The beauty of Halloween occurring on a Wednesday (next week, of course) is that you basically get a full week of fiendish, costumed, creepy-crawly shows, many of which take place the weekend before, then continue on out through the week days…of horror.
Trust me, you’ll be getting a thick list packed with the bulk of those shows in the paper this coming issue. But for Heads Up, I pulled out a few must-sees, including shows without the ghoulish holiday affiliation, but that are still worthy of your eyes and ears: Seattle’s Crypts, LA’s Flying Lotus, Portland’s Red Fang, Brooklyn artist SSION, Jascha singing Caetano Veloso, and more.
Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:
Crypts
The people were weary at first of Seattle’s Crypts, a synth-based (specifically a rewired CR-8000) darkwave electro act led by Steve Snere. For Snere was already known and beloved as a former member of Kill Sadie and post-hardcore geniuses These Arms are Snakes, in an angular realm of post-punk proficiency. But Crypts is enticing in a new, much gloomier fashion, and yes, Snere still kills it, and it maintains a paranoid frenzy vibe. Check deep, dark, and ghoulish “Breathe,” off the band’s self-titled debut LP (Sargent House, Sept. 4) or NIN-ish “Fancy.” The band played SF this summer, but this time its closer to Halloween, plus they’re opening for Omar Rodríguez-López, of At the Drive-In and Mars Volta fame.
With Omar Rodríguez-López Trio
Wed/24, 8pm, $15
New Parish
579 18th St., Oakl.
(415) 371-1631
www.thenewparish.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0mGsPjfJX0
Flying Lotus
“After the game-changing, brain-frying astral thrash of 2010’s Cosmogramma, the heavyweight champion of the LA beat scene is back with Until the Quiet Comes: a darker, moodier, earthbound affair, content to explore Flying Lotus’ genre-splicing sound-world at a relaxed pace. The result is an album as structurally unified as it is thematically fractured, rotating between hip-hop, jazz, and EDM vignettes, as Thundercat’s incendiary bass plucking, Austin Peralta’s fusion-y keyboards, and seductive vocals from Erykah Badu and Thom Yorke provide a sense of continuity.”– Taylor Kaplan
With Teebs, Jeremiah Jae
Thu/25, 8pm, $25
Fox Theater
1807 Telegraph, Oakl.
(510) 302-2250
www.thefoxoakland.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuQGfk9Gmgo
SSION
SSION is performing with House of Ladosha and DJs from High Fantasy at this freaky-colorful installment of Future | Perfect. SSION, pronounced “shun,” is hard to take your eyes off of, a confetti-puke electro-art-pop party collective from Kansas City, Missouri, led by sultry androgynous vocalist Cody Critcheloe, who now resides in Brooklyn, with the aesthetic of early John Waters oeuvre meets Pee-wee’s Playhouse. While the recorded music is often relegated to pre-party pump-ups, live is where SSION really shines, as some may have witnessed at DNA Lounge’s Blow Up night earlier this year.
Thu/25, 9pm, $10-$15
Public Works, 161 Erie, SF
www.publicsf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTjF5JZ_v7M
Zombie Prom: Circus of Horrors
A swinging rock’n’roll zombie dance party, at the Mission’s awesome Verdi Club, with live music by Slim Jenkins, zombie go-go dancers, a haunted ballroom, a coffin photo booth (the scariest part, for claustrophobic people), and costume contests.
Fri/26, 8pm, $20.
Verdi Club
2424 Mariposa, SF
www.verdiclub.net
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtK4QDjt_2c
Jascha Hoffman sings Caetano Veloso
Local singer-songwriter-journalist Jascha (Hoffman) digs deep into the bossa nova/spirit ballad heavy catalogue of legendary Brazilian composer-political activist Caetano Veloso. Interestingly, Gilberto Gil, who was very much a part of the same musical and political scene as Veloso, will be at the Paramount Theatre this Thu/25 – also a must-see.
Sat/27, 8pm, $10
Red Poppy Art House.
2698 Folsom, SF
www.redpoppyarthouse.org
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRBaEtbuCLI
Red Fang
“Obviously some Tumblr user has already made Fuck Yeah Red Fang a reality. And it’s fitting, really — Portland, Ore.’s good-time ambassadors of stoner rawk may embrace old-school headbanging, but the quartet has also mastered the fine art of using the internet to connect with fans (follow the band on Facebook and marvel at all the Red Fang tribute tattoos) and make new ones (see: Red Fang’s videos, mini-comedy masterpieces all. The band’s blog, filled with wry observations of life on the road, is hilarious, too.) But yeah, really the best way to experience Red Fang is to get the hell off your computer and see them live. Lucky for you, there’s a show tonight. Fuck yeah!” — Cheryl Eddy
With Black Tusk and Lord Dying
Sat/27, 9pm, $15
Slim’s
333 11th St., SF
www.slimspresents.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQPfQvLIseA
Haunted Hoedown
Rin Tin Tiger, Doe Eye, Steelwells, and mouthful Wes Leslie and His Deadly Medley play the third annual Halloween hoedown this week. You may remember both Rin Tin Tiger and Doe Eye from their respective stops by the Localized Appreesh survey rodeo earlier this year? You pay attention to everything I write, right?
Sat/27, 9pm, $10.
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., SF
www.bottomofthehill.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FrwRxygWCc