Skeleton-hands down, Halloween is the best holiday of the year. For this month's column, I decided to talk to a few Calgary acts about their plans for All Hallow's Eve 2007, along with some spooky local music memories.

 “We’re taking a break to record our full-length right now, so unfortunately we won't be suiting up this Halloween... at least for an Azeda show,” says Marc Rimmer of Azeda Booth. “I’m sure we'll all be out rocking Halloween in some form though. I found this dollar store with $1 silicone masks. Heck yes.”

Azeda Booth play tonight (October 11) at Broken City, and on October 13 at The Stetson with Gunther and Lint.

“We're playing a battle of the bands at The Underground on Halloween night,” says Secret Broadcast’s Matt Lightsone. “All band members will be in costume. We’re thinking about going with a theme, such as dressing up as Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Ritchie, complete with alcohol-detecting anklets. However, I’ve been dying to dress up like Pee-Wee Herman for years. I know Bryan has an affinity for zombies, so anything could happen.”

Before that costumed battle, Secret Broadcast will be opening for Ted Leo (!) on October 19 at The Liberty Lounge.

“Some of us will be dressed up for sure,” says Grant Blondeel of The Ostrich, who play October 31 at The Distillery. “We might not have a group costume, which is fun, but you can’t always get people to agree. You can’t really show up as The Village People, because everyone’s seen Wayne’s World 2.”

“I think the only time I’ve ever really been to the bar on Halloween was at The Ship a couple of years ago when The Soft Option (Ostrich guitarist Chris Milne’s former band) played,” says Ostrich front man Chris Zajko. “Chris Faulkner had a five-year-old kid’s lobster outfit, and Pete was a Shriner.”

The Ostrich recently released their kick-ass debut seven-inch, and are also playing at The HiFi on October 23 for the CJSW funding drive.

“This Halloween, we’ll be back into recording our next album and finishing up a couple of EPs,” says Woodpigeon’s Mark Hamilton. “Also, working out the details with our new label in the U.K., The End of the Road Records, and celebrating Annalea’s engagement to Garrett McClure of The Summerlad.

 “I’m also looking forward to Jane Vain’s Fox and Scully costumes. I think we’ll end up going as The Brady Bunch, or perhaps The Partridge Family, but then we'd have to double up on a couple of characters.”

 Woodpigeon play next on October 25 at Broken City, where they'll be opening up for Sandro Perri and The Russian Futurists.

“On Halloween, (vocalist/guitarist JJ Powell) likes to join forces with the dead and wear something leather or fur,” explain The Pine Tarts. “As the evening wears on, it can become unclear whether it is JJ wearing the fur, or the fur wearing JJ. (Bassist Jester Suzuki) will wear a top hat stolen from a talking snowman, and (drummer Adam 'the A-Bomb' Scott) will wear his influences on his sleeves. Jenny (vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Jenn Pauli) will wear JJ's still-beating heart atop her frosty crown.”

“I always try to play a Halloween show every year,” says rapper Ricca Razorsharp. “One year I went dressed as Thriller-era (Michael Jackson). This girl, Lisa, showed up with no costume, but she is a fair-skinned brunette with a bob, so we told everybody that we were Michael Jackson, before and after.

“My favourite Halloween memories usually revolve around scantily clad ladies,” Ricca continues. “Scantily clad bunnies, scantily clad nurses, scantily clad whatever, it really doesn't matter. That is a trend that I like.”