Doors opened with a buzz of chaos and conversation at the Karate Church for the first ever Hallopalooza, a Halloween-themed concert starring bands such as Roland Olayvar, Laamb, Iggy Poop, Jade Matcha and Analog Brass. Analog Brass was also joined by singers Ebony Harris and Martii MC-Fly.
Ticket prices went down by two dollars if you came dressed in costume, which is why an assortment of people in dinosaur onesies lined up as the twang of tuning began from Laamb.
It was Jude Phillips' first time at the Karate Church. He didn’t know what to expect from Laamb the band, who were all dressed as the Scooby-Doo gang.
“I had no idea what I was going into,” Phillips said.
Laamb never fails to make people want to jump and mosh which surprised patrons like Phillips. As he was moshing, he noticed the floor was fluctuating with the group, surprising him as the crowd jumped on.
Once Iggy Poop started to play, singer Scout Smissen, who was dressed as David Bowie, said there would be no jumping for the time being.
“During the second band, there was a mosh pit that started,” Phillips said. “When we were going to start jumping, the floor seemed like it was going to cave in.”
For the church’s owner David Zhang, repairs were needed after Hallopalooza. The Front was unable to get an interview with Zhang since the repairs needed for the venue took more time out of his schedule than he intended.
“I was talking to David before the gig, and he was talking about how he was trying to sound treat the Karate Church as much as he can,” said Sky Kinchen, who is a member of Analog Brass and Jade Matcha.
Kinchen said sound treating a venue is necessary in order to block unnecessary sounds from escaping.
“He’s been trying to insulate it further — such as installing new curtains — but the door was open for most of the night,” he said. “It is Halloween night, and so the most noise you’re going to hear is people walking up and down the street.”
Even though the Karate Church is an iconic local music venue, the police were called due to a noise complaint made by one of the neighbors. The officer demanded the venue shut down in 30 minutes.
Analog Brass percussionist Alex Wrede was disappointed that their set was cut short due to the complaint.
“It’s a shame we only had three songs, but I feel like we condensed it all to what we wanted to play,” he said.
Wrede plays for both Jade Matcha and Analog Brass, which had a back-to-back showcase during the Hallopalooza.
“Riding off the high after that set [and] starting our Analog Brass set, just still very jazzed and in the moment from all the previous music, allowed me to heighten my focus and lock in with everyone and we played really tightly,” he said.
After hearing no local live music during COVID-19, bands and fans had a blast at Hallopalooza despite the complaint.
As the weather gets cold and venues start to close up for the season, bands will start to create more music in the coming months. Max Lemke, sousaphone player for Analog Brass, said that the formulation of a new EP is underway with Ebony Harris solely as the vocalist.
“I’m really fortunate to be working with her,” Lemke said. “She’s one of the better singers in this town.”
Follow bands such as Laamb, Iggy Poop and Analog Brass for more information about future events. Iggy Poop and Analog Brass played at West Fest Nov. 19-20, a free live music event in the Viking Union Multipurpose room.
Julia Kohut (she/her) is a senior who is double majoring in Urban Sustainability and a Fairhaven Concentration in Food Security through Community and Food Forests. You can contact her atjuliakohut.thefront@gmail.com
