Halloween in Santa Cruz conjures up many haunting images of a frightfully crowded downtown filled with strangely (and skimpily) costumed revelers enjoying sinful fun. But for those who want to participate in the wicked festivities without the hustle, bustle and drunk-in-public citations, Moe’s Alley has plenty of treats, without any tricks, at the inaugural Halloweekend Haunt festival.
“We wanted to create an alternative to downtown,” says owner Bill Welch. “It’s something that participates in the holiday while focusing on music.” Along with a costume contest offering cash prizes, Moe’s will be sporting creepy decorations to match the unsettling sounds.
The Haunt kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 27 with Saratoga’s own band of misfits, the Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO). Since their first album in 1998, ALO’s creamy blend of jazz, bass-driven dirty funk and contemporary rock has caught the ears of many fans—most notably Jack Johnson, who signed them onto his Brushfire label shortly before re-releasing their Fly Between Falls album in 2006. To sweeten the deal, Moe’s Alley double-dipped this candy apple by signing the four-piece, bluegrass-infused string band Fruition to the bill.
Friday and Saturday night will be possessed by the Afro-samba-reggae sound of SambaDá. Local heroes and veterans of Moe’s Alley, SambaDá’s impressive nine-musician lineup blasts audiences with a wall of sound that not only invites dancing but flat-out dares anyone not to shake their groove thang. With their rhythmic drumming stirring the instinctive regions of the soul, SambaDá sets the soundtrack to a holiday steeped in the darker, more primitive side of humanity. Saturday will be the night of the costume contest for cash prizes, making it the perfect time to test run this year’s costume.
But wait, there’s more! The fourth night of the Haunt kicks it up a notch with a triple bill of The Mumlers, He’s My Brother She’s My Sister & the Soft White Sixties. Presented in association with FolkYEAH!, the Sunday night line-up will be for anyone with a morbid addiction to rock & roll.
Hailing from San Francisco, with buzzing guitars, pop hooks and haunting keys, openers the Soft White Sixties are a straight-up rock band in the same R&B vein of earlier garage acts. If He’s My Brother She’s My Sister sounds familiar, that’s because this will be their second time playing Santa Cruz this year. The folksy quartet (plus a tap dancer!) from Los Angeles twists time by weaving webs of nostalgia into present day pop in a slice of golden Americana.
Just when the witching hour is close, the Mumlers will provide the perfect nightcap. Though they’re from San Jose, the Mumlers create an otherworldly sound with a very wide range. From a soft, roots-based ditty a la Two Gallants, they can seamlessly flow to a New Orleans-funeralesque song in a way that would make Tom Waits crack a haggard smile.
After four nights of debaucherous music, the Halloweekend Haunt comes to a cacophonous climax on Monday. “This year, Halloween is blue,” Welch devilishly remarks, as the Haunt closes with a full night of bluegrass and old-timey string revival music. Opening will be Santa Cruz sons the North Pacific String band with their intricate, finger-plucking fun hot off a dusty back porch. They’ll be followed by the Elephant Revival from Colorado, an acoustic quintet filled with rich mandolin, upright bass, guitar, the sweet sound of the fiddle and even a good old-fashioned washboard. Headlining the final night will be fellow Colorado bluegrass rockers Head For The Hills, for two years voted the “Best Bluegrass” band in Colorado by the Westword Magazine Music Showcase. Eerily haunting with a specter of beauty, Head For The Hills’ music will linger in the mind and leave the audience hearing ghosts of the past around every corner.
So this Halloween, take some time out from scaring little ones to celebrate grown-up style. It’s like Bill Welch says: “Basically, Moe’s Alley is throwing five nights of Halloween parties,” and with cash prizes to boot, the Halloweekend Haunt will leave a fiendish smile on anyone’s blood red lips.
