Paul Pot Art show at Pacific Pinball Museum

The show is up and will be up at the Pacific Pinball Museum (http://www.pacificpinball.org/) until the end of January. There are original drawings on display for open mic flyers, Murder Ballad Bash posters, Happy Clams posters, and more. I'm happy that a lot of my friends came by to the opening. If you like pinball, this is the place for you. I may be at the museum on a Saturday or two if people just want to come by to see the work. More details will follow on this blog, Facebook, and email notices, so keep an eye out.

Paul is pictured hanging the show and then hanging himself, at the show, with a copy of a small publication he made in 1980.

And thus the holidays have passed

A belated post. Apologies to those who might be reading this blog.

Here are some pics from what we have fondly referred to as The Happy Clams First Holiday Special at the Starry Plough. Will there be another? We'll see. We will be going into the studio soon, perhaps in part to get our holiday song "Santa's Package" ready to its October rollout. Perhaps a Christmas release may bring out same kind of large crowd that the opening act, "Nine Pound Shadow" brought out to this year's show. Thanks guys, and thanks to the Clam faithful who came out and danced at our show. Dancing to the Happy Clams? Well stranger things have happened. Special thanks to Andy for horning in.

Another dose of murder, death, and despair for 2010

With the addition of Penelope Houston (a dandy Andy on autoharp) and Melanie DeGiovanni (accordian in mourning), the Happy Clams sneaked into the 9th Annual Murder Ballads Bash as the Wheel of Fortune Studio Orchestra. The name comes from Paul Pot's misconception that there was actually a studio band for the game show instead of a tape.

Our new song, "Nothing I Can Say", was debuted by the orchestra. The song had 7 alternative lyrics (beaten, bludgeoned, drowned, shot, stabbed, strangled, and suffocated) for the death scene. The verse used at the show was determined by having a volunteer spin a wheel of misfortune at the show. Between our two songs we played one round of the game, where the audience guessed the dead singer (Johnny Cash), and then tore into a rendition of Delia's Gone, featuring the Murder Ballads impresario, Val Esway, on triangle. Every good orchestra has a triangle player.

It was an evening of amazing performances featuring the Ukaladies, Val Esway, us, Mississippi Mike Wolf, the Doggie Doors, David C Cooper, the Mighty Lynchpins, the Darling Duo, Goat Fluffer, the Murder Brothers, Hang Jones, and the Flying Telepaths.

Paul Pot's Sixth Anniversary Open Mic

Thanks to everybody who came out for the 6th annual open mic at the Missouri Lounge. It was the best one ever! 29 people signed up and played. A lot of fun was had and everybody got a free poster. Special thanks to Allene Rohrer for the really great fuzzy coat.
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If you played at the open mic, your name is on this poster. Come by and get one while supplies last. Did anyone take any pictures?

Last night's Happy Clams show with David Matela in Hayward was a lot of fun. His solo guitar sets were amazing. The Clams did two sets and David played with us on about 6 songs. Our two completely different approaches to guitar played against each other well from the raucaus "Killer" (written by Gail and me) on our set to the quiet duet we did together on "Eleanor Rigby." Thanks to everybody who made it out. You know what you are.

Playing with Goat Fluffer and going to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

Wow, talk about two different animals! Punkish doom and bluegrass.

We played with Goat Fluffer at the StarryPlough on Sept. 25. Many thanks to those who came out. We did a more rockin' set to suit the occasion. Goat Fluffer lived up to the promised 4 women, 3 bassists, 2 Rachels, 1 drummer and all doom. Orphans of Alien's brand of metal had a more character to it than just being metal. Their guitarist had just left the band so I (Paul Pot) ended up being the only pope of guitar for the evening. Of course, we got very few photos of us, so here is the stage backdrop for those who missed the show or just want to see it again.

I had a great time at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Saw so much to list like Patti Smith, Randy Newman, Ralph Stanley, and about 8other acts. Laughed when Kinky Friedman said, "I never say fuck in front of a C-H-I-L-D." I was disappointed that his bandmember played kazoo as a joke as I take my kazoo very seriously. Oh well.

I am always remiss in updating this blog and apologize for that. I should be more cyber than I tend to be.

Come see us play with David Matela on October 9th in Hayward and/or check out our Wheel of Fortune Studio Orchestra at the Starry Plough 9th Annual Murder Ballads Bash. Wow, two nines in our next two gigs. Any of you numerologists out there know what that means?

Paul Pot Open Mic Flyer Show at Lanesplitter in Berkeley

Thanks to everybody who came out to see over 170 original cartoon drawings by musician and artist Paul Pot, promoting the over 5 year run of his Missouri Lounge Wednesday Night Open Mic in Berkeley and sent weekly to hundreds on his email list or printed as flyers to be thrust into the hands of people on the street, that are on view at Lanesplitter Pizza for the month of April. Pot shots taken at Michael Jackson, religion, baseball, turkeys, politicians, sex, horror movies, making fun of banjos, the world around us, and of course, the music and the people who play it.

Boy that's a mouthful. The opening was on April 6th, but the show is up for all of April (it comes down right before Joe Rut does his show at the Great American Music Hall on April 30th) and Paul Pot will be at Lanesplitter every Tuesday in April, from 7 to 9 pm, if you want to gab.

Joe Rut, Gail, Martha, and Rawbird at the opening. Photos by Clammity Jen