stage before a bunch of Sea Kings anyway! Something about an off-color chowder recipe remark. Can’t say I blame ‘em and everyone knows that Sunday night is the new Saturday anyway. Just don’t tell that to those Roamin’ Unreal. Now that the current crisis has been averted maybe we can get back to the business of what Muffin is all about. Perhaps Gimme had it right when he said that “in a million years no one will remember what band played but they sure as hell will remember who won that beautiful new horseshoe trophy”. In any case, sleep well Muffineers with the thought that all is peace and harmony once again in Muffinville. That is until Friday comes when all hell breaks loose once again.

Last Chance To Buy Full Price Ticket Before the Big Event

Tonight is your last chance to hold your head high as you cross that threshold into Muffinville. After that you will have to wait in line, grovel like common folk and beg for permission to buy a ticket AT the Muffin. Paul Pot has graciously offered to sell tickets tonight at his Missouri Club Open Mic. Prices at this late hour will be the outrageous sum of 30 Bux! That seems like a small price to pay to maintain your dignity! Head to the Miz, buy Paul a drink and get your ticket complete with official directions printed right on it. You’ll be well on your way and get to hear some interesting music to boot.

Hank Gimme Suggests Firing ALL Musicians and Hiring Pro Horseshoe Teams Instead

Apparently the odor of a fancy new trophy is in the air because the Weasel’s manager, Playboy Millionaire Hank Gimme, has proposed that Muffin "quit bowing down to all these musicians and artistic types and start taking the sport of professional horseshoes seriously". Rumor has it that somehow Gimme has tapped into a whole pile of cash (in XXX-cess of $1K) and placed an order with Zinz Custom Machining for an incredible new horseshoe prize. "Forget those puny belts or those sissy gold chains, this trophy will shock and awe all your friends and associates. Walk away with this baby and you will be the envy of your block and whole lot more!" With the recent outbreak of Musical Me-itis, Gimme thinks "it’s high time to dump the whole music lineup and focus on some real culture for a change". Apparently Muffin management has been rather cool on the idea but at the same time hasn’t trashed it either. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see if its tunes as usual or Pro Horseshoes all party long!

Unreal All-Stars Recruit Buffalo Roam'rs, Claim Rights to Saturday Slot

Looks like the Unreal All-Stars may live up to their name with a couple recruits from the infamous East Bay’s Buffalo Roam. Bass player, Chuck Rosene and drummer Steve Ellis will definitely provide some heavy hitting to the lineup. With Clayton by the wayside, the Unreal are trying to climb back into their slot on Saturday night. From what I hear, no one is willing to budge. Understand that Cap’n Mike has to put out to Sea on Sunday, Clam master Paul Pot says that the Clams are firmly wedged in place and Dan Lange, well he isn’t called Big Dan for nothing! This may come down to a battle royale and it won’t be pretty. This sort of back stabbing and oneupmanship haven’t been seen (music wise) at the Muffin in years. What would Pat do? Weasel his way in somehow no doubt. Maybe we should settle this with some good old fashioned arm wrestling. Do Clams have arms? I knew this whole deal wasn’t done yet! Stay tuned for further details.

On other fronts (thank goodness), Ungie and Vernon (from Unreal days of past) have been working on a video to honor Pat Quinn and are hoping to premiere it at the Muffin one night or the other. Could this mean black tie and red carpet at the Gold Nugget Theatre?

