Halloween Song: “This Is Halloween”

One last post from the BHT vault for 2024. Have a safe and wonderful Halloween.

Danny Elfman emerged as a spooky presence on the alt rock scene in the 1980s when he fronted Oingo Boingo on hit songs such as “Dead Man’s Party” (see my October 24 post) and “Stay.” His quirky energy and maniacal grin, along with that deep voice, made lines like “Leave your body and soul at the door” simultaneously threatening and fun. He moved on to writing scores for Tim Burton movies like Beetlejuice, Batman, Corpse Bride and Sleepy Hollow. His best work might have been for Burton’s dual holiday feature The Nightmare Before Christmas, which gave us the angst-ridden hero Jack Skellington.

“This Is Halloween”, one of the many highlights from the soundtrack, ushers us into the holiday town via an ominous beat, full orchestra, and operatic choruses. Comic voices abound as several creepy residents introduce themselves: “I am the one hiding under your bed./Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red.” Elfman’s clever rhyming couplets and macabre humor make “This Is Halloween” an enduring classic.

With the holiday now upon us, homeowners across America await the arrival of trick-or-treaters. Depending on how authentic the kids’ costumes are, playing “This Is Halloween” could be the perfect soundtrack as they make their way up your front steps. Just be sure to dole out enough candy to keep them satisfied. 

Weekend Reminders

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Recently, Thursday posts have focused on events that were previously mentioned on Broken Hearted Toy, and are taking place during the upcoming weekend. This column follows that format.

The B-52’s will be rocking the Anthem music venue in Washington, D.C. tonight with all their off-kilter and irresistibly fun hits. Chicago area fans will have their chance to party out of bounds this Saturday at the Riviera Theatre on Chicago’s north side. The band also has shows coming up in Las Vegas November 13 – 16. Check out my October 2 post for a Halloween song profile on “Planet Claire.”

The whitewolfsonicprincess album release event taking place tonight at Evanston SPACE is Halloween appropriate since the Chicago-based band’s Love Without Fear offers another batch of “21st Century Druid Music.” Led by vocalist-percussionist Carla Hayden and guitarist James Moeller, wwsp mixes a sense of mysticism with engaging arrangements.

 

Sting, former Police vocalist-bassist, has already notched a few Chicago dates on his Sting 3.0 Tour at the Auditorium Theatre. He return to that venue tomorrow and Saturday. Sting is joined by guitarist Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas on this tour.

Trouser Press Books will hold a book launch for its new edition of author Roman Kozak’s This Ain’t No Disco: The Story Of CBGB at the Generation Records store in New York City tomorrow. According to a recent Facebook post, the publisher has “invited some fabled figures to share war stories about CB's, answer audience questions and sign books.” Those figures  are Chris Frantz from Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club; photographer Ebet Roberts; The Ramones tour manager Monte A. Melnick; singer-songwriter/former CBGB employee Deerfrance; CBGB booker Louise Parnassa Staley; and musician/producer Jonathan Paley.

The Old Town School Of Folk Music will sponsor Tegan and Sara on Junior High and Crushes at the Athenaeum Center For Thought And Culture this Saturday. The event is an onstage conversation with the famous recording duo about writing, music, and their Young Adult book series. It’s a co-presentation with Chicago Humanities. The Athenaeum Center is located at 2936 N Southport Avenue of Chicago’s north side.

Experimental Haunting: Mancini And McLuhan

The penultimate Halloween song profile for 2024 turns out to be a doubleheader featuring a 1962 film-related song that I first posted here on October 31, 2009 and a 1972 jazz fusion composition I’d never heard of until last Saturday. Henry Mancini’s “Experiment In Terror” was the theme to the Blake Edwards thriller of that same name, while “Spiders (In Neal’s Basement)” was one of the four extended tracks on McLuhan’s debut album Anomaly. The McLuhan here wasn’t the philosopher Marshall McLuhan but a seven-piece Chicago band inspired by him.

Clocking in at just under six minutes, “Spiders (In Neal’s Basement)” is by far the shortest track on Anomaly. The adventurous song mixes smooth modern jazz with strip joint bump and grind, while vocalist-bassist Neal Rosner delivers the satirical, off-kilter lyrics. (It might also be guitarist-vocalist Dennis Phillips, trumpet player-vocalist David Wright, or a mixture of all three.) At any rate, it’s a fun choice if you have intellectual types at your Halloween party. 

