Thriller nights

A look ahead at some goings on at UMaine this Halloween weekend

Posted on Oct. 26, 2009, at 12:47 a.m.

Don’t get all dressed up with nowhere to go this Halloween weekend. Let’s face it, the days of running around and getting free candy are over — most parents get suspicious when you are running around with kids in the dark. But being older means there are a lot more options. You can dress up in only lingerie as a sexy devil-woman instead of wearing three sweatshirts over your pink Power Rangers costume. You can eat as much candy as you want, of whatever kind you want, because you can buy it yourself (nowadays, that “candy” usually comes in 30 packs of cans and doesn’t taste as sweet). Most importantly, you can check out these great events next weekend at the Univeristy of Maine.

The time of ghouls and goblins comes upon us but once a year, so make sure to take advantage of all the great stuff going on and have fun.

WMEB “Dance ‘til You Die” Halloween Show – Thursday, Oct. 29

WMEB, the University of Maine’s independent radio station, is hosting its annual Halloween bash Thursday at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union. Local acts are bringing their best to the table to get every zombie and drag queen — or zombie drag queen —swinging.

Brian and the Roaches, featuring members of Funk Thrust, will boast a horn section and some classic rock to get things going. Portland natives Rotundo Sealeg are shipping up with a sack full of power-pop to blast ear drums, and DJ Les Rhoda will be spinning all the latest tracks with an original twist to keep the pelvises thrusting all night.

“The reason I’m really excited about this show in particular is because it’s going to be really upbeat and accessible music that is still new and unique,” said Michelle Ortega, promotions director at WMEB. “My favorite part of the Halloween show is that it always includes local acts. I love supporting the awesome musicians that we are lucky enough to have close to home. Live shows are so much more exciting when the crowd has their own personal history with the band.”

In the past, acts like Feel It Robot have gotten people dancing, and this year is sure to be no exception. WMEB will be providing free snacks and drinks, as well as plenty of swag with its logo on it. Dress to impress, because there will be prizes for best costume.

Musicians are looking forward to the event as well.

“A lot of us have played together before, and have had a reputation of playing in a real ‘party band,’” said Keagan Rae, who plays trumpet in Brian and the Roaches. “The WMEB show is sort of a different setting for us, but we have an eight-person band, and we plan to bring the house party kind of energy and presence that I think the crowd will really get into.”

The show is free and open to all ages.

Hollascream Halloween feat. Onyx – Friday, Oct. 30

Hip-hop will be taking over the Bear Brew Pub on Friday for Flophouse Records’ Hollascream Halloween bash, featuring old-school rap group Onyx. Featuring legends of the game Sticky Fingaz and Fredro Starr, Onyx will be performing with A Disturbing New Trend and Soufboi, among others.

The doors to this 21+ show open at 9 p.m., and the party will be bumping all night with music by DJ Calibur.

“We’ve done a lot of ‘Back to School Jump-Offs’ in the past at the 103 Ultralounge,” said TJ Jozefowicz, founder of Flophouse Records. “This year, we wanted to do something we haven’t done in a while.”

Flophouse Records, a hip-hop record label and promotions agency in Bangor, made connections with Onyx through the label’s premier artist Affiliate. Onyx, who recently received accolades at the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors, played with Affiliate in Lowell, Mass.

“Most know Onyx for their ’90s hit slam, but they are going to be putting on a whole show,” Jozefowicz said. “They have a great energy. The place is gonna be going crazy.”

Since their heyday, members Sticky Fingaz and Fredro Starr have been doing some acting, even appearing in “CSI: New York.”

“They have a really grimy, gritty, street sound,” Jozefowicz said. “They’re real. They’re not all about flashing cash and girls in hot tubs.”

Jozefowicz repeatedly asserted the prospective audience is unprepared for the showmanship of these hip-hop stars.

Tickets are $15 and are available at Bullmoose Music or online at ticketweb.com.

Late Night in the Union Halloween – Saturday, Oct. 31
When the real deal comes around, there will be plenty to do. Mischief and foul deeds will abound, but not at the Campus Activities Board’s Late Night in the Union Halloween party.

Like all late-night activities, the Halloween party is completely free and open to all students. This one will be raging from 8 p.m. to midnight on Saturday and include a multitude of good clean Halloween fun.

“[On] the basement level, we’re gonna have a dance party,” said Chelsea Hathaway, a member of the Campus Activities Board. “In the main level of the union, there’s going to be [inflatable bounce tents], palm readers, wax hands. It’s going to be all decked out. We’re going to have movies being shown on the walls, and on the top floor, in the attic, is going to be the haunted house. I heard it’s really creepy up there.”

Hathaway said the Campus Activities Board is trying its hardest to make this year’s party better than ever. The staples like a plethora of free food are sure to be present.

“I’m looking forward to the inflatables,” Hathaway said. “I think we’re getting one of those mechanical bulls, and that’s pretty fun.”

This entry was posted on Monday, October 26th, 2009, 12:47 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.