Tag Archives: Hip Hop

Spooky Scary Skele-tunes

Anyone who’s ever seen a spooky scary skeleton rattle its bones or turn a friend into a xylophone knows that they are a jazzy bunch. After 10 years I’m thrilled to get some Jazz into the mix, but it’s not all dooting horns and startling shrilly screams – you’ll find many genres in this bone-nanza.

Here are 13 spine-tingling tracks to get your guests shaking their hip bones.

The Skeleton in the Closet – Louis Armstrong

Who better to strike up the band than Satchmo?

Rattlin’ Bones – The Preservation Hall Jazz Band

I heard these guys play while packed like a crawdad in a po’boy between the sweltering ramshackle walls of Preservation Hall in New Orleans.

Spooky, Scary Skeletons – Andrew Gold

The foundation stone of the Triple S tradition.

Skeleton Fight – Mack Allen Smith

Things escalate quickly in this odd-ball 60’s jam.

Graveyard Boogie – King Flamingo

You take your chances when you bring a date to the cemetery.

Nobody Likes You (When You’re Dead) – Zombina & The Skeletones

Don’t cremate, appreciate.

I’ve Got A Bone – Dan Bull

Apparently this is a Minecraft thing, I’m probably the last one to hear it, but I’m glad I did. I love the manic energy, brilliant word play, hilarious performance, driving synth and pitch-perfect theremin.

Do the Skeleton Scat! – The Wiggles

Do the Wiggles always kick this much ass? I think I’m a Wiggles fan now.

Cumbia de los Muertos – Ozomotli

If I get a chance to show some love for LA’s hometown heroes ‘Ozomotli’ I’m taking it.

Dead Man’s Bones – Dead Man’s Bones

Did you know that Ryan Gosling had a band? Did you know they’re spooky as hell?

Graveyard’s Full – The Growlers

This band’s sound is called ‘Beach Goth’. I don’t know if that’s an oxymoron, but I like it.

‘Taint No Sin – Lee Morse

This song may seem corny, but it gives me ‘Hellraiser’ flashbacks.

Skeleton Sam – LVCRFT

And finally, a little more saxo-bone and scare-emin to close this year’s list.

Click here to get my book ‘We Bleed Orange & Black: 31 Fun-sized Tales for Halloween’, including my Top Ten Tips for Becoming a Spooky Scary Skeleton.

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Halloween Roundup 2019

pumpkin hanko 1

Here is my Halloween Roundup of original content for 2019

The Music Mix:   Hip Hop Halloween

The guest blog post:  From Thailand to Hell

The Six Demon Bag Podcast Spooktaculars:

 The 6 Demon Bag podcast (part 1)

The 6 Demon Bag podcast (part 2)

6DB House

And finally, my book Between the Teeth

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That’s all the treats for this year. Have a Happy Hallowe’en!

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Hip Hop Halloween

crypt jam

My annual Halloween playlists have featured a lot of Hip Hop, so this year I dug six feet deeper to find 13 new tracks. The Horrorcore genre is filled with amazing songs from artists like Insane Poetry and Immortal Technique, but those are too scary to dance to. This mix will set the Halloween mood and keep people moving.

Amityville (The House on the Hill) by Lovebug Starski

This old school Monster Mash is the perfect way to start a party

The Crypt Jam by John Kassir

I’m not sure it gets more Halloween, or 90’s, than this one

Maniac Cop Rap by Barnes and Brian “B.Dub” Woods

Movie credit raps are THE BEST

Addams Groove by MC Hammer

Take foolish pride, put it aside, and groove to MC Hammer

Monster Squad Rap by Michael Sembello

5 minutes of Halloween flavor

Murder Ink by Dr. Dre

If you are going to rap about a murder spree, do it to John Carpenter’s ‘Halloween’

Chuckie by Geto Boyz

Don’t like it? Blame it on Chucky

Nine Dead Bodies by Esham

I’m going with a live version because it suits this wild, raucous song

Halloween on Military Street by Insane Clown Posse

This forgotten freshness takes you on a Trick or Treating journey

Alive (Nightmare) by Kid Cudi

I believe there is sufficient evidence to officially declare this a werewolf song

Sasquatch by Ice Cube

Time to get the party ramped back up with some Squatchin’

Bollywood Undead by Kung Fu Vampire

If you love bhangra, kung fu and vampires this is the track for you

1-800-Suicide by Gravediggaz

Any Gravediggaz song would work, but this one ends with Vincent Price’s laughter

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The Writing Prompt Gif Game

There are gifs that perfectly sum up an emotion or experience, and there are gifs that defy reality and beg for explanation.