Anomaly became a collector’s item over the decades, and a new vinyl edition produced by Ellis Clark of The Social Act and Big Hat Big Trouble fame has been released. Depending on when you read this, you could purchase a copy at a re-release celebration starting at 7:00 pm tonight at Montrose Saloon on Chicago’s north side. McLuhan can be contacted via its official Facebook page or website. 

“Experiment In Terror” has a slow, ominous beat and twanging guitars that conjure images of a monster creeping along some darkened street. People in the Chicago area might be surprised to learn this instrumental was composed by Henry Mancini for a 1962 cops and robbers movie called Experiment In Terror. Around here, it’s much better known as the theme for the TV show Creature Features, which presented old time horror movies like House Of Dracula; Frankenstein; The Wolf Man; and The Mummy’s Ghost on WGN every Saturday night from 1970 to 1976. “Experiment In Terror” will be forever linked to that show’s signature graphic of a horrifying guy in the top hat and cloak.

“Experiment In Terror” also brings back memories of our childhood fascination with monsters, hours spent trick or treating, and neighborhood Halloween parties in garages or basements. Here’s hoping everyone has a safe and fun holiday tomorrow.

Halloween Song: The Red Plastic Buddha - “Stuck On Zero”

“Stuck On Zero” is the final track on the 2014 CD Songs For Mara from Chicago-based psychedelia masters The Red Plastic Buddha. The band was aiming for darker themes on this effort, including “addiction, obsession and madness.” This came along with consistently inventive instrumentation, and in the case of “Stuck On Zero,” a hefty dose of gallows humor.

The song opens with a trudging arrangement that evokes images of zombies on the prowl. Lead singer-bassist Tim Ferguson opts for a yelping vocal style that’s equal parts rock star and deranged creature, spitting out quick rhymes that suggest that zombie guys want pretty much the same things most living guys want; an attractive mate, some cool wheels, job security, and a macho image.

“When I come back from the dead I ain’t messing around,” Ferguson warns at the dawn of this song. “Get on the wrong side of me I’m gonna run you down.” He appreciates his girlfriend (“She loves me for my brains/Yeah man, she’s my world”) and doesn’t have time for the usual zombie means of getting around. “I won’t be moving slow/I’ll dig your daddy up and steal his GTO.”

There’s no mention of eating people in the lyrics, but being a zombie does come across as being a full time occupation. “Won’t work no 9 to 5/My new full time gig is being un-alive.” This particular zombie also has aspirations for achieving fame. “When I come back from the dead won’t be no room for doubt/Zombie superstar I got it wall worked out.” Even the living dead have dreams sometimes.

Halloween Song: Steeleye Span - “Alison Gross”

Another repost from the BHT haunted vault.

Steeleye Span’s successful career of updating centuries-old ballads with electric guitar and drum arrangements began in England around 1969. “Alison Gross,” from the band’s 1973 release Parcel Of Rogues, spins the tale of a witch trying to win a man’s heart through bribery. She offers him a series of riches, starting with a red mantle with golden flowers and fine fringe. Nothing she conjures can change his low opinion of her appearance, though.

“Away, away, you ugly witch/Go far away and let me be,” he responds. “I never would kiss your ugly mouth/For all of the gifts that you give to me.” Infuriated, Alison Gross whips out her magic wand and turns him into a worm. According to Wikipedia, Steeleye Span added its own chorus and left off the original ballad’s happy ending, which had the man being restored to his proper shape on Halloween by a passing fairy.

Also, he may not have been transformed into an earthworm, since the original lyrics used the word wyrm, which meant dragon. Unlike some of the ancient ballads, which can be slow and gloomy, “Alison Gross” feels like a rowdy Halloween party song villagers might have sung while swinging steins of mead.

Incoming

Here’s a Brokenhearted Toy welcome to Jack White, who has suddenly arrived in Chicago for a few pop-up shows at Reggies tonight and Metro tomorrow night. It’s pretty much too late to get tickets for either event, but the following announcement can be found on the Metro Chicago Facebook page: “A very limited number of student tickets will be available for $25 in person only for Jack White’s show at our box office starting at 12PM on 10/29. These tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis with a valid student ID (1 ticket per student ID).” Metro is located at 3730 N. Clark Street.

British fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands can spend a few hours this Halloween at The World Of Tim Burton exhibition being held at London’s Design Museum. According to an Associated Press piece by Jill Lawless that ran in yesterday’s Chicago Sun-Times, the exhibition features “props, puppets, set designs and iconic costumes.” The exhibition runs through April 21, 2025.

The Chicago-based band whitewolfsonicprincess is having a virtual listening party for its latest album Love Without Fear at 7:00 pm tomorrow night. Those interested can RSVP on Bandcamp. There’s also a live whitewolfsonicprincess album release event taking place on Halloween night at Evanston SPACE. Love Without Fear finds the band creating another batch of self-described “21st Century Druid Music” such as “Child Of The Revolution” and the title track.

The Babes With Blades Theatre Company is presenting A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Edge Theatre (5451 N. Broadway) through November 23. The production is directed by Lauren Katz, with fight direction by Jillian Leff. Babes With Blades is a women-focused company that has been on the Chicago theatre scene for several years.

The Nielsen Trust, a side project for Cheap Trick members guitarist-vocalist Rick Nielsen and drummer Daxx Nielsen, has concerts coming up on November 14 at The Arcada in St. Charles, IL and on November 15 at The Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL. It’s hard to believe it’s been over three years since I saw this group at Durty Nellie’s in Palatine; possibly because I still distinctly remember how good its show was. Another of Rick’s sons—vocalist-guitarist Miles Nielsen from The Rusted Hearts—was also part of that Durty Nellie’s show, along with his (Miles’) wife Kelly Steward. It looks like the same lineup will perform at the November dates.

Halloween Song: The Hollies - “Lullaby To Tim”

The Hollies surrounded by spooky stage props. Photo from The Hollies Official Facebook page.

Another repost from the BHT haunted vault.

The Hollies are often regarded as “a singles band” and while they did notch a number of Top 40 hits (more so in England than America), some of their best songs are deep cuts from their albums. “Lullaby To Tim” appeared on the group’s surprisingly psychedelic 1967 album Evolution, which was sandwiched between two other excellent LPs, Stop Stop Stop and Dear Eloise/King Midas In Reverse (For Certain Because and Butterfly respectively in the UK).

The magical imagery on “Lullaby To Tim” kicks off with the very first lines, “Would you like to slide down a rainbow?/Catch a falling star in your hand?/Chase a moonbeam, ride by your window?” The secret to experiencing these adventures couldn’t be more simple: go to sleep. And that’s just the start of the fun things to entice a child to hit the sack “while the moon is peeping.” We hear about dragons, castles, and kisses changing frogs into princes. The kid can also see “witches fly on their broomsticks, stirring cauldrons, casting their spells,” which strays somewhat into nightmare territory.

“Lullaby To Tim” has a slow, almost acoustic arrangement that blooms into a full orchestra at the midway point. But its most noticeable aspect is that Graham Nash seems to be singing in a bath tub. Beneath the water. In his fascinating book on track . . . The Hollies every album, every song, Andrew Darlington describes this vocal approach as phasing. “It is achieved by running two identical tapes together, but slightly out of synch, or in-and-out-of-synch to create a fuzzy distortion.” Darlington suspects “Lullaby To Tim” is an homage to “LSD-guru” Timothy Leary. However, other credible sources state Hollies lead vocalist Allan Clarke wrote the song for his son.

Halloween Song: Amazing Heeby Jeebies - “The Mummy”

Everyone is out partying tonight, one way or another. Here’s a repost from the BHT haunted vault, just for the two of us.

You’d expect a band named Amazing Heeby Jeebies to throw a few chills your way, and the Chicago-based quintet came through on its 2018 Bad Feeling album. Led by vocalist Ary Jeeby and propelled by guitarists Bob Hyatt and Tom “Boss X” Klein, Amazing Heeby Jeebies combine garage rock and rockabilly while spinning tales of werewolves, mummies, and cannibals. They don’t always aim for the dark side, but when they do, listeners are more likely to dance than cringe.

