Spooky Spectacles of Tunes and Terror
Halloween events around town
by Shaun O’Dell

Here we go again: another Halloween in Eugene! As always, the local venues to see and be seen in are throwing their bashes long into the night with lots of great showings from local talent, musical and otherwise.

SuperTrout

Returning for another year to the McDonald Theatre on Halloween night, Reeble Jar brings their jazzy, funky sound to costumed geeks and freaks looking to shake their money-makers. These guys rocked the McD at the Best of Eugene show and are sure to do so again (10 pm 10/31, $5/$10, all ages).

Do you like Ween? Do you like tribute bands? Well, you’re in luck: Boy’s Club, an all-Ween tribute band from Salem, will be playing Luckey’s on Halloween (10 pm 10/31, $5-$8, 21+). Don’t forget to wear a costume! Maybe if you dress up like “Fat Lenny,” you can get a shout-out from the band.

Diablo’s Downtown Lounge hosts its usual Halloween party, but this year the M-80s (10 pm 10/31, free, 21+) will be rocking the house late into the night with their best of the 1980s music set. 

The District, in tandem with Coffee for Canines, is putting on its First Annual Downtown Halloween Costume Pooch Parade to benefit dogs who need life-saving surgeries (11 am 10/31, $10 for first dog/second dog is free, all ages). Later that night, the District hosts a Dance Party with DJ Phoenix (10 pm 10/31, free, 21+). This is a costume party, so don’t forget to wear a costume that you can move in. Has anybody tried dressing up like a Fly Girl from In Living Color? It makes for a great last-minute costume to party in. Especially if you’re a guy.

Upstairs at the Vet’s club you’ll find the acid rock band SuperTrout featuring The Merry Pranksters (9 pm 10/31, $10). People in a hippie costume (or even if it’s not a costume) need to make their way to this show. SuperTrout have a rotating on-stage crew that have included some of the best players from all over Oregon, including Rich Sellars, Tim Donahue, Glenn Leonard and Paul Biondi. To further the psychedelic experience, Sweet Lights will be putting on a light show. The opener for the show will be a band with arguably the funniest name in the world, Brown Chicken Brown Cow String Band.

Cozmic Pizza hosts the 14th annual Witches’ Ball for those looking for a spiritual experience on this Samhain season (7 pm 10/31, $7-$10 or $5 with two cans of food, all ages). The event features children’s activities early in the evening (so little tykes can get to bed on time), and the theme for the night’s event is vampires, but any costume is fine. DJ Decker will be providing tunes until closing, and Forbidden Fruit will be doing the “Time Warp” live on stage. There will also be a ritual of reflection about the season and sabbat, including deep meditation. Attendees can also expect the traditional spiral dance and a dance performance by Serafina. 

Rock and costumes are no strangers to one another (just ask Kiss, Alice Cooper or Marilyn Manson). And that’s why the Halloween Party at the Axe and Fiddle in Cottage grove with The Harmed Brothers, Anticipate Pie and Donald 5 Pennies (9 pm 10/31, $5, 21+) makes so much sense. Jam out with these indie rockers until the costume contest at 11 pm where there will be prizes to win!

For Corvallis residents, Musicafe Rock School is kicking things off early with their 3rd Annual Rockin’ Haunted House (3 pm 10/30, pet food don., all ages). There will be live bands playing and a dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” complete with zombies dancing out of a rock star graveyard.

These events and others will be going on around the Eugene area on Halloween. Check the nightlife and calendar listings for more spooky and shocking shows!