======================================== HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH ARCHIVE ======================================== Politics-Elections 2006: The 10 best political ads In compiling our "Best" and "Worst" lists of political ads, we weighed two important factors: overall quality and impact. Because of the latter factor, some genuinely appalling ads -- and a few we sort of liked -- never came under consideration because they just won't really matter that much today, when a glorious season of race-baiting, sexual slurs, tearful mea culpas and all-purpose smears come to their calamitously democratic conclusion. Later today, we'll share the 10 worst ads of the campaign. But for now, here are the ones we're calling the best, which are mostly from Democrats, who surely had the better issues to work with. But there were still a few surprises ... The 10 Best - # 2. HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH This great ad, which uses the Squirrel Nut Zippers' "Have You Had Enough?" and a charming Rickie Lee Jones vocal, has been recut and reused in about 18 Democratic races across the country (here, in John Laesch's unlikely effort against House Speaker Dennis Hastert). It's catchy retro stylings made voting against the GOP House seem not only fun but incredibly cool. ======================================== Blue Heroes by digby As we close in on the election, with our prospects looking good, I think the netroots and the blogosphere deserve a little pat on the back and none moreso than the Blue America Pac, which raised more than half a million dollars this cycle for a very specific and original purpose: The Blue America PAC was formed on August 24 to raise money to put “Have You Had Enough” on the radio in the form of 30 second advertising spots for various Blue America candidates. As you can see from our list, most of our candidates are in low-cost media markets where just a few dollars will go a very long way. We have no candidates in expensive media markets like NYC or Boston or Los Angeles or Chicago. These are “dollah a hollah” markets. We’re hoping to have people humming their way into the polling booths come November. The story of the song is here and please watch Firedoglake, Crooks and Liars, Music For America and Down With Tyranny for updates—and for the videos. Howie Klein of Down With Tyranny has posted this letter from the campaign manager of an oregon candidate named Carol Voisin that really does my heart good and shows how valuable these kinds of projects are to the grassroots of the Democratic party: I'm Carol Voisin's campaign manager, and as we get to the end of the campaign I wanted to thank you again for all that you and the Hadenough/BlueAmerica team have done for us and the other candidates. As you and Rick Brown wrote in the Voisin DownWithTyranny writeup, this is one of those campaigns that has such structural disadvantages (Dems lose by 45%+), that it typically never gets off the ground, with a downward spiral of no belief and no money. This year has been different because Carol is a great candidate and she came together with some highly motivated volunteers, several of us from the netroots. Our weakness was also a strength, as the lack of professionals and insiders has allowed us all to keep the campaign in line with our ideals-- we've made things up as we went along while running an honest and positive campaign that has shined a big spotlight on Greg Walden's record. Without Hadenough we wouldn't be running any commercials. As soon as we saw it on fdl we put it on Carol’s website (with Walden's numbers next to an explanation about how Coleen Rowley was running against rubberstamper John Kline). Just asking you all if it could get adapted for us seemed like a big deal, yet the answer was always yes, all the interactions were always easy and fast, and soon we were running our own 60 second spot in our only two "metro" areas of Medford and Bend. Since we didn't have much money the ads, played sparsely, were sort of symbolic, but most everything about this campaign has been sort of symbolic, and it felt good. And then a couple of days ago the Democratic Party of Oregon sprung $10,000 for us to run the ad the last week of the campaign. This is enough so that it will really get seen, and really will bring in some votes. The fact that the DPO wanted to spend money on these ads when the Oregon House is in play signifies that they know that it is helping both Carol and all the down ballot races. People see it and they immediately understand and remember the song and the images, and it pushes them across the action-inaction line. I know I'll never get it out of my head. Our grateful thanks to everyone who gave their time and talent to make this happen, and all the FDL and C&L and other people who make Blue America possible. This is how you create a majority party, my friends. You make people believe in the party and support them even when they are not immediately "winners" by creating a feeling of solidarity. You make it feel good to be a Democrat again. Klein called on his pals in the music industry, the Squirrel Nut Zippers and Ricki Lee Jones, and put together a jingle that could be used by candidates all over the country for free and which they adapted for each candidate who wanted to use it. Then they raised money to put it on the radio and the web. It's catchy and fun and gets right to the main question of this election --- "have you had enough?" And whether or not it made a difference in these individual races (it probably did) it certainly gave all these campaigns a lift and an identity and a belief that it was worth it to spend all this time and energy working to get Democrats elected even when it seemed hopeless --- which we now know is something you should never assume. So, hats off to the Blue America Team, particularly its hardest worker and leading visionary, Howie Klein, who didn't wait for the party to do something and didn't whine about what they weren't doing --- they just went out and did it. ======================================== Friday, August 25, 2006 The Road To Redemption “Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional,” an unknown poet once observed. The country has been forced to endure the ‘inevitable’ fiasco of Bush’s election for six years – from New Orleans to Baghdad the admin- istration’s road has been paved with pain and suffering. But now comes the chance to staunch the hemorrhaging and take a few steps towards redemption – also known as defeating enabling Republicans in the mid-term elections. Normally, salvation requires more pain. But a group of musically inclined activists has gone far to make the process almost fun. The group, put together by the newly minted PAC “Blue America,” includes Rickie Lee Jones and two key members from the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher. They’ve banded together to make one of the more remarkable honky tonk anthems for change