by Drew Mackie

No rattling chains and screeching cats here. Abandon your
long-held beliefs about what Halloween should sound like because
Santa Barbara’s finer music venues will be providing suitably
festive music that will serve as a better backdrop for this year’s
parties. APOCALYPSE NOW: Easily the strangest
event to grace Santa Barbara in a while, FishboN Apocalypse: Trials
and Tribulations will put a decidedly unconventional twist on the
regular Halloween atmosphere. Less a concert than an interactive
artistic experience set to music, the FishboN Apocalypse purports
to represent the metaphysical battle of man against darkness and
chaos, specifically taking place on Halloween — All Soul’s Day — as
this time represents a change in the planet’s seasonal energy. Take
that to mean what you will, but the event will feature elaborate
decorations representing various stages of the archetypal “hero”
journey — the mouth of hell, a labyrinth, and a dismal forest where
you receive armor to battle a dragon. Yes, that’s right — a dragon.
To be honest, this scenario could play out to be quite cool or
scary in a sense that goes far beyond Halloween. But have faith. In
addition to the theatrics, FishboN Apocalypse boasts live music
from artists Scott Cazan and Scott Perry, as well as a DJ for the
after party in Paradise, where participants will emerge for drinks,
dancing, and lounging once they complete their quest and the dragon
is smitten.

The event is organized by a cooperative of artists who stage
unique, engaging party events. In all, it sounds a little strange.
But since this is the time of year for people to act out of the
ordinary, FishBoN Apocalypse may just prove to be the event that
turns Halloween on its head. Advanced purchase of tickets is needed
for either the October 26 show at the FishBoN Pescadrome at 101 S.
Quarantina or at Reds on October 28. Both events run from 9 p.m. to
2 a.m. For more information, visit
fishbonapocalypse.wordpress.com.

MONSTER MASH: Rock venue Velvet Jones will be
treating costumed crowds twice this year. Ventura psychobilly trio
The Graveside Rockers will be having the release party for their
new album, The Hymns of Iniquity, on Friday, October 27. Don’t let
their predilection for monster movie fonts and skull insignias
deter you — these guys fall more toward Tiger Army than Rob Zombie,
so the spookiness should be tolerable for the uninitiated. Velvet
Jones will be celebrating the holiday with the spooky side of punk
again — on Tuesday, October 31 — with Devilock, a Misfits tribute
band, and Los Angeles-based punk-metal outfit Murderland. The
latter will also be celebrating the release of its new CD.

For yet another breed of punk, local mainstay Nerf Herder will
be performing a Halloween show at SOhO on Thursday, October 28. The
evening will also feature a round of punk rock karaoke and When
Monsters Walked the Earth — also known as the rock, punk, and
new-wave loving DJ Matson and DJ Ives. Ever the Star Wars fans, the
boys of Nerf Herder promise that any attendee coming in an R2D2
costume will get a free shot of whiskey. The festivities begin at 9
p.m.

Locals who are not in search of the perfect punk-o-lantern may
want to look into Captain Ahab, a two-man happy hardcore team
playing at Muddy Waters on Thursday, October 28, at 9 p.m. The band
may have reached its current fame for its single “Snakes on the
Brain,” but that track isn’t characteristic of the band’s
intensively upbeat and immediately danceable indie techno. Captain
Ahab will be joined at this show by local threesome
automatic:automatic, who will help ensure that those hunting for a
progressive music Halloween will go home happy.

So grab that costume, pound whatever drink suits your fancy, and
pick your vice. Sure, you might not be able to hear any of it
through a rubber Frankenstein mask, but just knowing that you’re
spending the holiday in the safe confines of a bar — instead of
roaming the streets with a gang of sugar-addled children — should
be reason enough to have a happy Halloween.

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