Opening Up Valentines Day with Larry Lynch and crew!

Reprinting from our Mewsletter of this morning:

Larry Lynch of FAVEs and Greg Kihn Band fame has released a single, purrrfectly timed for Valentines Day. We at Berrrkeley Cat Records are late to this party, actually, as the video from Larry and Debra Knox is alrrready stirring hearts on the YouTubes! The song, composed by Mr. Lynch and his lifelong musical comrade Robbie Dunbar, was produced in the FAVES’ fave studio tradition at 25th Street Recording in Oakland.

Larry Lynch among his many talents is that rare case of a great drummer who is also an excellent singer, AND, can do these things expertly at the same time in live performances. Robbie Dunbar, as I’ve mentioned in these pages, is a lifelong guitar hero to me, going all the way back to his work in Beserkley legends Earth Quake when I was a kid, long before I met any of these gents. They are joined on this single by Bass guitar wizard Jonathan Bassil, and the magnificent Tony Malfatti on Sax.

Writes Larry about the conception of the song,

“Robbie and I wrote Open Up in my garage, where we usually come up with all our songs and ideas. We wanted this song to be fun and not try to be so serious about it. So with that, I went back to when I was a shy kid and couldn’t even talk to girls, (except as friends) which made me so frustrated with myself because I loved them so much. This is how I really wanted to be in my imagination! Having confidence and courage to believe that yes, I can ask girls out and really let them know how good they make me feel. So with this song I’m acting that out and it feels so good to believe that hey, I can do this!”

It’s an honor and a pleasure to release this new original song on BCR, and fitting that it lands on such an appropriate holiday. Recorded and mixed and mastered by the masterful Gabriel Shepard, Open Up is now available in your fave streaming services worldwide.

The cover art is Paul Jackson’s 7” vinyl-themed label, built with Shannon Wheeler’s cat-on-record-player logo. (Thanks, guys!)

Open up this widget for links to some of said streaming services!→

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/larrylynch1/open-up

Others will likely be added there soon.

And this is Eric Din, Beserkley Records superfan and Berkeley Cat Records catnip vendor in chief, opening up a new day, with curiosity and cute lil’ candy-hearts for all. <3

Doin’ The Things That We Used To Do by Eric Din

Despite our best efforts we have been unable to curtail Eric Din’s wanton record-making. He writes a song, produces it, and releases it before we’ve had a chance to adequately process or mention his previous singles. This irresponsible “flooding of the zone” with good vibes has not gone unnoticed by the Berkeley Cat Records International Corporate Overlords (BCRICO) and we are considering appropriate measures. Meanwhile, here’s this “happy accident,” and it’s Ska-Pop, no less.

Here is it in all the places:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/ericdin/doin-the-things-that-we-used-to-do

“What The Universe Knows” – cosmic new single from Eric Din

The very latest from Eric Din is a cosmic California reggae-rock remedy, pairing well with stargazing or beachwalking and pondering the infinite universe. Produced the day after it was conceived, released the following morning, What The Universe Knows
fits Din’s “insta-single” tradition, and he’s quite pleased with this one, enough to speak of himself in the third person. Din invites you to enjoy and share, on Bandcamp or any of the many streaming implements.

Artwork is a printout of Shannon Wheeler’s BCR logokitty, plus Din’s penmanship, then scanned to create the insta-single-cover.

Here are the lyrics and credits, because why not,

What The Universe Knows

Standing in the summer air
Thumb over the moon
Milky Way above shines
As it’ll do

Floating down the river Time
And wondering, what next
Gazing at the night sky
As one does

Since we ever had eyes
And tried to understand
With senses to perceive, and
Words to describe

I don’t know
What the universe knows
Can’t say
What the universe holds
OK, I guess we find out
Someday
Not in a hurry to know
All the universe knows
What the universe knows

Don’t mind a mystery
Always good to see
Stars from a distance
Guide us at sea

Had a dream of flying
Weightlessly rising
Fearlessly falling
And lettin’ go

I don’t know
What the universe knows
Can’t say
What the universe holds
OK, I guess we find out
Someday
Not in a hurry to know
All the universe knows
What the universe knows

Guitars, vocals, drum wrangling and hand-percussion: Eric Din

© 2025 Eric Roy Dinwiddie
King Roy Music, BMI
Berkeley Cat Records

The UpTones, In the Studio 1987, 5-Song EP

Recorded in August of 1987, these are the last studio tracks made by the UpTones during their original run. Three 24-track analog reels were transferred to digital and mixed down in 2025, a mere 38 years later.

Released on Bandcamp, February 1, 2026
https://theuptones.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-studio-1987

Charles Stella – Vocals and Guitars
Eric Dinwiddie – Vocals and Guitars
Paul Jackson – Vocals, Keyboards, and various percussion
Ben Eastwood – Bass
John Mader – Drums
Adam Beach – Baritone Sax
Scott Jensen – Trumpet
Josh Miller – Tenor Sax

Original recordings produced and engineered by Jim Dean at the Music Annex in Menlo Park, California, in August of 1987

Transferred to digital by Russell Bond,
and mixed by Eric Dinwiddie for Berkeley Cat Records, in late 2025

Mastered by Myles Boisen
Artwork by Paul Jackson with a photo by David Kerner

A Beet Poetry Anthem by Eric Din Encircles The Globe at EOY

EOY? End Of Year, Eeyore, and we didn’t reeeally Encircle The Globe, but hey, truth is so Last Millennium. That too is False, and anyway, having some fun with it all, with a rockin’ summary or synopsis of the year at hand, including Vogons, who clearly are having their moment.  On Bandcamp:

And in the everywheres:

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/ericdin/a-beet-poetry-anthem

Merry All The Things, and see you next year, we think.

“Easier Ways” – epic new full-length album from Nonuffya Bizznis and the Private Dancers

Following the madly successful mid-year release of the single “Upgrade” and it’s associated MAXI EP which you can get here, BCR and Nonuffya Bizznis and the Private Dancers are super extra bonus proud to announce the release of 2025’s full length album “Easier Ways.” Again the folks in the band run an eclectic mix of styles, covering a diverse range of topics from shampoo instructions without end, a life story (we presume it’s Nonuffya’s story), gaslighting, optimization, status envy and consumerism, welding, personality problems, more personality problems, Elon Effing Musk, words taken the wrong way, and the fall of empires.

Get it while it’s hot!

Alles ist kaputt, according to Eric Din

Din leans in on his Schlager side, this time with a clear New Wave bent. We’ve heard plenty of ranting against Ai-Slop, appropriately so, but have you heard it in broken German-English? Germinglish, if you will. We’re pretty sure this is the premiere specimen of Germinglish General Ranting About Everything (GGRAE) in the civilized or uncivilized world today.
Many a streaming option here.

By the way, the title case is correct: Alles ist kaputt

Stylized per German standards, you see. If it were English, we’d generally capitalize each word, like Alles Ist Kaputt

But, German it is, so the stylizing is correct. WILL the Apple Music editors balk at this affront to standard practices? We’ll soon know. If that’s kaput.