Tag Archives: music

September 27, 2019 · 6:35 am

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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January 20, 2019 · 5:30 am

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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January 15, 2019 · 11:00 am

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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October 24, 2018 · 1:04 am

Halloween Round Up

Greetings, Boils and Ghouls. Or should I say, Scabies and Mental men?

Seasons Creepings, etc etc.

This post is for short cuts, so I’ll get right to it.

crypt keeper

Yes, I know I said ‘cuts’. Zip it.

Here is my Halloween Roundup of original content for 2018

The Music Mix:   Horror Reggae!

The Movie post:  The Slasher Cycle Theory

Some Sci-Fi-Fun:  Halloween on Mars

The Spooktaculars:

 The 6 Demon Bag podcast (part 1)

The 6 Demon Bag podcast (part 2)

The 6 Demon Bag podcast (part 3)

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

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October 15, 2018 · 7:25 am

Gimme some Horror Reggae!

It has recently come to my attention that there is a sub-genre of music called Horror Reggae. I don’t get a lot of Reggae in my diet, but the dollop of horror makes it quite delicious.

reggae vampire

Here is a handpicked list of Reggae, Dub, and Calypso horror songs for your Hallowe’en party. Caribbean scares come mostly in the form of Obeah (voodoo, witch doctors), Duppy (spirits) and jumbies (zombies, evil creatures). If you want to get political, however, you sing about vampires. Lots of vampires.

Gimme some Horror Reggae!

1) Dracula Prince of Darkness by King Horror.

King Horror seems less interested in metaphors for societal ills and political corruption and more interested in screaming about monsters.

2) Witch Doctor by Mighty Sparrow

3) Mr. Brown by Bob Marley & the Wailers

Mr. Brown is a clown who rides to town in a coffin.

4) Ketch Vampire by Lee Perry

Jah Jah sent us here to catch vampire
We have the chalice to light up Jah fire
When I-and-I a-go catch them vampire
I-and-I a go set them on fire

5) Obeah Man by Lone Ranger

6) Dracula by Desmond Dekker
Don’t trust a big butt and a smile

7)Duppy Conqueror by Bob Marley and the Wailers

8) Vampire by Lee Perry and the Upsetters

9) Frankenstein by King Horror

Only Frankenstein can bust up these vampires in the list

10) Vampire by Peter Tosh

11) Obeah Wedding by Mighty Sparrow
A diss track against a girl so ugly she needs necromancy. Damn.

12) Chase Vampire by Sancho

13) Zombie Jamboree by King Flash and Calypso Carnival

 

For my other Halloween playlists, click here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

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October 20, 2016 · 11:40 pm

Season of the Witch: 13 Songs for Halloween

The Season of the Witch is upon us, and once again I have conjured songs for your Halloween party. The theme for this year is Witches. There are too many great weird songs to choose from, so I used arcane magicks to pick my lucky 13.

witchdance

Turn on any classic rock station and you’re bound to hear Love Potion No.9, I Put a Spell on You, Black Magic Woman, Witchy Woman or a ditty by Fleetwood Mac. This list is not meant to be comprehensive. I’m scooping down deeper into the cauldron and tossing back any tune you can’t dance to.

Come, have a sip of strange brew and listen for a spell.

Season of the Witch by Donovan (This isn’t No. 1, it’s the introduction)

Devil Woman by Cliff Richard (The 60s and 70s- the golden age of witch songs)

Swamp Witch by Jim Stafford (I love these southern fried stories full of creepy bayou atmosphere. “Snakes hang thick from the Cyprus trees, like sausage on a smokehouse wall.”)

marie-laveau-painting

Marie Laveau by Bobby Bare (This is a novelty song, but it harkens back to the time when everyone knew about the Witch Queen of New Orleans.)

Marie Laveau by Dr. John (This song does the Witch Queen more reverence.)

Voodoo by The Neville Brothers (Voodoo songs are often songs about love)

Voodoo Woman by Curtis Knight (or love lost)

Voodoo Woman by Koko Taylor (The next chapter in Curtis’ story?)

One Eyed Witch by The 7th Court (The manic energy of the electric organ just sounds like Halloween)

Abracadabra by Steve Miller Band (The cheesy fx of this music video had me spellbound as a kid.)

She’s My Witch by Kip Tyler (Let’s down tune for some Rockabilly and a few rippin’ guitar songs)

Brujo by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (Screamin’ Jay is Halloween royalty, and he’s representing the Man-witches)

Wicked Old Witch by John Fogerty

19 Witches by Monster Magnet

 

The Witch by The Cult

Witchfinder General by Carl Douglas (It’s not all love songs. Pimps up, Witches down.)

The Salem Witch Trial by Kiriae Crucible (Dark days in Salem. But on the bright side: electric organ!)

It’s only right to give the last word on witches to the ladies who have been so persecuted and maligned. And who better than Yoko?)

Yes, I’m a Witch by Yoko Ono (the 1974 original is smoother, but this version brings the madness home)

Bonus: I Want to be Evil by Eartha Kitt

For five more curated lists, check out my other Halloween mixes here, here, here, here and here.

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October 26, 2015 · 8:11 am

Bloody Good Tunes – Music from Horror Movies

Here’s another 13 songs for your Halloween party. The theme for this year’s mix is Horror Movies, featuring songs from scary movies or about movie monsters. While there are many throat-shredding, head-banging heavy metal bands that write nothing but monster odes, this list will even appeal to mullet-challenged individuals.

If you think a song is missing from this list, you may find it included on a previous list here, here, here and here.

Freddy 1

Batman, Wolfman, Frankenstein or Dracula – The Diamonds

There are many songs about B-Movies from the 50s and 60s, but I like this one because it’s about a girl who can only be amorous when watching monster movies.

Beware of the Blob! – The Five Blobs

I don’t know what else Burt Bacharach and his band The Five Blobs sang about, but this is the definitive song about blobs.

Human Fly – The Cramps

Bzzzz bzzzz bzzzzzz!

The Creature From the Black Lagoon – Dave Edmunds

I like how simply the love story is laid bare in this catchy tune.

The Howling – Babel

This entire song is performed live several times in The Howling 2: Your Sister is a Werewolf.

Big Bad Wolf – Bunny and the Wolf Sisters

This is the song from the prom at Teen Wolf to which the Teen Wolf dance is choreographed. Dear God I love this movie.

Pet Cemetery – the Ramones

Sometimes Ramones is bettah. For bonus horror movie music, checkout  ‘Chainsaw’ about a certain massacreeee.

Drinkenstein – Dolly Parton & Sylvester Stallone

Not from a horror movie, not a classic monster, not stopping me from putting it on the list. The album has a bigger sound, but the outfit from the movie is not to be missed:

I Still Believe – Tim Cappello

This song was performed live in Lost Boys, and the saxophone player really brings the heat.

He’s Back (the Man Behind the Mask) – Alice Cooper

This movie is written about Jason Voorhees for Friday the 13th part 6. Not only does the music video have Cooper in a hockey mask running around a theater showing the movie, Jason himself makes a cameo.

Dream Warriors – Dokken

Not to be outdone, Dokken made a music video for Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3 where they rock out so hard they give Freddy Krueger a nightmare.

Do the Freddy – The Elm Street Group with Freddy Krueger

Freddy-record1

Did somebody say FREDDY? Two rap songs weren’t enough, so Freddy cut an album with The Elm Street Group that will definitely give you nightmares. Other highlights include ‘Dance or Else’ and ‘Down in the Boiler Room’.

Feel free to suggest more songs in the comments. I hope you enjoy the music and have a Happy Halloween!

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