This Halloween weekend, you could shrug your shoulders, nod your head, and go see some solid sets from established live acts. For $30, you could see Big Freedia, Pictureplane, and Spank Rock are at the Mid. Hell, you could avail yourself to a $40 shake-down to see Paul Oakenfold and Paul Van Dyke at the Congress Theater.
That is, if you're into that sort of thing. And Lord bless you if you are. I'm not judging. I just think a two-day music festival at the Happy Dog Gallery is a much, much better idea. It'll be crowded, but pretty small all the same, capturing the late-autumn charm that typifies CMJ, but without the neck-craning over the bobbing heads of striped shirt types at a enormous, faceless venue.
Tonight, come before 10 to see the art on display and then see sets by Valis, Lazer Crystal, The North, and Mr. 666, as well as a DJ set by Omar Padron. This will be followed, tomorrow, by The-Drum, Yen Tech, Sich Mang, and DJ sets by Supreme Cuts and DJ Tralala.
If you get nothing else out of this post, it should be an encounter with the 10% joking, 90% serious, 100% awesome latter-day boy band called #HDBOYZ, whose members recently made the Chicago-New York move:
The shot of girls swooning at them onstage is pretty crucial. Apparently, I'm staying at the apartment of some of their more ardent fans.
