“_Paste Magazine_ “:http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/free_mp3/2010/10/download-the-mommyheads-work.html is offering a free download of “Work,” the next single from the Mommyheads’ wonderful _Finest Specimens_ album.

_Finest Specimens_, a 21-song retrospective of the band’s 21-year career, hits stores October 19.

Magnet Magazine debuted the live video of The Mommyheads’ “Needmore, PA” last week in the “Film at Eleven” feature on their website.

The video is the actual performance that’s captured in the Dromedary release of _Finest Specimens_, which hits the streets on October 19.

Check it out “here”:http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2010/09/20/film-at-11-the-mommyheads/

Here’s what Magnet had to say about the Mommyheads:

_Back in the ’90s, the Mommyheads were a quirky, pop-leaning indie-rock band with a cult following that achieved virtually no commercial success whatsoever. The same can be said about far too many other groups from the era, but what separated the Mommyheads from their peers was just how good these musicians were. Although they broke up in 1998, they played the occasional show, which led to them recording a new album, You’re Not A Dream, a decade later. On October 19, the Dromedary label is issuing Finest Specimens, a 21-track, career-spanning retrospective featuring a handful of previously unreleased live tracks. We are proud to debut the video for the live version of 1995 standout “Needmore, PA,” recorded earlier this year in Sweden._

And here’s the video:

The Mommyheads: “Needmore, PA” from Dromedary Records on Vimeo.

Tim Hinely’s long-running and still cool zine _Dagger_ was cool enough to give us some time, talking to Dromedary about the old days of indie rock, our reasons for re-launching the label, some of the changes in indie rock over the years, and our plans for the future.

Check out the entire interview “here”:http://www.daggerzine.com/interviews_main.html

This week also saw the release of the first single from the Mommyheads’ forthcoming CD _Finest Specimens_ – a “Best of the Mommyheads” sort of compilation. The first single is a stunning live version of the classic “Needmore, PA” that was recorded live in Stockholm this past May.

You can pick up a free MP3 copy from the excellent blog Largehearted Boy “here”:http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2010/09/daily_downloads_2395.html

The release party for the _Finest Specimens_ CD will be at our favorite place on earth: Maxwell’s, in Hoboken, on October 22. This is right in the middle of the _CMJ Music Marathon_, and CMJ badges will be honored at the show. This is a Dromedary Records showcase, so we’ll be announcing other fantastic guests shortly – for now, though, you can trust that there won’t be a better bill anywhere in the NYC area.

Fans of mid-90s indie pop will remember Shirk Circus as the Jersey-based, Descendents-influenced band that formed in early 1991 and performed for much of the decade, releasing two fantastic albums for the legendary Bar/None label.

The band’s first CD, the critically heralded masterpiece _Words To Say_ was recorded and produced by Ray Ketchem (now of Elk City) in under an hour. A stripped-down, collection of suburban angst, most of the album’s tracks were recorded in just one take with no overdubs. The result was 14 brilliant songs that captured the band’s raw energy and served as a taste of what looked to be an exciting future.

For their second CD, the band went in the opposite direction, retreating to Jody Stephens’ legendary Ardent Studios in Memphis. The result, _March_, was worlds apart, sonically, from their debut, but still captured the production values of Big Star and the immediacy and energy of the band.

After the release of _March_, which was not as successful commercially as anyone had hoped, the band began recording a third album. Unfortunately, the band imploded and the unfinished CD was never released.

Until now.

We’re thrilled to announce the forthcoming issue of a previously unreleased, unheard, and *LONG* awaited third Shirk Circus CD. We’ve heard it, and trust us – it will be worth the wait.

Stay tuned for more info.

A year ago today marked the day that Dromedary’s re-launch became “official.”

It was the weirdest of circumstances. We’d spent the better part of the past year telling the story of Dromedary on our “blog”:http://dromedaryrecords.wordpress.com and had begun getting emails from people, asking where they could get the old music we were posting on some of our blog entries. One thing led to another and we were, suddenly, seriously kicking around the idea of becoming a record label again.

On September 5, though, at a surprise birthday party for me (I’m Al; I write most of these entries and articles and such), the great Footstone reunited for their first show in a decade.

It was, for me, a little weird – the band did not end well, and though much of the bad blood had become water under the bridge, it was still bizarre to see them all together beforehand. They were acting as if they’d never been apart (and really, these guys had been together as a band since they were in _high school_), and the normal pre-show jitters were present – Ralph a little bit pensive, Mark and Dave just a tiny bit goofier than normal, Eric just a little bit tense.

And then they hit the “stage” (actually, my lawn), and ten years of rust was shaken off within two songs. They played a set chock full of fan favorites, sounded fantastic, and by the time they closed with a cover of Cheap Trick’s “He’s A Whore,” the rebirth of Dromedary was complete.

Here, by the way, is that very cover.

It was a pretty special day, and it was one year ago today.

On the heels of Dromedary’s reissue of the classic Mommyheads CD _Flying Suit_, we’re ecstatic to announce that this fall, we will be releasing _Finest Specimens_.

Beginning with their incredibly creative and influential debut album _Acorn_ (Fang Records, 1989), the band has enjoyed a long history of creating incredible avant-pop and indie rock music. _Finest Specimens_ is a sort of “best of the Mommyheads” collection, containing 21 tracks that span the band’s entire career, right through 2008’s acclaimed CD _You’re Not A Dream_ (Bladen County Records).

With many of the band’s earlier works currently out of print, _Finest Specimens_ offers an excellent window into the band’s history. But that’s not all – the CD also contains four previously unreleased live tracks, including a spectacular version of the fan favorite “Needmore, PA” that was recorded on the band’s 2010 tour of Sweden.

And best of all, the CD contains a *brand new Mommyheads track* – the hauntingly beautiful ballad “When The Sun Breaks.”

Fang Records founder and NYC avant garde music veteran Chris Rael writes “I met the Mommyheads in 1988, when they were all still teenagers. They were child priests of progressive music, brilliant and ecstatic, richly talented and fearless in their pursuit of the new. They were sophisticated, funny, and shockingly cynical for their age, bending your brain and heart into pretzels. Soaking up sounds from the likes of XTC, James Brown, and Pussy Galore, they composed epic carnivals and jammed like banshees.

They have played some of the most exciting shows I’ve ever seen.

Everywhere they went, they left a trail of converts. The band relentlessly cris-crossed the country, built a devoted audience, and eventually broke up in the wake of an aborted major label deal in 1997.

Either together or as individuals, The Mommyheads will be heard from again.”

Out this October, _Finest Specimens_ is an excellent start.