Girl at the Rock Shows

Happy Halloween, everyone! How are you celebrating this year? Honestly, I feel like Halloween has lost its charm for me. It has turned into an amateur night, and, like New Year’s Eve, it has become a night when I typically opt for a night in rather than going out. That was before I was turned on to Count Spookula. Much like how Mariah Carey seems to only come out around Christmas, local legend Count Spookula seems to only come out around Halloween time, and seeing him perform on Halloween Eve got me into the holiday spirit.

The Thursday night show at the 7th Street Entry started with a personal favorite of mine- Unattractive Giant Monster. Dressed in their typical jumpsuits, but with different, costume-inspired hats, UGM took the stage and instantly reminded me why I love this band so much. They are quirky. Wait, what’s a word a bit more extreme than “quirky”? I don’t know what the word is, but that would be the best way to describe these local rockers. Their sound is slightly chaotic, with seemingly humorous lyrics and wickedly fast lines of notes, all accompanied by a performance that is full of energy and fun. Watching the vocalist of this band breathed a sense of life into me that I didn’t know I could feel so late in a busy work week. UGM was the perfect way to kick off the night, but their set was far too short for my liking. They were only on stage for thirty minutes, which, for a work night with three other bands on the bill, maybe wasn’t the worst thing, but I wanted so much more from them because I find such a sense of joy in watching them perform.

Following UGM was Big Delicious. The only other time I saw this band perform was back in 2023, right before Thanksgiving. I honestly don’t remember their sound that much, but I do recall that they were the first (and only) band I’ve ever seen sit down for a Thanksgiving meal on stage while they played through their set (you can read all about it here!). The self-proclaimed “Willy Wonkas of indie rock,” Big Delicious’ set on Thursday night was full of different vibes and sounds that ranged from indie rock to something a bit more experimental and almost prog-rock leaning. Much like UGM’s set, it didn’t matter what song or style Big Delicious was playing; they filled the room with an insane amount of energy and fun that was perfect and really set the tone for the rest of the night. You could have walked into this show without knowing a single thing about any of the bands, but by the end of Big Delicious’s set, I bet you were in love and just thankful that this is how you chose to spend your Thursday night.

Thursday night was my first time seeing King Sized Coffin. I quickly noticed some familiar faces on stage. Although I could only place one of the faces for sure (and that would be the bassist of Baltive Avenue Neighborhood Watch), I know that I had seen some of the other musicians that crowded the stage in other acts. This is neither here nor there, as it has no effect on the amount of fun and creativity that King Sized Coffin brought to the small stage. I feel like I’ve already used the word “quirky” more than I probably should in this review, but I’m going to go ahead and hit you with it again– King Sized Coffin’s sound was quirky and oh so perfect. It was a bit stripped back, with the only drums being the drums played by the vocalist while they sang through the set. That was just the beginning of the creative instrumentation of this band. From a theremin that reigned supreme throughout a majority of the set to the feature of everything from a flute to an autoheart-looking hand-held string instrument, this band was really all over the place, and it felt like there was a lot of equipment and players on stage, but their overall sound was organized and crisp. I loved that this band clearly put thought into all of the little details of their set and brought it all to this short set to preserve the integrity of their sound. Maybe I’m taking them too seriously on that front, but, truly, I was impressed, and although Thursday was my first introduction to King Sized Coffin, it surely won’t be the last time you read about them from me.

Count Spookula, the headliner of Thursday night, is one of those acts where you can only think about it in terms of life before you see Count Spookula, and life after. I was introduced to this spooky character two Halloweens ago, and it blew my mind. It wasn’t the best music I had ever heard, but it was definitely one of those quirky (there I go again) kinds of shows that I just could not shake from my mind. It has turned into a tradition where it’s not spooky season until I see this pumpkin-headed man thrust on stage, and although I now know what to expect from him, I’m never really fully ready for it.

So maybe I was exaggerating when I said that Count Spookula only comes out around Halloween time. I think that was more me projecting that he is a quintessential Halloween tradition, but, really, as he says, it’s Halloween forever. Wearing a pretty sinister-looking pumpkin mask and a super classy and traditional suit, as soon as Count Spookula took the stage, smiles spread throughout the packed venue. It’s seriously impossible to watch this guy do his thing and not have a giant smile that feels like it looks as cheesy as the music sounds, but that’s kind of the point of this guy (at least I think it is). Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy the music of Count Spookula, but I’m not blind to the fact that there is a super Wisconsin-level cheesiness to it all. From the lyrics to the exaggerated accent that Count Spookula performs with, there’s something seriously non-serious about this act, but at the same time, you understand how perfect it all is.

When did Halloween lose its charm? When did dressing up turn into more of a task than an expression of creativity? When did we start counting the calories behind the Halloween candy rather than counting how much candy we actually got? When did Halloween lose its magic? I don’t know, but thanks to Count Spookula, there are a few hundred of us who woke up just slightly more in the holiday spirit and ready to celebrate Halloween the way it should be– with a sense of whimsical yet spooky fun, and we have Count Spookula to thank for that.

Line Up:

Unattractive Giant Monster

Big Delicious

King Sized Coffin

Count Spookula

Venue: 7th Street Entry

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 32

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 2 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air-Jack-O-Lanterns (AKA orange baloons with lights in them)

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Unattractive Giant Monster – 2

Big Delicious – 1

King Sized Coffin – 0

Count Spookula – 2

Celebrity Sightings – Member of Battery Eyes

Overall Score –8.1 out of 10

Show on Deck —Space Monkey Mafia / Alien Book Club / The Prizefighters / Malos Pasos

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