Earlier this week, Delaware indie pop troupe The Spinto Band continued their ongoing video series at the recently-relaunched Spintoband.com with the announcement of another round in the Roy Spinto Mask Contest.

Back in 2006, the band asked fans to print out the visage of the late, great guitarist, and Spinto Band inspiration, Roy Spinto, and send in masked photos.

Not ones to turn their back on a good idea, the band is re-launching the contest this year with some “bigger, badder” changes. This time out, there’ll be an impressive team of judges - the members of Ra Ra Riot, LA rapper Pigeon John, XPN DJ Jim McGuinn, Nick’s Krill’s loving father, John, UK Professional Snooker Player Mark “The Jester from Leicester” Selby, and the Yale University Photography Club. And, of course, the deal’s been sweetened with some serious prizes, too.

So head over to www.spintoband.com now, watch the video (with a surprise cameo from 2006’s winner) and get started for a chance to win tickets to upcoming shows, a Spinto t-shirt, and an iPod pre-loaded with Moonwink, and the entire Park The Van catalog.

In other news, the band is gearing up for their new LP, ‘Moonwink’, by letting loose the carnival-esque album-standout “Pumpkins and Paisley” before the record’s October 7th, 2008 street date.

Produced by Dave Trumfio - of Wilco, Built to Spill, and Mates of State fame - Moonwink is a formidable follow-up to 2005’s breakthrough ‘Nice and Nicely Done’, and has already received a boatload of praise in the UK, where the band will be touring in advance of their lengthy North American jaunt later this Fall.

What’s more, camp Spinto recently contributed a hilarious reading of Gremlins 2: The New Batch to Daytrotter’s Bookery series. Note the Gizmo voice acting. Top notch, right? “You will be consumed by this thrilling rendition of one of the scene-setting moments for the film,” says Daytrotter’s Sean Moeller. “You will smell the popcorn and be ordering your copy of this on VHS tape from Amazon before these eight and a half minutes are up.”

Download The Spinto Band “Pumpkins And Paisley” MP3 from ‘Moonwink’ [Park The Van]

Listen: The Spinto Band’s Daytrotter Bookery

What the Press Said about The Spinto Band:

“Giggly, exuberant, intensely melodic indie pop.” - Amanda Petrusich, SPIN

“[The Spinto Band] traverse enough styles for a week’s worth of positive Pitchfork notices.” - Marc Hogan, Pitchfork

“This Wilmington, Del., sextet… has created an unexpected slacker-pop gem, drawing heavily from Pavement’s shambolic indie rock and juicing it with espresso-strength hooks and an eclectic approach to arranging.” - Michael Endelman, Entertainment Weekly

“The Spinto Band makes empowered, quirky power-pop that brings to mind the effortless imagination and eclecticism of bands like The Kinks and The Flaming Lips.” - Jim Testa, HARP

The Spinto Band 2008 tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

10/17 - First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
10/18 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, New York
10/19 - The Middle East Café - Cambridge, Massachusetts
10/20 - Petit Cafe Campus - Montreal, Quebec
10/21 - Lee’s Palace - Toronto, Ontario
10/22 - Skully’s Music Diner - Columbus, Ohio
10/23 - Metro - Chicago, Illinois
10/24 - High Noon Saloon - Madison, Wisconsin
10/25 - 7th Street Entry - Minneapolis, Minnesota
10/28 - Chop Suey - Seattle, Washington
10/29 - The Media Club - Vancouver, British Columbia
10/30 - Holocene - Portland, Oregon
11/01 - The Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, California
11/02 - The Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, California
11/03 - The Echoplex - Los Angeles, California
11/06 - The Rhythm Room - Phoenix, Arizona
11/08 - Hailey’s - Denton, Texas
11/09 - Fun Fun Fun Festival - Austin, Texas
11/11 - Mercy Lounge - Nashville, Tennessee
11/12 - The Masquerade (Hell Stage) - Atlanta, Georgia
11/13 - Visulite Theater - Charlotte, North Carolina
11/14 - The Black Cat - Washington DC, Washington DC
11/16 - The Bowery Ballroom - New York, New York

For more information, go to:

MySpace
The Spinto Band Official Website