Beth Hart/Joe
Bonamassa, Don’t
Explain. What a great
idea. Joe Bonamassa complements diva-in-the-making Beth Hart as she
covers soul and blues classics by Aretha, Etta,
Billie, and other torchbearers. Joe nails it.
What’s my favorite Halloween album?
Call me the Grinch of Halloween. I just don’t
get it. I’m also that guy who breaks the seal
on Christmas stuff at that time of year. I’ll be
listening to Joe Pass’ Six String Santa.
Rebecca Dirks
Web Content Editor
What am I listening to?
I liked what I exhumed
for the next question
(below) so much that I
couldn’t stop listening.
What’s my favorite Halloween album?
One of my favorite modern horror flicks is
Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects, and part
of what makes it so great is the unspeakable
horrors set against classics from the Allman
Brothers, Three Dog Night, Buck Owens,
James Gang, Otis Rush, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and
others. Spinning the soundtrack conjures images of brutality without scaring the neighbors.
Andy Ellis
Senior Editor
What am I listening to?
Three Ring Circle,
Brothership. Fiery
acoustic music played
by toneful, inventive
virtuosos. Rob Ickes’ ringing resonator leads
the charge, with Andy Leftwich’s burning
mandolin and soaring fiddle in hot pursuit.
What’s my favorite Halloween album?
This year calls for a different kind of
haunting music: Samuel Barber’s Adagio
for Strings—the eerie piece that accompa-nies the final scene of David Lynch’s The
Elephant Man.
Shawn Hammond
Editor in Chief
What am I listening to?
When Sweet Sleep
Returned, by Gear Editor
Charles Saufley’s band,
the Assemble Head in
Sunburst Sound. Great songs and tones.
What’s my favorite Halloween album?
Oingo Boingo’s Dead Man’s Party—the
magnum opus of Danny Elfman’s band
before his foray into film scoring. Some of
the 1985 production hasn’t aged well, but
the title track, “Weird Science,” and “No
One Lives Forever” could animate corpses.
Plus, Steve Bartek’s stealthy, ripping guitars
hold up remarkably well—even tonally.
Chris Kies
Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
The Surf Zombies,
The Surf Zombies. This
’50s-style instrumental
surf band offers up
infectiously rockin’ songs drenched in eerie
reverb—like Dick Dale scoring a George A.
Romero horror flick.
What’s my favorite Halloween album?
As a fiend for the Danzig-era Misfits—it’s
Legacy of Brutality. It contains some of my
punk favorites like “She,” the evil-Elvis
rockabilly “American Nightmare,” and, of
course, the morbid anthem “Halloween.”
Rich Osweiler
Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
Stephen Malkmus
& the Jicks, Mirror
Traffic. While this Beck-produced jewel dips into
multiple genres, classic Malkmus rock still
shines through on tracks like “Spazz.”
What’s my favorite Halloween album?
The Original Monster Mash from Bobby
(Boris) Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers. A
mainstay growing up, this classic record
was worn thin from all the plays around
Halloween—the best holiday of the year!
My 2-year-old will soon be dancing
the Mashed Potato to it.
James Valentine
Maroon 5 Guitarist
What am I listening to?
Pat Martino, Head &
Heart: Consciousness/
Live. His lines are
insane. I’m trying to
shed the “Impressions” solo—give me 15
years. Also, Frank Zappa’s You Can’t Do that
On Stage Anymore series. It showcases so
many great solos from Frank—he sounds
like no one else.
What’s my favorite Halloween album?
Naked City, Naked City. This truly disturbing album features one of my favorite
guitarists, Bill Frisell, and is the record I put
on anytime I want to freak people out.
Not the Spaces You Know,
But Between Them. A
four-LP portrait of the
American underground
assembled by Three Lobed Recordings, this
set captures—among other things—a beautiful pair of Sonic Youth rehearsal-space
orphans, a side-long acoustic-and-vocal
jam by Steve Gunn, an improvised psych
mélange from Comets on Fire, and the last
recorded performance of Sun City Girls.
What’s my favorite Halloween album?
Any Serge Gainsbourg LP played backwards
through my busted Echoplex.
Jason Shadrick Associate Editor What am I listening to? Bill Frisell, All We Are
Saying.... I can’t think of
another artist I’d rather
hear tackle the oft-covered Lennon catalog. These aren’t “jazz”
versions of Beatles tunes, they are deft and
sublime interpretations by a band of experienced sonic wizards.
What’s my favorite Halloween album?
I’d create a playlist with “Halloween” by
King Diamond, “Halloween” by the Dave
Matthews Band, and “Halloween” by
Dropkick Murphys, and then put it on repeat.
