Halloween  is probably the quintessential rock-and-roll holiday. People dress up,  put on unusual make-up and go on “tour,” begging for food-- just like  REAL rockers. Now, replace drug overdoses with a case of sugar-crash,  exchange groupies for your mom waiting for you in her car, and you have  yourself Halloween. The two are practically interchangeable. (Not sure  where biting the heads off bats fits in. It kind of straddles both).
<h3>Halloween Themed Playlist</h3>
What  better way to celebrate the creepiest of holidays than with a batch of  thrill-themed “thracks?” (I’m not forcing alliteration, I just talk  funny with my vampire teeth in). Pop music loves all things dark &amp;  twisted so there’s an endless supply of songs from which to choose. This  week’s playlist includes songs about ghosts, zombies, werewolves and  skeletons. It also features a couple songs with vibraphones and pipe  organs, two instruments with killer sounds that are often forgotten  about when building the perfect goth-y group.

Some  of these songs just have a spooky tone, while others literally produce  goose bumps and a sense of helplessness. (Thanks for feeding my  Illuminati fear, Jay Electronica). There are also tunes from bands with  roots right here in Oklahoma. (I marked them with “OK.” Scary clever,  right?)
<ol>
	<li>“Paddling Ghost” - Dan Deacon (listen here)</li>
	<li>“Fright Night (Nevermore)” - Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti</li>
	<li>“Werewolves” - Betty &amp; The Werewolves</li>
	<li>“Zombie Killer” - Leslie Hall</li>
	<li>“As You Wish” - Aquaduct (OK)</li>
	<li>“Season of the Witch” - Donovan</li>
	<li>“Cat People” - Brad Neely</li>
	<li>“Skeleton Key” - The Coral</li>
	<li>“My Boo” - Ghost Town DJs</li>
	<li>“Creature Fear” - Bon Iver</li>
	<li>“Organ Donor” - DJ Shadow</li>
	<li>“Bad Dreams” - Lyrics Born</li>
	<li>“333” - El Paso Hot Button (OK)</li>
	<li>“Bombay” - El Guincho</li>
	<li>“Ghosts” - Japan</li>
	<li>“Earth People” - Dr. Octagon</li>
	<li>“Friendly Ghost” - Harlem</li>
	<li>“Skeleton Man” - Evangelicals (OK)</li>
	<li>“All Wasted” - Jay Reatard</li>
	<li>“Van Helsing Boombox” - Man Man</li>
	<li>“Dead Souls” - Joy Division</li>
	<li>“God Only Knows” - The Langly Schools Project</li>
	<li>“Navajo” - The Black Lips</li>
	<li>“The Pledge” - Jay Electronica</li>
	<li>“Monsters” - Boy Least Likely To</li>
	<li>“Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)” - David Bowie</li>
	<li>“Grim Reaper Blues” - Entrance</li>
	<li>“The Vibes Ain’t Nothing but the Vibes” - Barry Adamson</li>
	<li>“Dark Night of the Soul” - Danger Mouse/Sparklehourse/David Lynch</li>
	<li>“Halloween on the Barbary Coast” - The Flaming Lips (OK)</li>
</ol>
<h3>All Dressed Up, But No Place To Go</h3>
Looking  for more places to wear your Sid &amp; Nancy costume besides your  work’s dead rock-star party? (Don’t ALL businesses have those? H.R.  nightmare, by the way. The guy dressed like Ike Turner always takes the  roll-playing a bit too far.) Well, take your mohawk, your blood-stained  shirt and your punk-loving heart to The Soundpony on Friday, October  29th for APUNKALYPSE II.

The  showcase features 4 bands from Oklahoma’s recently budding punk scene--  <a href="http://www.myspace.com/bearhugtulsa">Bearhug</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/lizardpolice">Lizard Police</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/operatordeadtulsa">Operation Dead:Post Abandoned</a> (all from Tulsa)  and <a href="http://www.myspace.com/devereauxlicious">Blanche Devereaux</a> (from OKC). All of these bands pay great respect  to the roots of punk without really giving a crap about the roots of  punk. C’mon, you know what I mean. It’s a fine line. You think it’s punk  rock to “pay homage?” Geez, have I taught you nothing?! (Don’t answer  that.)

Seriously  though, the bands at APUNKALYPSE II, along with other locals like  <a href="http://www.myspace.com/bronchoband">BRONCHO</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/theprettyblackchains">Pretty Black Chains</a> and more are making music that is top notch and  comparable to anything you’ll find nationally. Not only are their songs  terrific, but the energy and stage presence of many of these bands is  something that can only be experienced live. It’s no doubt these bands  will inspire others to follow. I’m telling you, we might be the re-birth  place of good old fashioned punk. And if you don’t agree with me, I’ll  totally fight you. (Not really, I cry easily).

Soundpony  is a great place to see one of these punk shows because you can get  “intimate” with the bands (read: spitting distance), but it’s length  also allows for the music to be enjoyed at a “safe distance” (read: you  don’t want to stain your new Anthropologie dress, or see your boyfriend  beat-up).

APUNKALYPSE II starts at 10:00 p.m.
<h3>The Only Thing Scarier Than Ghosts or Ghouls: Teenagers</h3>
NPR’s  wonderful and wonderfully informative music show All Songs Considered  recently asked listeners to submit stories of music that saved them  during their teenage years. Hundreds of people entered stories, but only  a few got selected. Guess who has a caps lock button and was one of the  lucky few to make it to air? THIS GUY!!!

I  spoke about being an ultra-odd kid in the middle of Oklahoma City (can I  mention that place on TDT without being struck by lightning . . . .  guess so). It was during the most awkward of years-- the time between  junior high and high school-- that I bought the Flaming Lips’ album Hit  to Death In The Future Head. The album did an amazing job reflecting all  the strangeness that I felt as a teen and to discover that it was made  in Oklahoma blew me away.

I  featured one of the songs on this week’s playlist. Also, you can listen  to the NPR bit <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130654846">here</a>. My segment starts around the 13:30 mark.

I  know what I experienced wasn’t exclusive to me or to OKC. I’d love to  hear about the music that got you through your teens, or music aside,  the stuff about Tulsa that made you realize it was pretty damn cool  after all.

Share  your stories in the section below. Also feel free to contact me on  Twitter if you ever have comments, questions or suggestions. I’d  especially loved it if you sent me pictures of yourself in a local mosh  pit while wearing your Chilean Miner costume. That would be rad.