Get into the spirit: Halloween tribute sets from local bands
Check out Brainerd as they tear up some Turbonegro (pictured above).
There’s no greater excuse to watch a cover band than Halloween, when dozens of great local bands jump out of their skin and into someone else’s for a series of labored-over tribute sets to everyone from Big Black (via Caustic) to Will Smith (via Pushmi-Pullyu’s nerdy hip-hop sister band Fambly Fun!, who have informed us that it’ll only be playing post-Jazzy Jeff jams from 1997’s Big Willie Style). With that, The A.V. Club would like to share a handful of the most promising homages for the upcoming weekend.
Caustic and The Dark Clan as Big Black
For what promises to be one of the more fucked up sets of the weekend, industrial creep and “Jizzcore” pioneer Matt Fanale of Caustic has enlisted the help of Milwaukee goth-rockers The Dark Clan for a dose of sonic torment in Big Black form. We can only hope that Fanale will lend some of the goth-sleaze of “Meat Market Carnivore” to the sonic scraping of Big Black classics like “Bad Penny” and “Big Money.”
Sean Michael Dargan as The Cure
Madison singer-songwriter Sean Michael Dargan will (or should) swap out his “signature” bowtie and wingtip shoes for mascara and black boots, as he poofs his hair into a greasy mess and takes on The Cure’s Robert Smith. While it’s unclear whether or not Dargan—who’s typically known for his happy-go-lucky pop tunes—can “disintegrate” his current persona and morph into the dismally yearning character that goth kids fell in love with on 1979’s Three Imaginary Boys, it should be fun to watch him take such a massive leap from the songsmith he impersonated last Halloween—Elvis Costello.
Also playing: The Nod as Pearl Jam, Little Red Wolf as ’80s Girl Rock Band, and Venus In Furs as The Misfits.
Elf Lettuce as The Rolling Stones
While we certainly don’t wish to throw the “jam band” genre into our crosshairs, some tunes were just not meant to be turned into lengthy, key-modulating wank-a-thons. So here’s hoping that Elf Lettuce will keep things short and gritty when it tackles the Rolling Stones canon, unless they take on “Undercover Of The Night,” because that song truly deserves a defiling.
Also playing: The Grasshoppers as Talking Heads, Baghdad Scuba Review as The Beatles.
Brainerd taking on Turbonegro as “TurboNerd”
TurboNerd is truly a perfect match for a band like Brainerd that was formed deep within the seventh circle of hell and remains loyal members of Turbonegro’s Turbojugend association. Bassist-vocalist Dan Dieterich will lead his henchman into a fiery take on the Norwegian ass cobras responsible for nuked punk anthems like “Midnight NAMBLA” and “Bad Mongo.” Adding a few fu manchus and beats per minute should cast a wicked illusion.
Also playing: Droids Attack as Helmet, Helliphant as Cheech And Chong
El Valiente as Pavement
Jangling post-rock veterans El Valiente will be making a rare flirtation with vocals, as guitarist Eric Caldera takes on the role of Stephen Malkmus for a handful of Pavement tunes that dives into the far reaches of the Stockton, California legends’ discography. Caldera comments, “I’m pretty excited about playing some of the stranger songs like ‘Flux=Rad’ and ‘Best Friend’s Arm.’ The lyrics to ‘Best Friend’s Arm’ are pretty much incomprehensible, so I get to scream some gibberish on that one.”
Also playing: The Motorz take on The Dictators as “The Handsome Dickz,” All Murder as The Misfits, Paleface as Paleface, and Orphan Bloom as Soundgarden.
The Honey Slides as Guided By Voices
The Honey Slides (and The Midwest Beat) frontman Matt Joyce will jump into the perpetually cranky guise of Robert Pollard as his band spills its sticky, power-pop sweetness all over tunes from 1994’s Bee Thousand, as well as other gems from Dayton, Ohio indie-rock legends Guided By Voices. With a little help from The Hussy drummer Heather Sawyer’s rhythmic pounding, the Slides take on GBV should be one of the more infectious impersonations of the weekend.
The Shabelles and Marcus King And Thee Royalty as “Chewie Lewis And The Nudes”
Isthmian nerd-rockers The Shabelles and local soul collective Marcus King And Thee Royalty are tag-teaming in homage to arguably the ultimate Top 40 pub-rock band Huey Lewis And The News. This tribute to one of fictional yuppie serial killer Patrick Bateman’s favorite bands should keep the air rich with nostalgia, so long as Chewie Lewis And The Nudes don’t touch any of the muck that followed 1986’s Fore.
Also playing: Whitney Mann as Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, Tangy and Digibot as The B-52s, The Usual Things as The White Stripes.