In fact, “The Mummy” suggests the legendary creature prefers sipping martinis in a 1960s discotheque to trudging after anthropologists in pyramids. Ary Jeebie belts out quick rhymes like “King Tut’s got nothing on this guy/When he left, Cleopatra cried.” This mummy’s a recording artist with a least one album under his bandages and hosts a television show. With bassist Earl “Wolfdaddy” Carter and drummer Jerry King adding to the mayhem, “The Mummy” proves to be a rollicking Halloween treat.  

Halloween Song: David Bowie - “Cat People (Putting Out The Fire)”

Another repost from the BHT haunted vault.

Few songs have a more chilling intro than David Bowie’s “Cat People (Putting Out The Fire).”Amidst a tribal drum beat and swirl of synthesizers Bowie sings, “See these eyes so green/I can stare for a thousand years” in a voice so dark it’s impossible not to believe him. The theme from director Paul Schrader’s 1982 horror film Cat People is set to a guitar-driven arrangement crafted by veteran film composer Giorgio Moroder of Flashdance and Midnight Express fame.

Bowie’s lyrics are from the point of view of Irena and her brother Paul, played in the film by Natassia Kinski and Malcolm McDowell. They’re descendants of humans who mated with leopards centuries earlier. This causes them to turn into panthers during sex and they can’t return to human form without killing someone.

Bowie’s music often featured fascinating characters, so he was the perfect choice to convey Irena and Paul’s tortured emotions. “Still this pulsing night/A plague I call a heartbeat/Just be still with me/Ya wouldn’t believe what I’ve been through.” Cat People tapped into long-held superstitions regarding felines and their mysterious nature. Even today, it’s a good idea to make sure black house cats are kept indoors on Halloween to prevent deranged people from hurting them.

Slumgullion

Best wishes to everyone going out for Halloween celebrations this weekend. I offered a sampling of available events in yesterday’s Weekend Reminders post. Be sure to keep safe and be careful.

Author Jennifer Otter Bickerdike’s book Eternal Flame - The Authorized Biography Of The Bangles, which is due out in February 2025, is now available for pre-order on various sites. It would be nice to see the band given some serious consideration for an induction into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

I was sad to see the news that Matthew Sweet, who has collaborated with The Bangles on a number of projects, and created so many of his own great songs, has suffered a stroke. A GoFundMe page has been created to help cover his medical costs. Here’s wishing Matthew a quick and full recovery.

Trouser Press Books will hold a book launch for its new edition of author Roman Kozak’s This Ain’t No Disco: The Story Of CBGB at the Generation Records store in New York City on November 2. According to a recent Facebook post, the publisher has “invited some fabled figures to share war stories about CB's, answer audience questions and sign books.” Those figures are Chris Frantz from Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club; photographer Ebet Roberts; The Ramones tour manager Monte A. Melnick; singer-songwriter/former CBGB employee Deerfrance; CBGB booker Louise Parnassa Staley; and musician/producer Jonathan Paley.

Those of us who rocked out to Queen long before “Bohemian Rhapsody,” will be glad to learn the band members themselves have overseen a remixed, remastered and expanded version of their 1973 debut Queen I. Apparently, they were not amused by how it was produced back in the day. Now it’s a 6-CD+1LP box set with 63 tracks and 43 brand new mixes. A special 2024 official video of the superb song “Keep Yourself Alive” can be viewed on YouTube.

Peter Himmelman, the Minneapolis singer-songwriter who’s given us emotionally charged songs such “Woman With The Strength Of 10,00 Men,” has released a book titled Suspended By No Strings that offers poems, and tales with a spiritual feel.

Here’s a an event for this weekend that I didn’t have in yesterday’s preview. The Wednesday Beatles Ensemble, comprised of students, will perform the Beatles Revolver album in its entirety at 2:00 pm this Sunday.

Tickets are now on sale for Stevie Wonder’s tour, which opens in Pittsburgh on October 8. It’s slogan, Your Song! As We Fix Our Nation’s Heart, is inspired by Wonder’s call for peace and unity on his new single “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart?” New York City; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Greensboro; Atlanta; Detroit; Milwaukee; Minneapolis; Grand Rapids; and Chicago are the other stops on the tour. 

It’s been a while since the Chicago power pop band The Spindles had a live gig on the club scene, so it’s good to see they’ll open for country music recording artist Kent Rose And The Remedies at Montrose Saloon on November 6. The Spindles will have a new album coming out in March 2025 that will include a cover of the catchy “Rock For It,” originally done by The Elvis Brothers.

