Random Thoughts on Friday- Halloween Music

 Its Halloween.  I love Halloween, more so the season and the vibe than the actual day.  Check out my posts...  I love going to all of the spooky festivals and reading books about ghosts and monsters.

Really, I'm an all year long Halloween person.  I do go into full Christmas mode on November 1st, but right around the start of January, I'm back to Halloween.

I heard a program on NPR the other day.  They were talking about Halloween music.  Its not as defined as Christmas music.  The show played a few songs (many I had never heard of).  Of course, "Thriller" and "The Monster Mash" were played.

I talked to a friend the other day.  He shared his "Halloween playlist" with me.  I have a similar playlist.  The only song we had in common was Donovan's "Season of the Witch."

He had a couple of songs from the Shining Soundtrack on his.  I hadn't listened to those outside of watching the movie....  but they were good and creepy.  I'll be hunting down that soundtrack soon.

I probably have 100 songs on my Halloween playlist.  Most of mine are just dark or have a weird scary or ghostly reference.  Some I remember hearing at a Halloween party from years ago.

If you care, here are a few of my favorites- Van Morrison- Into the Mystic, Langhorne Slim- Zombie, John & Mary- Angels of Stone, Equation- Drowning Man, Dar Williams- Christians and Pagans, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown- Fire, Patty Larkin- Phone Message, John Prine- The Sins of Mephisto, Huck 2- Evelyn, Cheap Trick- Ghost Town, Crash Test Dummies- The Ghosts That Haunt Me, Gil Scott- Heron- Me and The Devil, Tori Amos- Happy Phantom, Jane Voss- Do You See That Moon, The Low Anthem, Ghost Woman Blues, and others.  A few obvious ones are themes from the X-Files, and Twilight Zone, and Warren Zevon's Werewolves of London.

Serpent Mound Peebles Ohio 2025

We visited Serpent Mound in Peebles Ohio again!

Concert Memories: John Prine, Lakewood, Ohio 04/28/2000

 

Geez....  this was a quarter of a century ago!  Crazy when you think of it that way.

This was my second and last time seeing John Prine live.  I saw him at the Central City Everly Brothers Home Coming show I think in 1992.  I figured I would always have more time to see him bit I didn't.  I guess seeing him twice was very lucky.

This was a very chill, relaxed show.  I do remember thinking that the levels were off on the sound at the venue.  Of course, that could have been affected by my specific seating location or something like that.  I remember really enjoying the show though, and I got a Prine t-shirt which is still in my collection.

I was living in Cleveland then, and I did miss Kentucky during my time there.  John Prine's music was linked to "home" to me, so this show was especially nice.

John Prine and Everly Brothers Central City Kentucky

In October 2025, I stopped by Central City to see the John Prine and Everly Brothers Monument!

Lasater Coffee & Tea Hopkinsville Kentucky 2025

I had a nice visit to Lasater Coffee and Tea in Hopkinsville Kentucky!

ScareFest 2025 Lexington Kentucky

Here is a brief video mostly of me exploring "ScareFest" in October 2025!

GoblinCon Hopkinsville Kentucky October 2025

I had a great time at GoblinCon 2025, celebrating the Kelly Encounter/Hopkinsville Goblins that appeared in the area in 1955!

Visiting Kelly Kentucky and the Hopkinsville Goblins 2025

AND, I made a quick visit to the little town of Kelly....  it is small, but it is legendary in folklore and UFO circles!

Concert Memories: Don Henley, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 06/12/2000

Well, since we are talking about Winslow Arizona and the Eagles, I found my old ticket stub from when I saw Don Henley solo in the Akron Ohio area back in 2000!  This was after the Eagles got back together.  

He was doing smaller theaters on this tour.  Blossom was an outdoor theater, and they only sold seated tickets under their awning.  A huge, general admission hill probably could have held 3-4 more times the people, but he was keeping the shows small.

I do remember the $50 price tag, at the time, was a bit steep, but I was happy to pay it to see Henley at a smaller crowd type show.  

I had seen Don in Nashville years earlier and loved the show.  I also saw a couple of the shows on the big Reunion tour of the Eagles.  Henley has always been my guy.

Winslow Arizona 2025

You know the Eagles and Jackson Browne are my favorites...  while we were in Arizona, we made the pilgrimage to Winslow Arizona!

"The Van Meter Visitor" by Lewis Voss and Nelson

"I found a copy of "The Van Meter Visitor- A True & Mysterious Encounter with the Unknown" by Chad Lewis, Noah Voss and Kevin Lee Nelson recently.

I really like this writing team.  It is obvious that, among the three of them, they cover the topic of their books thoroughly.  The book is about 225 pages, but I felt like it had a lot more info than that between the covers.  It is thorough and thoughtful.

