Dear ghosts and ghoulies,

The season is finally upon us: fright night! I personally live for Halloween, as someone usually rocking a Victorian angel-punk look or some other weird kitschy thing year round. I’ve been getting “Is that your Halloween costume?” comments about my everyday apparel since age 16 and I’m not looking to change that anytime soon. 

Before I rattle off my music picks for the week, I would like to unofficially whisper that my band Starly Kind will be howling at the Off Beat on Friday, October 30 alongside locals Hound and Kill Michael and Seattle’s Beautiful Freaks. If that feels up your alley, feel free to say hello if you can spot me in said aforementioned cherub-core garb. 

Back to business. Go don your scariest/funniest/sexiest costumes and pick your poison: A dark DJ dance party like BETTY? A live show where everyone dresses like Patrick Wolf? A cozy night at home watching scary movies? Follow your heart and see where the night takes you. I support you.

Friday, October 30

Pain of Truth

For fans of Never Ending Game, Terror, Spy

A Long Island band’s new take on classic beatdown hardcore. If that’s your thing, go get rowdy (but in a nice way).

(Hawthorne Theater, 1507 SE Cesar E. Chavez, 7 pm, $36.99, more info, 21+)

Gilla Band, Piss

For fans of Model/Actriz, Chat Pile, Uniform

Noisy electronic grit from the likes of Dublin, Gilla Band is celebrating their first release in four years, with opening act Vancouver-based experimental griefcore, Piss.

(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, SOLD OUT, more info, 21+)

Glitterfox: The New Frontier

For fans of Muna, King Princess, girl in red

Fun, glammy, local indie-rock for any occasion.

(Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, 8 pm, $36, more info, all ages)

Saturday, October 31

Sw0rdswall0wer, Shield Maiden, Helen Joy, Way of Flowers

A great all ages Halloween option with unique multi-genre music and local art. Costumes encouraged!

(Wyrd Hut, 4704 SE 65th, 7 pm, $12.51, more info, all ages)

BETTY: A Queer Dance Party

I don’t have a video to share for this one, but this quarterly queer dance party lands on Halloween and is sure to be a fun, freaky time.

(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 9 pm, $26.85, more info, 21+)

Patrick Wolf: Halloween Ball of the Beast

For fans of Bat For Lashes, Zola Jesus, Owen Pallett

UK-based multi-intrumentalist and long-time performer Patrick Wolf’s Ball of the Beast celebrates the artist’s latest release, The Beast, featuring unique performances by Dragula stars Abhora and Hollow Eve, and a “Night of 1000 Patrick Wolfs” costume competition.

(Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, 8 pm, $35, more info, all ages)

Is this really HALLOWEEN? with Golem Pink, Cassie Candles, Koa Koala (Tacoma), Gwyniver

For fans of Surgery Season, Loglady, feeble little horse

Enter the realm of experimental sound with this delightfully off-kilter showcase of art rock, dream haze, folk-punk, and all around cabinet of creative curiosity.

(Turn! Turn! Turn!, 8 NE Killingsworth, 7:30 pm, $10, more info, 21+)

Sunday, November 1

Lime Garden

For fans of Wet Leg, the Last Dinner Party, the Beths

Self proclaimed “wonk pop” all stars are hitting the ground running, headlining Mississippi Studios by way of the UK. Fun, funky, and groovy, Lime Garden hits the proverbial nail on the head with their dancy new album Maybe Not Tonight. Unassuming vocals lean just slightly outside of the expected, swimming in a pool of driving guitar and supremely funky basslines. Weave in some dueling synth lines and bongo percussion, and this piece is *chef’s kiss* something fresh, new, and exciting. Put on your dancing shoes and make some post-Halloween moves.

(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 8 pm, SOLD OUT, more info, 21+)

Buena Vista Orchestra

For fans of Afro-Cuban All Stars, Omara Portuondo, Buena Vista Social Club

Also referred to as the Buena Vista Social Orchestra or Orquesta Buena Vista, the Buena Vista Orchestra is renowned for its Cuban music repertoire. Featuring a myriad of musicians from the likes of the Buena Vista Social Club, Afro-Cuban All Stars, and members of Celia Cruz’s bands, this collective has pulled in all stars from renowned corners of the Latin music scene—truly, too many stars to list here.

(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 8 pm, $50.04-$97.51, more info, all ages)

Monday, November 2

Slothrust: The Dystopian Theatre Tour

For fans of Speedy Ortiz, the Beths, Weakened Friends

Slothrust lives in that little soft spot of my heart reminiscent of my early music-making days. Once an avid listener of bands like Speedy Ortiz and Pile, Slothrust fits a similar Massachusetts-shaped sound that surrounded my years trying to learn bass in Amherst. Words can’t quite describe that unique regional alt-rock vibe. Slothrust’s latest creation, What They Grow in the Garden, takes on a whole new sound; less alt-rock, more sluggy theatrical art-rock. Fantastical and new, their latest Dystopian Theatre Tour speaks to its name, somehow seasonally appropriate for this spooky season and beyond.

(Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, 8 pm, $30.30, more info, all ages)

Tuesday, November 3

Greg Freeman

For fans of Built to Spill, Pavement, Modest Mouse

Something in Greg Freeman’s voice on his latest release, All Set The Bone, feels uncannily familiar. Crackling in one moment, clean and crisp the next, Freeman’s got a raw appeal that pairs well with a twinkly, twangy slacker rock guitar. It’s giving “Farewell Transmission” by Songs: Ohia, in that sad-boy country fragile-emo indie way, and I’m a sucker for it. Raised in Maryland and based in Vermont, his sound embodies a forlorn longing that lives in the cracks of a mid-Atlantic winter, or a dusty New England fall. It’s colorful like foliage, but all at once grey in a pensive, philosophical way. 

(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 8 pm, $33.35, more info, all ages)

Wednesday, November 4

Ian Sweet

For fans of Faye Webster, Phoebe Bridgers, Cherry Glazerr

LA-indie darling Jilian Medford, AKA Ian Sweet, hails from what could be called the glory days of dream pop. Kicking off her career with the release of Shapeshifter in 2016, she climbs her way up the indie charts, landing squarely on Polyvinyl Records with a loyal fanbase. Now, in the wake of her fifth album release, Shiverstruck, Medford is back on the road again. Leaving behind her “sad girl” aesthetic, Medford’s anthemic tracks feel raw and hopeful. Ian Sweet is the admirable combination of grit and heart, setting forth a different sound that’s familiar, yet refreshingly new. 

(Polaris Hall, 635 N Killingsworth Ct, 8 pm, $26.20, more info, 21+)