Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

Bands channel spirit of holiday at the House of Blues

If you're looking for something slightly more sinful than sweet this Halloween, you might consider checking out a night of rock at the House of Blues.

The Myrtle Beach Rocks concert series presents a Halloween Party featuring a lineup of popular local bands. Taking the stage Saturday night are Circles in Autumn with Silenced, Shark Legs and The Wet Teens.

"This is our first year hosting a Myrtle Beach Rocks on Halloween," House of Blues Promotions Manager Anne Marie Bailey said. "Myrtle Beach Rocks typically has a great turnout. This year, we wanted to try something different and offer the public a live-music option for Halloween."

"It's fitting to have a metal band headline a Halloween show," guitarist Michael Miller of Circles of Autumn said during a phone interview Monday. "Some of our music is dark and creepy as it is."

Circles of Autumn - lead vocalist/guitarist Shaun Brown, drummer Wes Bellamy, bassist Shawn Bruce, keyboardist Thomas Brady and Miller - have played together for about five years. Regular performers on the MB Rocks lineups, the band also opened for Opeth more than a year ago, also at the House of Blues.

Their progressive metal sound has been described as if you took "Opeth, Dream Theatre, Type O Negative and Pink Floyd, threw them in a bag and mixed it up," according to Miller.

Circles of Autumn chose the rest of the Halloween show lineup, Miller said, which includes the '90s alternative sounds of Silenced, the party punk vibes of Shark Legs and the unique rock world of The Wet Teens.

"We had a list of bands and [we wanted to] keep it diverse, and this is what we came up with," Miller said. "You're going to have some of the best bands in the area playing on one stage that night.

"People are used to seeing some of these bands in really crappy venues, and it would be a great chance to see them with a full production, an opportunity they may not get for quite a while."

Miller says the bands "may" be in costume - but he expects the crowd to be.

"Dress as freakish and outlandish as they can," Miller said.

"Just get into the spirit of it. It's Halloween, and you're coming to a rock show. What better way to spend Halloween?"

For more on Circles in Autumn, visit www.myspace.com/circlesinautumn