to come out in a long time. The song, “Have You Had Enough?”is a swing remix of the band’s hit, “Put A Lid On It” and is a rollicking, feet-shuffling good tune. It’s simply a delight. But it’s also a call to arms. It’s designed to illicit a ‘Network’ response – “I’m mad as hell and won’t take it anymore!” - as part of an effort to raise money for progressive candidates. The tune is available for the taking – aka free downloads - and in two weeks will be on all the major digital services. The producers hope it will provoke, as Jon Stewart would say, “The Giving” - to buy radio and television advertising for lesser known but particularly worthy challengers to Republican incumbents with access to unlimited pots of corporate financing. In that sense, it’s one small step for mankind or, at least, to evening the campaign score. While the link in this post is to the generic tune, the producers are planning to recut it as a way of targeting enablers outside the expensive media markets. Many are in remote, rural areas, the so-called ‘dolla-a-holla’ towns. In those places, even a small contribution can go a long way. So don’t hesitate to give even a few dollars and stay tuned for the inevitable remixes and mashes. In the meantime, pretend you’re ambidextrous and turn up your speakers and pull out your checkbook or your credit card. Be the first on your block to enjoy the music by clicking anywhere on any of the images or on this link. And while basking in the pleasure, help ensure that the country’s suffering starts diminishing by contributing through the Blue America PAC on Act Blue. Or if you don’t like entering your credit card information on the net, please send a check to Blue America PAC, Box 27201, Los Angeles, CA, 90027. But remember: Friends don’t let friends suffer. So pass along this plea to 10 people similarly inclinced people. It may not get you into heaven. But, as the great unknown poet inferred, it’s a step to stopping the suffering. And if you’re one of those who is visually inclined or simply like karaoke reading, below are the lyrics to convince you to get involved: Have You Had Enough? Have you had enough of hypocrisy? Have you had enough of the spending spree? Have you had enough? Does it make you want to scream and shout? Have you had enough of the rubber stamps? Have you had enough of the wire taps? If you’ve had enough, then it’s time to throw the rascals out! We’ve let them take the test too long They’ve gotten all the answers wrong No plan, no shame, no oversight Now’s the time to put it right! Have you had enough, cause they’re all corrupt? Have you had enough of being divvied up? If you’ve had enough, then it’s time to throw the rascals out! Well, do what’s right and spread the word It’s time to make our voices heard You cast your vote it don’t cost a dime Sittin’ it out will be a crime I’ve had enough, and it’s time to throw the rascals out ======================================== from Down With Tyranny Monday, August 07, 2006 Today is the official "release day" for Blue America's campaign song, "Have You Had Enough?" which features Rickie Lee Jones, Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher (formerly of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, currently of... Maxwell Mosher). I got a chance to give my perspective on the whole project yesterday but something tells me there are a lot more people who might be interested in what the musicians have to say about their song. Rickie Lee Jones wrote me a note about her own feelings and gave me permission to share it. If you haven't listened to the song yet, I urge you to do it now, before you read what Rickie has to say about it. John's got it up for free downloads here at Crooks and Liars. At this point, it might be easy for someone like me to say 'why bother? He got his two terms (albeit illegally), the damage is done, our economy is wrecked, our ecology is three steps backwards, our domestic policy is "every man for himself," and our foreign policy reads something like "how do say that in English, buster?" Our standing as a military power is forever tainted, and our flag, as a beckon for freedom if only to ourselves, is tattered and sad.' So why kick them out now? Because, they can still do a lot of damage. Because, they deserve to be expelled. Because, they have committed crimes far more grievous than the last guy, with his 80% approval rating, whom they scalded, bewildered and ultimately defeated with a relentless media campaign. I mean, looking back, it wasn't Clinton who was defeated. It was us, the Americans who elected him, who stood up to the bullies. So they impeached him because we, the people, just wouldn't go along with it. Where is the media now, when there are REAL criminals in office? You can hear the voices of the people on the Internet. Where is one echo in the media? Imagine, if a sweet little song rallied the folks to storm their local newspaper or TV station and say "HEY, how about putting our point of view on now? Except that there would be no one there, since Clear Channel bought up most of the radio stations and has a clear right wing agenda. How about the newspaper? No, Rupert Murdock, an Australian, seems to own most of the American news organizations. No, whatever fear you have of his regime, it cannot stop you from letting Bush know you that are furious with him and his criminal entourage. Tom Maxwell is probably best known as a musician and songwriter for the Squirrel Nut Zippers. But at Firedoglake he was just one of us, a dedicated netroots community member, Tommy Yum. It was Tom's excitement about our Blue America chat with homestate candidate/fellow Tarheel Larry Kissell that led to the creation of "Have You Had Enough?" The goal, obviously, is for this song to get a lot of attention and air play. We want to use the machine to further our political goal of minimizing, if not annihilating, the comprehensive assault on our institutions of government. Although I can admit to a certain parochial thrill at the attention, it’s far more reassuring to be part of a much larger gestalt. Certainly, by working with such powerhouses as Rickie Lee and Howie Klein, I have stayed true to my operating principle of being the weakest link in the musical chain! And so this song is dedicated to you: the politicians whom we support, who have decided it can and must be done better, the bloggers, who helped me articulate my inchoate rage and frustration and thus informed these lyrics, the selfless volunteers "in the trenches," who do the most important but decidedly unglamorous GOTV work, and the all of those "who hunger and thirst for righteousness' sake," who may have resigned themselves to valid, but ultimately illusory, feelings of despair and powerlessness. Our name is legion, and we have had enough. The other half of Maxwell Mosher, Ken Mosher like so many of us, is both hoping for a leader to help us change direction and, simultaneously, taking matters into his own