I mentioned a while back that for those musicians who wanted to have a bigger say in the Grammy Awards now was the time to join the Academy.
Well, with the big election less than a month away, I just thought I'd update you on the status of the Awards. According to Karen Rappaport McHugh, the deadline for registering to select the Grammy finalists in each category has passed -- it was October 1. But the deadline for selecting the winner among the finalists/nominees is December 1. (Nominees are announced Dec. 4.)
Even if you don't have an album in the running (it's too late to submit yours this year), you musicians and producers and art directors should sign up now... The 51st Annual Grammy Awards are set for Feb. 9, 2009.
New Music From Yo Gabba Gabba. (Sorta. Kinda.)
I've already talked about the new Yo Gabba Gabba! CD coming out next week, but you don't have to wait 'til then to get some YGG-related tunes.
Vancouver's The Salteens have released two new songs they recorded for the show. If you follow that link and give 'em an e-mail address, you'll instantaneously start downloading two tracks they recorded for the show -- "All My Friends" and "Count on my Hands." Of the two, "All My Friends" is the poppier and more straight-forward song; "Count" is a little more didactic, but cute in its own way. One of the songs, according to lead singer Scott Walker, was used in the current Season Two, but with different lyrics.
On a side note, Salteens fans will be a bit disappointed with the forthcoming CD as the wrong Salteens song will be on disk. Apparently everyone loves "I'm So Happy I Can Dance," but the disk features "Be Kind To Animals."
Review in Brief: One Day Soon - The Sippy Cups

Listen To This: "Creepy Lullabies"
I told you last week about the two new releases from the wonderful Wee Hairy Beasties. Jon Langford, Sally Timms, and Kelly Hogan, backed up by Devil in a Woodpile, are giving their bug-sized slice of Americana another shot, this time with a Halloween take, on their Creepy Lullabies double-single/EP.
And you can now go hear for yourself. Get yourself on over to their Myspace page to give five new songs a spin. "Wee Scary Beasties" gives their theme song a twist, "Creepy Lullaby" is a gentle, ever-so-slightly-askew, lullaby, and "Monster's Disco" would be, if there was any justice in this world, a massive novelty hit. "The Lonely Vampire" and "Pumpkinhead" also make an appearance.
In addition, there are some more details about that second full-length. It's entitled Holidays Gone Crazy, and it's set to be released Nov. 4. It appears that many (all?) of the Halloween songs will make an appearance on this full CD, along with more traditional songs such as "Dinosaur Christmas." (What? That's not a traditional Christmas song? Well, maybe it will be.)
Anyway, go listen.
Laurie Berkner! Webcast! Tonight!
Well, perhaps it's not quite as exciting as "Weird Al" Yankovic releasing his new song on iTunes days after its conception, but it's close, especially for the 3-to-5-year-old set and some of their parents, too.
Laurie Berkner will be hosting her first-ever webcast tonight at 8 PM Eastern. Go here to watch. Letters will be read, "Rocketship Run" will be played acoustically. Fun will be had (presumably) by all....
Video: "The Day After Halloween" - The Sippy Cups
San Francisco's The Sippy Cups have a new EP, One Day Soon, coming out today on iTunes, and to celebrate they've posted a video for the EP's most timely song, "The Day After Halloween." The song is a bit of a departure from a lot of Sippy Cups songs as it's pretty straightforward in its narrative structure. It's not a departure in that it has a not small amount of humor, and the accompanying video, about a kid who refuses to take off his ghost costume the next day, has got some amusing visuals.
7 + 5 = CANDY. Has that ghost been taking math lessons from my daughter?
The Sippy Cups - "The Day After Halloween"