These will be the basis of W.P.G., The Writing Prompt Gif Game.

I want people to send each other the world’s best and worst gifs as writing prompts. The gif can appear at any point in the story. End the story and tag another person with a new gif, invite them to build on the story, whatever you like.

This is all just an excuse for me to collect my favorite gifs for posterity and pretend I’m being productive, but that’s not important.

I’ll go first, with a musical tale I call…

LOSE YOURSELF

        B-Rabbit stood on the stage, trembling, mouth dry, about to lose the most important rap battle of his life before it even began. He stared into the lights to blur the vision of his swaggering rival and jeering crowd, to burn away everything except for the beat. His fingers were clenched around the cheap mic, knuckles turning white as he tried to hold onto the words that were vanishing, unborn, from the tip of his tongue.
        He dug deep inside and dredged up all of his anger, fear, passion and pain. It threatened to choke him or tumble from his mouth as sobs and shrieks, but he forced it, through sheer will, to come out as truth.
      “Look
      If you had
      One shot
      Or one opportunity
      To seize everything you ever wanted
      In one moment
      Would you capture it
      Or just let it slip?
     Yo
     His palms are sweaty,
     knees weak, arms are heavy
     There’s vomit on his sweater already,
     …crab spaghetti!”
The End
And there you have it, the first of doubtless millions of WPGs.
Who’s got next?
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Lovecraftian K-Hole

It has been a long time since I’ve demanded my MTV, but every now and again I’ll catch a glimpse of a music video with some great Sci-Fi and Horror elements.

Allow me to play VJ for a moment and introduce a few videos.

1. 1983 by Neon Trees

I am always on the lookout for vampires. Something about this video, with its Zoltar machine wish opening and Lost Boys style carousel setting made my Vamp-sense tingle. I did not expect a brief cameo (at 3:18) from a fully grown Edgar Frog!

If you do not know who Edgar Frog is, please leave.

2. Thought Contagion by Muse

This suite of videos off the band’s album Simulation Theory is a shot gun blast of awesome sauce straight from the 1980s. There are vampires, werewolves, robots, Tron style VR chases, time traveling phone booths, and Terry Crews taking out Critters with a proton pack. It’s madness.

3. Odd Look by Kavinsky

This one is a bit older but I think some people missed it. Kavinsky is the magic, Ferrari driving zombie altar ego of a french electropop musician. The concept album OUTRUN is like the movie The Wraith. Did you see that one? That’s how cool the album is.

4. Bonfire by Childish Gambino

Before Donald Glover made Atlanta or This is America he was making interesting, experimental videos like these next two. Bonfire is a self-contained horror story set at a summer camp with a great twist.

5. Telegraph Ave by Childish Gambino

This one is full of chill vibes and gorgeous visuals leading to a shocking turn (at 3:40).

6. Deep Down Low by Valentino Khan

Want to see something really tentacular?  Check out the video for this house music track that looks like something Junji Ito might experience tripping on ketamine in Innsmouth.

For more music curated for genre fans, try my Music Page.

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13 new spooky tunes for Halloween

It’s almost Halloween!

You can find pumpkins and candy corn anywhere, but where to find great scary songs for a Halloween party?  There are a lot of Norwegian Death Metal bands out there with great songs about cannibalism and axe murder, but those aren’t really crowd friendly.

You may already have some Halloween music, a few ‘no-braaaaainers’ like Thriller, Ghost Busters, Monster Mash, and Dead Man’s Party.  All good stuff, but you can only do the Thriller dance for so long.

Last year I put together a list of rare gems – which you can still find here.

Here’s another hand-picked play list of 13 spooky fun songs to help summon the Halloween spirit and keep people on the dance floor.

It’s Almost Halloween by Panic at the Disco

This song sets the mood perfectly.  When I launch my own probe into the depths of the solar system, this song will be inside on a gold record.

I Want Candy by Bow Wow Wow

Yes, this song is ‘on the nose’, like a wart on a witch.  Would you have it any other way?

Ghost town – Extended Version by The Specials

The moaning of the phantom organ, the eerie chorus, the delicious ska beat.  If this weren’t an extended version, I’d have to play it twice.

