'We do have a flair for the spooky': Celebrate Halloween at The Station's Monster Bash

Ellis Dyson, frontman of local folk band Ellis Dyson & the Shambles, is throwing a spook show titled Halloween Monster Bash at The Station in Carrboro on Oct. 31. The show will feature original music from Ellis Dyson & the Shambles and The Oblations, along with covers of well-known Halloween songs.

The band has done this Halloween show for several years now, and now it's an annual tradition. 

“It’s a good way to celebrate with our friends in the community, make it affordable for everyone and have a good time and play some music,” Dyson said.

Ellis Dyson & the Shambles has music with influences ranging from ragtime and swing to old-time ballads and Appalachian folk music. 

The band began as a duo, but is now a quintet that boasts a large string band and horn section, including saxophonist and clarinet player Danny Abrams, acoustic guitarist Eli Wittmann, bassist Butler Knowles and trombonist Danny Grewen. 

The band’s most recent album, “Greetings from Shambylvania,” plays off of the whimsical nature of their narrative songwriting, incorporating a fictional universe of colorful characters into the band’s eclectic sound with songs such as “Psychopathic Family Farm” and “Candy in the Cupboard.”

“Halloween’s a good time for our band because we do have a flair for the spooky,” Dyson said. 

The Oblations are a blues/funk/rock duo also based out of the Triangle, consisting of Joe MacPhail and Daniel Fields. They will be playing three sets of their own music, with much of the music coming from a self-titled album they released in 2017, then teaming up with Ellis Dyson & the Shambles to collaborate on an electric set of Halloween covers. 

"People can expect some funky jams and some deep songwriting, but also improvised sections,” MacPhail said.

Two of the horn players from the Shambles will play with them. The covers are arranged with electric guitar and keys that bring a new spin to the typical acoustic sound of the band.

“They’re one of my favorite bands in town," Dyson said. "It’s an easy relationship between our two bands — it makes a lot of sense. This year we’ll have some more unique covers that we didn’t do last year, and we’ll be unveiling some new repertoire."

Dyson said the show will also feature a costume contest with prizes, and that the band themselves will have multiple costumes. He mentioned that it’ll be a fun night, full of whatever Halloween tastes they can throw in.

“It’s a real production," Dyson said. "I think for students interested in live music, but also wanting to be a part of the Halloween scene that Chapel Hill is known for, it’s a good opportunity for them to be able to go to Franklin Street and then to be able to have a kind of alternative experience that’s free and won’t hurt the pocket book."

arts@dailytarheel.com