Posts Tagged ‘Music’

Halloween Party 2008 Set List

Monday, October 5th, 2009

A good friend has an annual Halloween costume party and last year I put together a special Halloween set list to play during the festivities. For posterity I thought I would list it here (also this will help me keep tabs and make sure I don’t duplicate too much on this year’s list). Surprisingly there are a ton of Halloween themed songs out there. I probably had an initial list with 15-20 hours worth of songs and had to trim down to around a 5 hour set. And of course when putting one of these together, you really have to resist the urge to be lazy and just put a whole White Zombie album on there.

So without further ado, here is the list from last year along with some notes. It is listed with song name then artist.

  1. Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor – Kenny Ball
  2. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
  3. Halloween – Dave Matthews Band
  4. Halloween – Dead Kennedys
  5. Ghostbusters Movie Main Title Theme – Elmer Bernstein
  6. Surprise! You’re Dead! – Faith No More (Great vampire themed song)
  7. Mars Attacks – Aesop Rock (This guy is amazing)
  8. Tales From The Crypt Theme – Danny Elfman
  9. Feed My Frankenstein – Alice Cooper (If you ever get the chance, see Alice Cooper live. It is a rock theater production!)
  10. The Phantom of the Opera – Andrew Lloyd Webber
  11. Addams Family Theme – Vic Mizzy
  12. October – Athenaeum (might have been when the band was Collapsis)
  13. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult
  14. Bark At The Moon – Ozzy Osbourne
  15. Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon
  16. Helter Skelter – The Beatles
  17. I Put A Spell On You – Creedence Clearwater Revival (originally by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins)
  18. Phantom Manor Ride Theme – Disneyland Paris (It has Vincent Price as the Ghost Host. Vincent Price is Halloween)
  19. A Nightmare On My Street – DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince (Don’t be afraid to step outside of the box with your Halloween setlist)
  20. Sympathy for the Devil – The Rolling Stones
  21. Vampires – Godsmack
  22. Every Day Is Halloween – Ministry
  23. Halloween Movie Theme 2007 – Tyler Bates
  24. Shout At The Devil – Mötley Crüe
  25. Doctor Who Theme – (The updated version)
  26. Monster Mash – Bobby “Boris” Pickett
  27. Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival
  28. The Time Warp – The Rocky Horror Picture Show
  29. Thriller – Michael Jackson (more Vincent Price goodness)
  30. The Morning After – Faith No More (Songs about zombies are always a plus)
  31. Twilight Zone Theme – Marius Constant
  32. Vampires In Love – Marvelous 3 (Can’t go wrong with a little Marvelous 3)
  33. The Thing That Should Not Be – Metallica
  34. Superstition – Stevie Wonder
  35. Monster Mash Metal Version – Misfits
  36. Scooby Doo Theme – Hoyt Curtin
  37. Halloween – The Misfits
  38. Sweet Transvestite – The Rocky Horror Picture Show
  39. Overture – The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack
  40. Who Wants To Live Forever – Queen (Dont’ forget that Queen penned songs for the Highlander movie)
  41. Call of the Zombie – Rob Zombie
  42. Ghostbusters (Who You Gonna Call) – Ray Parker, Jr.
  43. Munsters Theme Metal Style – (not sure who did this version since I found it on YouTube)
  44. More Human Than Human – White Zombie
  45. Godzilla – Blue Oyster Cult
  46. I’m Your Boogie Man – Rob Zombie (Originally by KC and the Sunshine Band)
  47. In the Hall of the Mountain King – Edvard Grieg
  48. Living Dead Girl – Rob Zombie
  49. Of Wolf and Man – Metallica (I’m a sucker for anything Werewolf related)
  50. Munsters Theme (TV Show Version) – Jack Marshall
  51. Transylvanian Transmissions, Pt. 1 – Rob Zombie
  52. Monster Squad Rap – Bruce Broughton (The Monster Squad was an awesome cheesy horror flick from my youth. The rap at the end rocks)
  53. Zombie – The Cranberries
  54. Halloween II – The Misfits
  55. Halloween – Helloween (You know a band named Helloween must have a song about Halloween)

Of course the real goal that my good friend Horst and I have always had was to put a band together that could perform a Halloween themed set list live. It still hasn’t happened but I am holding out hope. Maybe when Horst comes back from his adventures in New Zealand we can make it happen. Plus it would be a good excuse for me to learn the entire Thriller dance (I just need to get this shirt for my cheat sheet).

If you have any favorite Halloween songs that I didn’t use, please post them in the comments.

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Is A Full Book Really Necessary?

Tuesday, December 11th, 2007

So I received a sales e-mail tonight from the musical instrument website Musician’s Friend (great store by the way, highly recommend them) and one of the 6 just for Tuesday only sales items they are highlighting is this:

How To Master Spinning Drumsticks

So I just have to wonder, is a full book (and DVD) really needed to learn how to spin drumsticks. Maybe there are secret techniques I’m unaware of. Could it be that the art of spinning drumsticks is like Chinese Kung Fu and can only be passed down from a Master to a Student under strict supervision? If so is this author of this book risking his life by divulging the ancient secrets of this black art? If we hear of a drummer being killed by drumstick impalation (is that even a word?), then we will know the answer.

Oh, and notice the top of the book.. Once you master these techniques, you will be a certified master of…….Spinology. Now that is rock and roll!! Spin On!

