While this entire column won’t be devoted to Halloween, I will start off by mentioning what I consider to be nine essential Halloween-esque songs. Ready?

1. “Everyday is Halloween” by Ministry

2. “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)” by David Bowie

3. “Bloodletting” by Concrete Blonde

4. “Thriller” by Michael Jackson

5. “Tubular Bells” by Mike Oldfield

6. “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” by Bauhaus

7. “Taste of Blood” by Mazzy Star

8. “Zombie” by The Cranberries

9. “Halloween” by Siouxsie & The Banshees

Oh, and one other thing, what’s up with candy corn? It’s the most disgusting yet addictive confection ever invented. Thanks for the stomach and headache, George Renninger of the Wunderlee Candy Company. Dude, really?

I shall now get my head out of the candy gutter and back into the high-fructose corn syrup-free world of music.

 

The Wiyos came to be in 2002 and took their name from a New York City street gang (Why’os) dating back to the 1890s. The band spent the last eight years touring the U.S., Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Last year, Bob Dylan handpicked The Wiyos as his opening act for seven weeks while the band’s “Broken Land Bell” album sold like hotcakes.

The Wiyos love American music from the 1920s and ’30s, and the group has taken that influence and created a contemporary sound that I, for one, have taken quite a shine to. Venture to www.thewiyos.com and get the fever for the flavor with samples from the tunes “Stomp,” “Promenade” and “Monkey Whoopie,” to name a few.

This past spring, the band collaborated with Wichita State University’s dance department to create an original theatrical production of dance and music based on the 1939 classic film “The Wizard of Oz.” The show was, of course, “The Wiyos of Oz,” and the songs from it bring modern ideas into Frank Baum’s storyline. Nifty!

The Wiyos. 8 p.m. Saturday. One Longfellow Square, 181 State St., Portland. All ages. $12 in advance; $15 at the door. 761-1757; onelongfellowsquare.com

 

Brooklyn’s Matt & Kim are a synth-pop power-punk duo who bring their infectious keyboard and drum beats to the Port City Music Hall stage on Wednesday night. They’ve been known to cause spontaneous dancing, and after a visit to www.mattandkimmusic.com, I can understand why. The song “Cameras,” from their upcoming album “Sidewalks,” is more fun than a bounce house. “No time for cameras, we’ll use our eyes instead. I see flashes of good,” they sing.

“Lessons Learned” is another head-bobbing extravaganza of a song with dense keyboards and a drum beat to match my heartbeat after running up Fore Street to the Eastern Prom.

Matt & Kim. 8 p.m. Wednesday. Port City Music Hall, 504 Congress St., Portland. Ages 21 and older. $15 in advance; $18 at the door; $20 VIP. Tickets available at Bull Moose Music locations and www.portcitymusichall.com.

 

If she can make it there, she’ll make it – anywhere, it’s up to you New York, New York. That’s right folks, our beloved Lady Lamb the Beekeeper (www.myspace.com/ladylambthebeekeeper) is gonna wake up in the city that never sleeps, but not without a proper sendoff. Her Friday-night farewell show will include several secret mystery guests, a silent auction of things that are a cut above your average yard sale, and a “this night only” 10-song release of new and previously unreleased tracks.

Once she gets to the Big Apple she’ll finish the new record and, with any luck, she’ll be back for a welcome home CD-release show in the coming months. In the meantime, join the bon voyage merriment along with Lady Lamb’s Brooklyn friends, Pearl and The Beard, a band described as having three voices, one cello, one guitar, one glockenspiel, one melodic, several drums, one accordion, 96 teeth and one soul. Jacob Augustine opens the night with a solo set, and there will also be a performance from Panda Bandits.

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper with Pearl & The Beard, Jacob Augustine and Panda Bandits. 8:30 p.m. Friday. Space Gallery, 538 Congress St., Portland. Ages 18 and older. $8 in advance; $10 at the door. Tickets available at Bull Moose Music locations and www.space538.org.

 

Having been to the Space Halloween party a few years ago, I can attest to its fabulousness, and this year promises to be even more spectacular. Every year, local artists perform as some of the coolest bands — Darien Brahms as Bowie, Emilia Dahlin as Cyndi Lauper are two I fondly recall — and this year will really knock your socks off. Dead Man’s Clothes will perform as Joy Division! Marie Stella will be Blondie! Jack Tar will be The Psychedelic Furs! And Astronautalis will be The Clash!

Space also has a surprise performance up its sleeve, and DJ duo Bam Bam will keep the dance floor jumping all night long.

Space’s Annual Halloween Party. 8:30 p.m. Saturday. The Space Gallery, 538 Congress St., Portland. Ages 21 and older. $10. Tickets available at Bull Moose Music locations and www.space538.org.

 

Aimsel Ponti is a Portland freelance writer.

 

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