hands in the hope of pushing that along. I honestly thought back in November of 1988, when I worked for MoPIRG and did volunteer work for the now-defeated Michael Dukakis and the Democratic Party, that things couldn't be worse for our country. Then in 1997, when the Squirrel Nut Zippers played one of the Clinton Inaugural Balls, I thought that things couldn't be better. Now in 2006, we have truly reached a bottom for this country and our international relations. We need leaders to turn this nation around, and to get there, we need all citizens to come out of the woodwork, activate and demand that we change the direction of the country. ======================================== from FIREDOGLAKE.com November 6, 2006 Amortizing the Election: I know Howie linked to this letter last weekend, but as we approach election day and try to assess the effect that the netroots have had on this cycle, I think it brings up several very important points to keep in mind. The letter comes from Tom Mathieson, the campaign manager for Carol Voison, the Democrat running in OR-02. And if it doesn't bring a tear to your eye, well you're made of tougher stuff than us: Hi Howie – I'm Carol Voisin's campaign manager, and as we get to the end of the campaign I wanted to thank you again for all that you and the Hadenough/BlueAmerica team have done for us and the other candidates. As you and Rick Brown wrote in the Voisin DownWithTyranny writeup, this is one of those campaigns that has such structural disadvantages (Dems lose by 45%+), that it typically never gets off the ground, with a downward spiral of no belief and no money. This year has been different because Carol is a great candidate and she came together with some highly motivated volunteers, several of us from the netroots. Our weakness was also a strength, as the lack of professionals and insiders has allowed us all to keep the campaign in line with our ideals – we've made things up as we went along while running an honest and positive campaign that has shined a big spotlight on Greg Walden's record. Without Hadenough we wouldn't be running any commercials. As soon as we saw it on fdl we put it on Carol’s website (with Walden's numbers next to an explanation about how Coleen Rowley was running against rubberstamper John Kline). Just asking you all if it could get adapted for us seemed like a big deal, yet the answer was always yes, all the interactions were always easy and fast, and soon we were running our own 60 second spot in our only two "metro" areas of Medford and Bend. Since we didn't have much money the ads, played sparsely, were sort of symbolic, but most everything about this campaign has been sort of symbolic, and it felt good. And then a couple of days ago the Democratic Party of Oregon sprung $10,000 for us to run the ad the last week of the campaign. This is enough so that it will really get seen, and really will bring in some votes. The fact that the DPO wanted to spend money on these ads when the Oregon House is in play signifies that they know that it is helping both Carol and all the down ballot races. People see it and they immediately understand and remember the song and the images, and it pushes them across the action-inaction line. I know I'll never get it out of my head. Our grateful thanks to everyone who gave their time and talent to make this happen, and all the FDL and C&L and other people who make Blue America possible… Spurred on by having Hadenough, we made our own 30-second tv ad based on Hadenough, and also just put out a radio spot directly targeting the Second District's large yet often neglected Hispanic community. We’re heading for the finish line, and we’ll be out there phoning and talking to people until the polls close on the 7th. We expect to do better than anyone ever has against Walden, and may be in the running for most improved district… As you watch the results next Tuesday and you see OR-02 go up, note that no Dem has gotten 26% against Walden. Also note that while Carol raised just over $50,000 from people, Walden's bagmen have collected over $1,250,000. He has spent almost a million of it holding off Carol, and hasn't given more than a couple thousand of it back to the Republican party or his pal Pombo, so we're keeping that money out of play. And also note that without a blowout in the Second District, the Republican's will have a hard time reelecting Senator Smith in 2008. And everyone who still has Hadenough in their heads in 2008 will be a hard sell for them to ever get back. We've all done some good work, together. I'm enclosing part of Carol's last newsletter with the story of her leading a group singalong of Hadenough in Bend. Thanks again for all. Happy trails! Tom Mathieson In addition to making everyone who has supported Blue America feel really good about their efforts, it highlights the fact that there is tremendous value in supporting candidates like Voisin running in a district that statistically will always go to the GOP. With $50,000 in cash, she managed to tie up $1,250,000 in Republican money that might have gone to Pombo. That's a race that McNerney stands a very good chance of winning. The "Had Enough" video gave a shot in the arm to people who are running on hope, who have had precious little support from institutional Democrats. And there is down ticket value in running the ad, as recognized by the Democratic Party's $10,000 contribution expressly for that purpose. The left owns popular culture. The Powertools can wax lyrical over Hattie Carol all they want, but Bob Dylan is never going to show up and sing it on behalf of Tom Coburn. It's something we should be looking to more in order to cut through the media glue that prevents candidates in smaller and more unlikely races from being able to gain a foothold in their districts. As a sidenote — although it's not possible to point to exact figures, the GOP had to be hurt this election by the inability to funnel all that dirty DeLay/Abramoff money into House races. And if you think about the fact that the $2.3 million that we shook down 2008 candidates for was a big deal to the DCCC, think about how much the $20 million in GOP money we tied up in the Lieberman race was worth. There is a $40,000 personal cap on giving to federal candidates by any individual, and the Republicans were forced to spend boatloads on Lieberman, money they could not contribute to their troubled House races. (I had to laugh when the Red State guys said that as long as the Republican party itself was not giving money directly to Lieberman they did not care — wingnuts consistently just do not seem to understand how the system works.) Thanks to Tom for writing the letter and reminding us all of the global, long term and strategic value of what we're trying to do. It may not be instantly apparent or quantifiable, but it is tactically important to promoting progressive values in this country nonetheless. ___________________________________________________

