Invite to the Party
Halloween Playlists, Drew Holcomb, Gregory Alan Isokov, and Novo Amor
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
—Martin Luther, A Mighty Fortress is our God
A complicated day. Is it Halloween or Reformation Day? Do you post your favorite costume photo on Instagram or your favorite Martin Luther quote? Or, why not do both? Whatever you do next Tuesday, we want to pass along a few good Halloween-themed songs this week, including a few playlists from friends of the Swap. And for this week’s Bonus Track, Ryan Smeets reminds us how All Hallows’ Eve can make a live show even sweeter.
Dragons, by Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, feat. The Lone Bellow (Ben)
This is a slow rolling song showing off the lower register of Holcomb's voice met by Zach Williams’ (Lone Bellow) harmony. The pace highlights the lyrics and message: Take a few chances! While not exactly a 'Halloween' song, it does talk about ghosts and dragons as well as bearing witness and forgiveness of sins (good Reformation words). If you got a dragon running around your life - maybe this song will help you put a dragon skin on the wall.
Also available on Apple Music.
Salt And The Sea by Gregory Alan Isokov (Jonathan)
This Lumineers cover doesn’t include anything about Halloween, but it sure is haunting. GAI’s sound and the story told both have an eerie weight to them. I love most of his music, especially this cover.
Halloween by Novo Amor (Kody)
This is my second week featuring Novo Amor. When you’re on a kick, you’re on a kick. His song Halloween isn’t spooky or anything like that. It actually seems to be reflective and self-deprecating. The chorus talks about missing friends. I love that part of the song. It makes me think of celebrating Halloween with high school and college friends - the costumes were great and those nights seemed to go on forever.
Also available on Apple Music.
Bonus Track: Concerts on Halloween by Ryan Smeets
It’s always nice to get re-invited to the party. Thanks, Kody.
Halloween is different, especially in Christian circles.
My preference is to go all out, dress the kids up, or plan a themed party but make sure the attendees know there’s a proper contest. Play to win, there’s no other way.
My upbringing didn’t involve trick-or-treating.
I can’t even recall a photo of my parents ever dressing my sister and me up in costumes either.
Instead, my parents would take us to the movies or sneak away to do anything to avoid handing out candy.
During my teenage years, my crew would frequent the various haunted house productions or theme parks in Southern California (Knott’s Scary Farm FTW). Still, I was never a big fan of these gatherings.
What did appeal to me was going to concerts on Halloween and seeing musical acts level up in costumes. I enjoyed quite a few shows from 2000-2005 many of which I recently sought live footage from. As I started my YouTube search it quickly ended as I was struck with nostalgia for how joyous shows were before cell phones. The purity of pure performance is a lost indulgence.
Do yourself a favor and leave your phone in the car at the next concert. You’ll be happier for it.
Enjoy this little playlist to close the month of October.
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Ryan Smeets lives in Moscow, ID and does everything 100%. He’s that friend who is always up for an adventure. His favorite Halloween show - Thrice, Coheed & Cambria, and Thursday, Oct. 31, 2003, at Hollywood Palladium. His “first dance” song with his wife at their wedding was Ben Harper's “Blessed to be a Witness.”
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Thank you for reading the Music Swap. Here are three playlists for the road from some friends of the Swap:
Adam Tait’s Halloween Playlist
Adrian Mathenia’s Halloweenies Playlist
Matthew Rasmussen’s Halloween Recs
-Bauhaus, Bela Lugosi’s Dead
-Siouxsie and the Banshees, Spellbound
-Skatt Bros., Walk the Night
-Nick Cave, Red Right Hand
-Marilyn Manson, I Put a Spell on You (cover)
-Sonic Youth, Hallowe’en
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Happy Halloween and Reformation Day!
-TheMusicSwap
I saw My Morning Jacket in Louisville last year on Halloween weekend. It is arguably one of the most memorable shows I have ever been to. There were costumes on stage as well as all throughout the Yum Center, a balloon drop, a confetti drop, and soooo much more. I do stand by doing things without a phone, however, I find great joy in taking a few concert videos to go back and rewatch days/week/months later.
Great swap. Ryan Smeets took me way back with that Yeah Yeah Yeahs track on the October playlist. I must've played the "Show Your Bones" record 100 times in my beat up pick up truck in the mid-late 00s.