When the Squirrel Nut Zippers say that they don't want to be considered part of the neo-swing movement, you better listen up.

The Zippers recently took themselves off the bill of a Boston radio station-sponsored Christmas show because they were asked to share a stage with swing revivalists the Cherry Poppin' Daddies.

WBCN, which is hosting the multi-band, multi-club event, had both acts scheduled to perform on December 1 at the Roxy. When the Zippers found out last week that they'd be sharing a bill with the Daddies, they asked to be put on a separate stage. The station responded by threatening to pull their current single, "Trou Macacq," off the air, which resulted in the group taking a walk, and thus the controversy escalated.

It started with WBCN's program director Oedipus getting quoted in the "Boston Globe" as saying he thought the Zippers' current album, "Perennial Favorites," was a stiff and that the group "might be afraid of how hard the Cherry Poppin' Daddies rock."

The Zippers' singer and multi-instrumentalist Tom Maxwell responds by saying, "We are disappointed that with 10 stages at their disposal, WBCN couldn't put us on a musically diverse bill. We have no problem with the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, however, we collectively made a decision a long time ago to avoid anything tied to the so-called swing movement. It is also unfortunate that WBCN threatened to pull our current single off of the air if we didn't perform. They have now pulled the song and lowered themselves to bashing us in the press. We appreciate the support that radio has given the band, but our lives and careers will move on with or without WBCN."

The show will go on as well, with Harvey Danger on the bill, at a different venue called, Axis. Ticket holders will receive $10 back at the door or a refund at the point of purchase. Their own headlining tour, in support of "Perennial Favorites," ends on New Year's Eve in the Washington DC area at George Mason Patriot Center in Fairfax,

Virginia.