 

The Springfield News-Sun
Ex-Zippers to come to town for a swinging Oktoberfest

By Andrew McGinn- Staff Writer

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Tom Maxwell still talks about the time he turned on MTV and saw Daisy Fuentes trying on swimsuits to his song, the Squirrel Nut Zippers' "Hell." And yet he somehow still thinks that's weird. What he's overlooking is the fact that a calypso about damnation could even make it onto MTV. But in the '90s, anything still was possible — and the Zippers proved that by selling more than a million copies of "Hot," an album recorded in a week.

"I hardly remember 1997," Maxwell said this week from North Carolina.

Long after people stopped cramming into swing dancing lessons, Maxwell and his Zippers pal, Ken Mosher, have hit the road again. The Maxwell/Mosher Band will play Oktoberfest in Veterans Park on Oct. 6. Now just inside their 40s, Maxwell and Mosher look back on their days in the Zippers like two guys who never understood what the fuss was about. One day they were traveling around the South, playing what sounded like Oingo Boingo in 1930s Harlem, and the next — well, let Maxwell tell it.

"We were hit by lightning," he said. "All of a sudden, you're on stage in Birmingham and it's 50,000 people." The swing revival was on, and the Zippers went from coast to coast sparking zoot suit riots. Never mind they didn't play swing. But there they were on Dick Clark's "New Year's Rockin' Eve." And that was their music in a Super Bowl commercial for Intel.

"I remember seeing the Gap commercial and it's all these beautiful people wind-milling," Maxwell recalled. "They played this Louis Prima song that Setzer covered, and it said, 'Khakis swing.' " I said, 'That's it. It's over.'"

The Zippers got in a platinum album and a gold follow-up — 1998's "Perennial Favorites" — before the fad tanked. "At the end of the day, we were a one-hit wonder," Maxwell confessed. But what a hit, and what a time to be making music that was so defiantly retro.

Maxwell and Mosher, both of whom left the band in 1999, have continued on that path, only as songwriters for movies and television. They scored "My Mummy," a yet-to-be released film that was shot locally in 2004 by New Carlisle native and Coen brothers storyboard artist J. Todd Anderson. "It's in people's DNA," Maxwell said of the music. "People might have seen Warner Bros. cartoons or 'Tom and Jerry' as kids. It's such American music. It's not black or white. It's not rich or poor. They don't think, 'This is old.' "

The only problem, as Maxwell sees it, is that, "America tends to be amnesic.

