Captain Mike Announces 2cd Annual SalmonAid Fest at Jack London Square on June 20 and 21st

Mike sez: I've been working very hard over the last year to help produce the 2nd annual SalmonAid Festival which is happening this weekend, June 20/21 at Jack London Square in Oakland. There will be lots of great music, excellent food, ice cold beer and good people. We also have a bunch of children's activities, so no worries about the little tykes - bring em along!
Go to http://www.salmonaid.org/ for all the details.

To kick off the Festival, on Friday evening our friends from the Karuk & Yurok Tribes will host a Ceremonial Salmon Roast at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. All the details are in the press release below. If you like salmon you really don't want to miss this event, last year's salmon roast was some of the best salmon I ever had - and if you know me, you know that I know my salmon and don't give this kind of praise away randomly.

The best band of the SalmonAid Festival will perform on Sunday, they are called "Captain Mike & the Sea Kings", (with Special Guest Bobby Young from Zachya Hooker's band) - but please feel free to also come to Oakland on Saturday when bands like Albino, The Zydeco Flames, and Mitch Woods will grace us with their presence.... yeah I know, they don't compare to the Sea Kings, but they try really hard, so come on by & show 'em some love.

Did I mention that this is a free event? No cover charge!!!!

Here's the info on the Salmon Bake:

WHAT: Members of the Karuk, Yurok, and Hoopa Tribes travel to San Francisco to host a traditional salmon bake on the eve of the 2009 Salmon Aid Festival. Tribal members will share fire roasted Klamath Spring Salmon with the public.

WHERE: Ocean Beach, San Francisco. Look for the fire pit one block south of the intersection of Fulton Street and the Great Highway.

WHEN: Friday, June 19th. Fire starts at 4:30 p.m.; fish will be ready to serve around 6:30 p.m.

WHO: Participants include fishermen, cooks, singers, and drummers from the Karuk, Yurok, and Hoopa Tribes. Tribal members are traveling from the remote Klamath River, and invite Native community members from throughout the Bay Area, as well as the general public, to come down and share fish.

Although Klamath salmon runs are dwindling, tribal fishermen still harvest salmon for ceremonial and commercial use. By joining forces with commercial fishermen, conservation groups, and others concerned about native salmon stocks, Tribal members are building support for the removal of the lower four Klamath River dams. Members of Klamath Basin Tribes will be an integral part of the 2009 Salmon Aid Festival, hosting a traditional salmon bake on the eve of the festival as well as demonstrating cultural activities throughout the Salmon Aid weekend.

Dan Lange in Berkeley? Mooo! Headline Appearance Planned at Starry Plough's Open Mic Tuesday, May 26th

Guess Dan and Jane just need that yearly CA fix, Muffin or Not! Seems they are making the trek down from Portland this weekend to say hello. We hope you will come on by the Starry Plough on Tuesday evening to catch up with Dan and get a sample or two from Muffin's own blues master.

Here is the link to Dan's blog with lots of links to his music and other sites.

http://buskersblues.blogspot.com/

And of course the Plough...

http://www.starryploughpub.com/

Word has it that Dan will be performing between 9:30 and 10:45. Hope to see you there!

"What was it we used to do on this weekend every year?!?"...

Yup, hard to believe that there will be no Muff* this year. If you are one of the mournful, why not come down to the Miz and join in a communal "cry in your beer" fest TONIGHT (5/20) ... as a bonus you can enjoy some of that rareified entertainment that only Paul Pot's Missouri Lounge Open Mic can provide. Enjoy the unfolding summer climate on the "new" outdoor patio! In the words of PP:

Have you been here before?

Do you think you can remember to come down to the

Missouri Lounge Open Mic this Wednesday?

If we can all hold on to the idea that we had fun,

perhaps it will stick in our minds until at least the next day.

You know it would be such a bummer to remember that you forgot whatever it was.

And in the words of Bishop Joey..."We'll always remember those Muffins we never forget!". How about those that never happened? Enjoy the memories and have a great Muffin-less weekend... where ever you end up. And just remember... "Muffin" is a state of mind!

