POP MUSIC : Don’t Be Bashful; the Call Is Out for All Stupid Songs

Aspiring songwriters, take note: Here’s a chance to make a name for yourselves in the music industry and, at the same time, give your funny bones a good workout.

“The Stupid Song Contest” is the brainchild of three veteran San Diego tunesmiths: Peter Dubow, a keyboardist who has played with Blonde Bruce Band; Robert Savery, who plays with the traditional country band the Savery Brothers, and a third party who asked to remain anonymous. (He’s written some really big songs for some really big stars and, I’m told, doesn’t want anyone to know he’s involved in something so frivolous.)

Here’s how it works: Send a cassette and a lyric sheet of your stupid song, along with a check for $10, to The Stupid Song Contest, 270 North Canon Drive, Suite 9000, Beverly Hills, 90210. The deadline is March 31. Winning entries will appear on a nationally distributed compilation album, appropriately titled “The Stupid Song Contest Album.”

“There are plenty of contests for serious songs, but all songwriters have stupid songs just lying around with no place to send them,” Dubow said. “And now, thanks to our contest, there is a place for stupid songs to go. It was something we felt needed doing, something we wanted to do.”

And what constitutes a stupid song?

“We’re not looking for unintentionally stupid songs by people like Neil Diamond or Madonna, but intentionally stupid songs, like the novelty songs on “Dr. Demento,” Dubow said. “People around town might know David Bradley’s “Shut Up and Get Me a Beer,” stuff like that. Songs that are just, well, stupid.”

The only caveats: no vulgarity and no parodies of existing songs. “Vulgarity is just too easy, too often done,” Dubow said. “And, with the no parodies rule, we don’t want to have problems with copyright infringements--and besides, Weird Al Yankovic sort of has that territory covered.”

The Stupid Song Contest is being advertised in national songwriters magazines as well as regional publications like the L.A. Weekly and Nashville’s Song Talk. Posters and flyers are being distributed to music stores and nightclubs in San Diego, Los Angeles, Nashville and Austin, Tex., four cities in which Dubow, Savery and their unnamed co-conspirator have music-biz connections.

“We’re hoping to place the album with some national label like Rhino Records; that would be the logical choice,” Dubow said. “If not, we’re going to put it out ourselves, any way we have to.

“We’re confident that there are plenty of stupid songs out there to generate legitimate interest, and that there are enough people who want to hear these stupid songs to make this project worthwhile.”

If your idea of a hip way to spend New Year’s Eve involves listening to live music, here are some suggestions:

* The Beat Farmers, who recorded their “Loud and Plowed and . . . LIVE!!” album at the Bacchanal last New Year’s Eve, will be at the Kearny Mesa nightclub this New Year’s Eve as well. They will ring in 1991 along with two other promising local bands, Comanche Moon and the Travelin’ Salesmen.

* Another fine San Diego roots-rock band, the Paladins, will be at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. The trio has long been known for its invigorating live shows, and because this is only its second hometown appearance in as many months, expect it to really tear the place apart with its ferocious rockabilly-r&b; hybrid.

The folks at Belly Up have also put together a package deal that includes a $50 gift certificate for dinner at the Boathouse Restaurant, admission for two to the concert, a night at the Radisson Inn Encinitas, and transportation to and from the club. The cost per couple is $180.

* Bobby Vinton, the sentimental pop crooner whose 30-some Top 40 hits include “Roses Are Red (My Love),” “Blue on Blue,” “Blue Velvet,” “Mr. Lonely” and “I Love How You Love Me,” will headline the Hotel del Coronado’s annual New Year’s Eve bash in the hotel’s Grand Ballroom. Joining him will be the Bill Green Orchestra, featuring vocalist Shirley Saunders, and Bart Hazlett and the Dixie Hasslers.

Again, there’s a package deal, albeit a considerably more pricey one: Dinner, tickets to the show, a night at the Hotel Del and champagne brunch the next day, for $545 per couple ($350 for dinner and the show only).

* Owners of the Pink Panther, the trendy hangout for post-punk types that’s scheduled to close for good Saturday night, are throwing a huge New Year’s Eve party at the Ramada Hotel downtown. We’re talking three ballrooms, three levels, five bars.

Los Angeles funkmeisters Dino Lee and His Luv Johnson, featuring the Oingo Boingo horn section, will perform in the Thunderdome Concert Arena, along with San Diego’s Loose Barbaric Love Fish. Deejays Kelleigh Reed and George Shea will play the latest hip-hop, house and funk dance tunes in the Nonstop Industrial Dance Zone. And the Hoods, another local group featuring former members of the Tell-Tale Hearts and the Trebels, will play vintage r&b;, ala the Yardbirds and early Stones, in the Fab Lava Lounge.

LINER NOTES: Rhino Records has released a promotional CD to stir up press interest in Buddy Blue’s upcoming solo album, “Guttersnipes ‘n’ Zealots,” due out in February. The CD includes an interview and four songs from the new album. It’s being sent to rock critics and radio stations all over the country. . . .

Mojo Nixon has a new backup band, the Toadlickers. Three of the four members were formerly with the Neptunes, which for several years was one of the top roots-rock bands in Austin, Tex. The local looney tunesmith and his new colleagues just wrapped up a two-month U.S. tour with a Dec. 13 appearance at the Belly Up Tavern. . . .

Thirty years ago this month, “Angel Baby” by Rosie and the Originals, the first San Diego rock band to have a national hit, entered Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart. The tune eventually peaked at No. 5. . . .

Best concert bets for the coming week: Blues Deluxe, featuring Southside Johnny, Doug Hamblin, Marc Jordan, Rick Slosser and Dave Hayes, tonight at the Belly Up Tavern; Mary’s Danish, Thursday at the Belly Up Tavern; Beat Farmers, Friday and Monday at the Bacchanal in Kearny Mesa; Bonedaddys with Mango Bang, Friday at the Belly Up Tavern; Dread Zeppelin with Lock Up, Saturday at the Bacchanal; Poison with Warrant, Sunday at San Diego Sports Arena; Eddie Money with the Down Beat, Sunday at the Bacchanal; and Bhundu Boys, Sunday at the Belly Up Tavern.