"You go to Copenhagen and they hate you because you're American," he said. "Then they're showing you all these Louis Armstrong records they bought." In 2004, given the number of movies and TV shows that have licensed Zippers' songs, the duo got into the publishing game themselves.

But if you live in Turkey, you knew that.

"Our re-recorded version of 'Hell' was used for a Rinso commercial in Turkey," Maxwell bragged. "We recently got a copy of this absolutely hallucinogenic advertisement for Turkish laundry detergent."

from The Oxford Press

D-A-M-N-A-T-I-O-N

By Andy McGinn | Saturday, October 7, 2006, 12:40 PM

Springfield might be an “All America” city, but it has a long ways to go in terms of hipness.

Case in point: The first night of Oktoberfest on Friday in Veterans Park.

Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher, formerly of Squirrel Nut Zippers (yes, of “Hell” fame), put on one of the coolest shows around and what happens? Nobody shows up. It was a free show, too. OK, so there were maybe a hundred people kicking around the park, but it was just a drop in the bucket compared to how many people march down there to hear PHIL DIRT dig up the same Frankie Valli songs year after year after year after year (OK, you get the point).

This was the first year for Oktoberfest in Vets Park, so perhaps people just didn’t want to take a chance. (On a FREE show, mind you.)

The Maxwell-Mosher Band (Tom and Ken only started playing live again in December) smoked from start to finish; sounded like what Oingo Boingo might have sounded like had Danny Elfman and Co. been teleported back to the 1930s.

Cool stuff. And it was probably the first time I’d ever heard a wah-wah tuba solo. Now THAT was cool.

I missed singer-songwriter Ryan Judy’s set early in the night, but Crazy Joe and the Mad River Outlaws were as great live as everybody says. They’re a bunch of guys from Enon who play rockabilly. I was sold from the opening notes of the Collins Kids’ “Mercy.”

Also loved Crazy Joe’s original tune about going to the barber and asking for a “Springfield special” … a mullet!

‘Nuff said.

Can’t wait for Oktoberfest 2007.

========================================

from THE GREAT SOUTHERN BRAINFART

Saxapahaw River Mill Concert Series
Saturday, August 12, 2006

One of the nicest days of the summer was made that much better by a stellar performance by the Maxwell/Mosher Band. I've said it before and I'll say it again, THESE DUDES ARE SMOKIN'! They are without a doubt the best thing to come outta Chapel Hill since Franklin Street! I can't remember the last time I was THIS pumped by a local act.

Anyways, the guys were one man down (drummer Matt Vooris was not present) and when most bands would've been at a loss or even cancelled, these guys just when on with the show and rocked it out like there was no tomorrow. Matter of fact, if I was their drummer, I'd be scarred by that (just kidding!). They hit the stage like true pros and delivered the goods giving 110%.

Along with tuba player Mark Drauman, The Maxwell/Mosher Band kicked off the evening with a new instrumental called "You Are My Rodeo" and this took us right into "You Always Get What's Comin'" from Tom's solo disc "Samsara". Following this was one of my all time fave Squirrel Nut Zippers songs, "Bad Businessman". They played this song with such strength and intensity that I could just feel the energy. Other highlights for me were hearing "Sixes and Sevens" from Tom's album "Samsara" and hearing their amazing cover of Malvina Reynolds' "Little Boxes". It's so amazing to see three people on a stage making so much music. I even heard someone next to me say "If you close your eyes, you'd swear there were 5 or 6 people up there". I couldn't have said it better myself.

The guys were just amazing to watch and their interaction with each other and with the crowd is something pretty special. They really make the audience become part of the show and you can't help but feel that way when watching a Maxwell/Mosher show. These guys should be famous and bigger than any band around right now but to be selfish, I'm glad they're not because that's just more of them for us to enjoy!

Do yourselves a favor and if you see them coming to your town, go see them. At least pick up the CD. It's so damned good you'll thank me FIVE times... at least!

========================================

Concert Review

(Sunday, May 21, 2006 10:47 AM) - Maxwell/Mosher; 5/20/06
The Flying Anvil, Greensboro, N.C.

Squirrel Nut Zipper alums Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher have hit the stage again, playing some of the music that put them on the map. They played some originals as well as a heaping handful of SNZ tunes from "The Inevitable" and "Hot!" albums.Don't think of them as a cover band though. They're doing the Zippers songs their way, and it sounds as good as ever. I talked with the duo before the show, and they said their original fear was that it would be like a cover band. However, they said that feeling was short-lived and they're having a great time.

Their performance at the Flying Anvil was only their 12th show.

"Danny Diamond," "Wash Jones," "Put a Lid on It," and my favorite SNZ song "The Interlocutor" were all part of the set. The duo was backed by two of the members of Smnmnmnm - the drummer and tuba player. Yes, this was the first time I had seen a tuba play with a band, but it worked.