Report From The Mow Down: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Really... this time it was no photo-op! Once we put some actual gas in the tractor, things got under way. Major thanks go out to the king of two wheeled tractors, Mr. Velocette, Jeffy S. for making the trek last Thursday all the way from Vallejo to rebuild the carb. The major portions of the grass did get cut before the mower threw a cutting arm (Once Again!). It's always something and fortunately for us, the dearth of rain has resulted in significantly less growth this year. Even our beloved stage, "Old Soggy", fared the winter fairly well and was looking rather convincing and ready to party after a dust-off and a quick coat of battleship gray. Performers though, are advised to step lightly (no pogo'ing please). Never know when that layer of paint may give way or the ghost of Clance might appear and swallow you up. Of note, another Muffin "Miracle" was witnessed when the stage light bar was dredged from the mud, shored and splinted into place, plugged in and all the lights worked without a short. BA be with you! Speaking of which, a large pile of firewood seemed to assemble itself, as if to say "Bring on your best Bushwhacker!". Big Tee's beer-blurred Home Depot science project, the "Kun-trap-shun", stage canopy system appeared somewhat dysfunctional by late afternoon but some hope persists that with a real tarp in place folks will overlook the sore spots. The word on the street is that Bishop Joey may be on hand to cover up the whole mess with his fantastic banner collection. Closing ceremonies followed with the traditional Muffin "Put the Neighbors on Notice" 21 gun (well let's just say it was an impressive show of firepower) salute. Many cans met their maker and this years "Mistress of Mow Down" had the right Romanian hardware on hand for a fitting finale.

Other things of note:

The operators of Gold Nugget Theatre are requesting that anyone with appropriate video material (Old Muffin stuff or otherwise), please dig it out and bring it with you for general consumption. Specifically looking for that "never seen" raw footage we know is rotting away in certain people's video collections.

Club Oiselle is still seeking folks to help at the bar and/or help with provisioning. "Our gal" Mal has graciously offered her services again as mixoligist supreme after her bang up job last year (Pirates need not apply).

T-Shirts are in and some vending help will be needed on Saturday PM ... Let the Pope or Marshall know if you can help with this. BTW there is a free shirt in it for you. (FCFS, must be able to make change)

Expenses are up this year (when aren't they!) so we will be extracting "Muffin Tax" from walk-ins on Saturday evening. We're looking for a few cute looking hard asses to help with that as well.

Reminder: Those "Itchy Guys" are playing in Larkspur this evening (see earlier post) so show some support if you can. Also an Unreal "preview" may be in the works for the Miz this Wednesday.

Stay tuned for last minute updates!

Only 8 Shopping Days til Muffin!... Have You Made Your List Yet?

OK, the long and the short of it… Here’s the deal, in case you haven’t heard, this year’s Muffin is dedicated to the All-Mighty Quinn… yup, a big ol chunk of Muffin is gonna be MIA this year… good thing we’ve got what looks like a healthy turn out to try to help fill that impossible void… this just could be THE party that we’ve all be waiting for, so act like it!... those Unreal that remain standing have been practicing extra hard to make it UNREAL especial this year… who would a thunk it would come down to this! …understand they have a special treat in-store-for-yall… On other fronts, news is that the original partie-dog AKA ‘King of Pluto’ has been workin’ overtime dredging up those juicy gems of filmdom that must have been made with the Muffin in mind… things might just get a little on the spicy side this year so don’t say I didn’t warn you… let them nuggets fall where they may! … and be sure to wear your PJ’s for the Sunday morning Cook-Howse-Chow-Down sponsored by Muffin’s recently nuptially conjoined, Big Tee and Sandra Lee with some big time help from their Pirate crew homies. Then there is all that Blues and Bluegrass! Sea Kings in Yuba County? Mount’n Men from Marin?… a Busker-man come all the way from Portland? Not to mention CLAMNATION and a Cavepaint job to boot. And don’t forget that rollin’ JuJu and a hayride that has stood the test-o-time. Lastly, much appreciation must go to the Popejoy family, Papa Ed to say the least who somehow has tolerated one hell of an invasion year after year after year. Be sure to relay a howdy-hi his way if you see him… One more deal to remember... the MuffinZone lies somewhere between the past and the future, the expected and the unexpected, the best of times and some of life’s hardest moments. Dig deep for all you've got, let’s get on with it and maybe, just maybe, next year at this time, we’ll ALL be just as jazzed to do it ALL OVER AGAIN. Pat-Fest here we come!

