California rock musician Harley Isaac Rother, known as The Phantom, says McDonald’s restaurants aren’t what they used to be. Rother’s band, The Phantom A.D., performs Sept. 24 at Ghost Town Outfitters. The band is touring in support of this year’s album, Revenge of The Phantom, a collection of theatrical and campy rockabilly with a Halloween edge. “Look at the way McDonald’s looks today. It looks completely sterile, uninteresting and unremarkable,” Rother says. “If you look at how they used to look, they would have all bright colors everywhere.” An analogy can be drawn between this and Rother’s approach to The Phantom A.D. On stage, he wears a cape and an outfit like Evel Knievel meets Screamin’ Jay Hawkins meets vintage store Dracula. The songs recall 1950s horror films, eclectic old-time radio shows and punk rockers like Mojo Nixon and The Cramps. While Rother plays with a full band lineup at some concerts, in Eugene, he’ll perform with what he calls his “invisible band.” (He means backing tracks. Consistent with Rother’s spooky act, it’s perhaps more fun to imagine literally invisible musicians.) McDonald’s aside, Rother says the world is much less “sensational” than it used to be. “This used to be a big part of American culture,” he says. But now, things have shifted. “Everything looks like the Apple Store,” he says. “I’m against all of that and for things that are interesting, fun and exciting.” Eugene surf rock band The Eye Five supports The Phantom A.D. at the Ghost Town show.

The Phantom A.D. performs 8 pm Thursday, Sept. 24 at Ghost Town Outfitters, 1040 Tyinn Street suite 8. Tickets are $12 in advance from ThePhantomAD.com and $15 at the door. The concert is all ages.