A shortage of costumes, music and spooky atmosphere was not an issue at Pump House Music Works’ first annual Halloween Hullabaloo show last Saturday.
The show was held at the rustic and cozy location in Wakefield, right near the University of Rhode Island Kingston Campus and featured four local bands. The entry fee was $10 and proof of vaccination was required for all guests. Pizza, chips, candy and different beverages were provided as well.
The atmosphere was perfect for a night of listening to music. The outside patio seating area was complete with a campfire to stay warm, and the inside had nicely dimmed lighting. The seating area where food was served was brighter than the room where the music was played, but still had television screens broadcasting the show from the other room so that a minute wouldn’t be missed.
Concert-goers were also encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes, and there was no shortage of creativity, from people dressed as the Mystery Gang from “Scooby-Doo,” to all different types of animals, to 1970s disco queens who looked straight out of an ABBA music video.
The first band that performed was People Eating Plastic, a trio that describes themselves as falling into the “decrepit-jazz” category. The band consists of guitarist Jason Gillooly, bassist Benjamin Schuy and drummer Wesley Evans. They played pieces that were instrumental and perfect for lovers of punk, emo and alternative music.
The second band to perform was the Grizzlies, a campus-favorite band among students that was formed in 2017 and originally based out of URI. The band played a selection of songs with an alternative funk feel. The band consists of five members, vocalist Cynthia Munrayos, guitarist Josh Zenil, bassist Mike Villani, keyboardist Emily Iwuc and drummer Harrison Dolan.
The third performers were Smug Honey, a four-piece formed in 2018, made up of keyboardist and saxophone player Kyle Takata, guitarist and trumpet player Luca Simeone, bassist George Richter and drummer Sam McCarthy. Smug Honey also falls into the alternative indie funk and jazz category, similarly to Grizzlies.
Finally, The Naticks performed. They are a garage-rock five-piece that was formed in Rhode Island in 2007. The band members include vocalist Telli Quinn, guitarist Ross MacAndrew, bassist Drew Croll, keyboardist and vocalist Chris Capuano and drummer Nick Powers.
Each band played about a four-song setlist, and the entire event lasted around three hours.
Smug Honey didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic get in their way of continuing to perform as a local band.
“We played quite a bit this summer because we were all in Rhode Island,” Takata said. “I’m in Boston now so there’s a little gap and it’s been a little tough, but we played this show and we’ve practiced together in Boston a couple of times. I’d say right now it’s hard being a long distance band but over the summer we were playing once or twice a week as a second job.”
They also spoke about how indoor music shows are coming back with new vaccine requirements.
“All summer we played outdoor gigs, so there were no masks,” Simeone said. “We did another show at Pump House in late August and I think that was one of the first indoor shows at the Pump House in two years or so, so we’ve been getting back into it.”
With indoor shows returning with winter coming soon, the Pump House is a great location for students to experience music local once again. Schedules for shows can be found on the Pump House Music Works website.