I'd seen the Zippers a few times over the years - with Maxwell and Mosher and after their departure from the group - and the music sounded just as good on Saturday as it had back in the 1990s.

On a side note - this was my first trip to the newly-opened Flying Anvil and I was impressed with the sound and atmosphere. The turnout was small, but there's potential in this club. It's a mix of Carrboro's Cat's Cradle and the split layout of Charlotte's Tremont Music Hall.

With Mosher and Maxwell both in it for the fun, they should be around for a while. Or at least until the excitement wears off. It's sad that the Zippers fell apart over the years, but Maxwell/Mosher are offering an opportunity for the music to live on.

========================================

from THE GREAT SOUTHERN BRAINFART

Maxwell/Mosher
Live @ The Flying Anvil
Greensboro, NC 05/20/06

The Squirrel Nut Zippers burst onto the scene back in 1995 and delivered a classic sound to audiences that were really in need of something completely different. In a time when the grunge movement was already starting extend it's welcome and meloncholoy, monotoned depressed angst ridden music was starting it's up rise, the Zippers were a welcome change that showed both music lovers young and old that the old could not only be made new but made GOOD again, if not better! They are even credited for being the act to front the whole big band/swing music revival that also spawned such acts as The Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Big Bad Voodood Daddy, and The Brian Setzer Orchestra.

The band experienced much success after the release of their album "Hot" which spawned the Tom Maxwell hit "HELL". Both Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher departed the band in 1999 and the band went on to make one last album without them and then permenantly disbanded.

In December of 2005, Ken Mosher and Tom Maxwell answered the calling to make music together once again resulting in a comeback that I feel will not go overlooked much longer. Enter Maxwell/Mosher. The new group consists of Maxwell and Mosher and the fantastic rhythm section of Matt Vooris on drums and Mark Daumen on electric tuba (both of the band SNMNMNM) and these guys aren't playin' around.

After having missed them two other times, I FINALLY made the trek to see these guys w/ a friend on Saturday night and lemme tell you, it was worth every drop of friggin' gas. Once we got to the venue, I anxiously awaited the arival of Maxwell/Mosher. They hit the stage with Tom Maxwell exclaiming "Yeah yeah, we aint dead yet fuckers!".

The versions of the Zippers' tunes they delivered were flawless! I have never seen so much music come out of 4 people in my entire life! They knocked out some great selections such as "Pallin' With Al" from "Perrinial Favorites", "Danny Diamond", and "Wash Jones" from "The Inevitable Squirrel Nut Zippers" and delievered hell raising, roof raising rendition of "HELL" from the album "Hot". Even cooler was hearing their new material such as "Twilight" featuring Ken Mosher on Saxaphone, "Blow Wolf", and their amazing take on the classic "Put A Lid On It". The energy on the stage was definitely shared by the small but EXTREMELY appreciated and receptive audience. There wasn't a still body in the house as these guys just continued to deliver the goods one song after another.

The show seemed to go by so fast but the guys were having so much fun. You could tell that they just absolutely love making music together. I even had the pleasure of chatting with Ken Mosher about the good ol' days and the great days that are to come!

It's great to have these guys back and making music again that matters! WELCOME HOME BOYS!!!

========================================

ENTERTAINMENT PICK #1 FOR CHRISTMAS WEEK, 2005

Maxwell/Mosher. You don't know the name. But you know where they've come from. Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher are former members of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, the North Carolina group that became one of the biggest music stories of the 1990s in North Carolina. Maxwell and Mosher have joined forces to put out their first CD as well as contribute a tune, "Carolina Christmas" to a "Dear Santa" compilation that includes Alicia Keys, Andy Williams and Johnny Mathis.

Matter of fact, you can catch Maxwell and Mosher at the Border's in Winston-Salem at 7 p.m.

Friday. Also, visit www.gotriad.com/go/audio to hear "Carolina Christmas." It's a sweet tune.

========================================

Zippers fans get holiday treat

By Rebecca Bailey : The Herald-Sun

chh@heraldsun.com

Dec 8, 2005 : 7:13 pm ET

PITTSBORO -- Fans of the Squirrel Nut Zippers -- and anyone who enjoys an exuberantly eclectic mix of jazzy instrumentals, syncopated rhythms and smart lyrics -- will be able to find two new holiday gift possibilities at record stores and, yes, at U.S. post offices this holiday season.

Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher, founding members of the Zippers and the primary songwriters for the late lamented local group, have just released their new CD "Maxwell/Mosher." And the U.S. Post Office will distribute "Dear Santa," a holiday CD that ties in with a FOX special airing tonight at 8 p.m. On that album, two songs by Maxwell and Mosher -- "Carolina Christmas" and "Auld Lang Syne" -- join holiday songs by Alicia Keys, Nat King Cole and other greats, past and present.