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Poor, Poor Butch…

Thursday, December 6th, 2007

Any of you that read this space or know me are familiar with one of my favorite musicians, Butch Walker. Unfortunately tragedy has struck him out in California.

I just saw this from Butch Walker’s MySpace Blog and this news article from MTV http://www.mtv.ca/news/article.jhtml?id=5523:

From his blog:

“hey all. i just want to say thanks for anyone and everyone who sent their wishes to me about the fire (yeah our house burned down in the california wildfires last week). it’s pretty crazy to lose everything you owned. but note that i said “owned” not “had”. there is a big difference. you can be sad about losing everything you worked hard to buy, and everything you inherited from late relatives, etc… but you have to be happy that you didn’t lose anyBODY. i am very thankful, in a screwed up sorta way, that i get to start anew and begin a new chapter in my life. i’m not gonna write some long-ass diatribe here about becoming spiritual and realizing what’s important because, trust me, if this happens to you then you will already feel the same way i am now… i’m just going to say “thank you”. friendship was always underestimated in my book… until now.

i’m gonna play a little show in LA at the Hotel Cafe with a bunch of friends on Dec. the 17th at 8pm sharp. we are going to raise some money to pay for some of the things that MY FRIENDS lost in the fire at my house. i want them to at least get back the things that they let me borrow, use, or just may have left over there when they were too drunk to remember to take it with them on the way home.. tickets will go on sale tonight on the Hotel Cafe website at

www.hotelcafe.com/tickets

so come out and have some fun for a good cause.

happy holidays….

Butch”

From the article:

“In a tragic turn of events, it has come to light that the rental home owned by Flea that burned in the Malibu, California, wildfires over the weekend was being occupied by Avril Lavigne producer Butch Walker – and he lost everything in the blaze.

Walker was touring New York at the time of the incident, and “had just consolidated my entire recording studio and house from Atlanta into the one house in Malibu,” the songwriter/producer, who has also worked with Pink, Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is…, Tommy Lee and others, said in a press release. “I lost everything I’ve ever owned. Every master of every song I’ve ever recorded, every piece of recording equipment, guitars, drums and things I’ve collected over the years, cars, motorcycles, every family memorial, heirloom, picture, and document we ever had. … Gone. I feel like I finally know the difference between ‘going back’ and ‘going home.’ ”

Over the weekend, Flea said in a text message obtained by the Los Angeles Times that his $4.8 million home in Corral Canyon was “burnt to a crisp” by the fires on Saturday morning. According to TMZ.com, a second, $10 million Malibu home owned by Flea – the one in which he currently resides – did not burn. The one that did was a $4.8 million house that the bassist had been renting – most recently to Walker – and currently has up for sale, the site reports.

Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose also had a close call when the fires burned his roof and singed some of his property. According to a report on KCAL-TV, Rose’s assistant said the rocker “was with the hose everywhere” on his property, fighting to save his home.

The fires, which have largely been contained, were the worst in Malibu in years, according to the Times. In late October, another series of fires forced evacuations in the area but hit the San Diego area much harder. ”

—————-

Sadly this reminds me of many of my friends’ experiences after Hurricane Katrina. Be strong Butch.

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Sons of William

Sunday, September 30th, 2007

Recently Casey and I (along with Brian, Vicki, Kasey, and Kenny) headed over to New Orleans to see Better Than Ezra play at the House of Blues. I’ll write up the concert another time, but what I wanted to write about was the opening band that night. The opener was a band out of Houma, Louisiana called Sons of William. They are a 3 piece consisting of Joe Stark on guitar and lead vocals, his brother Dave Stark on drums, and Jen Janet on bass. Their name stems from the two Stark brothers’ father Bill. He was responsibile for their early musical education so the name Sons of William seemed a fitting tribute to him.

Normally opening bands are very hit or miss at shows, but these guys put on a great performance. Their songs have a great rock feel with some infectiously catchy melodies and beats. Joe Stark demonstrated that in addition to singing well, he is a very talented guitar player. Not overly flashy but able to deliver just what a song needs.

Prior to forming Sons of William, Joe released albums and toured as a solo artist and had been offered gigs playing guitar with very talented musicians such as Marc Broussard, Will Hoge, Rock Star INXS and even one of my favorites Butch Walker.

After their set I was able to chat with Joe at the upstairs bar for a bit while he ordered (and paid for, no freebies from HOB for the performers it seems) drinks for himself and the rest of the band. He was a super nice guy and very excited about all the shows they have been playing recently and the things they have scheduled in the future. He mentioned that they will be starting a residency soon at the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi, MS in the Hard Rock Cafe. A residency is a string of gigs at the casino that are free to the public. I guess it is kind of like being the house band but getting to play your own original stuff.

This past week I ordered and received their album What Hides Inside,

and it did not disappoint. If you like a nice variety of rock and roll then you should really check it out. If I had to sub-genre it I would say Southern Rock, but it is definitely more Will Hoge than Lynyrd Skynyrd. There are rocking guitar driven tracks, some piano driven tracks that are very soulful, 2 and 3 part harmonies, and really great backing vocals from bass player Jen Janet. All in all a great album from this talented group. I will definitely be ordering their EP and self-titled first album to get some more tunes from these guys.

I look forward to catching them in Biloxi at the Hard Rock and here in Mobile next time they pass through. Give them a listen at their myspace page or pick up the album, and let me know what you think.

Updated to add youtube videos:

Performing Independence Day at Monsoon’s in Mobile, AL

Performing Breaking My Back

Performing Easy To Love (youtube won’t allow this one to be embedded)

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