(* If you happen to be wandering around Yuba County this weekend and should just happen to stumble upon a certain locale, you will likely be welcomed by a rag-tag band of hard core dyed-in-the wool Muffin-heads who just don't know where else to be. Whatever you do, don't tell them you heard about it here!).

The Clams Sauce Up Spuds Pizza In Berkeley On May 8th

Did you miss the Clams CD release party? Well fret not....

It's the Happy Clams and Bunny Numpkins and the Kill Blow-Up Reaction at Spuds Pizza at 3290 Adeline, on the corner of Adeline and Alcatraz, in Berkeley, CA. Friday, May 8. It's kid friendly.

The Happy Clams will be playing a pile of stuff that may include
some of your favorite tunes, some songs that will soon be your
favorite tunes, and (with luck) some songs we think you'll really hate. (I hate that.) Let's get this cozy little night spot a jumpin.

The Bunny Numpkins? Well that's another story...

Guitarist/banjoist Patrick Swayze Double Dragon holds the world’s record for longest time breathing through a straw while submerged in water in a bathtub. He performs in a glass bathtub, it’s very dramatic. Bassist Thumper Thighston
can play music on or in her armpit and likes to whistle at construction workers. She has had 100 x-rays. (Lookout!) Drummer Frank Lloyd Wrong is a building
demolition expert. Implosion is his other middle name. Vocalist Lady Mondegreen once sang in a doo-wop group that should have been called the Premarital Sextet, but that name was taken by some other project.

Together, they are Bunny Numpkins and the Kill Blow-Up Reaction and they
got some whacky, bop-til-you-drop numbers on subjects ranging from
George Clooney to CalTrans. Need we say anymore? Check them out at
http://www.myspace.com/bunnynumpkinsandthekillblowupreaction

C'mon down to Spuds. Show starts at 8pm sharp... really....no kidding..
... swear on a stack of bibles. 8 pm to 10 pm.

Get the Happy Clams CD "I'm All Steamed Up, Baby!" from CD Baby (online)
or Amoeba Records (on the street).

Get all the Clam info at http://www.thehappyclams.com/

PS: Don't forget Captain Mike's Salmon Benefit show at the La Pena in Berkeley on Thursday May 7th!

The UNREAL Band Exhibits Ultimate Class at the Starry Plough, April 25th in Berkeley

Check out this latest poster...How Dandy G. can you get! What is the G-man wearing... a smoking jacket?... a house coat?... What can this mean? Could this be a sign of DG's Big West Coast farewell? A swan song of sorts? OK, enough with the rumors! Does this look like a man ready to move to move to Pennsylvania? I don't think so!... so, come on down to the SP on the 25th for some good old steeped in Muffin R&R. So start now and rest up. If you get plenty of sleep in the next week maybe you can stay out til after 1. DG would really appreciate it! Be there! P.S. Come wish Doyle a big HB... and the big guy too!

Pearmain Studios to Host DMOAS BBQ Art Fest on Sunday, April 12th

Yup, once again the infamous DMOAS BBQ extravaganza and art fest is happening at Pearmain Studios in industrial East Oakland. Starting time: around 1PM or so. The usual rules apply. Bring along your own meat (or veggie) sculpture entry if you want to compete for the big prize. Hope to see you all then... BTW peep wars are now banned at DMOAS as a result of a humongous ant invasion at the Alameda compound and the fact that contrary to popular belief, they really don't ever biodegrade.

Also in the news, if you didn't make it the Happy Clams (All Steamed Up, Baby!) CD release party, you missed a real doozy. A GREAT time was had by all and a highly successful event all around. I'm sure Mr. Pot will have some CD's on hand at the above mentioned BBQ.

Lastly, the Pope is wondering if folks might show up for a mow-down (no-down?) even if Muffin is canceled this year (at least for MD weekend). If this sounds interesting to you please post a comment here. Maybe we could do a Saturday nite sleep-over Muffin-lite style. Stay tuned for more on that.

