Boo! It’s Halloween! Throughout October, HollywoodLife is running The Sound Of Halloween, where some of your favorite fiends of music, movies, television, and pop culture pick songs that should be on your Halloween 2022 playlist. As we enjoy the last full week before Halloween, we’re doubling your joy by adding a full-size treat of TSOH. Today, it’s a double bill of awesomeness as The Happy Fits drops by, ahead of their tour with Phoneboy.
The Happy Fits – cellist Calvin Langman, guitarist Ross Monteith, and drummer Luke Davis – are enjoying the afterglow of releasing “Little Ones,” the most recent single from their 2022 album, Under The Shade Of Green. Following “Around And Around,” Dance Alone,” and Changes,” “Little One” is an ode to the band’s future children, inspired by singer-songwriter Tom Rosenthal’s many songs dedicated to his daughter. When Calvin has kids, expect him to go all-out when October rolls around.
“So my parents didn’t buy me sweets growing up. I remember for my birthday I’d get to go to the grocery store and pick out one box of “sugary cereal” for my present; most always Trix. Halloween was the one day of the year that was my loophole,” he tells HollywoodLife. While sharing his love of Count Chocula/Frankenberry/Booberry, Calvin also selected some classic tracks for The Sound Of Halloween and which modern horror movie will haunt his thoughts on his band’s upcoming tour (dates below.)
The Happy Fits’ Halloween Playlist Songs
Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett, “The Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett”
This is the ultimate Halloween Jam in my opinion. It includes all the ghoulies and goblins AND it’s sang by real vampire?!? It doesn’t get more Halloween than that.
[Editor’s Note: Since we have the Bobby Pickett, Vincent Price, Misfits, and Don Hinson & The Rigamorticians’ versions on TSOH playlist, we’ll add John “Zacherley” Zacherle’s rendition.]
Carnival of the Animals – Fossils by Camille Saint-Saens
Besides Carnival of the Animals being a completely epic opus, Saint-Saens creativity using the Xylophone to mimic the sounds of skeletons is unmatched. I absolutely love this piece and it always gets me Jonesing for some candy.
Bach, “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor”
I think it’s the fact this piece was written like 400 years ago that makes it so damn haunting. If you hear this music playing out of someone’s house while trick-or-treating you just KNOW they mean business.
HollywoodLife: What is your most prominent Halloween memory? Like, when someone says “Halloween,” what’s the first thing that jumps into your mind from your past?
So my parents didn’t buy me sweets growing up. I remember for my birthday I’d get to go to the grocery store and pick out one box of “sugary cereal” for my present; most always Trix. Halloween was the one day of the year that was my loophole. I would get so into Halloween and stockpiling candy, I would literally map my route around town to get the most candy in the shortest amount of time. The houses with cauldrons (unattended bowls) are the ones you’d want to hit ASAP. Cauldrons with king-size candy bars were the cream-of-the-crop. One year I ended up collecting 14 pounds of candy. I thought it would last me the whole year but it was basically gone by December.
What do you think will be the most popular Halloween costume this year? What SHOULD be, in your mind?
I think Vecna from Stranger Things will probably be the most popular Halloween costume. If I had to choose what SHOULD be the most popular, I would probably go with a Nudist on Strike. My friend and I did it one year when we were lazy and didn’t want to dress up- and I think lazy Halloween is the vibe this year. The costume is simple- just wear clothes.
Do you have any particular October/Halloween traditions?
Every year we go and party at our friends, the Policastro’s. I think they spend at least 2 weeks decorating their place so nothing matches the energy of their crib this time of year.
If given a budget and free range to do whatever, what horror movie would you star in? You can remake any film of the past, or you could create your own.
I absolutely LOVED It Follows. For me, that would be the most fun horror movie to recreate. I like to think since I’m on tour all the time, It would have a hard time following me.
What’s on tap for October for you — and the rest of the year?
We just finished up our first-ever UK / EU tour and are about to head out on a 6-week tour across the US. We just dropped a music video that I produced for one of my favorite tracks ‘Little One’ on our newest album Under The Shade of Green. We have a follow-up music video coming out very soon that I also produced for our song “In The Lobby,” which is probably my favorite track we’ve ever made.
Tour DatesNovember 8 – Burlington, VT – Higher GroundNovember 9 – Hamden, CT – Space BallroomNovember 11 – Washington DC – Union StageNovember 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Spirit HallNovember 13 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music HallNovember 15- Detroit, MI – El ClubNovember 16 Indianapolis, IN – DeluxeNovember 18 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar HallNovember 19 – Chicago, IL – MetroNovember 20 -Minneapolis, MN – First AveNovember 22 – Denver, CO – Summit Music HallNovember 23 – Salt Lake City, UT – The ComplexNovember 25 – Portland, OR – Wonder BallroomNovember 26 – Seattle, WA – Neptune TheatreNovember 29 – San Francisco, CA – August HallNovember 30 – San Diego, CA – House of BluesDecember 1 – Los Angeles, CA – The FondaDecember 5 – Dallas, TX – TreesDecember 6 – Austin, TX – Scoot InnDecember 7 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music HallDecember 9 – Orlando, FL – The Plaza LiveDecember 10 – Atlanta, GA – The MasqueradeDecember 11 – Nashville, TN – Basement EastDecember 13 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s CradleDecember 16 – Boston, MA – The Paradise Rock ClubDecember 17 – New York, NY – Webster HallDecember 18 – Philadelphia, PA – TLA