Eric Idle, a founding member of the Monty Python comedy group and co-creator of a highly entertaining comedy-musical, has just released a new book titled The Spamalot Diaries. It provides a behind-the-scenes look at how Spamalot came together, based on Idle’s own journal and email correspondence.

Tegan and Sara on Junior High and Crushes, an Old Town School Of Folk Music sponsored onstage conversation with the famous recording duo about writing, music, and their Young Adult book series, will be staged on November 2 at the Athenaeum Center For Thought And Culture. It will be a co-presentation with Chicago Humanities. The Athenaeum Center is located at 2936 N Southport Avenue of Chicago’s north side.

Tickets are now sale for Alison Moyet at the Vic Theatre on May 7, 2025. Moyet started her career as half of Yazoo (known as Yaz in America) and went on to a successful solo career with hits such as “Love Resurrection” and “All Cried Out.”

Sting, former Police vocalist-bassist, will bring his Sting 3.0 Tour to Chicago for concerts at the Auditorium Theatre on October 28, October 29, November 1, and November 2. Sting will be joined by guitarist Dominic Miller, and drummer Chris Maas.

Shindig, the British magazine that does a fab job looking back at everything people loved about the 1960s (or would have loved if they had lived through them) has another Montage Collector’s Edition issue on the way. This one’s titled The American Psychedelic Explosion 1965 – 71, and offers a 128-page “carefully curated collection of articles originally published between 2010-2017.” The articles and interviews have been “edited, redesigned, and updated” for this issue. It’s available to pre-order for £10.99 plus postage from Silverback Publishing Ltd. 

The 2024 Chris and Heather’s Country Calendar Show at FitzGerald’s In Berwyn, IL will take place on December 21. Andrew Sa; Jodee Lewis; Zachary Stevenson and The Oh Boys; Dave Drazin; Phil Angotti; Nora O’Connor; The Hushdrops; Jane Baxter Miller and Kent Kessler; Casey McDonough; Hillbilly Frolic; Scott Ligon and Kelly Hogan; and The Saturn Kings will be the entertainers joining Chris Ligon and Heather McAdams. Each local act will cover a well-known country or rock act.

Also, at FitzGerald’s, a charity event titled To Find A Friend: An Evening of Tom Petty Music for Hurricane Relief will take place on November 23. Several local acts will perform Petty songs, and proceeds will benefit the North Carolina Arts Disaster Fund.

This year’s International Pop Overthrow - Boston will run from October 30 through November 2 at The Square Root in Boston.There will be 21 indie rock and pop acts are scheduled to perform. IPO - New York is scheduled to take place a week later, at The Parkside Lounge.

Tickets are now available for the Joey’s Song Freezing Man Festival taking place January 8 – 11, 2025 at the Majestic Theater in Madison, WI. Several well-known acts will take part in the charity event, which raises funds to help find treatments and cures for epilepsy. This year’s performers are Debbi and Vicki Peterson, Jane Wiedlin, Tracy Bonham, Belly, The Know-It-All Boyfriends, Cory Chisel, Letters To Cleo, Look Park, John Cowsill, Garbage, Against Me!, Kenny Hoopla, Freedy Johnstone, Portugal. The Man, Silversun Pickups, Heather Porcaro, Steve Porcaro, The Goo Goo Dolls, Sierra Swan, The Nielsen Trust, and Gina Volpe.

Six Stories Up On The Campaign Trail - A Student Council Calamity, the latest production from Tellin' Tales Theatre, runs  at Filament Theatre November 8 – 17 weekends only.

Psychedelic Renaissance: 1982-1986 is now available to order as a double-LP or CD Digipak from the Futurismo site. It’s the next volume in Futurismo's Altered Vision compilation series, and features tracks by The Three O’Clock, The Rain Parade, True West, The Bangles, Thin White Rope, Game Theory, The Dream Syndicate, The Long Ryders, Green On Red, 28th Day, The Pandoras, and Wednesday Week.

Chicago: Home Of House, an exhibit honoring the city’s pivotal role in the widespread success of house music, has been extended on Navy Pier through December 15. Admission is free.

Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets will likely play tracks from his recently released album Indoor Safari at Lincoln Hall in Chicago on October 29 and 30. The final shows for his fall will be on November 2 and in Minneapolis.