Also: don't fergit the UNREAL show at the Plough in Berkeley, Saturday April 25th. This may be the last time you see Gary before he has to move to Pennsylvania!

Help Save the Salmon with Captain Mike, May 7th at La Pena in Berkeley

Captain Mike is inviting everyone to please join him and other fish friendly folk on Thursday May 7th for a fundraiser for SalmonAid, at the LaPena Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, 7:30 PM. All proceeds from this evening go to the production of the annual SalmonAid Festival that raises awareness for the problems surrounding our fishies and our water.

For example... did you know that these days 98% of all salmon released at Coleman hatchery (just outside of Sacramento) die before they ever get to the ocean? Or that if we actually allowed these salmon to live, they could create an annual economic contribution in the area of $6,000,000,000 ($6 Billion) to our State?

Please go to http://www.salmonaid.org/ for more info about the SalmonAid Foundation and about the 2009 SalmonAid Festival - and we hope to see you at the party on May 7th.

Happy Clam's Release CD in Style with some Really Good Musicians, Friday April 10th!

Here comes the night that you Clamdiggers never thought would happen. We are celebrating our CD Release at the Starry Plough on Good Friday, April 10th. We are being joined by some of our favorite songwriters and performers. Come listen to the lovely Xenia Rudnycka (formerly of the Pickin' Trix) open the show. Be pleasantly surprised to find why our favorites by the bay are the ladies of Yardsale! There even may be horns involved. Let's put it this way; if there ever was a night to come out and see the Happy Clams, this is the one we would like to see you at!

All members of the band, on and off the CD will be armed with Sharpies. Bring your CD or pick one up at the show!

"I'm All Steamed Up, Baby!"

the grisly details:

in order of appearance: Xenia Rudnycka, Yard Sale, the Happy Clams
venue: The Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck in Berkeley, CA
venue phone: 510-841-2082
when: Friday, April 10th at 9pm
cost: 8 bucks

links:
http://www.thehappyclams.com/
www.myspace.com/yardsaleoakland
http://www.thepickintrix.com/

Muffin XXXIV Canceled Due To Incredibly Crappy Economy

Well, that's only partially true... at least the canceled due to part. Actually the Pope has an engagement on the East Coast on Muffin XXXIV weekend that apparently can't be missed. Unfortunately that means there is no one to mind the store. I know it's hard to imagine a Muffin-less year after all we have been through. I'm sure some of you will show up there anyway just like the sparrows to Capistrano. I can't tell you not to show up... just that it won't be ordained by the Pope, there won't be any amplified music and you might just suffer the wrath of Ed or an unsupervised hammerhead or two.

So we hope this doesn't come as too much of a shock... or ruin your day. It's not like you just got laid off or something.. have you? Heck the way things are going society may have completely collapsed by then anyway. We are just saving you the trouble of all the planning, provisioning, packing, driving, unpacking, setting up, partying (again and again), tearing down, packing, driving, unpacking and storing. What about that sounds like fun anyway?

Guess we will have to make up for this some how. Rumor has it a Muffineer of high standing just bought some acreage out in W. SonomaCo. It may even be in shape for a "Muffin Style" July 4th party. Stay tuned for that one.

On other fronts, the Happy Clams CD release party is looking like the Plough early next month (April 10th-ish) with a really great warm up band. If you haven't gotten your copy of "I'm All Steamed Up, Baby" yet, drop by Mr. Pot's Open Mic at the Miz on Wednesdays or at Amoeba in Berkeley. ALSO: The Unreal Band have a gig booked at the Plough a few weeks later (~April 25th). And don't fergit Missy Dee and Friends are gearing up for the umteenth DMOS celibration on rezerwreckshun day... April 12th! See... lots to look forward to after all!

The Happy Clams Announce New CD Release... Well, Almost.

"I'm All Steamed Up, Baby" by the Happy Clams on No Fidelity Records coming February 2009.

A preview of two of the songs from the upcoming CD, "I'm All Steamed Up, Baby" can be found on the Happy Clams Myspace site. You can get there by going through http://www.thehappyclams.com/ . While you're there, stop by and look around.