In preparation for the thousands of people coming to flood Court Street this weekend, event organizers could have attempted to fill the bill with a large national act, yet year after year the block party has been dedicated to displaying the talent of local musicians.
This year is no different, as local groups playing every style from heavy rock to electronic dance music and hip-hop will set up shop to keep the costume-crazed crowd entertained.
“In the past I’ve had as many as 16 bands on Halloween and it’s a logistical nightmare,” said Jonathan Holmberg, chairman of the Athens Clean and Safe Halloween Committee. “When the band stops everyone just starts to mill around and the focus quits being the main stage … and one of our missions is to keep the uptown party focused on entertainment and safety.”
This year’s lineup has several veterans of the block party scene who have played multiple times for this enormous crowd.
“This is my fourth straight year playing,” said David Young, keyboardist for the Burning River Ramblers. “The first time it happened … it seemed like there were just a million people out there; it was the craziest crowd I had ever seen.”
The Halloween Block Party can be an important moment of exposure for an up and coming band, but groups still try to keep it light. Traditionally, all of the bands dress up for the festivities, sometimes in matching outfits and other times just a mix of individual costumes.
The Court Street stages won’t be the only place to find entertainment. All the regular bars will have live music well into the night as well, including Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery, 24 W. Union St., which will host Uptowne Buddha after its performance on the South Stage.
“We drew a good crowd (last year),” said Sam Terkel, guitarist for Uptowne Buddha.“That was like our second or third time in Athens … and we’ve been playing fairly consistently since then. We’re excited about the opportunity to play the mass amount of music we’re playing that night — two hours and 40 minutes worth of Buddha.”
Manitoa, a group Holmberg described as the next Papadosio, will also play a set at Jackie O’s on Friday opening for Sassafraz. Eric Turner plays guitar in both bands, and although he’ll be in Columbus for a Sassafraz show Saturday, he said he’s excited for all the new material Manitoa is set to release.
“In Sassafraz I kind of play a lot of chords and rhythm parts and I sing a lot more, and in Manitoa it tends to be more lead licks,” Turner said. “Manitoa has only been playing gigs for five months and we already almost have 1,000 fans on Facebook. It’s growing pretty quickly.”
IYGB
What: Sassafraz, Manitoa and Tropidelic
When: 9 p.m. Friday
Where: Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery
Admission: $5
What: Uptowne Buddha
When: 12 a.m. Saturday
Where: Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery, 24 W. Union St.
Admission: $3
What: Dead Hand of Man, Slut Castle and The Mitchells.
When: 9:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Casa Nueva, 6 W. State St.
Admission: $3 for 21 and over, $5 under 21.
What: Tomahawk Improvement, The Ramoans (Ramones Tribute Band), Rattlesnake Hyde and Bright at Night.
When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Union, 18 W. Union St.
Admission: $2
wh092010@ohiou.edu
@Wilbur_Hoffman