 

I recently received my copy of Issue 19 of the Second Scene alt rock newspaper, and once again, it’s filled with eye-catching graphics, along with news and reviews. Readers won’t find much copy here on big-name acts, other than a profile on the legendary KROQ DJ Rodney Bingenheimer. But, much like MOJO magazine promotes Brit musicians many of us in the States are unfamiliar with, Second Scene introduces us to indie acts worth checking out.

Sonic45, the self-proclaimed “Chicago-based new-wave quintet” led by sports broadcaster/musician/songwriter Len Kasper, will return to the Hey Nonny venue in Arlington Heights on November 24. It’s likely the audience will hear some of the songs from the band’s impressive new album SuperSonic.

What could be a better night for a new batch of “21st Century Druid Music” than Halloween? The Chicago-based band whitewolfsonicprincess, which proudly applies that label to its inventive indie rock approach, will unveil a new album titled Love Without Fear on October 31 at Evanston SPACE. 

Halloween Song: Oingo Bongo - “Dead Man’s Party”

It’s likely that most of this year’s Halloween parties will take place over the coming weekend. Here’s a post from the BHT haunted vault about a rather peculiar get-together you might want to avoid attending.

Singer-songwriter Danny Elfman has been blending music, theatre, and bizarre humor for so long it’s easy to imagine him freaking out his parents while performing in his playpen. With a maniacal grin. “Don’t run away, it’s only me.” His 1980s band Oingo Boingo actually morphed from a popular Los Angeles theatre troupe, and Elfman currently makes bundles of cash composing film soundtracks.

I’ve often posted his gruesomely clever “This Is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas as part of my annual October spooky music celebration. Oingo Boingo’s 1985 single “Dead Man’s Party” follows the same pattern of setting disturbing subject matter to an irresistible melody and still making us laugh. An invitation figures prominently in Elfman’s lyrics, as we’re introduced to someone who believes lugging around a corpse is the epitome of being well dressed. 

Although the protagonist complains of having nowhere to go, eventually, a chauffeur arrives and whisks him off to “a party where no one’s still alive.” There’s no ongoing story here, just a series of strange events and Elfman’s not-so-reassuring advice of “Don’t be afraid of what you can’t see.” But his distinctive vocals and the playful drums, guitars, and horns keep everyone too busy dancing to worry about what’s really going on. 

Weekend Reminders

Metropolly will pay tribute to the band Garbage this Saturday night at Montrose Saloon.

Recently, Thursday posts have focused on events that were previously mentioned on Broken Hearted Toy, and are taking place during the upcoming weekend. Today’s post follows that format, along with a few brand new events for this weekend that have only now come to my attention.

Halloweekend takes place tomorrow and Saturday at Montrose Saloon. Per tradition, the event features local musicians paying tribute to an eclectic selection of world famous acts. Some of the better known participants this year are Rachel Drew as Traveling Wilburrys; Phil Angotti as The Verve; Metropolly as Garbage; Mike Cohen and Fred Morg as Nick Lowe; and Androgynous Mustache as The English Beat. Montrose Saloon is located at 2933 W. Montrose on the city’s north side.

Hot Like Mars, the Chicago-based funk-soul-rock band formerly known as North 41, has a gig at Martyrs’ this Saturday night that will include a Halloween costume contest. The band’s special guest will be trumpet player The Parrisian, AKA Parris Fleming.

Reggie’s Music Joint at 2105 S. State Street in Chicago will present a triple bill of classic British rock tributes with The Ready Freddies, The Sluffs, and Super Creeps this Saturday night. The Ready Freddies, The Sluffs, and Super Creeps will cover Queen, The Who, and David Bowie respectively.

Alternative and frightening. The Razor And Die Show Annual Spooktacular can be heard tomorrow on the Chicago independent radio station WLUW from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. 

Chicago-based, guitar-powered instrumental band Outronaut will likely showcase its two latest songs, “The Final Beast” and “Riot Flower,” when it performs at Robert’s Westside this Saturday night. Both tracks, as well as earlier released material, are available to download on the Outronaut Bandcamp page. Robert’s Westside is located at 7321 W. Madison Street in Forest Park, IL.