"Our songs on the record are a real connection between the classic songs and the modern works," said Mosher.

"We did 'Auld Lang Syne' right after Hurricane Katrina," added Maxwell. "The best way to pay tribute to New Orleans was to arrange 'Auld Lang Syne' as a jazz funeral, with a mournful beginning and a celebratory end."

More than 600,000 copies of the holiday CD will be available from 20,000 post offices across the country. The Fox special tonight will feature the most compelling "Dear Santa" letters from children asking for help.

And the songwriters' new CD, "Maxwell/Mosher," said publicity director Amy Barefoot, "is quirky and beautiful, and as close to a new Zippers record as anybody's gonna get."

The new record, said Maxwell, "continues the Zippers' musical narrative. 'Swing' never fit right as a description. I always believed that the Zippers were defined more by enthusiasm, romance, menace and raggedy authority. The Maxwell/Mosher record's got that in spades."

Mosher said that the new release has two components: the four re-recorded songs from the Zipper years -- 'Hell,' 'Put a Lid on It,' 'The Kraken' and 'Twilight' -- were recorded by request for publishing or commercial usage.

"Except for 'Hell,' these new arrangements are noticeably different from the originals," said Mosher. "'Twilight' has a great new vibe part. 'The Kraken' is longer, with an even more lovely harp part by Emily Laurance. 'Lid' had a great guest vocal by Ingrid Lucia of the Flying Neutrinos, who lost everything in New Orleans after Katrina."

The other 12 songs, said Mosher, are from publishing and scoring work.

"Since we aren't the Zippers -- or a touring band -- we weren't confined to any particular instrumentation," he said. New sounds on the CD include "a couple of synthesizers, accordion, autoharp and songs created over a percussion loop."

Mosher's favorite new songs are also featured in a yet-to-be released film, "The Bread Squeezer." "They all embody the fun of the Zippers feel, but are more complex and dynamic, and integrate many different instruments," he said.

"I don't think there's an instrument made that we don't like, or that we couldn't use," added Maxwell on a recent afternoon, just before the duo headed to a radio interview and a performance for UNC-TV. Mosher said he has always wanted to try the oboe, and Maxwell is interested in the tabla, an Indian drum. "But you actually have to study for years -- and I'm not prepared to do that," he added.

Fans, however, shouldn't rule it out. Both musicians, who live in Pittsboro, said that they have become more interested in classical music. "We have no training classically, or in orchestration, but that won't prevent us from trying," said Maxwell.

The duo has amassed an impressive list of accomplishments, as first Zippers and then as Maxwell/Mosher Publishing.

"We've worked as hard as we have ever worked on writing for the past two years," said Mosher, "and we have two very different records ["Maxwell/Mosher" and the rock album "Brother Seeker"], two finished [movie] soundtracks and a bunch of other pieces."

"Dear Santa" on FOX at 8 p.m. tonight includes music by Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher.

Maxwell and Mosher also will perform at Borders Books in Chapel Hill at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 and at the Cave in Chapel Hill, Dec. 16.

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Thursday, December 22, 2005 1:00 am           

Hometown: Pittsboro

Comprised of former members of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Maxwell/Mosher has been touring Borders Bookstores throughout North Carolina to promote "Dear Santa," a Christmas compilation including two of their songs. They'll perform at 7 p.m. Friday at the Borders in Winston-Salem location (252 S. Stratford Rd.). Meanwhile, they recently released their self-titled debut full of Zipper tunes and other originals.

Web site: www.maxwellmosher.com

Behind the music: Tom: "I first laid eyes on Ken when I was practicing in his neighborhood in an abandoned gas station. I was with a band and singing backup really badly. So Ken burst in the door, thinking he knew the band and going to tell me that I was horribly flat or something, but then he realized he didn't know us. So he just said, 'Sounds good,' and leaves.

That's the story I tell anyway ... We've been playing together for 12 years - longer than The Beatles have. That's about the only comparison we can make to The Beatles though."

Ken: "The Zippers started in 1993, and we were both playing there. We left in 1999 and they did one more album after we left. Tom put out a solo record. I joined a rock band. But eventually we wanted to do work together and emphasize publishing and soundtrack work. It's really gone down an unexpected path. I wouldn't have believed you if you'd told me we'd be playing promotional shows. The response to the record's been great."

Changes since Zipper days: Tom: "On the Maxwell/Mosher record we used instruments not used with the Zippers, which is tricky to say because we never felt limited then. There are a couple of stylistic differences, but a lot of it is similar in the sense that all the things we loved about the Zippers are still here: the enthusiasm, the minor keys, the raggedy ass authority. It continues the Zippers' musical narrative ... We realized we each had a little Zipper still in us."