Spiderwebs by No Doubt

As long as we’re dancing on the off-beat, let’s keep it up with No Doubt.

Walking with a Ghost by Tegan and Sara

Walking with a ghost smells better than walking with a zombie, but they both sound pretty sweet.

I Walked with a Zombie by The Aliens

If you’re feeling adventurous, checkout some other songs by lead singer, Roky Erickson.  You may find yourself falling down a psychedelic rabbit hole of songs like “Bloody Hammer”, “Night of the Vampire” and “Creature with the Atom Brain”.

Spooky by The Zombies

This tune goes out to all the spooky little girls out there…

Somebody’s Watching Me by Rockwell

This video is amazing!  Back in the day I was so starved for horror that I would watch MTV and wait for the music video for songs like this or The Rolling Stone’s ‘Too Much Blood’.

It’s interesting how many main stream pop songs from the 80’s make good Halloween songs.  Yet another reason why the 80’s were totally rad.

The Haunted House of Rock by Whodini

This song has sound effects, monsters, and lots of sweet puns.  It’s almost like a children’s Halloween album, but it’s from 80’s hip hop group Whodini.

The Freaks Come Out at Night by Whodini

Now that I think about it, this is a great Halloween song too!

What? By Rob Zombie

So much of Rob Zombie’s music is perfect for Halloween, but this song has a fun bounce to it without the hard edged aggression that may turn off non-Metal heads.

Monsta Mack by Sir Mix-A-Lot

What kind of party would it be without Sir Mix-A-Lot?

I’m Your Boogie Man

Let’s end this list with a two-fer.  KC and the Sunshine Band followed by Rob Zombie.  Listen for the soundbite from John Carpenter’s original “Halloween”.

 

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Beyond the Monster Mash

The Monster Mash is awesome, nobody is disputing that, but it is not the only ‘Halloween Carol’.  This may come as a surprise to anyone who has ever tried to assemble a playlist for a halloween party.

If you are in a rush and only want to choose one album to set the mood I would recommend Halloween Hootenanny, Rob Zombie’s spooktacular record of original songs by the Ghastly Ones, Los Straitjackets, The Bomboras, Rocket From The Crypt, Zacherle, etc.  If you picked up an album from any of these contributing artists you are well on your way.

But if you want a hand picked list of rare gems I present the following list of terrifyin’ tunes from the crypts of Hip Hop, Trip Hop, Doo Wop, Disco, Cajun and…Thai Funk???

– Wolfman Jack by Binary Star.  Awesome story about a werewolf in the ‘hood, and the best you’re gonna find unless The Werewolf of Watts ever gets greenlit.

– Witch Queen of New Orleans by Red Bone.  This cajun rock song is about Marie Laveau, the voodoo queen of N’awlins.

– Are you ready for Freddy? by The Fat Boys.  I’m going to assume you already own ‘Nightmare on my street’ by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.  If not consider this a two-for-one, because Are You Ready for Freddy? teams Freddy Krueger with the Fat Boys.  Unlike the Fresh Prince video that was filmed but never released, the Fat Boys video is on youtube!

-Dr. Frankenstein by Ice Cube.  People probably know this song but may forget to add it to their halloween mix.  What better way to get the party bumpin’?

– Fatal by RZA.  As long as we’re getting hardcore here’s the Wu Tang Clan’s RZA with the best (only?) thing to come out of Blade Trinity.

– Monster Crack by Kool Moe Dee.  Why not go old school with a rap about the crack monster?

– The Horror by RJD2.  From Hip Hop to Trip Hop, this is a groove I listen to year round.

– Do The Zombie by The Symbols.  Here’s a pre-Romero zombie Doo Wop song that’s great fun.

– Monster Beach by The Surf Trio.  This is the ultimate distillation of the ‘surf guitar’ vibe present in so many Halloween songs.  Possibly the greatest song ever.

To end this list here’s a 3-peat of Disco Dracula:

– Soul Dracula by Hot Blood.  The video alone is mind blowing.

– Soul Dracula by Messer Chups.  Now with added Surf guitar!

– Soul Dracula by Thai Beat A Go-Go.  In this version the melody is sung with lyrics in Thai!

There are thousands of wonderfully weird Halloween – worthy songs out there, and hopefully these will lead you down some interesting haunted trails.  Happy Halloween!

Get the rest of the Halloween Mixes here

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