Congratulations to English musician Matt Johnson on his band The The selling out tomorrow’s gig at The Salt Shed in Chicago. The concert is part of radio station WXRT’s Fall Jam Series. The American part of The The’s Ensouled World Tour (named after its recently released Ensoulment album) ends in Los Angeles on November 8. The Australian leg will kick off about a week later.

The 60th Chicago International Film Festival opened on October 16, and will run at various locations through October 27. The Package, the 1989 movie set in Chicago and starring Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones, will screen at 11:00 am at the Chicago History Museum (1601 N. Clark) on Saturday.

The Sideshow Villains’ Deviant Cabaret takes place at the Alhambra Palace this Sunday from 6:00 to 8:30 pm. The Middle Eastern restaurant/entertainment venue is located just west of the Loop. Performers will include vocalist-choreographer Dante Ingram, comedian Mark Faje; circus artist Camille Swift; and guitarist Chris Siebold. Patrons are encouraged to arrive in costume.

Halloween Songs: “Neon” and “You’re My World” (Last Night In Soho Soundtrack)

With Halloween just eight days from now, it’s likely most of the celebrations will be held on this Friday or Saturday. If you’re creating a Halloween playlist for a party or event, consider a prelude that will set the mood for the scary material to follow. An instrumental, such as a classic TV show theme from The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Star Trek, Doctor Who or Alfred Hitchcock Presents, would work and there are plenty of film soundtracks to explore. For example, I picked the song “Neon” from the 2021 thriller Last Night In Soho to kick off one of my Halloween playlists.

The track opens with a simple but haunting piano solo before a full orchestra conjures an invading army of zombies or some other evil force. With an instrumental, you’re free to craft your own nightmarish scenario; a flock of crows or bats swirling around in tune with the string section? Why not? Last Night In Soho doesn’t have those things, but there are plenty of ghosts. Slowly building its massive arrangement, “Neon” effectively conveys a sense of danger that might be inescapable.

In addition to an intense storyline with unexpected twists, Last Night In Soho uses several classic hit songs to establish an authentic 1960s setting for when the heroine, played by Thomasin McKenzie, drifts back to that decade in a series of frightening dreams. There are few selections on YouTube, but the one I like best is a version on the Cilla Black hit “You’re My World”. It not only captures the glamor of swinging London, but establishes an undercurrent of dread. Also, watch for the way director Edgar Wright uses mirrors to connect his two females leads, McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy.

The Last Night In Soho soundtrack is filled with gems from that era.

Halloween Song: Fleetwood Mac - “Rhiannon”

Another repost from the Broken Hearted Toy haunted vault.

Stevie Nicks has explained that her melodic and haunting composition “Rhiannon,” a Top 40 hit from Fleetwood Mac’s 1975 self-titled LP, was about a Welsh witch. Rhiannon was also a goddess in Welsh mythology who wore a gold dress and rode a white horse. Some sources claim Nicks based her “Rhiannon” on Mary Leader’s supernatural novel Triad, and discovered the mythological connection later.

Actually, the song’s mysterious lyrics such as, “Would you stay if she promised you heaven” and “She is like a cat in the dark/And then she is the darkness,” could refer to either the deity or the sorceress. Fleetwood Mac, having already recorded scary songs like “Hypnotized” and “Black Magic Woman,” knew how to bring “Rhiannon” to life with a classic rock arrangement. And Nicks was certainly able to make it mesmerizing in live performances. 

You Be Me For A While - Reggies Music Joint And Montrose Saloon

Among the many traditions associated with Halloween, a relatively new and particularly enjoyable one involves local musicians dressing up like one of their favorite famous rock acts. And performing some of that chosen act’s songs at a live show. Halloween tribute showcases have been taking place around Chicago for a while, and this weekend brings at least two events.

Fans of classic British rock will be treated to a triple bill of royal performances at Reggies Music Joint at 2105 S. State Street this Saturday night. The Ready Freddies and Super Creeps cover Queen and David Bowie respectively, and are regulars on the local club scene. Catching a set by The Sluffs is a bit more of a rarity. This tribute to The Who comprises Dag and Gregg Juhlin from The Slugs and Chloe F. Orwell and Brad Elvis from The Handcuffs. Both acts are well known for their live performances and recordings. As far as I know, this might be the first Sluffs gig since Halloween 2023. Carolyn Engelmann from The Handcuffs will be helping out on keyboards this time around.

