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I am very much into all things Spooky, Creepy, and Cool and would like to share that with YOU!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Calabrese Halloween interview.

Hello fiends.  


One of the Greatest horror punk rock bands around Calabrese were kind enough to answer my series of SpookyCreepyCool Halloween questions. 


Calabrese make incredible music that will assault your ear holes with brain blasting rock n roll that can easily be put aside The Misfits classic horror punk. The three brothers from Arizona embody the spirit of Halloween and all things rocking and evil. Calabrese should be a must on everybody's Halloween playlist. 


So with no further adieu please enjoy this SpookyCreepyCool interview with...





What are your favorite childhood memories of Halloween?


Jimmy- When I was little I used to feel the magic in the air during Halloween. I grew up in Illinois so I got to experience the seasons change. It was always a great time for me as a kid watching the leaves change color and feeling that first chill in the air.
Bobby -- Nothing specific, but I'll always remember the crazy asshole who always set up the most intricate and insane junk to scare you at their doorstep. It was like a terrifying obstacle course for a few handfuls of candy. I always liked the people who let you walk in their garage-turned-haunted house, too. You don't see too much of that anymore, it sucks!





What are your favorite adult memories of Halloween?


Jimmy – Our Halloween shows have been my highlight.
Bobby -- Yeah, for the last 10 years we've been playing shows on Halloween night -- it's all I've got! But when I was wildest and daring-est, I liked drinking with friends in graveyards around Halloween time. It was stupid and dumb and creepy...but it was great!





What are your ideas of the perfect Halloween?


Bobby -- Buying a ton of crazy monster masks and wandering the streets and neighborhoods like creep!
Jimmy – Being at a Misfits show back 1978. 





What were your favorite Halloween costumes?


Jimmy – I think it was my Count Dracula costume my mom made for me…last year. Just kidding! I think I was in first grade.
Bobby -- I mentioned monster masks before, but...I really like monster masks! Easy and effective. My favorites are of zombies, the more fucked up and mutated looking the better. I hate how you breathe your gross candy breath into your face all night, but they look damn cool!





What are your favorite Halloween candies?


Jimmy - Candy corn.
Bobby -- I used to like all the sour and chewy stuff, but now I'm all about the chocolate. Gimme Baby Ruths and Twix!





What are some of your favorite Halloween attractions?


Bobby -- Buying a ton of crazy monster masks and wandering the streets and neighborhoods!
Jimmy- I thought the haunted house at Universal Studios was pretty cool. They had some pretty good sets. I’ve seen Disney at Halloween and that was disappointing. I remember one really good haunted house in Illinois when I was a kid that I begged my Dad to take me into. I can’t recall the name of the place but halfway through the maze of darkness I was clutching my Dad begging him to take me out of there. What a terrifying rush that was!





What are some songs and bands that really get you into the Halloween spirit?


Jimmy – The Misfits, White Zombie, Zombie Ghost Train.
Bobby -- The Ghastly Ones, Slayer, Samhain, Buahaus, The Cramps, Oingo Boingo, The Damned and any film soundtracks by Goblin!




What are some movies that get you into the Halloween spirit?


Jimmy – Halloween, Fright Night, and Nightmare on Elm Street.
Bobby -- Definitely Halloween! I like the third one, that has a cool vibe to it, although it ends pretty terribly. Return of the Living Dead, Dead Alive, Evil Dead 2, Waxwork, Trick or Treat. I try to watch a ton of new horror movies during the season, but sticking to the classics like Argento, Fulci and Romero is never a bad thing! Oh, and the Night of the Living Dead remake gets me in the Halloweeny mood! Totally rad!





What are some of your favorite Halloween TV specials?


Bobby -- I LOVE when sitcoms do their Halloween episodes. I always liked the Home Improvement, Simpsons, Family Matters and Roseanne specials. Roseanne was always the best! Yeah, I watch too much TV.
Jimmy – I like that Disney movie Hocus Pocus that they play every year. I don’t remember any of the TV specials as a kid.





Who are some of your favorite musicians out there doing Spooky, Creepy, Cool, type music?


Bobby -- Creature Feature has a cool thing going! I always liked Zombeast, too, may they rest in peace.
Jimmy- Nim Vind, Chapel of Thieves, Stellar Corpses, Hour Of The Wolf.





Who are some of your favorite artists out there doing Spooky, Creepy, Cool, type artwork?


Bobby -- Matthew Skiff, who's doing a lot of our recent stuff, which ranges from t-shirt of voodoo women to an upcoming Monster Squad parody! His art is great! 
Jimmy- The always awesome Andrew Barr, Eric Powell who did our last album art, Kotsu from New Jersey, D.W. Frydendall and so much more!




What are some of your musical inspirations?


Jimmy – Normally I would just name off bands but I must say I’m inspired by great music. As my life changes so does my tastes. Bands that I hated 10 years ago I can finally appreciate, and vice versa.
Bobby -- I love anything loud and dumb!





Do you have anything you are working on currently that we can all look forward to?


Jimmy- We have an animated music video that’s in the works, a new CD that we are currently writing, too. And we are always posting new episodes of the Calabrese Adventures on youtube, so check 'em out!


Where can we learn more about what you guys are currently working on, upcoming shows, and where to pick up your music?


Jimmy – You can check out http://www.facebook.com/l/KAQD-PO_cAQC-IqUDjQKldHwo2DKOE8GFJQEIf0hBp_V8Ng/www.CalabreseRock.com, that’s our main website that points to all our other sites like youtube, facebook, itunes and our merch page. You can also pick up our CD’s wherever music is still sold.




Any Spooky, Creepy, Cool parting words?


Jimmy – A call to action! Stop zoning out and create! Create art, create a blog, start a band! Nothing ever will ever happen to you if you don’t do something. 
Bobby -- In the immortal words of Eddie and the Hotrods -- "Do anything you wanna do!" 



2 comments:

  1. Man, Calabrese is one of my FAVORITE bands! I had the pleasure of seeing them live about three years ago, and they were just incredible! Best of all, I got to meet them before the show, and they were all incredibly cool. No attitude, just a gracious, friendly demeanor! Heck, I even got to meet their dad, and he was a really cool cat as well!

    Musically, they REALLY stand out from most of the Horror Punk bands out there. I love the HP sub-genre, but Calabrese really are distinctive. In my mind, they are the true heirs of the legacy of The Misfits!

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  2. I dig their music. No pun intended. They mix horror and music nicely. The horror genre is my favorite genre and it's the one I like to do illustrations of the most. Calabrese have definitely cemented themselves in Horror Punk.

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