HARP Magazine

D.C.-based kids TV show boasts an eclectic and surprising musical lineup

November/December 2004 Issue, Channel DIY
By Emily Zemler

Some Longtime Fugazi Fans may have reeled in shock when they heard punk stalwart Ian MacKaye was singing (lip-syncing) about vowels on children's TV with his duo, the Evens. The TV show in question - lovingly titled Pancake Mountain - is masterminded by several Washington, D.C.-based music lovers who, according to creator Scott Stuckey, "were fed up with kid's TV and commercials."

The solution to this frustration was a show that has featured appearances from musicians like Vic Chesnutt, Bratmobile's Alison Wolfe, pol-punk band Anti-Flag and Thievery Corporation, as well as a journalistic-minded puppet named Rufus Leaking, and works like a punk rock preschool. With a theme song written by Fugazi's Brendan Canty and Bikini Kill's Kathi Wilcox, Pancake Mountain's list of Alumni reads like a "Best of 80's Punk Rock" CD compilation.

Stuckey, one of several who started the show in early 2003, said the show came to life naturally: "I love music and I love local things. That was the genesis." Pancake Mountain, Which until now has only been available online (www.pancakemountain.com), will get cable access in D.C. region beginning September 1. "Eventually we would like to be on network TV," says Stuckey, noting that the creators hope to have Pancake Mountain out on DVD with in the next few months.

Take that Sesame Street.