Weird, wild and wonderful: Seattle nightclubs celebrate Halloween

Halloweeners fall into one of two camps: the legitimately morbid or the generally debauched. Your costume says a lot about your stance (ghoulish/freakish vs. funny/sexy); equally indicative is the chosen setting of your celebrating.

For the dark-n-artsy, a few real-deal Halloween spook shows happen around Seattle on All Hallows; these will end up being strange and unsettling and maybe a little scary. Several high-octane rock tributes play to those seeking a costumed, boozy goof. True Halloweeners will gas up the broomsticks (biodiesel, natch) and make the rounds.

For addresses, ticket info and more, see the nightlife listings (unless otherwise noted).

The Weird

irr. app. (ext.), Blue Sabbath Black Cheer, Special Ops at The Josephine in Ballard. No use in trying to pronounce their name or describe their music; both are beyond normal human capacity. San Fran-based irr. app. (ext.) surfs an effluvium of found-sound collage, bang-a-can un-jazz, interstellar psychobabble and deviant electronic loops. Blue Sabbath Black Cheer sounds like the inside of a blast furnace. (608 N.W. 65th St., Seattle; www.myspace.com/thejosephine).

Broadcast, Atlas Sound at Neumo's. UK boy/girl duo Broadcast could be the quintessential Halloween band: eerie but not without a sense of humor, mysteriously underexposed but boasting a cultish following. Their just-released "Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age" sounds exactly like the title suggests (see related story). Atlas Sound frontman Bradford Cox looks like an androgynous Ichabod Crane; his music sounds like badly concussed pop (in a good way).

Process Church Ensemble "Sabbath Assembly" at Fremont Abbey Cults=scary! In the '60s, the Process Church of the Final Judgment was a rebellious sect of Scientology, apocalypse-awaiting friends to Satan and Christ alike, who counted Mick Jagger and George Clinton as attendees of their groovy "assemblies." Tonight members of several edgy avant-noise bands recreate a process ritual at Fremont Abbey, one of the city's most atmospheric venues (4272 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle; 206-701-9270 or www.fremontabbey.org).

Lady Krishna & her Peppermint Lounge at Piecora's. Over the last few months, Seattle-scene vet Jill King has developed an unlikely venue in Piecora's, a Cap Hill pizza joint that harbors a candlelit back room perfect for small, offbeat shows. Lady Krishna fits that bill: Goth-pop cabaret led by the Lady herself, a thrift-store chanteuse given to blood-red lipstick and pink prom dresses (1401 E. Madison St., Seattle; 206-322-9411 or www.piecoras.com).

The Wild

Glenn or Glennda?, Dead Vampires, Event Staph, Poop Attack at Funhouse. All-star, gender-bending Danzig revisionists Glenn or Glennda? are a Halloween tradition at Lower Queen Anne's Funhouse, guaranteed to be one of the rockingest parties happening in Seattle. Local monster mashers Dead Vampires are funnier than their name implies.

Almost Human, Sky Saxon tribute, God's Favorite Beefcake at the Comet. The other contender for Seattle's craziest Halloween show for two reasons: 1. The Comet is as skeezy and raucous as the Funhouse, but located in the middle of costume-crazy Capitol Hill. 2. Almost Human, a fully costumed KISS cover band that boasts "a fully automated KISS backdrop logo."

Third annual Battle for the Golden Cowbell at Skylark. Halloween tradition dictates that if you're in a rock band, you dress up as a different rock band. Hence "Come As You Aren't," a musical masquerade wherein 10 local groups — including M. Bison, Helen Chance, Radiolake and more — don the sound and style of other, maybe more famous performers: Bowie, Devo, the White Stripes and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.

Honorable mentions

Halloween Hip-Hop Benefit Show: Clockwork, Grayskul, Sonny Bonoho, Sadistik, XP and JT Funny Money, hosted by Macklemore with DJ Sosa, to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound, Club 131, 131 Taylor Ave. N., Seattle; $20-$40 (www.brownpapertickets.com).

Fascination Street (Cure tribute band), Leaders of Men (Joy Division tribute band), DJ Randy Travis at Chop Suey.

Halloqueen (Queen cover band), 70 Proof (classic-rock hits) at Tractor Tavern.

Fiesta con los Muertos costume party featuring members of Emerald City Soul Club, Paco, Hefe at Lo-Fi. ("It's a scooter-rally thing," says Lo-Fi owner Scott Behrens.)

Darek Mazzone and Kid Hops at Baltic Room.

Staxx Brothers, Blaxstonz, Big High at High Dive.

Jonathan Zwickel: zwickelicious@gmail.com