On doing Christmas tunes: Tom: "When you do a Christmas album, you do it in the summer so you don't feel too Christmasy. Honestly, I feel like a lot of Christmas music is crappy, and I certainly don't want to hear it to the extent that it's played during the season. But some of it is really good, too. We also recorded after Katrina, and we'd done a lot of work in New Orleans so we were pretty depressed about that - all the destruction and people we know having to move on - so that was tremendously affecting. It was tough, really tough. 'Auld Lang Syne' we arranged like a New Orleans funeral - starting slow with a party in the middle. The other, 'Carolina Christmas' was a Zipper song. For that we just tried to sound 20 percent less drunk than when we did it on the Zippers album."

The new self-titled album: Ken: "We re-did the Zippers' song 'Hell,' which is the title for A&E's show 'Family Plots.' So there are familiar songs like that. Then there are 12 songs that are a compilation of the publication and soundtrack work we've done over the past year."

Maxwell/Mosher's desert island discs: The Beatles' "Revolver," Fats Waller's "Pipe Organ Sides," Johnny Ace's memorial album, The Zombies' "Odessey and Oracle," and Radiohead's "OK Computer."

Favorite lyrics: Tom: "I lie in the road try to trip up the passing cars/Yes me and the hedgehog/We're bursting the tires all day.' It's from "Rock Bottom," an album by Robert Wyatt. It's just a tremendous study in having a hard day.

Ken: "There's just so many great lyrics out there. I mean, we were sitting around last night celebrating the life of John Lennon and listening to Lennon records. 'Strawberry Fields Forever' is just a lesson on how to kick ass. That was a man who was never at a loss for an amazing lyric."

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Zippers live on in odd spots

David Menconi, Staff Writer

As most bands do, Chapel Hill's Squirrel Nut Zippers ended badly, splintering a few years ago amid much acrimony. It was an unfortunate end to one of the unlikeliest success stories of the 1990s -- a million-selling album and a hit song, "Hell," that helped kick off the short-lived swing fad.

But eight years after the Zippers' "Hell" was an MTV staple, it still turns up in some strange places. Coming Jan. 10 is a "comedy-rock" compilation called "Fun Tracks Wisecracks" (Rhino Records), featuring "Hell" alongside novelty-flavored songs by Devo, Fountains of Wayne, They Might Be Giants, Barenaked Ladies and Wall of Voodoo. And Zippers alumnus Tom Maxwell, who wrote "Hell," reports that the song is also in a detergent commercial in Turkey.

"I guess interest in that song just never waned," Maxwell says. "Even if it was always a square peg."

Since there seems to be demand for the Zippers with no band to satisfy it, Maxwell and his fellow ex-Zipper Ken Mosher decided to do the next best thing. Their self-released new album "Maxwell/Mosher" includes re-recordings of four Zippers songs (including "Hell" and "Put a Lid on It"), plus new songs in the same spirit. It's the closest thing to another Squirrel Nut Zippers record that is ever likely to be.

"We're not calling this a Zippers record, but if you didn't like the Zippers, you won't enjoy it," Maxwell says. "We incorporate a lot of what we thought defined the Zippers: enthusiasm, minor keys, menace, off-kilter romance, raggedy-ass authority, diversity. I loved that then and I still love it now. It just took a few years to get the bad taste out of my mouth."

Maxwell and Mosher also have two tracks on the recently released Christmas album "Dear Santa," which is being sold through the U.S. Postal Service. They remade another Zippers song, "Carolina Christmas" (from 1998's "Christmas Caravan"); and they recorded the New Year's Eve standard "Auld Lang Syne" in the style of jazz funeral music -- a tribute to New Orleans, where the Zippers did a lot of their recording.

"We needed to get something cooking to still have a career," Maxwell says. "We're not exactly cashing gigantic Squirrel Nut Zippers checks and drinking ourselves to sleep every night. But there's interest out there, which is immensely gratifying. We tried to do music that would date well, but you don't know if it will last -- especially since the success we had was in this boat-anchor swing crapola that had a shelf-life date on it. After it ended, that was that. But we still get fan letters from 16-year-olds. We were dropping off some records and this girl goes, 'Squirrel Nut Zippers, I used to listen to you when I was 9!'

"Funny," Maxwell concludes, "I told her, 'I was in that band when I was 12.' "

Maxwell/Mosher are also playing some live shows, including a double-header tonight -- 7 p.m. at the North Raleigh Borders, on Six Forks Road at Strickland Road, followed by a nightcap performance later at The Cave in Chapel Hill. They next play Saturday at the Cary Borders, then Thursday at the Central Raleigh Borders, on Six Forks Road at Wake Forest Road. For details, check www.maxwellmosher.com .