By Charlie Swanson
Halloween is on a Saturday this year—a rare treat for adults who usually spend the holiday sitting at home handing out fun-size candies, or face the following day hungover at the office. This year, the North Bay is packing the occasion with concerts and events full of frightful fun.
Out in Tomales, they’re having a ball—a Halloween Costume Ball, to be exact. Dress up in ghoulish attire and boogie the night away with legendary Bay Area blues band Ron Thompson & the Resistors. The longtime guitarist knows how to get the party started, while a full bar and prize giveaways add to the fundraising fun, supporting the Tomales Town Hall.
At the other end of Highway 1, in Bolinas, you can rock the night away with power rock outfit Luvplanet, taking the stage at Smiley’s Schooner Saloon and throwing down big amps and big hair for a show that will raise the dead.
Marin is also host to several dance parties this Halloween, whether it be the Brazilian funk of Sang Matiz at the Lighthouse Bar & Grill’s Haunted Lighthouse Halloween Bash in Mill Valley, or a Hollywood Halloween Party with the timeless soul of Pride & Joy at HopMonk in Novato.
There’s the retro big band sound of San Francisco’s Stompy Jones, jamming out at Rancho Nicasio’s Halloween dance party. And, over at Sweetwater Music Hall, RatDog guitarist Steve Kimock joins longtime psychedelic country favorites New Riders of the Purple Sage.
Then there’s a Halloween concert of a different sort, as vocalist and founder of “The Naked Voice” Chloe Goodchild leads a workshop and performs at the Marin School in San Rafael. Goodchild developed her unique spoken and sung movement after studying music in England and traveling abroad. Now, she makes a rare Bay Area appearance to lead a “Naked Voice” workshop and offer a concert with popular percussionist Barbara Borden before DJ Heartbeat packs the dance floor.
Up in Santa Rosa, the North Bay Cabaret is presenting an All Hallows Eve of performance art, burlesque dance and the dark carnival sounds of Oakland’s Thee Hobo Gobbelins and others. In Guerneville, Melvin Seals & JGB celebrate the season with a spirited Halloween costume party at the River Theater.
St. Helena has one of the most interesting Halloween events yet, as the White Barn presents an avant-garde mix of costume party and performance in “Welcome to Scary Land.” Back by popular demand, this German expressionist-themed show mixes eerie stories, shadow puppets and more for a uniquely spooky experience.
For a full list of Halloween shows, see this week’s Sundial section.