They consider a topic very completely.  They examine all of the known info available on this strange Iowa encounter from 1903 and they offer various thoughts and theories.  This one to me is similar to Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster in West Virginia.  It has a certain credibility to it.

I would love to attend their annual Van Meter Visitor festival....  It sounds like this town has embraced their strange story from over a century ago.  Oddly, I WAS in Van Meter many years ago.....  Back in 2012 to visit the Bob Feller Museum!  I think a road trip back is needed!
 

Deer at Murphin Ridge Inn Ohio 2025

They are at a distance, and hard to see at times, but here are some deer we saw while enjoying our stay at Murphin Ridge Inn!

"Historic Kentucky Landmarks" by Robert A. Powell

 I have picked up several books by Robert A. Powell, and they are all great little reference books on the state.  This volume has about 100 pages, and each page has a great sketch by the author of a significant structure in Kentucky, with a very informative, brief write up on the place.

Powell's books are just fun to read from cover to cover, or to look through casually.  The books are nice to have on your "Kentucky History" bookshelf just to look through now and then.

The art is great too!

Concert Memories: Bob Dylan and Natalie Merchant, Cleveland, OH. 02/17/1999

 

Bob Dylan in Cleveland Ohio, 2/17/1999.  We had really just moved to Cleveland, and when I saw that Dylan would be playing WITH Natalie Merchant opening, I knew I had to see this one.  I had seen Bob a few years earlier in Evansville Indiana, and I remember that being a terrible show.  I probably wouldn't have given him another chance, but...  Natalie Merchant.

Well, he was about as good the second time as he was the first, in my opinion.  I don't think large sports venues are good for his music either....  but my times seeing him live have been forgettable.

We did enjoy Natalie.  Oddly, at this time in my life, it seemed we were catching Natalie in concert a lot.  Plus, her former band, 10,000 Maniacs, were playing around our area too...  it was great catching them so much.

As a side note, Natalie Merchant's solo band at this point included the former Wallflower's (Dylan's son's band) drummer.

We left the show feeling good though.  Even seeing Dylan on a bad night... well, you are still seeing Dylan.  You have bragging rights.  Plus, Natalie Merchant.

I did pick up a cool knock off concert short outside the venue (usually, those shirts were better than the official ones inside) and I still have it.  I have let some of my friends' kids raid my collection a time or two, but I have kept that shirt.

Murphin Ridge Inn West Union Ohio September 2025

I have mentioned it before....  but we really love Murphin Ridge Inn in West Union Ohio!  Great, rural place to get away!

"Goatman- Flesh or Folklore?" by J. Nathan Couch

J. Nathan Couch's "Goatman- Flesh or Folklore?" is a great little volume I picked up at the Goatman Festival in Louisville.  I got my copy directly from the author and had a nice brief chat with him about the mysterious critter.

His book is a great, complete telling of the various Goatman legends- and there are a lot.  Louisville's Pope Lick Monster isn't the only one.  Texas and Maryland have some very well-known similar stories.

Couch goes deep in his book, giving info on each location's legends and the origins.  He goes into various ancient stories involving similar pan like beings.

Of course, most regions have their own origins.  A bridge, a hospital, a mysterious facility all factor in.  A logical link to the legends is made to a nomadic fellow who traveled the country from 1930-the late 60s with his goats.

The book is packed and informative but gets to the point and has a nice flow.  If you want one book on your shelf about "Goatman" this is the one to get.
 

Goatman Festival- Legend at Pope Lick Louisville KY October 2025

Check out the Goatman Festival at the Legend at Pope Lick in Louisville Kentucky!  We went there last year, and stopped by again this year.

Great American Ballpark, Cincinatti Ohio 2025

Here is a quick look at an end of the season game I took in at Great American Ball Park in Cincinatti Ohio!

Spider Making a Web

It's October...  so here is a video of a spider making a web.

The "Mothman Experience" at Sugarloaf Mountain Chillicothe Ohio 2025

Oh man, we had a GREAT time (as always) in Chillicothe Ohio, catching "The Mothman Experience."

Two Guns Arizona

Check out Two Guns Arizona!  

House of Phacops Rock Shop Peebles Ohio

Check out the one-of-a-kind rock shop near the Great Serpent Mound!

"Smoke A Ballad of the Night Riders" at the Bell Witch Fall Festival Adams Tennessee

I enjoyed a great performance of "Smoke A Ballad of the Night Riders" as part of the Bell Witch Fall Festival in Adams Tennessee!

The Glitz at Irish Acres Nonesuch Kentucky

Shop for antiques and have a great meal at the Glitz at Irish Acres!

Flagstaff Arizona

Here is a look at our trip to Flagstaff Arizona, in April 2025!  There is some snow!