Since I had so many videos this year, I thought I’d split the list in two. For this section, I’ve included a few videos I shot at Nerdapalooza this year. I’ve also decided to include semi-related videos / songs that are a little bit outside of the normal Halloween vein.
Jesse Dangerously – “Pumpkin Spice Swag” (NSFW)
So let’s start off with a decidedly non-scary track that fits both categories for this list. Every year, pumpkin spice stuff appears everywhere as Halloween approaches, including quite possibly the greatest holiday treat: Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Here’s Jesse D at Nerdapalooza to tell you all about it. You can also download the track from his Soundcloud page.
Green Jellÿ – “Monster Mash” (NSFW)
At Nerdapalooza, Green Jellÿ performed this cover of a Halloween classic. Of course, they put their own spin on it, changing a few lyrics here and there, sometimes sounding as if the singer didn’t quite remember the words, but it’s fun nonetheless. My apologies for missing the first few seconds, but I definitely wasn’t expecting them to bust out this song.
MC Lars (with Schäffer the Darklord) – “Do the Bruce Campbell”
If a song about Bruce Campbell isn’t Halloween-y, I don’t know what is. I’m just kind of sad that I didn’t get to do the dance since I was busy recording the video.
MC Lars (with Mega Ran) – “Tell Tale <3”
One of Edgar Allan Poe’s best known tales gets retold as a rap from Lars’s Edgar Allan Poe EP. Boom boom boom boom!
Nerf Herder – “The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme”
I totally didn’t expect Nerf Herder to play this given that most of their songs have vocals, but they broke it out just before they ended their set. So cool!
Sci-Fried – “Godzilla”
Sci-Fried cover this Blue Öyster Cult song complete with KSV as Godzilla. Awesome!
Urizen – “The Horror”
I didn’t get the entire song on video, but I think I got enough of it that you can get an idea of “The Horror.” What an awesome stage show Urizen put on! Their weapon is particularly ingenious.
Jonathan Mann – “Destroy All Patent Trolls”
OK, maybe patent trolls aren’t exactly your traditional Halloween creatures, but they sure are scary! Besides, they are a destructive force in our midst that must be destroyed, so they deserve to be on this section of the list.
Neil Gaiman – “Down Among the Dead Men”
This video isn’t actually musical. Instead, it’s a story that’s part of the book, Zombie Apocalypse! Fightback, an appropriately named sequel to Zombie Apocalypse!. It seems to be a collection of related writings that tie together, all written by different authors. Sounds like a cool idea, and if this Neil Gaiman story is an indication of what the others are like, I’m definitely interested in checking it out.
Paul and Storm – “The Way-Too-Early Christmas Song”
OK, maybe it’s technically a day-after-Halloween song, but it’s definitely not a Christmas song. The whole point is that it’s way too early. Very scary!