Halloweekend takes place October 25 and 26 and will once again be held at Montrose Saloon. Prior to establishing that venue as its home in 2018, Halloweekend was staged at various Chicago venues for the better part of this century. Per tradition, the event features local musicians paying tribute to an eclectic selection of world famous acts. Some of the better known participants include Rachel Drew as Traveling Wilburrys; Phil Angotti as The Verve; Metropolly as Garbage; and Androgynous Mustache as The English Beat.

Some of the other names may seem unfamiliar, but keep in mind musicians sometimes craft a one-off identity strictly for this event. For example, Party Of One is actually Mike Cohen—founding member of the power pop bands The Abbeys and Pop Dollys as well a successful solo artist— joined by Fred Morg on upright bass and vocals. They’ll be performing the music of Nick Lowe. Montrose Saloon is located at 2933 W. Montrose on the city’s north side. See the Montrose Saloon website for the full schedule.

Incoming

Jeff Lynne’s ELO - The Over And Out Tour recently made a stop in Chicago, and judging from various social media comments from musicians I know and respect, it was amazing. A post on the official Jeff Lynne Facebook page today announced The Final Show will take place in Hyde Park London on July 13, 2025. “My return to touring began at Hyde Park in 2014,” Lynne is quoted in the post. “It seems like the perfect place to do our final show. We couldn’t be more excited to share this special night in London with our UK fans.” 

Chicagoans will have numerous options for Halloween-based entertainment through the end of the month, but the most adventurous just might be the Sideshow Villains’ Deviant Cabaret taking place at the Alhambra Palace this Sunday from 6:00 to 8:30 pm. The Middle Eastern restaurant/entertainment venue is located just west of the Loop. Performers will include vocalist-choreographer Dante Ingram, comedian Mark Faje; circus artist Camille Swift; and guitarist Chris Siebold. With all the live music, circus acts, theatrical, and vaudeville inspired entertainment going on, patrons are encouraged to arrive in costume. 

Chicago area fans of The Heavy Heavy will have two chances to watch the U.K. band showcase songs from its new One Of A Kind album in the coming week. In addition to a concert at Thalia Hall this Friday, there will be a special event sponsored by WXRT as part of the radio station’s Blue Cross Performance Stage series on Monday, October 28. The trick with that second option is that you need to register for an invitation at 93XRT.com and admission is limited.

In other WXRT news, longtime radio personality Terri Hemmert will be at the Treetime Christmas Creations store in Lake Barrington this Thursday from 6:00 to 9:00 pm for a holiday season kick-off celebration. Hemmert will play some of her favorite holiday songs starting at 7:00 pm, and patrons will have a chance to win prizes. Treetime Christmas Creations suggests those interested to pre-register in order to guarantee a spot at the event.

Soundtrack Serenade, the self-described “Chicago-Based Eclectic Cover Band,” will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the cult classic Pulp Fiction tomorrow at Montrose Saloon on the city’s north side.

Halloween Song: Bohemia - “Hydrogenic”

Another repost from the BHT haunted vault. This one dates all the way back to 2009. 

Back in the early 1980s, Bohemia’s high-energy approach, led by charismatic lead vocalist/keyboards player Carla Evonne, prompted a Chicago daily newspaper critic to proclaim the band was every bit as good as X from Los Angeles. Following the release of a self-titled, three-song 10 inch EP in 1980, Bohemia returned a year later with their impressive debut LP, Deviations. Among the energetic and offbeat highlights were “Plastic Doll,” “Standard Deviations,” “Empty Room,” and “Dr. Werner.”

“Hydrogenic” was a punk rock masterpiece, offering a girl meets mutant love story with an underlying jab at the perils of nuclear energy. Bass player Zirbel’s revved-up playing leads an extended instrumental intro before Carla Evonne Jumps in to set the romantic tale in motion. “Since I met you baby/I haven’t been the same/You hit me like an H-bomb and now I hardly know my name.”

Even though her boyfriend’s appearance has been drastically changed by massive doses of radiation, the woman’s devotion is unwavering. “Momma says you’re different/With your long green hair/You got webs between your fingers/But I don’t even care.” Additional lyrics such “I can see you glowing in the dark/In my life you really caused a spark” are punctuated by an overjoyed chorus of, “Ooh, our love is new/Our love is new . . . nuclear.”