Girl at the Rock Shows

‘Twas the night before Halloween weekend and, all through the Twin Cities, everyone was bumping to Count Spookula. Okay, terrible intro. Also, probably not true, but it should be. Thursday night was, in fact, the night before Halloween weekend, so it seemed only fitting that I went out and saw local legend Count Spookula. Although this charismatic character was the reason I peeled myself off of the couch and left the house, he didn’t end up being the only reason that it was worth it. Whether you have been in the holiday spirit for weeks or, like me, feel a bit meh about it this year, Thursday night at Zhora Darling was the perfect thing to finally get me in the mood. Maybe too little, too late, but it was something, and that something was amazing.

If you live in the Twin Cities and have never heard of Count Spookula, shame on you. Like how Mariah Carey seems to only come out during Christmas season, the anonymous man behind Count Spookula seems to come out only around Halloween, which makes sense. Masked in a very creepy, pumpkin-inspired facemask and coming complete with a suit and metallic covering over the family jewels, which glistened with every gyrating movement he made, something just felt right about seeing Count Spookula on Thursday night. Being a spectator at a Count Spookula show is not an option. Whether you are blessed by the blood of The Count (he walks around the audience putting “blood” on people’s foreheads in a very dramatic way) or you have the microphone shoved in your face to help pitch in on a song, you become one with the Count, and it is truly something to experience.

Sonically, there’s really not much I can say about this act. It’s just a guy and a computer, with sound to match. It’s definitely cheesy, but it’s the perfect amount of cheese to help you lose your inhibitions, if only for a little bit. From his hit song “Sexy Witch” to my personal favorite, “Oh Fuck, It’s a Monster,” the Count had the entire audience smiling and dancing. I may not have been feeling very Halloween-y so far this year, but something about Count Spookula really helped, and I hope Thursday night isn’t my only encounter with this amazing guy this season.

Truthfully, I thought there was no way any of the remaining acts were going to hold a candle to Count Spookula’s set and, in a way, they didn’t, but Stranger Gallery absolutely stole a little bit of my heart as they powered through their set. It would be fair to call this local act a darkwave or a synth-driven post-punk band, but I feel like that doesn’t really do them justice. Sure, there are moments of that smoky, atmospheric feel, but there are also moments that sting a bit harder and feel a bit more pointed than you would expect from a darkwave band. Basically, it’s darkwave for people who don’t really like or don’t know much about darkwave, and that’s what makes them the perfect act for me. The band sounded absolutely great on Thursday night, but that was not the standout of their set for me.

For me, it was when vocalist Cody Bourdot stripped (with the help of a soundtrack from other members of the group) down to his Halloween costume – Rex Kwan Do from Napoleon Dynamite. He wore American-flag pants and a bandana, and even had a picture of his uber cute cat, Bing Bong, on the wall that he could point to when he asked the audience if they thought he was a failure for going home to kiss Bing Bong at night. I was roaring with laughter and continued to as the skit went on. I won’t tell you about everything, but basically, Cody took lines from Napoleon Dynamite and turned them into a little schtick about voting. “Cast the ballot, walk away.” It was charming, it was cute, and, most importantly, it was important, as we are just days away from the midterm elections. After this skit, which had me absolutely in love and still with laughter in my soul, the band leaped back into their set and powered through a few more songs before exiting the stage and making way for Die So Fluid.

Thursday night’s show wasn’t just a night to get you into the holiday spirit; it was the Minneapolis debut of London-born Die So Fluid. This clearly meant a lot to many people in the audience, but to me, I was feeling a bit clueless. I had truthfully never heard of this band before and, as mentioned, I was there to see Count Spookula and get in the holiday spirit, but within the first song from Die So Fluid, I knew a monster was being created. To say I was floored by this band would be an understatement. Their sound had a very 90s influence but ranged from grunge to thrash to punk. It was all over the place but, no matter where the sound went, it was performed with a sense of perfection and energy that was absolutely electric. The entire band was so great and so tight, but it was vocalist/ bassist Grog Rox that caught my eye and ear throughout the set.

Where do I even begin with Grog’s voice? Truthfully, the only other act I could compare this to is local group In Lieu, but I feel like that may be a wee bit obscure (although it shouldn’t be, and you really need to check out In Lieu ASAP). Basically, Grog could go from these absolutely stunning and beautiful lines of notes and, in the blink of an eye, turn them into the most ferocious growl you have ever heard. The best example of this was during the band’s performance of “Suck My Dry.” Truthfully, I just don’t have the right words to describe how amazing it was to see and hear this band perform this particular song live, but I can say that, out of everything I heard on Thursday night from all four acts that played, this is the song that is still ringing in my ears the morning after. It wasn’t just the sound here; it was also the performance in general. Grog was a captivating image, and her voice seemed to shift as starkly and quickly as the vocals; on top of that, the band had a super great, electric energy that seemed to wash over the audience like turbulent waves. Come for the sound, stay for the charm —Die So Fluid absolutely became a band to watch for me, and I hope they don’t take too long to return to the Twin Cities.

Closing out this fantastic show was Redder Moon from Kansas City, Missouri. Their sound seemed to throw it back to what Stranger Gallery had laid out earlier in the evening, but Redder Moon expanded on it. Their sound felt just slightly darker and a bit more dramatic, but it definitely had that darkwave, synth-heavy sound at the forefront. Full disclosure, this band wasn’t for me. It’s not that they weren’t good at what they were doing; it was just that what they were doing wasn’t quite my cup of tea. Made up of just cousins Jeremiah James Gonzales and Sergio Anthony Gonzales-Gonzalez, Redder Moon relied on tracks (or maybe a drum machine —truthfully, I don’t know the difference) to add beats to their sound. The beats were solid, but just the metallic sound of the “fake drums” irked me. This is absolutely a “me” problem, and I hate that Redder Moon is seemingly getting the crap end of the stick because of it, but at the end of the day, I like what I like, just like you like what you like, and not everything is going to be for everyone.

All that being said, I loved the atmosphere that Redder Moon created with their closing set. People were dancing in the shadows like an 80s dance. Maybe it was the band, maybe it was the venue; either way, this was a no-judgment zone without being called a no-judgment zone, and I feel like that gave people the confidence to dance however they wanted to. Okay, maybe the darkness of the room helped, but regardless, I watched people dance their hearts out in whatever way they wanted, and I absolutely loved it. Maybe the music wasn’t for me, but the feeling of watching the audience was something I always look for in shows, and Redder Moon nailed it.

Much like it’s not Christmas until Mariah Carey sings, it’s not Halloween until you see Count Spookula perform. I saw that and so much more on Thrusday night, and it was a great way to kick off the holiday weekend.

Happy Halloween, everyone! Enjoy this weekend. Be safe, have fun, and send me all of your Reese’s!

Line Up:

Count Spookula

Stranger Gallery

Die So Fluid

Redder Moon

Venue: Zhora Darling

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 35

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 3 out of 10

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

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- None

Passed Out People- None

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 8.9 out of 10

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

Count Spookula – 2

Stranger Gallery – 1

Die So Fluid – 0

Redder Moon – 0

Show on Deck – Charlie Parr

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