Clock is TICKING on $25 TICK... TICK... TICKET Deal!

Yup, time is running short. Muffin is only about 2 weeks away now! Scary Huh? Just you wait! So you don’t have a ticket yet and you are thinking to yourself… “Oh hell, I’ll just deal with it when I get there!”… Not so fast pal. That’s FIVE BUX you are letting slip away. But you say, “I gotta write a check and put it in the mail and God knows if I’ll ever get anything back from those lame ass Muffin people”. Well, now you have another option. Just drop by Paul Pot’s Open Mic (No Cover!) at the Missouri Lounge (Voted Best Urban Lounge by EBE) tonight or next Wednesday (5/16) to purchase your ticket. Yes indeed, the $25 early ticket deal will be extended ONE day only and only at the Miz Open Mic on 5/16! Are we cool or what? Not only that, but for every ticket you buy, Marshall Law with be on hand to buy you a beer (21 and over please) when you do! So fergit yur excuses and get yur butt down to the Miz, chill with a beer, buy a ticket and enjoy some of that classic entertainment only the MOM can provide. And don't forget, the Miz has that BIG HD TV for all you Johnny-come-lately WARRIOR fans! Can things get any better than this? I think NOT!!!

The Miz is at 2600 San Pablo Ave in Berkeley, CA and on MySpace at: http://www.myspace.com/missourilounge

It's Official: "Mow Down" is Saturday May 19th

This is the chance for all you city slickers out there to drive a real live tractor, wack a can or two and check out Muffin “in the wild” before the crowd arrives. On Saturday May 19^th, we will be cutting grass and preping the stage for the big weekend. Come prepared for some butt bustin’, beer drinkin’, can plinkin’ and weed wackin’. Bring ’em if you got 'em… that includes gas powered wackers, power tools and your favorite peacemaker. Yeeee haaaa! Almost as much fun as the Muffin itself. Folks interested should plan to show up in Sacto early AM or in Browns Valley later in the day. For more details email thos.bell@gmail.com.

Viva Las Vegas! Club Oiselle's Gold Room to be Fit for the "King"

Much adieu has been made about Club Oiselle’s Gold Nugget Memberships bestowed upon elite early ticket buyers this year. Many have been wondering how the Weasels were going to spend all that loot. Another Learjet?… another platinum toilet seat?… another million dollar bar-b-que recipe?... Heck no, the Weasels have big plans for Club Oiselle to undergo major remodeling. After being forced to carry the Sacto Slacker load last year, tarnishing their image with that trendy trashy Tiki decor, this year Club Oiselle will stand tall once again, going for, what else, the GOOOOOLD! The King Lives! Check it out at this year’s Muffin.

Desert Airplane Junkyard show at the Lucky Ju Ju this Weekend!

Boneyard: Night photography by Troy Paiva and Joe Reifer

In the summer of 2006 night photographers Troy Paiva and Joe Reifer were granted access to photograph "Aviation Warehouse", a high desert airplane boneyard near El Mirage Dry Lake. This surreal location is a graveyard for every type of aircraft imaginable, from tiny Cessnas, to military fighters and transports, pre-war prop-liners, to wide-body jet airliners. Dead planes lay chopped and gutted amongst the Joshua Trees. Sheared-off noses reveal rows of empty seats and oxygen masks silently dangling. Clouds smear like ghosts and the stars arc across the sky during the long exposures.

A legend in the world of night photography, Troy Paiva has been creating colorful interpretations of the abandoned roadside west for almost 20 years. His book "Lost America" and website www.lostamerica.com have been an inspiration to countless night photographers.

Joe Reifer is a fine art, portrait and editorial photographer who specializes in night and low light photography. His night work focuses on abandoned places. Please visit his website http://www.joereifer.com/ and blog www.joereifer.com/words/

For additional info on the show visit: http://www.ujuju.com

Photo: “All Aboard" © 2006 by Troy Paiva